These inspiring landscapes by last year’s entrants show off Scotland’s diverse and spectacular scenery, it’s historic buildings and wild places. Which one is you favourite?
1. Allan Wright, Buachaille Etive Mor
Allan Wright – The Buachaille Etive Mor This iconic mountain offers infinite photo possibilities and on this occasion I chose to return to the spot I first shot The Buachaille from back in 1993 i.e. from Ben a Chrulaiste. My timing was seemingly on the nail as the texturally rich foreground glowed momentarily from the last rays of summer sunshine falling across this magnificent Glen. The little outcrop in mid distance adds a touch of lyricism as it mimics the familiar profile of this “Great Shepherd of the Glen”
2. Adrian Hilloister, The Droma River and An Teallach.
The Droma River and An Teallach. I have passed this location on many occasions driving home from Inverness; past Loch Droma just before the Braemore Junction. In almost all conditions of weather and light, An Teallach is a beautiful sight, and on this evening the light reflecting off the river and the hillsides receding to the silhouette of An Teallach were irresistible. Finding the precise location for the composition I had envisaged required a little scrambling and some tricky tripod positioning on a slippery rocky slope – all with an eye on the time before the sun dipped too low to illuminate the river.
3. Colin Mill, Old Man and Me
Old Man and Me The original intent had been to catch the sunrise, but the heavy cloud and light drizzle I encountered when I got to the parking place meant that the sunrise was going to be a non-event, but as I’d made the effort to get there I decided to continue the climb up to the Old Man of Storr anyway. Once the sun had climbed high enough to clear the bank of cloud I was rewarded with this beautiful light, making the effort worthwhile.
4. Chris Swan, From Umber to Amber
From Umber to Amber I came upon this woodland whilst roaming around near the David Marshall Lodge near Aberfoyle, the day was overcast but the diffused light helped to saturate the autumn colours. I was struck by the contrasts in form between the straight larches and pines and the gnarled beech tree. The hint of a path through the trees added a touch of mystery to the scene.
5. Craig Aitchison, The Great Herdsman of Etive
The Great Herdsman of Etive – dominates the solitude of Rannoch Moor and the entrance to Glen Coe. It is one of Britain’s most recognizable mountains and a favourite location for landscape photographers. After a long wait in changeable conditions a gap in the cloud finally opened and I managed to make a number of exposures before the light disappeared and the snow showers resumed. Taken on the Hasselblad Xpan with 45mm lens using Velvia 50 film.
6. Damian Shields, Stob a Ghrianain from Spean Bridge
Stob a Ghrianain from Spean Bridge I shot this image during a pit-stop at the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge. I was admiring the bronzed soldiers view of the mighty Nevis range to the south, the hills encased in a thick layer of snow. As my eye turned west I was stuck by the lovely profile of Stob a Ghrianain rising above a thick strip of pines. The soft and thick cloud formations moving over the scene made for a perfect backdrop to the crisp lines and contrasts created by the strong sunlight and I accentuated the mood in post processing by taking the exposure down to draw you in to the spill of light on the peak.
7. David Shawe, Blaven – Approaching Storm
Blaven – Approaching Storm Stormy September weather provided some spectacular lighting conditions during this visit to Skye. On my way to Elgol I stopped here at Torrin and walked up the bank behind the village. Blaven was enshrouded in black clouds but I was rewarded with a brief interlude of bright sunlight between torrential downpours. The foreground was littered with rocky outcrops but I found this pattern of rocks which seemed to mimic the shape of the Cuillin range in the background. I few moments later the storm arrived and I dashed back to the car, soaked but hopeful.
8. Dudley Williams, Rannoch Moor
A dawn mist slowly lifts on Rannoch Moor on this almost freezing November morning.
9. Keith Robeson, Winter Poplars, Maxton, Scottish Borders
Winter Poplars, Maxton, Scottish Borders The image was taken on a January morning, an hour after dawn. The sun had risen above a neighbouring woodland, lighting up the Poplar trees. I chose a viewpoint looking down through the trees to a distant Holly bush. From this position a Lime tree is visible amongst the Poplars, on the left of the image.
10. Keith Wilson, Tarbet Isle
Tarbet Isle A quick stop in a lay by on the A82 passing Loch Lomond followed by a climb over the crash barrier, over a wire fence, down a slippery collapsed wall and a push through the undergrowth got my wife, Jill, and I onto the shoreline. The backlighting behind the Isle was magical but we had to be quick as a tour boat was fast approaching from the left. Jill set up the tripod while I setup the camera for a long exposure. We managed to take the shot just in time, before the tour boats wake ruined the surface of the water and it started to pour down with rain.
