Corgarff Castle: A Highland Fortress
The drive to Corgarff Castle was initially disappointing. I mean, about as disappointing as a drive through the Scottish highlands can be, which is to say no very disappointing at all. The grounds were closed and a gate blocked the entrance. Sure I could have hopped the fence and walked there. Unlike America, Scotland has very generous "right to roam" laws that allow people to be on "private property" as long as they act like...you know decent human beings. You can do so without fear of being shot too, which is a nice perk. Unfortunately, the gets were a trek away from the castle itself, and I didn't want to get caught in the massive incoming storm that would soak me to my bones and drench my camera gear. So I pulled out the drone and made it just in time for the last rays of light to cast dramatic shadows on the castle, carving contrast as the rest of the scene falls into darkness.
This is my favorite type of lighting in nature. When pockets of light escape through thick cloud coverage, you get directional light that can illuminate a subject and separate it from the background as if you were using an off-camera flash. Sometimes it's soft lighting, sometimes it's hard, but it's always welcome.
Like many of the castles in Scotland ( and there are....a lot), Corgarff Castle is rich in history and will make the perfect print for those who love dramatic landscapes with stories to tell. As you can imagine, lots of bloodshed, invasions, sieges and such would fill the pages of its history.
The drive to Corgarff Castle was initially disappointing. I mean, about as disappointing as a drive through the Scottish highlands can be, which is to say no very disappointing at all. The grounds were closed and a gate blocked the entrance. Sure I could have hopped the fence and walked there. Unlike America, Scotland has very generous "right to roam" laws that allow people to be on "private property" as long as they act like...you know decent human beings. You can do so without fear of being shot too, which is a nice perk. Unfortunately, the gets were a trek away from the castle itself, and I didn't want to get caught in the massive incoming storm that would soak me to my bones and drench my camera gear. So I pulled out the drone and made it just in time for the last rays of light to cast dramatic shadows on the castle, carving contrast as the rest of the scene falls into darkness.
This is my favorite type of lighting in nature. When pockets of light escape through thick cloud coverage, you get directional light that can illuminate a subject and separate it from the background as if you were using an off-camera flash. Sometimes it's soft lighting, sometimes it's hard, but it's always welcome.
Like many of the castles in Scotland ( and there are....a lot), Corgarff Castle is rich in history and will make the perfect print for those who love dramatic landscapes with stories to tell. As you can imagine, lots of bloodshed, invasions, sieges and such would fill the pages of its history.
The drive to Corgarff Castle was initially disappointing. I mean, about as disappointing as a drive through the Scottish highlands can be, which is to say no very disappointing at all. The grounds were closed and a gate blocked the entrance. Sure I could have hopped the fence and walked there. Unlike America, Scotland has very generous "right to roam" laws that allow people to be on "private property" as long as they act like...you know decent human beings. You can do so without fear of being shot too, which is a nice perk. Unfortunately, the gets were a trek away from the castle itself, and I didn't want to get caught in the massive incoming storm that would soak me to my bones and drench my camera gear. So I pulled out the drone and made it just in time for the last rays of light to cast dramatic shadows on the castle, carving contrast as the rest of the scene falls into darkness.
This is my favorite type of lighting in nature. When pockets of light escape through thick cloud coverage, you get directional light that can illuminate a subject and separate it from the background as if you were using an off-camera flash. Sometimes it's soft lighting, sometimes it's hard, but it's always welcome.
Like many of the castles in Scotland ( and there are....a lot), Corgarff Castle is rich in history and will make the perfect print for those who love dramatic landscapes with stories to tell. As you can imagine, lots of bloodshed, invasions, sieges and such would fill the pages of its history.
