Jurassic View

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted October 31, 200612,176 views47 comments

The evocatively named Quiraing on the Isle of Skye stretches a wrinkled carpet of velvet greenery punctuated by basaltic spires and pinnacles. Brachiosaurs wallow in the pools and overhead pterodactyl swoop in the honey coloured light that greets a primevial dawn. Well you get the idea. It is a stunning place to watch the sun rise and anyone visiting Scotland could do a lot worse than visit this marvellous spot.

Pentax 67II, 55-100 zoom, soft edge 0.6ND grad, polariser, F16 at 8 sec's.

Comments

47 comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on October 31, 2006 at 10:35 AM

So it seems ur back home.

Superb view.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on October 31, 2006 at 10:40 AM

The delicate light in this scene is stunning, Ian. I love the carpet of green and the drama in the sky. I only wish the road or pathway was not in the LR, but nothing you can do about that.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Alice Scoggins on October 31, 2006 at 10:41 AM

Beautiful scene. I'm sure the Brachiosaurs made the roadway.

Registered on February 21, 2005, 430 Posts, 5959 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on October 31, 2006 at 10:42 AM

This is just marvelous, Ian. Boy, would I love to see this in a print.
I'm missing the evocative aspect of "Quiraing". What does it mean?

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on October 31, 2006 at 10:42 AM

Gorgeous image. If I get to Scotland I'd love to see this vista for myself.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by Juza on October 31, 2006 at 10:42 AM

Spectacular!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Tate on October 31, 2006 at 10:48 AM

Beautiful Ian.

Registered on December 11, 2004, 150 Posts, 1667 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Horn on October 31, 2006 at 10:52 AM

wow, beautiful landscape Ian, just beautiful. My only knit, would be to dodge that first peak, a little dark from gnd, but just minor, great image.

Registered on March 6, 2006, 82 Posts, 918 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on October 31, 2006 at 10:54 AM

oops forgot about the er! stoneage road. I think the word Quiraing sounds fanciful like something out of Narnia (Lion the witch and the wardrobe) or a term conjured up by Tolkein (Lord of the Rings), at any rate I can't think of many Scottish named places starting with "Q" lest it has the word queen in it. Wish I could cut and paste a pterodactyl into the scene.

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Hudspeth on October 31, 2006 at 10:57 AM

Outstanding - The light, color and composition are perfect. I would love to see this in person.

Registered on September 28, 2006, 21 Posts, 334 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on October 31, 2006 at 11:02 AM

This looks like a truly amazing place. Thanks for sharing this wonderful image!

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 31, 2006 at 11:31 AM

What a perfect title to go with a perfect image. I read your description while waiting for the image to appear (crappy work laptop), and then when I scrolled up to see the image I just kept repeating "Oh my gosh!" over and over! This has such an emotional tug to go along with the beautiful light, colors, and textures. This is not a image you look at, this is an image you feel down in your bones and soul. I can't imagine how it must have felt in person.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Josh Anderson on October 31, 2006 at 12:12 PM

This scene would look really good with some nice lighting.

Great shot.

Registered on June 2, 2005, 493 Posts, 2996 Comments

Comment posted by Michael E. Gordon on October 31, 2006 at 12:16 PM

Really nice, Ian. My only negative comment regards the GND darkened mountain tops. I would work to restore their natural density and color. Beautiful scene and light.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 90 Posts, 2482 Comments

Comment posted by Erik Stensland on October 31, 2006 at 12:34 PM

When I next get up to Scotland, can you be my tour guide? This is amazing!!!

Registered on September 27, 2004, 121 Posts, 718 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on October 31, 2006 at 12:39 PM

Sweet. A very strong and powerful image that really brings out the grandeur of these mountains.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Curtis Knight on October 31, 2006 at 12:39 PM

Very moody! I love this. contrary to other comments about the GND, I was thinking that the darkened peaks actually add to the dark and spooky mood of the image. Wonder image!

Registered on October 28, 2004, 53 Posts, 468 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Wiebe on October 31, 2006 at 1:02 PM

What an amazing scene. I absolutley love it.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 102 Posts, 772 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Dawson on October 31, 2006 at 1:32 PM

Great image Ian

Registered on February 4, 2006, 364 Posts, 8872 Comments

Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on October 31, 2006 at 3:15 PM

Beautiful image Ian - this is what I had hoped for when I was in Scotland during the monsoon season.

My only nit, apart from the one mentioned by Michael already, is that the sky reflecting in the the lake is so much lighter than the sky itself - in real life it would be darker and therefore it feels unnatural to me. That said, I very much like the shot.

Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on October 31, 2006 at 4:09 PM

Hi Marsel you are quite right about the pool of water but I guess that I reached the limit of what I can do in camera. I suspect I could sample a colour from the sky itself and darken the pool a little but that is PS work that is too far in excess of my skills. More effort would undoubtedly be made should I end up producing this as a print for sale.

