During our long road trip from Switzerland to Scotland and back this summer, we took a day trip in the north west of Scotland which took in the “Falls of Shin”. Luckily for us, it’s not a treacherous place where people are prone to injuring their lower legs, but a scenic (if rather non-photogenic) river and series of shallow waterfall cascades. We spent a short time there – mainly to stretch our legs and see the waterfalls – and despite having the camera set up and my finger on the shutter release for a good ten minutes, this was the only shot I achieved of a salmon leaping upstream. We did manage to see a few more, and after packing up and heading onward, I reflected on the respect which nature photographers are due. It’s one thing to wait around for the right weather and be lucky enough to get a break in the clouds; quite another to have the experience and patience to wait for ages to catch a fish flying through the air for about a second with no advance warning.
Even if the photographic aspect to the trip wasn’t great, stopping off at the gift shop before leaving was quite an experience in itself: not only for the fact that it’s a Harrods gift shop, but also that there’s a life-sized waxwork model of owner Mohammed Al Fayed in highland wear in the centre of the display.
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