Eilean Donan Castle, a photo from Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Photographer's Note

This classic Scotish castle turns out to be a modern reconstruction of the original 13th century castle and a total tourist trap.
I wanted to shoot this picture postcard castle from the less usual south side to place it in it's context as guardian of the intersection of 3 lochs but especially to emphasise it's diminutive size within the landscape(and to keep away from the 30 or so other snappers shooting the north side).
Tech: spot reading off of the castle and used a 1.5stop soft grad to pull in the sky plus a 1 stop hard grad upside down for the water.
In PS I pulled the curve to get all of the detail out of the sky.

Vicky, Coyotyto, dsidwell, eleparc, yekjohn, rowanb, piozac, digiken, stefi, pirulesco, fadingstar78, jkos, vizion trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Vicky (1446) 2005-05-10 11:58

Hi Richard,
Great gothic-type image that works really well in black and white. The detail and clarity is wonderful and all your technical work has paid off and produced an excellent picture....those sun-rays make it for me. Full of atmosphere, and I'm full of praise for your brilliant capture. Kind regards, Vicky

[2]

puciu (498) 2005-05-10 12:02

Splendid dramatic photo.
Very well done.
Robert.

pipistrela (39) 2005-05-10 12:10

Hi Richard, great photo. great composition and reflections caught. great use of black and white as well. very dramatic. Chiara

Coyotyto (1305) 2005-05-10 12:23

Hi Richard,
Beautiful dramatic photo !
The B&W gives a lot of power here ! (though I wonder how were the colours...) The light is great, and I really appreciate there is still a lot of details on the castle.

Very good job !
Youssef

[2]

davido (1982) 2005-05-10 13:05

Beautiful shot. Nothing to say but my eyes enjoy it.
Regards, David

RGatward (20108) 2005-05-10 13:30

Hello Richard. A long time since we've seen anything from you. This one very characteristic of your style. Baeutiful tones and compo.

dkeus31 (27739) 2005-05-10 13:37

Hi Richard,
Superb BW!
Nice contrast, good light and superb sky.
Good framing.

es841 (2113) 2005-05-10 13:48

Bonne idée le noir et blanc pour l'effet étrange donné au chateau. Je trouve le cadrage génial. La netteté est pafaite et le reflet dans l'eau symétrique. Bravo.
Luc.

Teten (582) 2005-05-10 13:54

Amazing picture! Really well done, i love the frame, the BW, the shines...
Teten

dsidwell (9783) 2005-05-10 15:32

Goodie, goodie, goodie! Another photo from Richard! Startling photo with that dramatic sky and mirror-water. I like the darker tones of the castle, where it sits and broods, but we still get a lot of detail. Very nice work!

[2]

toni_al (15875) 2005-05-10 15:59

Hi Richard
Superbe image. cadrage et lumière parfaits.
Very nice shot
Toni

eleparc (24063) 2005-05-10 17:20

Richard, this shot is just FANTASTIC! the post treatment gives it so much force and impact. it epitomises all that scotland stands for foreigners, a blend of mystery and beauty. very well done! congrats!
Eric

[2]

RandomCameraGuy (3071) 2005-05-10 21:17

Man that is intense. Everytime I look at your shots I realise how much more I have to learn, esp about exposure and post-processing.

Of course the composition is great. Amazing stillness in the water, and that shaft of light coming through the clouds in the distance is amazing.

Wow.

alex

[2]

Homerhomer (4080) 2005-05-10 21:52

Great shot Richard, this image is fantastically composed and has a very good feeling to it. Great subject, great light, great exposure, what else is there to say, ohh great bw conversion.
Not only the castle is perfect, but the reflection of the still water and the sun rays simply comlete this beautifull landscape.
I wonder if you would consider brightening the castle just a tad, so it stands out a bit more, or dodging and burning it in spots for some additional effect.
Peter

[2]

yekjohn (1890) 2005-05-10 21:53

This is very well composed and you have managed to inject great drama into the scene too, which is most appropriate for this castle. Very well done. Great timing. Cheers,John.

rowanb (864) 2005-05-11 7:59

very dramatic image , excellent composition and great use of b&w.

piozac (2065) 2005-05-11 13:04

Richard at his best! WOW... that's all I have to say.
Tonal range of this image is awesome.

