In July 2021, I visited Scotland with my Family. I visited Edinburgh, Glasgow and the highlands over the course of 2 weeks. Here are 4 of my favourite pictures and the stories behind them.
1. Walter Scott memorial, Edinburgh 0n the first day we were in Edinburgh, we wished to explore the old town, the medieval city centre. The city grew downwards as time passed, meaning you could read the history from top to bottom, in a painful way, up and down tiny 'closes' which were really just staircases. One of these was called granny green steps. Must have been the fittest granny in the world. I then took this picture, a stunning example of framing, where I used an arch to frame the Walter Scott memorial, my feet sore but not entirely in vain.
2. Calton Hill, Edinburgh The last day in Edinburgh, we had seen and done everything. So, in the evening, my dad, Vinayak and I went to the top of Calton Hill, and took pictures of the city from above. We were up there for a while, and the night was chilly. When I realised I needed the loo, we were desperate. Nowhere was open. So, we took an Uber to the hotel. I carelessly put in my camera in the car and broke the lens, which I only discovered the following morning. I ruined a really expensive piece of equipment. All for a few pictures.
I really like how this picture has all of Edinburghs landmarks in a line, which really shows the city in one picture.
3. Glencoe, Highlands While driving to Loch Lomond, we stopped in the valley of Glencoe. It was stunningly beautiful, and quiet. We were the only ones there, save for the bones of the 30 members of clan MacDonald, who were slaughtered here in 1692.
I like this picture due to the diagonal lines, which seperate the sides of the valley into differently shaded wedges which lead the eye around the picture.
4. Loch Fyne, Highlands While driving around the Highlands, we needed to stop and rest. We wanted to buy snacks, so we stopped in the town of Inveraray, on the shore of Loch Fyne. We found a supermarket, bought some food, and took this while waiting for my dad and Vinayak. When they returned, we got ready to go, and got in the car. Unfortunately, we were lost. We were so in the middle of nowhere that we had no mobile data access. For half an hour, we pointed our phones skywards in vain, searching for signal and the way out. I bet somebody was amused by us- we were clueless tourists and looked the part. Eventually, we used a physical map, our dignity damaged, but at least we knew where to go.
I really like this picture due to the colours. The bright colours of the boat contrast with the muted greens of the hills and draw the eye to it. I also like how the image is divided into to halves by the pier: the manmade boat and dock and the natural landscape. I also like the feeling of peace due to the lack of people.
5. Falls of Falloch, Near Stirling This is probably the best photo I took. This doesn't really have a story behind it unlike the others, so I will just talk about why I like it. The long shutter speed blurs the falling water, showing the restless energy of nature. I also really like the patterns of shadow and light in the rock which make it interesting.