Last Friday (5 February 2016), I received an email from the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year (SLPOTY) organiser, informing me that I had been awarded the runner up title for the competition.
This is an amazing achievement, as the title award is based on a portfolio of three images, and I managed to get three images through to the final stage; having previously had six images shortlisted in the initial stage.
Although the competition is only in its second year, it is my first time of entering; and the level of entries will have increased immensely this year. In fact, you only have to see the images from other photographers who have shared their winning, highly commended, and commended images through social media, to appreciate the level of quality.
Below are the three images from my portfolio, which earned me the runner up award, along with a little bit of information behind the image.
This photograph was taken in August 2015, and looks along the Trotternish Ridge, in the north of the Isle of Skye. I parked my car at the Quiraing car park, and after a steep twenty minute walk, I reached my location for first light.
Unfortunately there wasn't much of a sunrise, so I had to sit and wait and hope that there would be a break in the clouds, which would light up the ridge. Whilst waiting, I also had to fight pretty strong head on winds, and light rain; which meant continually having to wipe the lens, or attach the lens cap.
Luckily, that break in the cloud eventually appeared, which provided some lovely light on the ridge.
This photograph was taken at the end of October 2015, during a visit to the Highlands, in hope of capturing the autumn colours.
This is a small loch which is in the Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, that sits just outside of Aviemore. Most of the loch is covered in grasses, so you don't actually see much water; however at this time of the year, the colours of the grasses compliment the colours from the trees and bracken rather nicely.
This photograph was taken at the end of October 2014, whilst I was visiting friends in Glasgow. I had seen the Finniestone Crane in other photographs, and wanted to see if I could capture it myself; so we headed on down to the River Clyde.
Luckily for me, on this particular evening there was hardly a breath of wind, creating a near perfectly still river; which allowed for lovely reflections of the crane, the colourful Clyde Arc, and surrounding buildings.