#438. Skye, Harris & Lewis with a Leica S7

By Bob Hamilton | Travel Photography

Dec 17

After the visit of Paul (Perton) in early June and our meeting up on the island of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, the question was where to go with another photographic buddy but this time in late November when the weather is likely to be variable to say the least and disruption to the wonderful Scottish ferry system a real possibility?

 

1 - Skye - Isleornsay Dawn - the view from our hotel towards the mainland

Skye – Isleornsay Dawn – the view from our hotel towards the mainland (c) Bob Hamilton

2 - Skye - Daybreak on Isleornsay and the Mainland Mountains - the view from our hotel

Skye – Daybreak on Isleornsay and the Mainland Mountains – the view from our hotel (c) Bob Hamilton

 

The answer was obvious – somewhere, shame on me considering my many trips to more distant places such as Iceland and the Faroe Islands, I’d visited only once before on a family holiday, despite knowing its reputation as a photographic destination and having seen some wonderful images taken there – the “Long Island” of Harris and Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

 

3 - Skye - The Cuillin from Elgol

Skye – The Cuillin from Elgol (c) Bob Hamilton

4 - Skye - Elgol - Marsco and Blaven tower above the Bothy at Camasunary

Skye – Elgol – Marsco and Blaven tower above the Bothy at Camasunary (c) Bob Hamilton

 

The risk of going there was all about the weather, not only for our photography but also from the travel perspective, especially as the shortest crossing is an 80 minute ferry ride from Uig on Skye across some of the wildest water Scotland has to offer – not the place to be stranded in the throes of winter. But, on the other hand and with, for me, an uncustomary “glass half full” attitude, if the weather were changeable, the opportunities for dramatic images should be plentiful.

 

5 - Skye - the road to Elgol - Beinn na Caillich across Loch Cill Chriosd

Skye – the road to Elgol – Beinn na Caillich across Loch Cill Chriosd (c) Bob Hamilton

6 - Skye - the road to Elgol - Beinn Dearg Mhor and Beinn na Caillich across Loch Cill Chriosd

Skye – the road to Elgol – Beinn Dearg Mhor and Beinn na Caillich across Loch Cill Chriosd (c) Bob Hamilton

7 - Skye - the road to Elgol - Blaven and Beinn Dearg Mhor across Loch Cill Chriosd

Skye – the road to Elgol – Blaven and Beinn Dearg Mhor across Loch Cill Chriosd (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Mind made up, I devised a schedule – 3 days on Skye, staying in the south of the island where Paul and I had stayed in June, and 3 days on Harris, staying in the main settlement, Tarbert, situated strategically on the strip of land which joins South and North Harris and where the ferry arrives.

 

8 - Skye - Beinn Edra and the Storr from the Quiraing

Skye – Beinn Edra and the Storr from the Quiraing (c) Bob Hamilton

9 - Skye - The Sound of Raasay and the Red Cuillin Mountains from Rigg near The Storr

Skye – The Sound of Raasay and the Red Cuillin Mountains from Rigg near The Storr (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Skye needs no introduction as it is an iconic photographic and mountaineering destination and many photographic workshops take place there every year, organized and run by businesses and individuals from around the World, not only from Britain. As a result, the places to photograph are well documented, if perhaps a bit too obvious and clichéd as a result, and some might say that Skye is now in danger, as is Iceland, of being “overdone” and that it is simply a question, in many locations, of looking for the tripod marks to ensure the composition is “perfect” which, to many, unfortunately and not wishing to sound patronising, is synonymous with what has been done before.

 

10 - Skye - The Mountains of Glamaig, Beinn Dearg Mhor, Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach, Ciche na Beinne Deirge and Marsco across Loch Ainort

Skye – The Mountains of Glamaig, Beinn Dearg Mhor, Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach, Ciche na Beinne Deirge and Marsco across Loch Ainort (c) Bob Hamilton

11 - Skye - The Islands of Raasay and Scalpay across Loch Ainort

Skye – The Islands of Raasay and Scalpay across Loch Ainort (c) Bob Hamilton

12 - Skye - The Mountains of Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach and Marsco across the River Sligachan

Skye – The Mountains of Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach and Marsco across the River Sligachan (c) Bob Hamilton

13 - Skye - The Black Cuillin Mountains of Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Basteir and Bruach na Frithe across the River Sligachan

Skye – The Mountains of Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach and Marsco across the River Sligachan (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Harris and Lewis are somewhat different and, although the beaches of South Harris are reasonably well photographed, there are few tripod marks to aid the composition and the remainder of the island is, to a large extent, virgin territory which is what I was looking for as it would allow me indulge my “foreplay” enjoyment of planning the itinerary carefully, by reference to the detailed 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey maps, the tide times and the Photographer’s Ephemeris, to hopefully capture some fresh and different images – that was the plan anyway, always assuming that the weather played some kind of ball.

