Field Notes
Locations like this may look wild and remote but, often, they are very easily accessed. This brings as much help as it does hindrance to the photographer- a multitude of other photographers, walkers, dogs and sightseers. And of course, everyone knows it's best to be there in late afternoon light! Dawn isn't really an option here, certainly not in winter anyway, and capturing what was a fleeting moment of light on this beautiful, ancient stone circle without people, tripod legs and dogs in it was a real challenge. The elements have all come together though, for me, in this shot. Snow capped peaks in the distance, warm low light picking out the stones against a dark background makes it a natural panoramic. On a technical level, keeping a good depth of field with a long telephoto is something to be aware of. Whilst this lens compresses perspective nicely in scenes like this where the background is, in real terms, actually rather a long way away, making sure everything is sharp is a challenge. I checked my LCD following a test shot and settled on f13 which makes the most of the superb 70-200mm L series IS lens that I use. EOS 5DMKIII, 70-200mm, 1/8 sec, f13 ISO 100. Lee 2 stop ND grad, six exposures merged.