Orkney Startrails and other surprises!

I went out to the Ring O Brodgar to try some startrails shots tonight. It was to be a clear sky and what better foreground interest than an ancient standing stone?

Despite being in the middle of nowhere I encountered a few similar problems as when I tried to do them at Beecraigs. Car headlights, super bright moon (you can see the horrible burnt out area on the right that I couldn't rid of with my current software), unable to see anything through the viewfinder so having to guess the composition and so on....

I have to say, watching the moon-rise was pretty amazing. I spotted a wierd orange dot appear over the hills and it kept getting bigger and bigger until I realised it was the moon. It would have been fabulous to have taken shots of it every 10 minutes on the same negative.

(I'll download the image from my compact and if it's decent enough I'll put it on here)

So, whilst I was taking the startrail shot I was watching the gorgeous night sky and what occurs????? The Aurora Borealis!!!
It wasn't strong but it lasted longer than when I first saw it. The photo didn't take very well as it was so faint but at least I managed to catch something on camera this time.

The Ancient Yew Tree of Fortingall

Depending on the website you refer to the ancient Yew tree in Fortingall is the oldest in the UK, Europe or possibly even the entire world. At an age of between 3000 and 9000 years old this is a magnificant tree to visit.

The trunk is a mere shell of what it used to be (16 meters) due to fires and other mishaps over the decades (centuries, even) but there are markers to show where the entire trunk would have been.

A wall now surrounds the Yew to give it further protection, which made it difficult to create a nice photograph to show you. I have decided to show you a new, budding section of branch in my beloved bokeh style, which captures the beginning of spring and the fact that this tree is still very much alive.



For those of you who are religious, or even just curious about the tree and other holy landmarks in Scotland, you can read more about the Yew Tree on this site - Sacred Connections