The Birks Of Aberfeldy
Members of the club made a visit to the Birks Of Aberfeldy to capture the autumn splendour around the setting captured by Robert Burns in his song The Birks of Aberfeldy
“The braes ascend like lofty wa's,
The foamy stream deep-roaring fa's,
O'er-hung wi' fragrant spreading shaws,
The birks of Aberfeldy.”
The drive up was shrouded with mist, fog and rain. This all cleared as we approached Aberfeldy and the meet-up location in the car park. Back packs and tripods were withdrawn from the cars with a plan to be back in the car park 2 hours later for lunch. Mentoring discussions were held and camera bodies were released to make the most of the day.
Overhead conditions were very overcast with no directional light. This provided different opportunities for intimate nature and water shots. Lines, textures and shapes were aplenty. Autumn colours were still to the fore, even though the majority of leaves had fallen and created a multi-coloured carpet on the ground. The occasional challenge of ‘photograph the falling leaf’ resulted in ‘nil-points’, but was fun!
Opportunities to experiment with shutter speed and focal length were utilised – to blur or not to blur the fast-flowing waters was the question. Albeit, getting a fast enough shutter speed in the low light was a challenge. The occasional fungi were spotted along with ferns of varying colours. ICM photography became a discussion point and those who hadn’t tried it before lunch did so after. Consideration of the merits of polarising filters demonstrated the changes that could be made to the appearance of wet leaves, wet rocks and the water. Two intrepid members decided to complete the 3-mile loop of the glen to the upper falls and back (finishing with a bit of a trudge after carrying their equipment).
After 5 hours the weary photographers that were still standing decided the day was done. Overall, it was a very good day at a location offering many opportunities and discussion soon turned to when the next visit should be made - springtime or next autumn?