Caledonian Evening

Today's offerings are from another afternoon wander into the Caledonian Pine Forest close to where I live. We're at 57 degrees north here in my neck of the woods so evening comes early. Officially sunset is just before 4pm at present but due to the mountains you're really all done by around 3.10pm in this spot.

This particular location needs a bit of commitment to reach due to a deep river crossing and the only way in is on foot. So much fun. Once you're over the river there are no paths save for narrow winding animal tracks. I've been exploring it for a few years now so it was nice to get in on an afternoon with some decent light. A good amount of snow on the hills now and it won't be long until winter arrives lower down.

Mostly happy with these shots, although there were a few that sadly just did not work out. I often shoot directly toward the light as I love the magic and drama of it in the forest, but sometimes the contrast just becomes a bit too much. Also it can be quite a tricky place to work since the trees blend into themselves and each other which can make it tricky to pick one out as a distinct subject or create a good sense of depth. And of course you are always knee deep in heather and bog so moving quickly when you spot something is pretty tiring. At one point during this walk I did fall flat on my face in the marsh. That's one way to get close to nature :D