 

31 - North Harris - Rainbow and Snow Storm sweeping over the Mountains of Ulabhal, Cathadail an Ear and Uisgneabhal Mor

North Harris – Rainbow and Snow Storm sweeping over the Mountains of Ulabhal, Cathadail an Ear and Uisgneabhal Mor (c) Bob Hamilton

 

The kit for me would be my Leica S (typ 007) system, as opposed to my Sony A7r2 system. Much as I love the relative compact and lightweight nature of the Sony, and appreciate that, given the better lenses for that system, its image quality gives very little away to that of the Leica, the rugged nature of the Leica and its extreme weatherproofing (I would trust it in the bath, never mind the shower), given the type of weather anticipated, made its choice automatic. The added benefits would be its excellent GPS capability and dual card slots which are, to my mind, two important, missing features which Sony needs to address in future iterations of the FE mount. More of the camera equipment later on in this article.

 

14 - South Harris - Losgaintir Dawn

South Harris – Losgaintir Dawn (c) Bob Hamilton

 

The plan was to collect my buddy at Glasgow Airport around noon on the Saturday and take a leisurely 4 to 5 hour drive to Skye through some of mainland Scotland’s most iconic scenery – along Loch Lomond, through Glencoe, across the mountains from Invergarry to the head of Loch Cluanie, down Glen Shiel to Loch Duich and Eilean Donan castle and over the bridge to Skye where our hotel on the Sleat Peninsula was only a 15 minute drive away.

As our national bard famously wrote, however, “….the best laid plans of mice and men….”…!!! My buddy’s plane was delayed leaving Sydney which meant that he missed his Dubai connection and didn’t arrive at Glasgow until 7pm that day. Despite the prospect of the drive north in the dark being totally unappealing, given the weather conditions and the, as transpired, likelihood of encountering herds of deer on or by the side of the road, the positive weather forecast for the following day was such that there was no real choice and we arrived at our destination shortly before one in the morning. The things one does to feed this addiction called photography..!!

 

15 - South Harris - Gneiss Outcrop, the Island of Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist

South Harris – Gneiss Outcrop, the Island of Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist (c) Bob Hamilton

16 - South Harris - The Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist

South Harris – The Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Our time on Skye saw almost the full spectrum of weather which ranged from being, ironically, too favourable to a mixture of horizontal rain and sleet where even leaving the safe confines of the car was a thought. We travelled the length and breadth of the island several times and, on the worst of the days, fortunately had the option of a wee visit to the Talisker whisky distillery for the guided tour and a sample of the amber nectar produced there. On the more favourable days, Skye lived up to expectations and we took some reasonable and representative images of the island, from the rocky beach at Elgol looking over Loch Scavaig to the remote bothy at Camasunary overshadowed by the Cuillin mountains, to the landslip geology of the Quiraing and the Storr.

 

17 - South Harris - Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist

South Harris – Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist (c) Bob Hamilton

18 - South Harris - Luskentyre and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist

South Harris – Luskentyre and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Harris was, as anticipated, completely different and, to my eyes, in many respects, preferable, perhaps because I had never really been there before and, to my mind, it is good to go somewhere new to test the vision to produce something from the unfamiliar. I am no expert in such matters, but the geology of Harris appears to be substantially different to that found on Skye and, in many places, one gets the impression that the ground has been laid completely bare and that the bones of the earth are sticking through in the form of regular outcrops of granite rocks and slabs.

