Moments in Time Photography by Keith Gooderham

Scottish Landscapes

Scotland’s landscape is justifiably famous as being rich and varied and it is something of this variety that I have tried to capture in this gallery, The photos range from the chocolate box shot of Kilchurn Castle at the head of Loch Awe to the vast expanse of Kilbride Bay and the view across the lower reaches of Loch Fyne to the mountains of Arran. A favourite location though is the road to Glen Coe as it crosses the bleak expanse of Rannoch Moor. Outside of Edinburgh Castle this must rate as one of the most photographed locations in the whole of Scotland and justifiably so, with every change of the weather a different facet of its character is revealed, At times it can be quite a spooky place such as when I took the “First Light” image; sun rise comes late to Loch Nah-Achlaise lying as it does in the shade of some low hills to the east and south but as the first rays fell on the frozen lake the ice began to expand and sharp whip like cracks shattered the silence. On another occasion (adjacent photo), returning to the road from the shores of the loch I was confronted by a line of dozen or so Hells Angels, well motor cyclists at least, with little choice but to continue I soon saw why they were there – they had stopped like me for the call of nature, but of a different kind! So with a brief “it’s a wonderful day but very cold” I hurried on by! For me Scotland is at its best in the winter once the leafs are gone from the trees and the vegetation has died down, its then that its real character is revealed, for example the image of Loch Lubnaig with the background of snow dusted conifers and the bare branches of the trees along the bank could never be so expressive in summer when everything is cloaked in green. Landscapes are not solely about grand vistas but they are a starting point to look inwards and to see the detail, for example the stream in Cree Woods with its numerous waterfalls, rapids and whirlpools; the two pictures Vortex I and Vortex II show a small whirlpool where the water is rushing down between the rocks and the air bubbles in the water are catching the sunlight coming through a gap in the oak trees. Click on the individual thumbnails to see a larger version of each photo or to select the slide show option.