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Images => Nature, Flora, Fauna & Landscapes => Topic started by: David Paterson on February 09, 2016, 19:17:21

Title: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: David Paterson on February 09, 2016, 19:17:21
Well, perhaps not, but we are pretty much surrounded by hills and mountains.

In the main "Scotland Event" thread, the talk has turned to hiking - hill-walking - and as it was a very fine day today (9Feb2016) I got out and made a few new images of some of the mountains under discussion.

1.  The central section of the Tarmachan Ridge, shot from my garden.
2.  Beinn Ghlas - the highest summit, Ben Lawers - is hidden behind the B. Ghlas ridge.
3.  Meall nan Tarmachan/Meall Garbh south ridge - the usual access route on to the main ridge.
4.  Killlin (not  very good picture - sorry).
6.  The tail of Ben Lawers south ridge
7.  The intrepid mountaineer (Sally) takes a rest.
8.  Rainbow over Meall nan Tarmachan. The rainbow was being created by sunshine penetrating a heavy shower of very fine powder snow, a little of which came my way. It's my first time to
     see a rainbow caused by snow.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Ron Scubadiver on February 09, 2016, 19:39:56
I like the one with the town in it.  Must be cold there.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Frank Fremerey on February 09, 2016, 20:33:22
how high is that place? we always talk about "highlands"...
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: BW on February 09, 2016, 20:45:10
Very nice! I visited once as a student. To much of the trip was wasted because of the high density of distilleries :o
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: chris dees on February 09, 2016, 20:56:16
Wow, great scenery!
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 09, 2016, 21:00:28
Thanks for your comments, guys.

how high is that place? we always talk about "highlands"...

Frank - Killin is only 115m above sea-level. The highlands as in "Scottish Highlands" presumably referred  to the mountains themselves originally.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Akira on February 09, 2016, 21:11:42
Fascinating scenery, Dave!  The town seems to be safe even if the river would be overflooded.

The last one is an added bonus.  Should we call it a "snowbow"?
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: John Geerts on February 09, 2016, 21:31:03
Fantastic landscapes.  I like especially nr 4 a lot with the different natural layers from water to sky.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 09, 2016, 21:58:47
Thanks, Akira and John.

This, btw, is how I do my mountaineering these days -
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Fons Baerken on February 09, 2016, 22:00:10
#4 my personal favourite as well
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 09, 2016, 22:36:38
Thank you, Fons.

One evening shot, of Meall Garbh, from our garden again (with the 400/5.6 ED AIS at f11, uncropped).

The trees do actually lean like that, btw, because of the prevailing (west) wind.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Mikes on February 10, 2016, 00:34:44
A nice series, Dave. Thanks for posting. I actually like #4, complete with power transmission lines. The power authorities always manage to find the most scenic areas to string them!

What a great setting - I can think of worse places for one's retirement!

The hills and mountains look to be a bit challenging for a mid-winter hike, but nowhere near as challenging as your winter climb of Kita-Dake!

Looking forward to seeing it all in three months' time.

Mike.

Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: simsurace on February 10, 2016, 08:37:01
Very nice images!

It looks as though these hills are hikable with snowshoes and poles this time of the year.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Erik Lund on February 10, 2016, 09:56:49
Very nice images of your surroundings!
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 10, 2016, 15:42:31
Thanks for your kind comments, Mike, Simsurace and Erik. Having good light after weeks of rain and darkness certainly makes a difference.

Another fine day and I've been out snapping - this time to Glen Lochay, a long twisting, narrow valley which heads north and west from Killin. Both were shot with the 400/5.6 ED AIS.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: simato73 on February 10, 2016, 20:08:19
Dave, where can I start... you are a lucky man, living where you live.
What a day was yesterday... it looked near perfect for hiking, although by the look of the last image, a bit windy on top.
The photos are phenomenal. My favourites are # 4, 8, 10 and 12
I particularly like the glancing light in the last two I mentioned.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 10, 2016, 23:19:47
Thanks, Simone. The coldness of the wind this morning, in the upper valley, was brutal; it would have been much worse on the tops.

A last look at the Tarmachans, this time from the south, across Loch Tay.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 11, 2016, 00:09:41
Absolutely finally - the other mountain-range above Killin to the north. This is Ben Lawers and the Glen Lyon hills, from Beinn Ghlas.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: simato73 on February 11, 2016, 08:17:58
Absolutely finally - the other mountain-range above Killin to the north. This is Ben Lawers and the Glen Lyon hills, from Beinn Ghlas.

Wonderful, although IMHO you have been a bit heavy-handed in the post processing.
The micro-contrast has been ramped up a bit too much for me, I see some halos.

Please do not be shy, give us more...
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Erik Lund on February 11, 2016, 08:34:05
Beautiful landscape ! Thanks ;)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 11, 2016, 12:04:55
Wonderful, although IMHO you have been a bit heavy-handed in the post processing.
The micro-contrast has been ramped up a bit too much for me, I see some halos.

This is a 2-frame stitch from film-scans which always look different to digital capture, however I've examined at 100% the original file from which this jpeg was made and there's not a halo in sight. But there is an area in the mid-foreground which has gone rather "blocky" in the process of chopping the file from 10,000 pixels long to 1200, followed by a little sharpening. Is this the area you were talking about? It certainly doesn't look right on a monitor but looks ok on a print, which is what I mostly aim for nowadays, in PP. There has been some artifacting though, and I may soften that area just a touch, to minimise the effect.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Akira on February 11, 2016, 12:55:42
Love the grandiose feelings of the images in the post #16.  I see hardly any hint of the size of the mountain, and my sense of scale is at a loss, which creates an interesting effect.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 11, 2016, 15:14:47
Thank you, Erik and Akira.

