March 21, 2021
Deòir Eilean Donnán (Tears of Island Donan)
This beautiful island lies on the west coast of Scotland just before you drive over to the Isle of Skye. It is a lovely location with a 13th century castle that lies across a stone bridge spanning the tidal waters (https://www.eileandonancastle.com) Understandably, it’s a very popular tourist and events venue with a thriving gift shop, café, and all the amenities. Our photography workshop group (Peter Cox and Steve Gosling-2019) had stopped for the first time on our way out to Skye for food and photo ops, and it was quite attractive at low tide with large green, mossy rocks lining the shoreline. This was our return visit on leaving Skye and, when our twin vans stopped for a respite, everyone piled out in a hurry for the restrooms, a hot drink, and warm lentil soup. It was raining lightly, which I could have said most every day, and, in fact, in Ireland they would say, “‘twas a soft day”. The castle and visitor center were off to our right, but as soon as I stepped off of the van I saw these beautiful atmospheric veils of soft rain falling on the hills across Loch Duich to my left. I was immediately captivated. Ignoring my workshop buddies, I headed off in the other direction to see if I could get close to the water’s edge and it was there that this scene unfolded. The opposite hills were shrouded in a hanging, misty rain with bright spots of sun sparkling on the water. I could see hillside after hillside disappearing in the fog with just visible craggy edges and soft pines hinting at their definition. I began to get excited and became completely absorbed in the scene. I visualized what I wanted to capture in order to share that moment, tell the story, and mimic that atmosphere in a way that I could describe it to others.
This image does that for me. It is special because it immediately transports me back to that point in time when I broke loose from everything else and tuned into the present moment. I hope you have the feeling of standing there next to me looking across the sparking waters of Loch Duich and seeing the tears fall across Eilean Donan!
Image Information: October 25, 2019 Fuji XT3 with 55-200mm lens at 55mm and f4 for 1/40 sec.
Geoff