I organized a photo trip with friends in the beautiful Scottish Highlands a while ago. We spent one week in the Glencoe region and a second on the Isle of Skye. The Highlands are truly a photographer's paradise. I relied mainly on the Landscape Photographer's Guide for both regions to plan the trip, having bought the eBooks on LPM's website.

While driving on route A82 near Loch Ba during our week in the Glencoe region, I glimpsed this rainbow between two mountain peaks. I stopped the car, parked on the side of the road, and set up my tripod near a big textured rock. I was fascinated to see the beautifully lit field, the distant mountains wrapped in rain and low clouds, and the amazing rainbow topped by blue sky! I used a 36mm focal length and an f/16 aperture (35 mm equivalent) to compose the image. As usual, to achieve ETTR, I overexposed by one stop. I took the shot at 08:21.

Fasten your seat belts! Look what I captured a few minutes later that morning:

At 09:01

At 09:22

At 09:50

What a gorgeous and unbelievable morning. Now you understand why the Scottish Highlands are a photographer's paradise. There are so many places containing all the important elements of composition: lines, curves, textures, patterns, shapes, colours, and framing. There are numerous great opportunities for images under giant light-box skies with even, soft lighting. Always be prepared to stop and park safely when driving a vehicle in the Highlands. On several occasions during our trip, as a joke, we asked each other, "Do we have to go back home?"