Sandhaven, Culross II, a photo from Fife, Scotland

Photographer's Note

This picture was taken recently in the beautiful little village of Culross in the south of Fife very near to where I took this picture and this one looking the other way nearly five years ago. It was taken just after noon with the sun shining strongly from the left and, despite the strong colour saturation and contrasts, I can assure you that I have not in any way altered colour saturation in this photograph! Perhaps contrasts should have been reduced a little but the histogram in "Levels" seemed all right to me - you can check for yourselves! Nor did I use a polarising filter despite the inky colour of the sky!

The building on the right is part of the Palace buildings. The Palace or "Great Lodging" was built between 1597 and 1611 by Sir George Bruce, Laird of Carnock who was a very successful merchant.

In its early years, Culross flourished through coal-mining and was famous for having the first coal mine in the World which extended under the sea, the mine being prevented from flooding by an ingenious mechanism of an endless chain of buckets driven by horse-power. It also had a busy harbour through which it traded with other local and distant ports.

But, in the eighteenth century, Culross gradually became almost a ghost-town. It has now been preserved by the National Trust for Scotland in whose ownership it has been since 1930. The palace has been restored to its original state together with its mustard-colour ochre rendering which is said to be as near to the original as possible. Note also the classic Scottish "crow-stepped" gables.

Culross is a wonderful peaceful haven to enjoy, situated so very improbably as it is between a disused and derelict coalmine and a power-station on the north banks of the Forth and facing the petro-chemical works of Grangemouth on the south side of the river.

Well worth a visit. You have already seen this strange flag at Culross and I shall try to upload some more pictures of this picturesque village again soon.

dta, annjackman, annjackman, SnapRJW, bayno, ourania, delpeoples, timecapturer, macjake, Tigerlily, RhodieIke, jhm, williewhistler, saxo042 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

npecanhuk (53901) 2012-05-08 6:43

Hi John!
Very interesting details, specially that big yellowish wall!
Very attractive and truly beautiful picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov, vertical format, black & white borders, contrasts, depth and composition are all excellent and really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

dta (51418) 2012-05-08 6:47

Hello John ,
I like this kind of subjetc . A simple house , may be , but an attractive one , especially for the colors of the wall , and the interesting architecture of the till roof . Excellent angle of view , framing and exposure .
Regards

J_Burke (1283) 2012-05-08 7:08

Hi John,

Very striking image...the colours are fantastic firstly. The picture is exposed so well, you've kept good detail in the shaded foreground. Your chosen aperture and point of view give great depth and clarity. Well done, thanks for sharing.

Regards,
James

annjackman (13195) 2012-05-08 8:07

Hi John,
I do like this very much. The colours are bold and invite me into the picture. The two figures in the distance just add a nice little extra interest. Good detail shows the textures of the wall and the rustic roof.
Best wishes, Ann

huyinghui (481) 2012-05-08 8:22

Wonderful contrast between the blue sky and the red wall, and between light on the wall and shade on the ground. Very well done.

Glint (5573) 2012-05-08 10:37

Hello John,
I like this for its big swatches of colour and shade. It has a strong graphic quality that I enjoy.
I can believe that you were able to get that lovely deep blue sky without a polarising filter. I have done it myself when I visited the Mull of Galloway on a day like this.
best regards,
Bev

mesutilgim (67960) 2012-05-08 13:11

Hello dear John,
Very nice capture of this bright yellow wall with perfect graphical effect.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

bartekp (4200) 2012-05-08 13:12

Hi John,

I know Stonehaven, but i like Sandhaven :)
I like composition with strong vivid orange, and nice blue sky.
+ for note-like always lesson of hisotry.

Have a nice evening

Bartek

SnapRJW (18722) 2012-05-08 13:18

Hello John - I had to smile when I saw this colourful post from Scotland! I thought perhaps you had sneaked into Namibia while I wasn't looking! Gorgeous colour blocking and very attractive textural detail. Simple and strong! Warm regards Rosemary
PS Now are you absolutely sure your hand didn't slip on the saturation slider?

bayno (16195) 2012-05-08 22:41

Ciao John,
This is the village of the famous strategist, beautiful contrast ocher between the building and the wonderful sky, you did well not to desaturate the image...like this is fantastic, excellent perspective and side light, color rendering is great, we are waiting for more shots of this lovely village,
have a good day...
Valter