All the best!
Piotr

marekrallying (397) 2005-05-11 17:36

I was there few months ago. It was quite a surprise that only people I met there where from Poland (just like me). You've done a great job here, photo is amazing..it has a great impact.good work

Toonboy (2539) 2005-05-12 17:56

Hi Richard
What a spectacular shot very dramatic and moody excellent use of the sky/reflection and the sun rays in the background

Regards Ken

ccooper (840) 2005-05-12 21:10

Absolutely gorgeous. I love the choice of B&W. The sky and water look amazing!

jp80 (8443) 2005-05-14 4:29

Hi Richard,
I see you are a blask 1 white specialist ! Your gallery is really great, and I especially like this shot. The sky is wonderfull. Rays of light in background and shadows on the water create a wonderful atmosphere. I like !

Pascal

Nolme (6829) 2005-05-18 12:15

magnifique photo ! On ressent cette impression de solitude que donne ce chateau.

Hanssie (11022) 2005-05-21 8:46

Wow-wow, how fantastic, this well-know castle"through "your eyes", superb composition and reflections,
Great shot !

sharizadel (60) 2005-07-21 8:09

Hi Richard, I like this amazing photo, The atmosphere is like a scene of a dream. The sky suggest me a new dawn and the new day is coming for the ultimate battle. The composition is perfect. Excellent shot. Thank u.

drago (4832) 2005-08-01 10:05

excellent photo

shal (944) 2005-11-22 9:07

Hey Richard,
great choice of B/W wonderful capture,
great POV and detail,
the sunrays falling from between the clouds onto the sea simply superb,
Cheers TFS,
Shal

aros (0) 2005-11-29 3:37

Very spooky... the Loch Ness Monster wouldn't be out of place if it decided to come up for breath. The hillside on the left balances the castle nicely, the sky adds interest, and the sunburst adds a focal point in teh background, drawing the viewer's eye past the other features as it goes. Brilliant capture!

luthfistung (46) 2005-12-17 10:27

very dramatic view.
good in BW.
salut Richard!

fadingstar78 (420) 2005-12-17 10:34

great picture with beautiful b & w. the lake looks like a mirror.

amazing...

skomy (124) 2006-03-11 6:18

Richard,

A shot very well taken! It looks like a picture from a fairybook tale..The positioning of subjects in the photo(castle, lake..etc) + the clouds and reflections of water make it an irresistable photo!
Im wondering how it will be like colored?
welldone
Sherif

jkos (981) 2006-03-11 7:05

Great B&W. I am about to start to experiment RAW and BW pictures. To do something like this picture is where I want to get!!
TFS,
Joel

PS. What do you mean by "1 stop hard grad upside down for the water"?

gabrielpat (7163) 2006-06-04 17:03

wonderfull wb picture,i love it!

rushfan2112 (2965) 2006-12-10 2:46

The best shot of Eilean Donan I've seen. Should be in a book! Paul

Kristo (543) 2007-03-06 10:13

I loved this photo, however I think that this a little dark. The reflex in the water is very good and the Sky was magnificent.

downer (246) 2007-03-06 10:53

Spectacular shot, my compliments. I love the composition and the rays in the horizon top it all perfectly. I think I would have liked to see a coloured version too, provided it would be gloomy enough of course :)
Cheers, Ioanna

keribar (43841) 2007-03-20 2:04

Hello Richard,
With plans to visit Kyle of Lochalsh in July, this picture is telling me a lot about how I should proceed. I also want to take pictures of Eilean Donan at the blue hour and wonder how long it will stay there in July.
Many thanks for this beautiful BW .

Keep well - Izzet keribar

nunop (62) 2007-05-03 20:00

Magnificent sky with great reflections!!
The pov and composition are fabulous.
Very nice picture.

Cheers,

rleclercq (630) 2007-08-09 1:46

Bonjour Richard,

C'est toujours avec autant de plaisir que je revisite ta galerie, qui a vraiment une qualité exceptionnelle.

Dans le cas particulier de cette photo tu as créé ( encore une foi ) une ambiance dramatique comme toi seul sait le faire.

Réalise tu un gros travail de post traitement sur tes clichés ?

Ton plus grand fan ;)

Rodrigue

mauricevladimir (8) 2010-09-29 3:50

Wow, this castle thoroughly fascinates me.