Castle Stalker Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is another castle in Scotland set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich. Only in this part of the sky was there a little colour and I searched for a colourful foreground which had me wading through the water up to a level of about 10" to capture the greens and browns of the seaweed.

Castle Stalker is a four story tower house or keep. It is located about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) north east of Port Appin, Argyll, Scotland and visible from the A828 main road about mid-way between Oban and Glen Coe. The islet is accessible from the shore at low tide.

In recent times the castle was brought to fame by the Monty Python team, appearing in their film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It also appeared in the films Highlander.

JudyR, judesta, rlrad, pauloog has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

JudyR (935) 2009-05-24 17:22

Wonderfully balanced shot with the bright colors in the left foreground and right background. Very dramatic clouds overhead, and yet I see distinct detail in the castle. Congratulations on a terrific shot! Judy

judesta (992) 2009-05-24 17:23

Hi Stephen
Your Scotland photo's are fantastic as is the history lesson along the way via your informative notes. Getting your feet wet certainly paid off to get the colour you were after. From the cool forground colour to the warm background colours and the castle sitting alone on the mound of earth, they all combined nicely to delivery a great composition and photo.
Cheers
Jude

Nelu_Goia (2742) 2009-05-24 17:52

Hi Steve,
I wonder;do you have bad photos,too?:)
It`s becoming such a cliche to only see super-class pieces of art:)
The quality...as usual from you...
Nelu

emilbo (9735) 2009-05-24 18:25

Allô Stephen!
Merveilleuse photo de fin de journée et excellente perspective. Le château est bien en évidence devant ce superbe ciel. Bel effet de couleurs et beaux reflets.
Tous mes compliments,
Amicalement,
Emilius

delpeoples (6996) 2009-05-24 18:36

Hi Stephen, your photos of Scotland blow me away. As does this one. I love the tones, the vertical cut and the use of the large FG. You have certainly put that filter to great work. Congratulations on another excellent offerng, Lisa.

Fransx (1453) 2009-05-24 21:37

Hello Stephen,
An interesting POV with great depth!
Beautiful sunset lighting surrounding the castle and casting a beautiful reflection on the water.
Splendid colors and composition.
Well done,

Francis Xavier

HimalAnda (1076) 2009-05-25 3:18

Hello Stephen,

Well... Beautifull colors, very good composition with this green foreground : congratulations, that's a very good picture. I like it a lot.

Stéphane

ophelcia (5504) 2009-05-25 4:16

I really like the way you composed the photo, stunning FG and a bit spooky and secret BG.
Well done,
G.

desman (2132) 2009-05-25 4:38

très jolie composition, et très joli pays !

bravo

s'agit-il d'un collage sous photoshop ou d'un tonemapping ?

christian

rlrad (1203) 2009-05-25 5:26

Hi Stephen,

I thought the title was a self-description, but now I see it is not. However, you seem to have been stalking many castles lately!

This is yet another fine example of your craft - really beautiful colors and a fine composition. DOF is very nice, as well.

Have a great week!
Reed

gneufeld (15289) 2009-05-25 19:24

Hi Stephen,
Very nice vertical presentation. I like the balance with strong emphases on foreground and an appealing feature in the castle. Well managed light and good clarity. Well done and TFS. Gerald

pauloog (7083) 2009-05-26 8:53

Hello Stephen,
An amazing range of colours and details from the green algae in the water to the rosy sky. A very expressive photo whereby the romantism of the castle view is strengthened by the dark sculpted sky. A pleasure to look at.
Well done.
Regards,
Paul

kiks (6169) 2009-05-27 3:45

Special place and moment you shot here and the depth is wonderful aswel the mood created by the light. Love it.
KIks

Sistercosmo (2787) 2009-05-29 12:08

Hi Stephen,
me again...
Stunning, absolutely stunning!! What a moody shot. I love the refection of the sun and that seaweed in the f/g. Sure was worth getting wet for!
Have a good evening,
Linda

chawax (6277) 2009-06-05 14:46

Hi Stephen,
I had recognized the Castle of aaaaaargh of Monty Python and the Holy Grail lol A very nice point of view on this beautiful castle. The composition is very well balanced. I love the light in the background.
Regards,
Olivier

lynnguzzi (0) 2009-09-27 10:47

Have you got a covenant with the sky or something---that whenever you come round with your camera it puts forth its magic? Lynn

john1 (2561) 2009-09-27 10:54

Hi Stephen,

Excellent vertical framing of the Scottish landscape, and this castle in the background.
The details of the water in the foreground are really superb.
A wonderful composition and a masterpiece in itself.
Good evening.
john