# The Great Shepherd of the Glen: Buachaille Etive Môr, Glen Coe



## thereyougo! (Jul 10, 2013)

Some from a few years ago - found an old CF card and found these.  I was still shooting jpg at the time:


Canon 5D mk II  EF 16 - 35





The-Great-Shepherd-4-x-3 by singingsnapper, on Flickr





Buachaille-Etive-Môr-from-Kingshouse by singingsnapper, on Flickr





The-Buachaille-from-Kingshouse by singingsnapper, on Flickr


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## JoeLeBean (Jul 10, 2013)

I really really like one, the composition is effective and you captured a great scenery.
On the other two, i'm not sure what to think about them, I find the shadows too dark to my taste.


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## thereyougo! (Jul 11, 2013)

Walking in the area in February 2010 this view took my breath away: Creise and Meall a'Bhuiridh to the left and the Great Shepherd of the Glen: Buachaille Etive Môr


Canon 5D mk II EF 16 - 35 II L




Looking-to-the-north-from-King's-House-Hotel by singingsnapper, on Flickr


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## cgipson1 (Jul 11, 2013)

I like #1 a lot...  looks like a lovely place


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## Alex_B (Jul 11, 2013)

I remember that place and the mountain fondly! Been there shooting a long time ago, before people had digital cameras


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## thereyougo! (Jul 11, 2013)

Alex_B said:


> I remember that place and the mountain fondly! Been there shooting a long time ago, before people had digital cameras



Me too.  1990 was my first visit and I walked the West Highland Way in 1994 and 1995 which was how I first found the view.  With my younger brother I wild camped on the banks of the River Coupall.  Being August, we got attacked by midges.

Number 2 in the first post was the view  we had on a sunny warm day in August 1994 (without the snow of course!)


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## Alex_B (Jul 11, 2013)

thereyougo! said:


> Alex_B said:
> 
> 
> > I remember that place and the mountain fondly! Been there shooting a long time ago, before people had digital cameras
> ...



Have a look over here:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/landscape-cityscape/278910-river-ba.html

I am sure you remember that place too


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## The_Traveler (Jul 11, 2013)

I think both of them with the road are just wonderful.
Small nits.
The horizon looks off a bit and, in the first, the hill is so central that I think it unbalances the photo.







The second one is as terrific - in all ways - altho it does look a little crooked (and counter to the first one)


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## thereyougo! (Jul 11, 2013)

The_Traveler said:


> I think both of them with the road are just wonderful.
> Small nits.
> The horizon looks off a bit and, in the first, the hill is so central that I think it unbalances the photo.
> 
> ...



It's fairly difficult to tell.  Glen Coe (to the right of the big mountain) is higher than Glen Etive (to the left of the Buachaille).  This will mean that the horizon looks off right to left.  It's just the the two valleys are at different altitudes.  They are taken with the same lens but the second is taken about 400m earlier along the road and at 16mm whereas the first is at 25mm.  Going slightly up hill left to right is the main road from Glasgow to Fort William.  You can see the lie of the land from that although not the road itself.  It may be this that makes it appear crooked.

I changed the aspect to 4:3 from the native 3:2.  This is the native aspect ratio:




The-Great-Shepherd by singingsnapper, on Flickr


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## The_Traveler (Jul 11, 2013)

Mother Nature is so uncooperative with photographers, don't get me started about skies with no clouds.


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## thereyougo! (Jul 11, 2013)

The_Traveler said:


> Mother Nature is so uncooperative with photographers, don't get me started about skies with no clouds.




I know what you mean.  I have another shot from a day or two before this and the foreground is great with completely white rocky mountains, but not a cloud in the sky.  These were taken fairly close to Midday, but as it was Scotland in early February it was fine.  There was heavy snow the previous day, and the light was perfect.  I wasn't shooting in raw at this time so had the light not been so good, I might have struggled.  I was walking along saying Oh my God, I was so overwhelmed.  These are among my favourite photos, especially the first one.  I'd completely forgotten about the second, and the second one needed more processing work than the first.  I'd found a memory card pouch I hadn't seen in ages and had a look through the images.  I thought I'd lost most of these.

This particular area is a photographer's playground.  Scenery is mindblowing all around, no matter what the weather.  Glen Coe can be beautiful, and menacing all in one day.  The Buachaille is one of the most photographed scenes in the UK so it's difficult to be original.  I think I have more than a record shot here, but even if its just that, it still takes me back there to that crisp clear morning and early afternoon.


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## Photographiend (Jul 11, 2013)

Nice. Not a fan of the B&W for this though. There is something very majestic about these shots though.


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## masquerad101 (Jul 11, 2013)

A s the first image slowley loaded on my screen (dongle you see!) I new it would be good I didnt realise how good though! I love this sort of image and the first one is a cracker in my oppinion, but as others have sugested the other shots are a bit off! Cant put my finger on why though. the 2nd shot should (hypothetically be perfect with the cloud lingering over the mountain but for somne reason it just dosent work.

First ones mynt though! Print it out and hang it on your wall


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