Sea Stack

Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

Thank you for your visits, comments and awards - very much appreciated

Back to the far north of Scotland again, this time for a bit of an experiment with B&W and the sea.

This image was from a truly wonderful visit to Sandwood Bay in the far north west corner of Scotland. As previously mentioned, one of the things that made this visit to the legendary beach was that Monty and I had it all to ourselves.

I've recently seen some excellent B&W shots on Flickr of the sea and the coast, so decided to have a go. From my perspective, one of the main purposes of Flickr is a means to learn from others, particularly how to frame images, different processing techniques, and how to make best use of the available light. So thanks to all for providing me with the opportunity to learn.

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Mangersta Sea Stacks on the West Coast of Lewis.

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I love the sea. The far North West of Scotland is renowned for it's wonderful beaches, and the finest is surely Sandwood Bay. Sandwood Bay enjoys legendary status partly due to it's sheer beauty, but also because it takes some effort to get there. It had been an ambition of mine for a while to 'wildcamp' at Sandwood Bay, and the opportunity had finally arrived. Loaded the great big rucksack and set off across the moors with Monty Dog. An hour and a half later we arrived and found a suitable spot amongst the dunes for our tent. We spent the rest of the day walking the beach, watching the Atlantic rollers crash on to the shore, throwing spray into the air. The Sea Stack of Am Buchaille (The Herdsman) and the cliffs of Rubh a Bhuachaille (Point of the Herdsman) can be seen at the southern end, and to the north is the lighthouse of Cape Wrath. As you can imagine I took a few shots here, and you can expect a few more to follow.

Now available on Getty Images - www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/legendary-royalty-free...

Spectacular sea stacks at Mangersta, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

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Here's another from my trip to Sandwood Bay. I'm very used to being a long way from anyone else when in the mountains, but I have to say it is a very different experience on a beach. Imagine being on a distant beach that is a mile and a half long, made of pink sand, the waves are crashing and the sun is going down - and you are completely alone. I can tell you that the sense of isolation is very special indeed, something to be savoured. Whilst walking on the beach, I came across this set of footprints in the sand, and my mind immediately went to that famous passage in Robinson Crusoe where he unexpectedly comes across someone else's footprint. I didn't go into a panic and start fortifying my hut like he did - I just got my camera out! However, like him, I couldn't help but did wonder who made those prints....