I was hiking in the Torridon Valley area of Scotland late on a November day when I came upon this stand of trees. It appeared that they were scorched by wildfire not too long ago. Illuminated by the late afternoon light, the trees and golden grasses stood out against the mountainside background which was in deep shadow. I usually use a tripod for my landscape photography, but I got a bit lazy and left it behind, so I adjusted my settings to ensure my shutter speed was fast enough to hand hold the shot.

I did little work in post processing. Darkening the background and increasing the contrast and saturation a bit was all it took get this result.

The landscape photo opportunities in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland include mountains, lochs, valleys and rivers. I explored the more popular areas but sometimes, the most unique photos are found on a simple walk through the countryside.