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Dawn On Loudoun Hill
Some mornings are simply too cold to go on long photo expeditions. The other morning was one of those days - a dense and freezing fog made me change my plans to go to the coast; instead, I joined two fellow photographers and went climbing.
Our location was Loudoun Hill in Easy Ayrshire, a volcanic plug standing 1367 feet above sea level.
At ground level, the temperature was four below zero; it was much lower at the top, especially in the middle of December and more than an hour before dawn. Initially using ND grad filters, I had to remove these from the camera as they were freezing over - as were my tripod and camera bag.
At the summit of the hill, there was a freezing wind but we were above the fog, which was now far below.
We were also above the clouds. Looking down on them in the half light of the pre-dawn was a magical experience, watching the colours shimmer and glow and then change from violet to pink and from the deepest gold to the palest honey.
And as the sun gently climbed higher and came closer to the tops of the hills across the valley, the intensity of the colours deepened until finally, the sunlight spilled over the hill tops.
And in that instant, the scene before me changed and the rocks on the side of Loudoun Hill began to glow in the golden first light of the day.
What I will remember most from the trip is the intensity of the colours as dawn approached.
I will try my best to forget the cold.
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