Nick Jenkins
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Viewpoint – Glencoe
This rugged and beautiful, yet easily accessible glen provides superb opportunities for some cracking mountain photography from a relatively low level. NICK JENKINS shares his love of Glencoe with you.
I would bet that the vast majority of folk pass through Glencoe along the A82 without really seeing the Glen in all its wild and rugged splendour. I know I certainly used to, when en route to Skye or the Torridon Hills. Glencoe became just another place I passed through. Rannoch Moor seems a more popular place for photographers, tempted, no doubt, by the majestic gable end of Buchaille Etive Mor across the gap of Glen Etive. But make no mistake; Glencoe is not just the preserve of hairy chested and bearded climbers (either male or female); the opportunities for stunning landscapes are well within the grasp of those who are not ‘crag rats’.
My most recent visit to Glencoe involved a stopover at the nearby village of Ballachulish, so I had plenty of time to explore the lower reaches of the Glen during the evening. Taking the road up through Glencoe Village I climbed up the grassy slopes on my left just before the Clachaig Inn. The day had been rather grey and uneventful but, as can so often happen in the Highlands, the evening started to show real promise. The cloud cover was breaking up and shafts of sunlight drenched the mountainsides all around me. It was pure theatre as I sat on a rock for ten minutes or so to get my bearings. Further up the Glen and tumbling down the side of Bidean Nam Bian was a waterfall with a band of late evening sunlight cutting across the mountainside, illuminating just the strip across the falls. That sort of lighting doesn’t wait for you so, galvanised into action, I hastily dragged the Mamiya out of the rucksack, plonked it onto the Benbo, slapped a 150mm lens on (equivalent to about 110mm on a 35mm SLR) and took several bracketed exposures at f32 (whoever said that landscape photography is leisurely and unhurried?!). The best result came from a one stop under-exposed shot. In situations like the one I found myself confronted with, I will tend to under-expose rather than over-expose when bracketing.
Panning round the landscape revealed several other superb opportunities but I needed a longer lens. This time it was the turn of the Nikon F90X and my 70-300mm zoom. This lens proved ideal for cropping in tight and isolating those parts of the mountains where the sunlight was leaving golden yellow dashes and splashes.
I spent about an hour and a half on my rocky perch, just watching and shooting when the light presented itself. Evening mountain light is so photogenic that I was so wrapped up in what I was doing to realise that midges were also out, but enjoying me more than the scenery (unfortunately). Opportunities like this don’t present themselves as often as we would like so I took several rolls of both 120 and 35mm film – you never know when you are going to find yourself up a mountainside in Glencoe again.
Having outlasted the light show, I packed up my gear and made my way back across the slopes to Glencoe Village. Just at the moment when I thought the photography was over for the evening, broad bands of golden red sunlight came shafting down from the sky through the mountains and over Loch Leven. Dammit – no choice. Back out with the Nikon, up with the Benbo, on with the long lens, and the sunlight was caught. Midges? What midges?
There’s no better way to close an evening’s photography as good as this than to turn left along the lane and gravitate with dignity towards the Clachaig Inn. There will be much talk of ‘necky routes’, ‘jugs’ and ‘airy ridges’; but we photographers have a deep awareness of having captured something on film that may never be repeated in exactly the same way again!
Planning
LocationThe spot from where the photos were taken is up the mountainside opposite the Clachaig Inn, on the narrow lane, off the A82, running off Glencoe towards Glencoe village, heading west. It is actually the southerly slope of The Pap of Glencoe. As a rough guide, look for a deep gash running down the mountain.
What to shoot The mountainsides and summits are just magnificent here; seek out a rock or some pine trees to add some foreground interest. The River Coe, further up the Glen also provides opportunities for some good shots.
What to take Sturdy footwear (essential), map, camera rucksack, solid tripod, polariser, waterproofs, and camera.
Refreshment stops The Clachaig Inn is a good stop and there are some good tearooms in Glencoe village.
Best times of Year Anytime really, but the Glen always looks at its best as the sun rises or sets over the mountains. Early summer mornings bring wonderful mists over the lochans near the Glencoe campsite.
Ordnance Survey Map For detail it has to be the OS Outdoor Leisure 38 – Ben Nevis and Glencoe. For a smaller scale (4 miles to the inch) the OS Road 2 – Western Scotland and the Western Isles will prove useful.
Essential Reading The maps! Pop into the Visitor Centre nearby for a good selection of books, maps and leaflets.
Details of the photos submitted.
1. Suggested main shot – the dramatic lighting was just irresistible. I was struck by the contrasting greens, all set off to perfection by the golden band of sunlight right across the middle of the scene. Shot on a Mamiya 645 with a Mamiya 150mm lens using Fuji Provia 100ASA film. Camera mounted on a Benbo 2 tripod. Aperture was f32, time not recorded but around 1 second.
2. Supplementary shot – looking up the Glen towards Buchaille Etive Beag and the Three Sisters. The sombre lighting on the mountain contrasted well with the light on the rock in the foreground. Shot on a Nikon F90X Pro using Fuji Velvia. Aperture was f22 on a Sigma 24-70 zoom at around 30mm. Benbo 2 tripod and hotshoe mounted spirit level.
3. Supplementary shot –I just like the way the sunlight grazes the mountains edge. Nikon F90X Pro, Fuji Velvia. Aperture was f32 on a Sigma 70 -300 zoom at around 30omm. Benbo 2 tripod and hotshoe mounted spirit level.
4. Supplementary shot – the sunlight just seemed to radiate a pink colour against such a dark background. Shot taken with a Nikon F90X Pro, Benbo 2 tripod, and spirit level on Fuji Velvia. Aperture was f4.
Facts about Glencoe
Glencoe has a dark and rugged appearance which sits well with its dark and rugged story of the massacre of the Clan MacDonald in February 1692. The massacre was masterminded by the King’s troops (known by the Scots as the Hanoverians) and assisted by the Campbells, who had a history of feuding with the MacDonalds for many years. The barbaric cruelty of the troops was legend – many of the MacDonals being buried on a small island in nearby Loch Leven – the gravestones being visible today.
Glencoe also has a fairly new visitor centre at its western end – well worth a visit, if only to get the full account of the massacre.