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Kuglin on October 31, 2006 at 4:30 PM

Stunning Ian, a wonderful scene. The composition with teh mountains and teh light in the lake is over the top.

Registered on April 19, 2004, 68 Posts, 389 Comments

Comment posted by Graeme Guy on October 31, 2006 at 4:40 PM

Ian
Really, really nice.
Graeme

Registered on January 19, 2004, 33 Posts, 438 Comments

Comment posted by Jose Suro on October 31, 2006 at 4:51 PM

Outstanding image Ian! Love the rich tones and gorgeus sky. Excellent!

Best,

Jose

Registered on June 24, 2006, 267 Posts, 2273 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on October 31, 2006 at 4:51 PM

This is probably my favourite of your photos Ian. The light & colours certainly evoke a prehistoric dawn. I will have to keep this place in mind when I visit.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Carroll on October 31, 2006 at 5:00 PM

A jaw dropper! Stunning Ian!

Registered on August 19, 2005, 132 Posts, 983 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Dallos on October 31, 2006 at 5:30 PM

This is just awesome. I keep coming back to it. The greens are a great addition to the other colors in the scene.

Registered on October 11, 2005, 91 Posts, 1590 Comments

Comment posted by Bernie Kasper on October 31, 2006 at 5:31 PM

Beautiful image

Registered on June 5, 2005, 251 Posts, 3734 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on October 31, 2006 at 6:48 PM

Wow, this is sweet! The greens look surreal.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on October 31, 2006 at 7:50 PM

I see what Curtis is saying...but also those hill tops are so beautiful that I'd like to see more detail to explore in those areas. Still...as is...this is a stunner

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Dolde on October 31, 2006 at 8:09 PM

This has to be your best post in a long time. Totally wonderful image

Registered on November 1, 2003, 305 Posts, 3900 Comments

Comment posted by David Bostedo on October 31, 2006 at 8:51 PM

I believe "Oh my lord..." ran through my head when I saw this Ian. Almost seems like this place can't really exist with light like this. (That's meant as a complement!) I'm not bothered by the light reflecting from the pool - not sure why though. It's definitely light, but I guess in my head, I'm used to seeing bright reflections off of water, and this doesn't seem out of whack (nor do the peaks). Not sure if people looking to buy would notice/care though...

Registered on May 5, 2006, 178 Posts, 2224 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on October 31, 2006 at 9:16 PM

Love the green mountains against the orange sky. Beautiful.

- Dan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Erik Lundh on November 1, 2006 at 12:29 AM

Pretty awesome shot. It's all been said!

Registered on May 27, 2004, 267 Posts, 753 Comments

Comment posted by Martin Hroch on November 1, 2006 at 2:29 AM

Scotland is a great place! Beautiful colors and lighting, excellent image!

Registered on December 9, 2005, 24 Posts, 219 Comments

Comment posted by Larry Lynch on November 1, 2006 at 9:27 AM

What amazing color. Stunning.

Registered on September 16, 2006, 773 Posts, 9940 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Rouch on November 1, 2006 at 10:57 PM

Incredible shot! It's mostly all been said but wanted to add my congratualations and a beautiful image.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 159 Posts, 1014 Comments

Comment posted by Henry Liu on November 2, 2006 at 2:26 AM

Ian, you are always my idol. This is one of those images I can stare at them for hours. So beautiful.

Registered on March 22, 2006, 5 Posts, 32 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ennis on November 3, 2006 at 12:58 PM

All I can say is "Breathtaking".

Registered on November 1, 2003, 118 Posts, 422 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Staubus on November 6, 2006 at 1:09 AM

I see you haven't lost your touch. On other photo forums I've heard Englanders, mostly from London I assume, complain about how crummy the weather is in northern England for photography. When they do that, I give them links to your shots here.

Kent in SD

Registered on November 11, 2003, 121 Posts, 2098 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on November 6, 2006 at 9:03 AM

Ian: Congrats on a very well deserved EP. This is truly spectacular. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on November 7, 2006 at 7:35 AM

Beautiful image! Very peaceful.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by John Lehmkuhl on November 7, 2006 at 5:30 PM

Amazing, evocative and really nice to get lost in...... did you hike up to this location? I hope to visit this land one day. Congrats on the ESS !!!

Registered on May 22, 2005, 165 Posts, 2008 Comments

Comment posted by David Kjaer on November 15, 2006 at 6:13 AM

W been there a few times and it is a beautiful place but the light in your image is stunning!

David

Registered on January 4, 2006, 128 Posts, 4170 Comments

Comment posted by Frank Winters on November 21, 2006 at 8:03 AM

Absolutely beautiful!! The deep, deep greens make it for me. All of history is still with us..........