Traveling was never something that crossed my mind when I was younger as most of my time was spent slaying dragons and other such things in the video game world but luckily as I got older I found a love for photography and then was blessed with a job that allows me to see my country in all its splendour.
Since my traveling is for work I wanted to travel light but without giving up image quality so my trusty SIGMA dp Quattros (dp0 and dp3) were the ideal choice.
As you can see from my image above they are small, light, fixed lens cameras that use the Sigma Foveon sensor and leaf shutters, to find out more check out my rather old hands on with the dp2 here or the dp3 as a studio camera here but please in mind that the Sigma dp Quattro cameras have had many upgrades since then via firmware.
Now I'm no Landscape photographer, I'm often just capturing moments I see by the side of the road but I wanted to share some of the images I've taken on my way around Scotland like when I finally got to see the famous sign at John o' Groats.
It was a little surreal seeing the sign in real life and I was greeted with some awesome fluffy clouds, sadly I forgot to take the obligatory selfie with the sign but there is always next time.
While there I decided to walk over to the harbour and get a wide shot of the coloured buildings along with the rocky coastline.
I used some ND filters here to give a nice contrast between the jagged rocks and smooth water. The behind the scene image above shows what the water really looked like without the use of filters.
In order to get the best view from this area you need to head towards the light house and then its a five minute walk towards the cliffs to the Stacks.
The good folks at the Green House in Castletown told me about this location and I owe the staff a big thanks for letting me know about it otherwise I would've missed such a stunning view.
But please take care if you visit this area as I stood on the edge of a cliff to get this image.
From Castletown, I took a little trip to the beach which was not as spectacular as the Stacks but a pleasant view all the same.
The road on the way home towards Kirkintilloch from the North East of Scotland is home to some fantastic coastlines if you take small detours off the main road like this one near Dunbeath
Or further up north from Lybster harbour, Once a thriving fishing port in its day but still a working harbour with a lovely view.
Views from the North East coast are really nice but are equally matched from the North West from the likes of Elgol on the Isle of Sky.
You may realise that all of the images I've shared so far are taken with the SIGMA dp0 Quattro with a 14mm lens. Sometimes you don't want such a wide view and this is where the little SIGMA dp3 Quattro with a 50mm lens comes in handy like it did for this lovely scene not far from Laide.
As you can see from the wide behind the scene image above the 50mm (75mm equiv) lens on the dp3Q helps compress the scene and bring the background elements in closer.
One of my favourite images from the SIGMA dp3 Quattro has to be this scene from the Glen Docherty Viewpoint on the A832 way to Kinlochewe.
There's just something wonderful about how the new Super Fine Detail mode that was added to the SIGMA dp Quattro camera’s that was able to capture the large dynamic range if this scene and render the image so perfectly.
While all the driving and time away from my family isn't ideal, it’s been a blessing having the ability to see, capture and share parts of Scotland that I would never have seen otherwise.
Before I go I wanted to share one last image, this time of the majestic Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis.
If you enjoyed this article and the images feel free to share! or follow/message me on Facebook or Instagram.
Lastly if the SIGMA cameras with the Foveon sensor are something that interest you please get in touch so I can help you with any questions and help figure out what one might suit you best, also don't forget about the SIGMA free three day trial that many stores offer.
Paul.