11. Michael Blair, The Bridges of Alloway County
The Bridges of Alloway County I am fortunate to live in Alloway and I was able to photograph these bridges in the last really cold winter when the River Doon was partially frozen. I had to return on two occasions to ensure that the light was at its best.
12. Mikuni Uehara, Cademuir Mist
Cademuir Mist This shot was taken early morning from Cademuir hill as mist was floating over farmland.
13. Myrddin Irwin Bothy Trails and Tales
Bothy Trails and Tales Corrour Bothy sat beneath The Devils Point, Cairngorm National Park. Shot was taken in the morning after spending the night at the bothy. The light breaking through the cloud lit up the bothy brilliantly whilst an avalanche cracked and crashed it’s way down the mountain’s steep face.
14. Peter Gerearts, Calm Reflections
Calm Reflections Looking across Loch Duich near The Kyle of Lochalsh. It was a beautifully peaceful morning as the sunlight touched upon the slowly drifting rowing boat.
15. Philip Stewart, Aberfeldy Autumn
Aberfeldy Autumn Peak Autumn colours and bursting rivulets through the gorge of Aberfeldy Birks after a heavy and prolonged recent rainfall. This scene stood out to me with the abundance of leaves, overhanging canopy and the slicing drop in the river. A steady balance on foot and with the tripod was needed on the very slippy rocks and the use of a polarising filter helped with the water and brought out the naturally saturated colours.
16. Rafal Hyps, Deer, Glen Etive
Deer, Glen Etive The photo was taken during my weekend photography trip to Highlands in 2010 in Glen Etive on the road to Loch Etive where a group of deer suddenly blocked the road. We had no choice but to take pictures of them.
17. Robert Fulton, Changing Seasons
Changing Seasons I had earmaked this location some months before and I waited till the conditions were more suitable before returning.
18. Sarah Rose, Alone in Winter
Alone in Winter It had been snowing heavily for a few days and all the roads were blocked with snowdrifts. There was finally a break in the weather so I set out on foot to the top of the hill where I had previously spotted this tree. When I got there the weather had turned again so I had to quickly get my photograph and head back.
19. Scott Wilson, Black Rock Cottage by moonlight
Black Rock Cottage by moonlight Shot on a chilly winter’s night in Glencoe. I woke very early after sampling a share of the sherry cask malt at the King’s House Hotel and was thrilled to find snow falling on Buachaille Etive Mor… Driving wasn’t possible, so I gathered my gear and hiked, still half asleep, to Black Rock Cottage while the stars and clouds danced, then parted, illuminating the famous cottage and iconic mountain. These moments are fleeting and my pulse was racing… I chose a wide aperture, set manually to infinity, and cranked up the ISO, so I could keep the exposure length down and limit the movement in the stars. There was still a real risk of overexposing the snow but Nikon retains great shadow detail, so I underexposed the RAW (to bring the light back into the shadows in Lightroom). Within seconds, the ‘Buckle’ (Buachaille Etive Mor) was shrouded in cloud and the stars had disappeared. One of those occasions when you feel you might have captured a special moment…. The after-glow was still with me as I returned to the King’s House for a hearty “Climbers Breakfast”.
20. Simon Swales, Balvaird Castle
Balvaird Castle …..at the going down of the sun on 6th June 2014, the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, France. As the sun went down far to the North-West, the castle was framed under an astonishing spectrum of colour.
21. Steve Kerr, Sunken Boats at Loch Ard
Sunken Boats at Loch Ard I was at Kinlochard at 7.30am on a beautiful October day when I spied these boats. The mist as ever was holding well on Loch Ard giving a tremendously tranquil feel to the morning as I waded in to a good vantage point and held my breath till the ripples subsided.
22. Tomasz Szatewicz, Skye Escape
Skye Escape I took this panoramic shot near Sligachan, Isle of Skye on my way back to Inverness after photographing Old Man of Storr at sunrise. I like to include roads in my photographs as they add sense of travelling, adventure and also lead eyes through the image. I decided to create panoramic image made of three single shots stitched together to include most of the mountains on horizon. I was trying to catch ‘that’ moment when all elements come together – the light and shadow, mix of heavy clouds and sunshine breaking through, vibrant colours of the moor and blooming heather – a fascinating combination specific for Scottish Landscapes.
23. Willem Vlotman, Choreographed Grazing
Choreographed Grazing It was pure luck that I only managed to see the symmetry in this photo at the very last minute. I had been walking down a very icy country road trying not to let it get the better of me and finally stopped for a rest only to see this neat set up unfold in front of me as the sheep gradually moved along their grazing path.