 

19 - South Harris - The Mountains of North Harris across the Sound of Taransay from Sgarasta

South Harris – The Mountains of North Harris across the Sound of Taransay from Sgarasta (c) Bob Hamilton

 

The beaches of South Harris are spectacular and, if one ignores the temperature and the wind, one can almost imagine being on a Caribbean beach – miles of golden sands and turquoise coloured water – with, however, the intrusion of outcrops of rocks composed mainly of banded gneiss, varying in colour from black to white and pink. Imagine the view, looking north from one of these beaches, across such a rocky outcrop in the foreground, across the golden sandy beach, to the turquoise water beyond and on to the craggy gneiss and granite mountains of North Harris in the distance which rise straight from the sea to a height of over 2,500 feet – a landscape photographer’s paradise..!!

 

21 - South Harris - Machair, Luskentyre and the Sound of Taransay from Traigh Niosaboist

South Harris – Machair, Luskentyre and the Sound of Taransay from Traigh Niosaboist (c) Bob Hamilton

22 - South Harris - Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Borve

South Harris – Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Borve (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Aside from this, the lure of Harris was, for me, epitomized by the sight of an otter passing within 30 feet of us as we stood taking photographs on an isolated and tiny beach on North Harris and, an hour or so later, as we leaped from the car to capture an image of snow squalls engulfing wildly illuminated mountains, the sight of a Golden Eagle flying off as we disturbed it.

 

23 - South Harris - The Mountain of Ceapabhal and the Island of Ensay from near Borve

South Harris – The Mountain of Ceapabhal and the Island of Ensay from near Borve (c) Bob Hamilton

24 - South Harris - Twilight on the Island of Taransay, Luskentyre and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist

South Harris – Twilight on the Island of Taransay, Luskentyre and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist (c) Bob Hamilton

 

All in all, the trip was, despite the extremely variable weather, well worth it, not only for the images captured but also for the lasting memories of Harris in particular which has made me determined to return. I definitely have caught “Hebridisitis”.

 

25 - South Harris - Wild Day on the Sound of Taransay, the Island of Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist, South Harris

South Harris – Wild Day on the Sound of Taransay, the Island of Taransay and the Mountains of North Harris from Traigh Sheileboist, South Harris (c) Bob Hamilton

 

The camera and lenses also lived up to their promise and my expectations by working flawlessly and never missing a beat, despite, on several occasions, receiving a complete soaking. Cameras taken were, as stated, the new CMOS-sensored S typ 007, with the CCD-sensored S typ 006 as back up which, as it fortunately turned out, was never required. Lenses taken were the 24mm wide angle, the 30-90mm zoom (24mm to 72mm full frame equivalent), the 120mm macro, the 180mm telephoto and the Hasselblad H 300mm telephoto mated to the Leica H lens “smart” adapter.

 

27 - North Harris - Croft and Bones of the Earth near Scalpay

North Harris – Croft and Bones of the Earth near Scalpay (c) Bob Hamilton

 

As they should be, given the price and the lack of compromise in both design and manufacture, the native S lenses are superb and all, with the possible exception of the zoom (although I doubt that statement given its optical quality), are APO corrected. Given proper technique, the S system produces images second to none and, allied to either the new CMOS sensor or the old CCD sensor, produces images of huge tonal depth and superb resolution. Both sensors have 16 bit colour depth which I don’t doubt greatly contributes not only to this but also to the enormous flexibility and dynamic range of the CMOS sensor which I would say has the best part of a full stop advantage over the excellent Sony A7R2.

 

28 - North Harris - The Island of Taransay from Huisinis

North Harris – The Island of Taransay from Huisinis (c) Bob Hamilton

 

Setting its comparative weight and bulk aside, the S system is ideally suited to landscape photography and, in particular, to landscape photography in extreme conditions and I never fail to realize and appreciate how fortunate I am in being able to afford such quality.

 

29 - North Harris - Loch Leosavay, Sodhaigh Beag, Sodhaigh Mor and Luskentyre from Abhainn Suidhe

North Harris – Loch Leosavay, Sodhaigh Beag, Sodhaigh Mor and Luskentyre from Abhainn Suidhe (c) Bob Hamilton

32 - Lewis - Loch Eireasort and the Mountains of Eastern Lewis from Balallan

Lewis – Loch Eireasort and the Mountains of Eastern Lewis from Balallan (c) Bob Hamilton

 


Email: subscribed: 4
  • pascaljappy says:

    Bob, thank you for the article and brilliant photographs. Choosing a favourite would be so difficult. A gear question from a jealous reader 😉 : Since you own bpth the CCD S6 and CMOS S7 versions of the Leica S, do you see a difference in image “qualities”? I understand the CMOS will have mugh better high-ISO capabilites, and maybe higher dynamic range, is there an upside to the CCD S6 at base ISO?

