Neist Point Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

On the Duirinish peninsula, Neist Point is the most westerly point of the Isle of Skye. On a good day you can see across to the Western Isles. As you can see we were not there on a good day, although if you squint hard you can make out land on the right of the horizon.

We woke up to pouring rain. As we say in the north it was ‘heshing’ it down. (I’m not even sure if I’ve spelled it correctly as it’s not in the dictionary!) Anyway, as they say ‘If you don’t like the weather just wait 5 minutes’, we set out for Neist Point. Miracles sometimes do happen, as our arrival coincided almost exactly with a break in the rain. Ignoring signs suggesting the land was private, (It’s not private, but leads to common grazing land)we walked down steps which lead to the path you see on the left. You can walk almost as far as the lighthouse, but that is on private land together with some holiday cottages which can be rented.

This classic view was taken after returning up the steps and walking along a boggy path until the lighthouse came into view around the dramatic crag towering above it called in Gaelic An t-Aigeach (Stallion’s Head).

The lighthouse was built in 1909 by lighthouse engineer David A Stevenson. Now owned by the Northern Lighthouse Board it is unmanned, but still active and automated since 1990. Standing 142 feet above sea-level the lighthouse is 62ft tall. The light from the tower can be seen from up to 24 miles away.

ISO100, FL24mm,

josepmarin, bostankorkulugu, gunbud, Wandering_Dan, cbrman, Gerrit, snunney, Parasbhalla, Glint, leonorkuhn, Graal, holmertz, Cricri, Emile, Didi, jwmunro, mikolaj_kawa, ChrisJ, Bartleby, skippy007 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (35808) 2009-08-04 1:42

Hello Kath,
Great sweeping point of view down to the lighthouse, with the foreground rocks and the winding path giving a superb sense of depth. I like the tonal contrasts between sea and land. Good natural looking colours and excellent sharpness.

ophelcia (5504) 2009-08-04 1:42

Scotland is a really nice place indeed:)
I admire the cliff, I love such places, well taken, and well found POV, the small road looks like a snake,
TFS, Gosia

Parasbhalla (248) 2009-08-04 1:43

Hello Kath,

Great shot of the typical Scottish landscape!
The sharpness and POV is simply amazing with a nice view of the lighthouse. It gives an idea of the great scale in your picture. The sea color stands out well against the green-rich landscape. The cloudy sky give this picture a mystic appearance though....so things are at their ideal place it seems. Well done!

Thanks for sharing.

regards,
Paras Bhalla

Gerrit (36529) 2009-08-04 1:44

Hi Kath,
fantastic and spaectaculair landscape and view.
Excellent composition with the winding path (I didn't recognise as a path at first sight) and the stones on the foreground.
Regards, Gerrit

gilou530 (35972) 2009-08-04 2:35

salut kath
un falaise bien découpée avec un cadrage qui permet à l'oeil de suivre la cote jusqu'au phare, un ciel gris mais une bonne lumière, excellente photo
amitiés
gilbert

darek1978 (11683) 2009-08-04 10:55

Hi Kath,
A gem of photos!! The texture of the rocks and movement of the sea is so well captured. Good work, much deserving of more attention. The rocks in the foreground give a great dimension to the picture, and show the distance to the lighthouse, which is placed in amazing point. Well done Kath!!!
Best regards,
Darek

coco (28276) 2009-08-04 11:38

HI Kath.

As usual a good work with the composition and the note. But, anyway, it looks a bit tilt.

Regards and thanks for sharing.

Glint (3110) 2009-08-04 13:12

hello Kath,
I like the special light here and the combination of green and blue/grey.Your composition is just right, with the diagonal line of the point taking the ye to the lighthouse.
regards,
Bev

leonorkuhn (14351) 2009-08-04 19:20

Hi Kath,

Splendid scenery! The peninsula extends before our eyes to the lighthouse at its tip. Excellent sense of depth. Great colors and details.

