O'Connell Photographic

Early morning in Torridon saw me searching the frozen glen for the cave waterfall that I had photographed on a previous trip. The dry cold days had stripped the moisture from the rock walls and the image was not as interesting as the original. Fortunately, as I emerged from the enclosure of the rock walls I realised that I had found other interesting views to photograph.

Trekking back to the car after capturing a number of sunrise photographs I noticed that the sun itself was about to break through a tiny window in the cloud that extended almost from West to East horizon. The warm sunlight lit up the frozen grass and provided an amazing contrast with the dark sky,

This was one of those amazing moments when everything in an image combines at exactly the right time with wonderful light to complete the composition. The wavy lines in the wood are mirrored in the cloud formation above the dead tree while the ripples on the water are echoed in the ripples of white cloud against the blue sky. This felt very much like being in the right place at the right time and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else!

I took a series of compositions of this beautiful scene in the twenty minutes before the sun dipped below the mountains and all was plunged into cold shadow. Glen Affric has to be one of the best places in the Highlands to experience Autumn. It truly is a privilege to spend time there.

A raft of cloud linking Cul Beag to Cul Mor slowly dissolved to leave a halo of mist around the summit. Crystals of ice on the reeds stood out against the black ice.

Only the slightest of ripples stirred the loch where a stream poured in from under a sheet of ice but even this was lost in the long exposure time and the water became a perfect mirror.

The warm light that bathed the mountains contrasted with the freezing temperatures in the glen as the sun had only just risen above the horizon.

Having just packed up my camera gear to begin the trek to the summit of Cul Mor I was stopped by the sight of this frozen lochan. The ice crystals blooming like white flowers on the black ice demanded that I stop and unpack my gear for one more shot.

Rogie Falls are a spectacular location, especially when the cold has drawn ice over the rocks. It was my wife's suggestion to look up and appreciate the beautiful blue sky against the frozen trees.

Flowers of delicate ice covered the rocks as the rising sun glanced against the towers of Stac Pollaidh in the distance.

A beautiful winter day in the Torridon mountains. I had set off early to climb Liathach and after photographing the sunrise over Loch Torridon I dropped into the glen and climbed up to The Horns of Alligin where the bulk of Beinn Dearg dominated the view.

An early morning climb onto the Cairngorm Plateau was rewarded by a wonderful dawn light. Loch Avon, at the heart of the plateau, is hidden by the curve of the mountais but its presence divides the image in two. In the far distance Lochnagar is visible, softened by the mist.

After several unsuccessful trips to Knockfarrel I found myself cowering under an umbrella as a shower swept down the glen. I managed to capture this image as the wind tried to rip me, umbrella and camera off the side of the hill!

After a long day on Beinn Alligin I found this interesting rock, lit by the setting sun at a place where its view of Loch Torridon was very much to be envied.

The bright sunshine gives a false impression of a day that was mostly viciously cold wind and driving rain turning to ice! However when the sun did come out it was difficult to imagine a better place to be,

Squally winds whip through the grass on the side of Liathach looking towards Beinn Alligin. I took shelter from the frequent hail and rain showers under a wall of rock, dashing out to take pictures in between the showers.

Reelig Glen's tall trees tower over the nearly-dry burn. While photographing the stream running under a small stone arch I was reminded that it often pays to look up as well as down when searching for shots to frame.

Sheltering from a shower resulted in the discovery of this interesting aspect of the stone bridge.

The lack of sunshine does nothing to diminish the joy of being on one of the finest beaches in Scotland. Sometimes it's the challenges of searching for photographs when the weather is doing its worst that yields the most interesting results.
It's always worth bearing in mind that the mixture of sunshine and frequent wind and rain is one of the driving forces that shapes the Scottish landscape.

The heavy rain showers held off for just long enough to capture the remains of the rainbow trailing behind them. This location provided too many potential compositions and I had to force myself to fix my attention one and not get too distracted by the others.

Cul Beag is dusted with the first snow of winter. Not long after this photograph was taken it had all melted under the strengthening sun. There is something special about the first snow and the way it transforms the mountains.

The landscape around Tore is made up of the intersection of the arable land of the Black Isle, the mud-flats of the Beauly Firth and, in the distance, the edge of the Highlands. On this Autumn morning it was the warm dawn light on the golden bales of hay that caught my eye.

An amazing sunrise lit up the sky above the Cairngorm plateau. Having spent the night in a wind-battered tent my friend and I were fortunate to be in a perfect position high above Loch Avon to appreciate it.

Loch Avon cuts right into the heart of the Cairngorm Plateau. It is a wild and beautiful place with towering crags and a huge sense of space and wilderness.