Ian Short Articles - Notes from the Cabin (3) The island of Canna.
- Late Winter or Early Spring on Speyside
- Watching Cresties in Rothiemurchus
- Tanera Mor Summer Isles
- Notes from the Cabin (1)
- Notes from the Cabin (2)
- Notes from the Cabin (3)
Click to enlarge images
We left the cabin one Saturday morning in late July bound for Mallaig and the Calmac ferry to Canna, one of The Small Isles. After a four-hour sea journey to the island, by way of Muck, Eigg and past the gloriously wild and rugged island of Rhum, we arrived at Canna’s small pier. Very excited about the prospect of spending a short time on Canna we got off to a brilliant start when we were greeted by most of the island’s population who all seemed to have jobs when Caledonian MacBrayne’s “Loch Nevis” docked. Camera bags, luggage and boxes of food were picked up by Winnie MacKinnon, the National Trust for Scotland’s warden, and transported by her in a somewhat battered Landrover to the cottage we were staying in. As we walked the short distance to the cottage, which was situated right on the shore, we were greeted by some of the island’s birdlife; eider, heron, oystercatchers and curlew ooh-oohed, kroncked, piped and fluted their welcome. What a great start as we settled in to our cottage by the shore with open views across to Sanday and Rhum. What a difference from our view from the cabin with The Cairngorms, Glen Feshie and the northern coires.
Canna was the home of John Lorne Campbell and his wife Margaret Faye Shaw from 1939, when he purchased the island, until his death in 1996 ; Margaret continued to live there until, at the age of 100years old, she died in 2004. Both were highly respected Gaelic scholars and collectors of cultural material, recording audibly and by photography, the unique culture and way of life of the western highlands and islands of Scotland. They gifted Canna to the N.T.S. who now administers the island as a viable economic concern with about twenty residents involved in farming, fishing and tourism.
Canna is a rugged island shot through with the same basaltic intrusions, which formed the famous Giant’s Causeway and Fingal’s Cave. The small cottage we stayed in had stunning views of Rhum and further north, Skye. The machair nearby was studded with many flowers including Grass of Parnasus and the white sandy bay was a great place for paddling in the Atlantic Ocean. On still days the 100mm macro lens, the flexible Benbo tripod and Lastolite reflector were put to good use. The combination of f-number, shutter speed and ISO gives compositional variation to depth of field, and along with diffuse light, allows the macro photographer many interesting opportunities. Remember, depth of field in macro work is very small indeed but this can be used to good effect when out of focus colour and highlights can give your images variety and eye-catching interest. Try this in the autumn when colour is everywhere, landscapes can be framed by out of focus autumn leaves.
Canna is connected to very close island of Sanday by a road bridge that spans a narrow tidal channel. Sanday has spectacular cliff and stack scenery with kittiwake and a few hundred breeding puffin. These birds have to withstand the predatory attention of great skuas or “bonxies”, as they are known in Scotland, whose hunting habits are very determined. We were dive bombed when we strayed into their territory.
The wide seascapes from the two islands are breathtaking, especially when Atlantic squalls sweep in from the northwest. They give dramatic contrasts of light in a very short space of time. With such wide and simple uncluttered images, with a lot of sky and sea, dust on the sensor can be a problem. I spent a lot of time with the clone tool after one particularly “dusty” day of photography. Use the rocket blower to remove visible dust but that is all I do, if it is more of a problem have the sensor cleaned professionally. I used 0.3 to 0.9 neutral density filters when photographing coastal landscapes, these are about the only filters I use these days.
We loved Canna, it’s rich natural and cultural history and friendly folk mean we will return. Also, a surprise to us, a terrific restaurant that served local produce; the dinners we had were delicious and the atmosphere so friendly. I recommend Canna for all sorts of reasons, including the chance of getting some pleasing images.