The Rainbow Over Oban


A trip up to McCaigs Tower in Oban, Scotland, (during my July trip) saw an unexpected find of a brilliant rainbow over the Oban Bay. As the rainbow changed in intensity with the ever-changing lighting, I kept snapping away and bracketing exposures in the hope of capturing the rainbow at the correct intensity and exposure.

The result you see here is a combination of exposure, as well as post-processing with CaptureONE SLR Rebel Edition and further gradient-masked level adjustment in Photoshop to bring out the dramatic and brilliant colours of the rainbow. I like the juxtaposition of the different land areas from near to far as well as the dark and forbiding-looking mountains in the distance. This gives a sense of depth and perspective to the overall composition of the shot.

The Chaotic Sea (of Gulls)

Part of my visit to Scotland in July this year involved an overnight stay at Aberdeen. I noticed a large group of seagulls seemingly having fun at the habour/pier just before sunset. Some were lined up resting and squawking away while the rest were having their own fun in the water. A tripod and slow shutter speed setting (about 2 seconds I recall) was used for this shot, which slowed the movements of the waves (and the gulls on the water) enough to give a motion-blur effect while at the same time, preserving the sharpness of the relatively still gulls perched on the steady outline of the wooden frame.

“Woo Hoo…”

Another take of the playful child performing his “stunts” at the Kota Tinggi waterfall in Malaysia. Taken from a slightly different angle, I like the way the steps form nice diagonal patterns across the frame. Of course, the dynamic action of the child frozen in a decisive moment is the main highlight of the shot!

Exposure information: Camera – Canon EOS 300D Digital, ISO – 100, Lens – Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Focal Length – 60mm, Shutter Speed – 1/160 sec, Aperture – f/9, Exposure Mode – Manual, Metering Mode – Center Weighted Average