Hanssie (9921) 2012-05-08 22:46

What a light, what colours, great view too, love it !

ourania (12367) 2012-05-08 23:05

Hello John,
the combination of the vertical framing and the pespective and depth achieved by the vivid ochre wall diagonally and dynamically thrusting and leading into the frame create an amazing sense of space to a view that would otherwise have seemed limited. I love the capture of the warm and bright light and the contrasts, the shady cobblestone is superb. The colours are so well defined and beautiful, they also define the parts of the composition clearly and precisely. A very attractive picture, well done and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely day,
Ourania

emka (58140) 2012-05-08 23:16

Hi John,

Nice shot with striking ciolours of the wall, specially in such sunny day, when the contrast with the blue sky is so strong. I observed that in UK usually the chimneys are on the side wall, I found it very attractive as ours are always in the middle. I like this but I prefer the compositions from the old time (when I even haven't heard about TE, was it really such time?).

WArm regrads

MAlgo

delpeoples (44904) 2012-05-08 23:39

Ciao Giovanni

Go John! I love the strong colours, and having read Rosemary's comment, agree that your photo's made me smile for similar reasons. These colours seem more at home in Africa for sure, but as Brian (Timecapturer) will attest - just because you're in the UK doesn't mean you have to forgo colour. I like the contrast between the golden wall and the strong blue sky (a very un-English blue I must confess) and the impressive perspective it creates. Nice work.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

timecapturer (30324) 2012-05-09 5:51

Hi John
this is such a striking composition, the yellow and blue just jump out at you. Clever perspective and use of the shadow to disect and re-affirm the diagonal. Excellent clarity and sharpness - it is a powerful and attractive image and presentation.

Regards - Brian.

macjake (39227) 2012-05-09 7:38

Hi John
great subject here.
and as for the colors, not to worry, we all tweak our photo's here and there.
there are 2 things that strike me right away. First, the corner on the bottom right - perfect!
It bugs me to no end when long perspective lines DO NOT enter or leave the frame from the corner - its all about composition and taking care of the subject - which you did.
the other are the textures. the rough wall, the patterned ground and the smooth blue sky.
wonderful combinations.
great subject as mentioned.
have a wonderful day!!
Craig

Tigerlily (2343) 2012-05-09 9:38

A superb image, John. I actually love the strong colour on this image. Because they make an excellent colour contrast, very eye catching and beautiful indeed. Wonderful light and texture, great POV.Perfect!

RhodieIke (9207) 2012-05-09 10:26

Wow John, This is super love the late strong light catching the splendid colour of the side of the building, and a fantastic blue sky, the two people add life, and are they gong up the stairs? I want too. You excelled your self with this one, great Pov, with the paving into the right corner. Well done, Cheers Iain.

chrisvek (5453) 2012-05-09 14:36

Ηello John,

Very nice shoot.Great colors with perfect saturation and clarity!Very nice POV and superb frame.Well done

Have a good night
Chris

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-05-10 2:37

Hello John,

The wonderful colours are the first thing thet you notice about this shot. The deep yellow/amber wall drawd the eyes into the shot like a magnet, yet there is still time to appreciate the patterned pathway with its strong triangular composition.
Although the figures are small, to me, they are important, giving an interesting focal point. We cannot help but place ourselves in their situation, wondering what they were observing.
I really like the small detail of the chimney shadow. It makes a strong point of moving from the horizontal to the vertical.

Have a great day,
Bev :-)

jhm (122444) 2012-05-11 4:33

Hello John,

We get this old ocher color of these wall.
A nice old and very good maintenance house
Truly a wonderful picture with pleasant colors.
Sharpness and clarity be superb.
Excellent perspective and depth picture.
Very well composition, excellent captured, good presentation too. TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

williewhistler (7283) 2012-05-11 6:22

Hello John,the warm saturated colours light up the whole scene,I`m impressed with that rich blue filterless sky.
I wonder what the buildings original use was as there doesn`t appear to be any downstairs windows.
The people in the distance add a nice human touch as well as giving a nice perspective.
Fascinating shot.
Best regards Les.

Silvio1953 (98129) 2012-05-11 9:50

Ciao John, great perspective on lovely village, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful warm colors, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

saxo042 (31800) 2012-05-13 23:20

Hi John,
A big yellow wedge is pointing at two persons at the side. Very strong and attractive colours and a very good composition.
Kind regards
Gunnar