Loch Ailort

The road that runs along the edge of Loch Ailort takes you to and past some places with magical names: Samalaman Island, Smirisary and – perhaps our favourite – Acharacle. Also on route is Glen Uig, a pretty harbour hamlet with a village hall that contains a café and some of the cleanest lavatories you’ll find north of Glasgow.

The sky was not at its best when this image was captured, but the seaweed, the fractured rocks and the light touching the distant hills seemed initially to suggest that the scene had potential. However, in retrospect this is one of those images where appearances are deceptive; where a subject that looks promising to the naked eye does not compose well “in the frame”. The elements are all there, but they are not clearly distinguishable from one another. The result is a bit of a mish-mash in which all the features fight for the viewer’s attention – and none succeeds.

Canon EOS 5D and EF 16-35mm lens.

Exposure of 1/12 second at f/16.