Behind The Shot: Point Of Bearing

I’m a landscape photographer from the Philippines, now based in the U.K., and knowing that U.K. is a landscape photographer’s haven, I led a group of Philippine landscape photographer friends and took them to some of the iconic places the U.K. has to offer. Organizing a photo safari with people coming from the other side of the world isn’t as easy as I thought. Everything must be taken into consideration, from everybody’s availability to the important things like weather forecast, location shoot itinerary, vehicle, accommodation, food, etc.

One of the locations on our list was Neist Point in the Isle of Skye. Going there was a bit of a treat itself, driving around lakes, seeing snow-capped mountains and crossing vast fields was truly remarkable. The weather forecast on that day was all good, so everyone anticipated a beautiful sunset. But upon arriving, the weather changed to gray in an instant.

Neist Point only offers a limited area for composition it has been photographed many times due to its jaw-dropping view. Finding a different perspective is really a challenge. When I took this shot, I positioned myself a few inches off a cliff while applying a Filipino touch to make it my own, but I had to keep myself aware of the surroundings at all times or else the strong gusty winds would either get my equipment thrown off the cliff or me together with it. All in all, whether bracing the crazy weather of the north, standing a few inches off a cliff or just simply enjoying the company of my fellow landscape photographer friends was an experience itself and no one can take that feeling away from me.

Equipment & Settings: Canon 5D Mark III, EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 0.6 and 0.9 Soft Edge GND Lee Filters, 0.3/0.6 ND Firecrest Filter; 35mm, 30 sec., f/16, ISO 50.

To view more of Ram Rugas’ photography, including other images taken during this U.K. Photo Safari, visit www.flickr.com/photos/ram_rugas/ and www.instagram.com/ram.rugas/.