Akira - the Scottish mountains are nor very high - up to 1400m. The highest in this image, Ben Lawers, is 1214m, and the shaded valley-floor on the left is at around 450m. so the height gain, up to the summit of B. Lawers is ~760m.

Please do not be shy, give us more...

Ok, I've been tempted but be careful - I have thousands of images of these hills . . .

1.  The Ben Lawers range from Sron a' Chlachain ("Village Hill").
2.  Tarmachan and Lawers ranges from Sron a' Chlachain.
3.  Meall Corranaich from mid-height on Beinn Ghlas.
4.  The Tarmachans ridge path in summer.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: simato73 on February 11, 2016, 18:58:32
Thank you, Erik and Akira.

Akira - the Scottish mountains are nor very high - up to 1400m. The highest in this image, Ben Lawers, is 1214m, and the shaded valley-floor on the left is at around 450m. so the height gain, up to the summit of B. Lawers is ~760m.

Ok, I've been tempted but be careful - I have thousands of images of these hills . . .

1.  The Tarmachans ridge path in summer.
2.  The Ben Lawers range from Sron a' Chlachain ("Village Hill").
3.  Meall Corranaich from mid-height on Beinn Ghlas.
4.  Tarmachan and Lawers ranges from Sron a' Chlachain.

Oooohhh! (clapping hands).
The more I see, the more I love it.
Plus - it has to be said - a very competent photographer has been at work. Blooming excellent!

I have again a strange feeling about some of the images.
The summer view has some of the high-microcontrast effects I noticed before with the snowy pano - which in the small version on my screen shows a halo at high contrast edges, most notably in the shadow/sunlight transition in the mid-foreground left hand side.
My guess is that the summer view is again a scan from film, as possibly the third in this series, as they have similarly strange micro-contrast characteristics.
As you say, it may well be that this is far less evident in full resolution file and even more on print.

The last instead is so crisp that I would be surprised it has not been taken with one of your high MP FX cameras.

I very much envy you...
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 11, 2016, 19:51:26
Simone - you are right about those two images being from scans - they are very different from digital capture ( even tho' they are, of course, digitised by scanning), and they need different processing. The two scans and the pp on those were done a long time ago and I think I know a lot more now. Since viewing them on the forum I went back and tweaked the colour of one of them, so they are now in positions 1 and 4. - of both the scans, now in positions 3 and 4.

I was never very happy with those two scans, and I still have very mixed feelings about their appearance, but I included them because they show different aspects of our hills.

The other one you asked about was shot with a D300 (12mpixel) and makes an impeccable 22" print.

Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Erik Lund on February 11, 2016, 20:15:34
The last image stands out, crisp and clear, the sun, very low and to the side helps bring out depth - Super ;)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 11, 2016, 23:09:57
Thanks, Erik, you're a pal.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Akira on February 12, 2016, 00:29:12
Dave, thanks for the detailed info on the landscape.  I enjoy your additional images, too.  Please don't hesitate to post!
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Gary on February 12, 2016, 04:32:28
I love Scotland.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: Jakov Minić on February 12, 2016, 09:49:34
Dave, thank you so much for tempting my patience :)
Another 3 months to go...
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North
Post by: David Paterson on February 12, 2016, 10:53:31
Many thanks, Gary, Akira and Jakov -  stay cool, J. - the time will pass already too quickly. When you're my age, anyway.   :-\ :)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: David Paterson on February 15, 2016, 19:24:18
My broadband suddenly went down just then but came back on very quickly - anyway here is Killin main street at rush hour.   ;)

Tarmachan Hills beyond.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: rosko on February 15, 2016, 19:58:03
Fabulous images, Dave !

I enjoyed each of them. 8)

the last one (Killin) gives us an idea what your environment looks like (perhaps without the snow when we meet, though.)

Can't wait... :)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Jakov Minić on February 15, 2016, 20:14:40
Dave, do we need to pay congestion charges in Killin :)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: hotrod4x5 on February 15, 2016, 20:47:51
These are great! I never realized Scotland had landscapes like that. It looks like mountains that are much taller than 1200m. I would have guess 5000m or more.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: David Paterson on February 15, 2016, 21:06:13
Thanks for your kind comments, Jakov, hotrod and rosko.

Dave, do we need to pay congestion charges in Killin :)

Jakov - yes, and I am the official collector, £20 per day, cash only.   8)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on February 15, 2016, 21:46:27
I like the "rush hour" concept of that little town. Pretty dramatic congestion of the streets :D
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Erik Lund on February 15, 2016, 23:53:47
Priceless ;)
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Øivind Tøien on February 16, 2016, 02:02:28

What a lovely town. The images in this thread makes me wish I had lived a little closer to this gathering.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Frank Fremerey on February 16, 2016, 02:06:00
Looking forward to our meeting very much. Thank you for the images!
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Anthony on February 16, 2016, 10:49:32
Killin just does not know what is going to hit it in May.
Title: Re: Killin - Chamonix of the North - image added, 15/2/2016
Post by: Frank Fremerey on February 16, 2016, 16:49:23
Killin me softly...