Greetings from Brasília
Leonor

Graal (59090) 2009-08-04 23:52

Hi Kath,
good POV and presentation, amazing place in Scottland. Well composition with the path and lighthouse on the end of peninsula. I like it. Pity that weather wasn't friendly.
Gr., Aleksander

John_F_Kennedy (32308) 2009-08-05 1:28

Hello Kath,
This is a superb landscape with these cliffs and also with a great composition. Depth, colours and sharpness are wonderful

Best wishes,
Achim

baba_flies (8189) 2009-08-05 3:06

Hello Kath! This is a great point where you were standing sharing this wonderful view with us, over to the lighthouse. I find the grey overcast sky really attractive, it makes the green a little greener, and it looks more impressive this way, the power of nature becomes very clear, the sea looks almost scary although not many waves can be seen but I guess this can change fast. Beautiful photo work! Best regards, Barbara.

dkeus31 (26497) 2009-08-05 3:32

Hi Kath
light was not your best friend here, however I like the composition where the eye is lead to the light tower
have a nice day
didier

holmertz (10107) 2009-08-05 4:54

Hello Kath,
A magnificent view and a well composed picture, nicely divided into one mainly green half, the other including various shades of blue and grey. This looks like one of those places where you could be standing, struck with awe by the greatness of nature.
Kind regards,
Gert

cbrman (19097) 2009-08-05 12:00

Hello Kath,

Un endroit spectaculaire qui frise bon l'air du large !
J'apprécie beaucoup ce point de vue surélevé qui nous permet de voir très loin au bords de ces falaises.
Bravo !

A+

Dominique

Wandering_Dan (3325) 2009-08-05 16:44

Hi, Kath -

Nice composition, very evocative of the cold and lonely setting. Good clear handling of the colors in the grass and the sky, and in the placement of the land so that all lines point to the lighthouse.

Best,
Dan

gunbud (28261) 2009-08-05 17:20

Hi Kath,
The lush green of the spectular cliffs contrast beautifully with the blue sea and silver blue sky.
The lighthouse on the point adds very evvective scal while the little roadway adds a nice line across this scene.
Love how the higest point of the cliffs just about touches the distant horizon.
Regards, Tom

gneufeld (15289) 2009-08-05 18:14

Hi Kath,
Wow, what a stunning landscape shot. I love the variety of features including rock, green lands and colors leading us to the lighthouse in the distance. Beautiful work and TFS. Gerald

danyy (69903) 2009-08-05 23:31

Bonjour Kath,
retur vers un paysage verdoyant, la beauté des paysages d'Ecosse qui auront connu tant de souvenirs historiques, souvent sanglants.
Un chemin qui semble conduire les yeux vers ce phare. Un horizon très bien placé sur la photo et aussi des couleurs fortes mais restées naturelles.
Amitié.
Daniel.

bostankorkulugu (34168) 2009-08-06 0:15

looks like an amazing place for an evening stroll... what a setting for a lighthouse... beautiful one kath...

korkut

josepmarin (34243) 2009-08-06 0:31

Hello Kath,
In spite of the bad weather and of a difficult light, your photo catches the great beauty of this landscape of tall cliffs in an impressive coast.
I like the vivid green color in the grass, that has a nice contrast with the leaden tones of the sea and of the sky.
The way leads our look towards the distant lighthouse.
Is a very attractive and elegant image, in a good work.
Friendly regards,
Josep

Royaldevon (5978) 2009-08-06 7:17

Hello Kath,

This looks like a huge whale, surfacing from the depths and just about to engulf the lighthouse as a tasty meal!
Fine composition and a great sense of perspective.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

bema (9230) 2009-08-06 7:53

Hi Kath..

very fine landscape, and a lighthouse on the best place for a great capture..
like those green colors against the grey sky, just beautiful..

have a fine evening, regards Bernd

Cricri (44068) 2009-08-06 10:27

Hi Kath
Un bon choix du cadrage avec les rochers sur l'avant plan et les fameux détails de la falaise qui conduit le regard vers le phare, belle lumière et couleurs du moment
Best regard
cricri

Emile (20177) 2009-08-06 12:45

Hola Kath.
Using your high point of view allows us to enjoy the breathtaking view of the peninsula with a high cliff ending at the lighthouse, despite the cloudy day you were able to get a good picture of this beautiful place with good colors and light.
Best wishes.

