Therainwasincessantandthe
wi ndunpredictable,andI’dalmost
gi venup anythoughtof takingany
photographs,whenrisingabove
another blind summit this scenelay
before me. There was no time fora
tr ipod as I didn’t know how long this was goingto
la st, so I attached the longestlensI couldfindand
ra n down the track to the edgeof theloch.Less
th an 60 seconds later this spectacularlightshow
was over, and I knew I’d seensomethingspecial.
deanallanphotography.co.ukBen says: When your firstreactionto a photois
‘Wow!’ you know you’re ontosomethingspecial.
This may have been a raceagainsttime,andthe
conditions may have beenprettyunpleasant,but
Dean’s sprint to the water’sedgewasabsolutely
worth it. Dramatic light canhavequitean effect
on people – I’ve seen the mostunlikelycharacters
li terally tear across fields chasingthelight,bags
and tripods hanging off everylimb– andnowhere
el se on Earth does weatherquiteliketheScottish
Highlands, so I can well understandDean’ssense
of urgency. Imagine missingthismoment!
That sky is truly gloriousandworthyof an oil
painting all by itself, but it’sthesenseof depth
and recession that providesthisphotowithits
la sting impact. Created bythemultiplelayersofsi lhouettedandpartiallyobscuredslithersof
la ndencroachingon theloch,Dean’ssuperb
compositiondrawsyouin andpullsyouthrough
untilyoureyereachesthefurthestmountain.
Thosediagonalshaftsof lightalsohighlightsome
verysubtledetailsin theforeststhatsurroundthe
lo ch,whichonlyaddsto theimpressionisticfeel.
Couldthisimagebe improved?It’sdifficultto
see how.It’smoody,atmosphericandprovesthat
serendipityis sometimesa photographer’sbest
fr iend.It alsoshowsthatDeanhasa verysteady
hand– we’dalmostalwaysrecommendshooting
te lephotolandscapeswitha tripod,butevenat
1/ 100secthisimageis pin-sharpandcrystal
cl ear.Andhischoiceof a ‘sweetspot’aperture
(t ypically,butnotalways,aroundf/8or f/11)
ensuresthatdepth-of-fieldis plentifulandimage
qualityis maximised.Thisis a fantasticlandscape
and oneI’dhappilyhangon my wall.80 PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY
The superbcompositiondraws you inand pulls youright throughto the furthestmountainFeedback
Loch Maree
by Dean AllanOur experts analyse & critique your best images.
Send them to [email protected]BenHawkins
Withover17 years
as a photographic
journalist, Ben is
an experienced
competition
judge, picture
editor and writer.Kirk Schwarz
With over ten
years spent as a
wedding, fashion
and product
photographer,
Kirk has an eye
for finer details.Adam Atkins
PP’s features
writer is an
accomplished
professional
sport, travel
and commercial
photographer.