There is a specific kind of madness that takes over a photographer when the Scottish weather turns sour for forty-eight hours. You sit, you stare at the rain lashing the window, and you start plotting. Yesterday and today were washouts in the fair county of Ayrshire (and pretty much all of Scotland actually!!!), but there was a very definite case of the silver lining? It gave me enough time to sit down with my digital collaborators and map out a proper Highland escape.
The spark for this one came from Karl Griffin (of the Glencoe Photography YouTube channel). He put out a video in October 2022 on the Top 5 Waterfalls in Glencoe, and since I know those glens quite well, the challenge was set. I’m heading up in the early hours of Wednesday to catch first light.
The Kit List: The Fleet is Ready
If the wind behaves - and that’s a massive "if" in the Pass of Glencoe - Bob Mini and Nev Drone will finally get some airtime. But the real star of the show for the video side of things will be Ozzie Pop (the DJI Osmo Pocket 3). This will be his first proper outing in the wild, and I’m keen to see if he can handle the mist as well as he handles the hype.
On the stills side, the Canon M100 is the designated workhorse for this trip. I’ll be toggling between the 10-18mm for those sweeping, dramatic falls and the 18-135mm for when I need to pick out the details without getting soaked.
The Itinerary: From Viaducts to Vaulted Ceilings
This isn't just a "dash and snap" affair. I'm taking Dezzy Bee on a three-day odyssey:
Wednesday: "The Grand Waterfalls of Glencoe Quest" in Glencoe (weirdly), followed by a night of actual luxury (and hopefully a decent pie) at the Clachaig Inn.
Thursday: Heading further North to Glenfinnan. I’m looking at the Viaduct and the Monument, and if the light turns flat, I’ll duck into the museum to soak up some history, in fact, even if the light isn't flat and I have time, I'll duck in anyway!!!. Thursday night will be a classic car-camping session in the mobile HQ.
Friday: "The Castle Run." Castle Stalker, Kilchurn, and St. Conan’s Kirk before pointing the red nose of the Suzuki back towards Ayrshire.
The Technical Tango: M100 vs. The Mist
Shooting waterfalls isn't just about pointing and clicking; it’s about a constant battle with physics - and my own patience. For this trip, the Canon M100 has its work cut out.
The Shutter Speed Struggle: To get that silky, "dreamy" water effect Karl Griffin talks about, I’ll be slowing things down. This means the tripod is coming out of Dezzy Bee, and I’ll be praying the Glencoe gusts don’t turn my long exposures into a blurry mess.
The Lens Dilemma: I’ll be leaning heavily on the 10-18mm wide angle. It’s brilliant for getting "in" the scene, but at a waterfall, that just means more glass surface area for the spray to commit "lens-drop sabotage" on. I’ll likely spend more time with a microfibre cloth in my hand than my finger on the shutter.
The "PureRAW" Salvation: Since I’m officially Adobe-free, I’m not worried about a bit of shadow noise if the light fails me under the mountain shadows. Running the files through DxO PureRAW later is like magic - it’s the digital equivalent of wiping the steam off your glasses.
The "Ozzie Pop" Debut: This is the big test. Ozzie Pop (the DJI Osmo Pocket 3) has that 1-inch sensor which should handle the high-contrast white water against the dark Glencoe rock beautifully. I’m hoping to get some low-angle "skimming" shots of the burns that’ll make the final edit in Shotcut worth the three-day render time.
A Night at the Legend: The Clachaig Inn
After a day of wrestling with tripods and dodging waterfall spray, I’ll be trading the cozy (but compact) confines of Dezzy Bee for a night at the world-famous Clachaig Inn.
If you’ve never been, the Clachaig is the spiritual home of Scottish mountaineering. It’s the kind of place where the walls are thick with history and the air is thick with the smell of drying wool and woodsmoke. I’ll be looking out for that infamous sign near the door that reads "No Hawkers or Campbells" - a dry, enduring nod to the 1692 massacre that happened just down the road.
As a MacDonald descendant or just a weary traveller, it’s the ultimate sanctuary. I’m looking forward to:
The Boots Bar: Hopefully, I won't be the only one with damp trousers and a camera bag.
The "Top Shelf" Challenge: They have about 400 whiskies. I’ll stick to one (maybe two) to ensure the M100 stays level for the Thursday sunrise.
The "Slow Web" Hub: I’ll be hunkered down with the laptop, taking advantage of their Wi-Fi to sort through the day's "keepers" before the Shotcut marathon begins.
Why the "Slow Web" Matters
In the old days, I might have been worried about "going dark" on social media for three days. Now? The excitement is all in the planning and the eventual storytelling. There’s no pressure to post a blurry "Story" the second I park the car.
Tomorrow is all about the "Tetris" of packing Dezzy Bee. Everything has its place, from the stove to the spare batteries. I’ve been working closely with Gemini to dial in the logistics, and it feels great to have a plan that prioritises the craft over the "clout."
Wish me luck with the Glencoe wind - I'd quite like to bring Bob and Nev home in one piece.
