The Ring o' Brodgar Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, have been occupied since Neolithic times (3000 BCE?) and contain something like 3-4 anitiquities per square mile. The Ring o' Brodgar (as it is called by the Orkney heritage group is among the oldest and most impressive sites on the main island.

While it has not been dated exactly, is is thought to have been built around 2500 BCE, making it around the same age as Stonehenge. One of the remarkable things about it is that the stones (originally 60, of which 27 remain) are laid out to within one degree of a perfect circle, about 104 meters (350 feet) in diameter. The name "brodgar" or "broager" dates from medieval times.

Technical: Scanned by ScanCafe from an Ektachrome 400 slide, and as such, noisier than I would like. (This is a known problem with high ASA slides.) I used Noiseware to smooth out the noise, then Levels to darken the midtones, and High Pass to do some final sharpening. It took me several tries (and more than one image) to get it this clean. But I felt that its historical interest outweighs the presentation flaws.

verje, Matthew-Watt, SVT, Dyerco has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

verje (318) 2008-02-26 13:44

Hello Daniel,

I very well understood your scanning problems. I recently tried to scan some old slides as well and had similar problems.
But the subject is very interesting and your note instructing.
Best regards
Jelle

Matthew-Watt (4463) 2008-02-26 14:31

Hello Dan,

You are quite correct - the historical interest outweighs the presentation flaws. I was not aware that this ring existed so it is good to learn a little about this place. I would like to have seen more room at the top of the photo to completely incorporate the top of the closest stone, but the arrangement remains quite a spectacle. I like how half of the faces of the stones are illuminated due to the angle of light hitting the surface. Perhaps more vertical balance to the right would help counteract the weighting of the pillar on the left? Possibly a cloud formation or a tree - but if neither are present at the time of shooting well then you have to make do with what is given. Interesting place. TFS.

Matt

Dyerco (9038) 2008-02-27 21:46

Hi Dan
Nicely composed and yes it's historical interest does outweigh the flaws of which there are few. Good PP.
Phil

crckt (7072) 2008-02-29 11:23

Hi Daniel,
A very interesting shot, your note intrigued me to learn more about these structures. This must have been fascinating to watch with your own eyes. Well captured with a nice POV. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Regards,
Shaeri