    Thanks for sharing those,
    Pascal

    • bob hamilton says:

      Many thanks for your kind comments.
      With regards to your question, it’s difficult to say Pascal as the “look” of each is slightly different, the CCD sensored 006 being a bit more “gritty” with, perhaps, a touch better micro contrast. However, it’s a close call and both are superb cameras. As you correctly say, the 007 is much better at higher ISO’s and the image of the croft on Scalpay, for example, was hand held at 800 ISO, something I really wouldn’t have dreamed of doing with the 006, where ISO 400 was already perhaps a step too far. The dynamic range of the 007 is significantly greater than the 006 – probably by a touch over 2 stops – which is very helpful in wild conditions where the use of filters means only rain spots on the images. Most of the images had no filtration at all, relying on the camera’s excellent DR to sort out the shadows and highlights in Lightroom.

      Bob

  • Paul Perton says:

    Wow Bob. I hope we get half as many great shots on the Great Scottish Trek next year!

    • Bob Hamilton says:

      We’ll do our best Paul but it’s going to be mid summer when the contrast is lower and the sun (if we see it) much higher in the sky……….and the dreaded biting midge will be in full swing…!!!

  • philberphoto says:

    Yes, very, very Wow! At present, Scotland is right at the top of my wannados. Congratulations, Bob! That said, from the raw IQ, there are “only” a couple of pics which I don’t “think” my A7R II could have done quite as well. This of course leads to how Pascal now only shoots his smartphone…

    • pascaljappy says:

      No pain, no shame 😀

    • Bob Hamilton says:

      You especially need to visit the islands. I’m obviously biased but I’ve travelled extensively in Europe and, over the past decade, have concentrated on north west Europe and its islands and I haven’t been anywhere which can match the Hebrides, both Inner and Outer, for both variety and sheer beauty when the conditions come together – from the relative gentleness of Islay and the islands of the Firth of Clyde to the wildness of Skye and Harris. You could spend several lifetimes photographing them through the seasons and still not do them total justice.
      Re the Sony versus the Leica, as I said, there’s very little in it when the best lenses are used on the Sony (the Loxias and Batises, the Sony 55mm and 90mm and some of the A mount lenses with the LA-EA3 adapter, especially the 2nd generation 70-400mm zoom) but where the Leica really scores is in its bomb-proof and element proof construction which engenders total confidence and allows images to be taken in conditions where sensible folks are in front of the fire. Sony will get there, of that there is no doubt, and the A7r2 is a real step change on from the A7r.
      As to smartphones, I’ll leave them to the experts…….!!!!!!

  • Scott Edwards says:

    What an incredible series! Stunning, magnificent. (Also, I’m curious as I simply am ignorant. Are there any wild animals that put one at risk? Or are the deer, noted in the article, about it? Being an American, one has to worry about bear and mountain lions.) Thanks for sharing these brilliant results.

    • bobhamilton says:

      Thanks for your comments, Scott.
      Fortunately (or maybe not as the deer now have nothing above them, other than Man, in the chain to keep their numbers under control), there are no such wild animals now in the UK, the wolf being made extinct in the 16th or 17th century, and one is able to roam without fear of encountering anything, other than a fellow human being, which may cause harm.
      Having said that, there has been talk, for some years now, of reintroducing wolves and bears to the UK, just as the beaver has been reintroduced, to perform the functions which those creatures perform naturally to retain the balance in the landscape.
      We’ll see what happens.

      • Scott Edwards says:

        Thanks for the comment back. Again, there are some truly stunning and inspiring images in this post.

  • Jeffrey Horton says:

    Great article, wonderful images. Thank you for sharing.

  • Joakim says:

    A little late to the game
    Great article and photos, makes me want to go back to Scotland.

  • Muriel Frances says:

    I lost my heart to the Isle of Harris when I visited ithere last year. It’s such a magical place and your photographs certainly do it justice Bob as they are exquisite. I have painted some of the photos I took (no comparison!) and would love to paint some of yours – would that be possible? Here’s hoping.

    Regards
    Muriel

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