Landscapes and Wildlife Photography on the Isle of Mull in Scotland

Hello. It’s very, very early and I’m off to the
Isle of Mull. It’s going to be huge. So I made it to Mull. It’s been a long day travelling but a good
day though. I’ve got a couple of good shots to start
the trip and I’m finishing the day with a time-lapse. Hello and welcome to the Isle of Mull. I’m finally here. It was a long journey yesterday; achievable
but long so I’m really glad to be here. I’ve got big plans for the week. I want to capture a lot of good photographs
and, hopefully, film a couple of vlogs for you as well. I’m here with a good friend of mine named
Lyle McCalmont. He is a top-notch wildlife photographer and
landscape photographer. So, the plan for today: the weather, at the
moment, is not that great. It could be a lot worse in January this far
north but it is cloudy, so, I’m feeling like it will probably be a day for some moody
black-and-white landscapes. Already, this morning, as soon as I woke,
I wasn’t presentable so I didn’t film it, I went out the back and was rewarded with
a nice scene just behind the house. So I shot that with a long lens because there
was a big cliff in the distance. I shot that and added a lot of nice contrast
to it to bring a nice black-and-white photo right at the start of the day. I also captured this image yesterday travelling
up here so it’s been a good start already. I’ve got two images that I wasn’t expecting
to ever get. So, a good solid start. One of the main reasons we have come here
is to capture an otter. Not capture it physically but photograph it. There are lots of wild otters here. It’s a good place to see that. So, we’re going to track one down, try and
capture that and then, hopefully, we’ve got a little spot scouted out already, via
Google maps, for the end of the day where, I’m hoping, the weather will come good and
we will be able to get a bit of a sunset shot. So, I don’t want to waste anymore time because
there’s loads to see and I want to get out straightaway. So, let’s go. We were just driving past and we saw this
lone tree here. It’s a beautiful tree, in this location, with
the water here, we’ve got mountains behind us. I’m going to find a composition with this
tree here. I’ve been here for a few minutes already
and it, actually, isn’t the easiest place or the easiest composition to gain. What I want to achieve is to get the tree
above the horizon line which means getting down low. If you look, there are rocks all around on
the floor here; these ones here. But there isn’t any around the tree which would have
provided some nice foreground interest. So, I’ll have a little play around and try
a few different compositions out and try and get a shot. Right, we’ve stopped again and we are tracking
otters, at the moment. As can see, just over my shoulder here, the
otter is currently swimming in. So, what we are going to do is work as a bit
of a team to capture this otter. I’m going for the video footage because I’m
not that bothered about the still. But Lyle is crawling along the beach, at the
moment, to try and get into position to get that killer shot. We’ve been tracking it all day. I have been looking along the shoreline, as
we’ve been driving. So, I really want to get it now. It’s quite exciting. It is quite tense. Wildlife photography is not my forte. It is Lyle’s, however, so I’m following
his lead, at the moment. Right, I need to go back and get the tripod
to get set up with this 400mm lens so I can get that footage. The trick with photography is you have to
be patient. So, it takes a bit of waiting, as he can see,
he is a really cute little guy. It has been worth the wait, definitely. Look at him there. He’s a magical little creature. That’s a big fish that he’s captured,
as well. So, hopefully, from the position Lyle is in,
he’s getting some really good shots put there. I’ll put them up now. I’ve come off on my own for a bit. Lyle’s gone for a little trek down the coast
a little way. I’m capturing another time-lapse down there,
at the moment, but after that I am going to capture the scene behind me. It got me thinking that is why this is a day
of capturing black-and-white landscapes because,, if you can see behind me, it is, actually,
quite hazy. So, if you shoot a colour image, to cut through
that haze, you need to add a lot of contrast, maybe, de-haze, some clarity: they are all the
things that adjust the contrast. If you stick with a colour image, that contrast
just becomes a bit too much, by the time you cut through the haze. If you shoot in black-and-white, you can ramp
the contrast up much more – nearly fell off a stone there – you can ramp that contrast
up much more and the image will still look really good. That’s the beauty of a black and white landscape
like that. So, we’ll get back in the car and try and
find that big sunset shot of the day. Right, we’re into the location where I’m
going to get the final shot of the day. It’s going to be these two mountains behind
me with some of that water in the foreground. I’m going to have to explore little bit
around these rocks to find a nice composition. The coastline doesn’t really make getting
foreground interest that easy. So, I’m going to have to have a little scout
around and try and find it. I’m hoping, as well, that the hill fog will
lift. The weather has kind of been improving as
the day has gone on and it really could turn into a beautiful shot. I’d like to be able to see the top of those
mountains in the shot though as well because I think it will show you the true drama of
this place in that shot. So, fingers crossed a little bit because the
weather hasn’t been perfect today and I would like to end the day with a nice colour image. Right, I have found a nice little composition. I’ve got the camera setup and I’m going
to be using the rocks behind my head as a bit of lead-in. I’ve had to step over some pretty slippery
rocks to get where I’m at the moment. A little bit of risk but not too bad and I’m
happy with what I’ve got now. The camera is exposing, at the moment, a 4
minute and 16 second exposure. You can see how the evening is brightening
up into a very pleasant evening. The wind’s died down a little bit, as well,
and the light is becoming better and better all the time. I hope that will continue. You can see some of the colour reflecting
in the water there. i’m hoping to pick that up in my image as
well. So, it should turn into a pretty good one. It is all dependent on the weather though. We will have to see what happens as the hill
fog is clearing and coming back, clearing and coming back. It has been a great day today. It has been hard because there’s been so
much to shoot. It has been hard to really focus down onto
one image. It was fun capturing those otters and I’m
looking forward to a lot more tomorrow. So, if you haven’t already, please do subscribe
the channel. There’s videos going up every Sunday and
every Wednesday and day three, which is tomorrow of the Mull trip, will follow this video. So, make sure you check that out. I’ll see you on another one very soon. I’m Adam. This is First Man Photography, on the Isle
of Mull, looking at…what’s it called? I can’t remember the name of it. Anyway, I’ll see you soon… out. The rain is lashing through now. I’m going to have to show a little bit dedication
today.