Didi (36668) 2009-08-07 5:08

Hi Kath
Very nice dominant point of view with an interesting lateral perspective.
It will be great with a rough sea (for next time)
Best regards

jwmunro (6273) 2009-08-07 15:40

Hello Kath -

Excellent travel image - travel poster material. What really caught my attention in this image is the grass! It is so green and almost unrealistic green, like you over saturated it, but I know this Kelly Green is natural in the "Isles" and glows under certain conditions, like rain. I am so glad the sun came out as this looks like such a nice place to visit - reminds me of Ireland. Well Duh! Ireland is part of the aforementioned "Isles." Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

Waylim (11321) 2009-08-07 16:53

Hi Kath,
It seem this is a very typical weather condition, at least I see many photo of the area with mostly cloudy day with low light. Great POV from up high, our eyes follow the curv of the cliff and zigzaging all the way to the light house. You manage a good details shot with nice colors and good composition. Have a great weekend.
Way

mikolaj_kawa (31819) 2009-08-08 0:49

Hello Kath! Amazing place, wonderful POV and capture, ideal exposure. Nice colours. Good work, very good. Well done!

hardyuno (2709) 2009-08-08 2:05

Hi Kath,
a very nice composition with the diagonal cliffs. The dark clouds gives the sceneery a dramatic touch.
TFS
Hartmut

pablominto (41676) 2009-08-08 23:22

Hello Kath,

This is a wild landscape, it is like the land is losing the fight for territory to the seas..!
I like the natural framing of the lighthouse, which must have been an amazing place to live and work...
Good framing & excellent details, great depth in the composition!

Greetings,
Pablo -

delkoo (35014) 2009-08-09 5:25

hi kath
I missed many of your posts, I was in holidays,
Another classic yet very unique shot....taken with expertise!

best regards
didier

macjake (2725) 2009-08-10 1:16

Absolutely breathtaking scenery!
I wish i could be there to take some photo's.
What is sunrise or sunset like there?

ChrisJ (70485) 2009-08-10 4:25

Hello Kath

Missed this one. A well composed coastal landscape with good colour sharpness & mood, despite the overcast weather conditions. The precipitous, trianglar shaped cliff, is eye-catching. Tfs!

Bartleby (5206) 2009-08-11 2:47

Hi Kath,
I definitely like the curve made by the cliffs in your frame, as well as the green hues on the rocks themselves. Beautiful.

Best,

Philippe

Tue (25608) 2009-08-12 2:56

Hi Kath,
Gorgeous photo of this part of Scotland, which I still would love to visit. The cliffs are impressive and I like to see the lighthouse as well in this good composition. Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

skippy007 (7449) 2009-08-12 4:32

Hello Kath, your note & this image reminds of when I was in Scotland, it was heshing it down or as we would say it was P------ down, everyone seemed to be going about the business, there were also men working on the road & I remember asking one the locals how is it that people work in this rain, his reply "if people stopped when it rained nothing would get done around here". A very beautiful view with lovely green velvet looking grass, nice colour & contrast.
Thanks also for a very interesting & informative note.
Santo

npecanhuk (15142) 2009-09-15 11:07

Hello Kath!
That's a wonderful picture!
The reasons why it pleases me so much are the high privileged pov, the excellent sharpness, exposure, depth of field and colors! And, yes, the composition is a real highlight in this splendorous image!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan