Have a sneak into one of my photographic adventures, a scenic sunrise in Westray, Orkney Islands.
ARTICOLO IN ITALIANO QUI
The Noup Head lighthouse in Westray is located in one of the most untamed and picturesque spots on the Orkney archipelago. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the location is both beautiful and rugged, creating a feel of being at the end of the world. The lighthouse is famous among seabird enthusiasts due to the diversity of species that live in the area, and there is also a coastal walk to reach it on foot.
Despite being limited to just a few days in Westray during my trip to the Orkney archipelago, I found it to be one of the most memorable parts of the entire trip, and Noup Head was my favorite place to visit in all.
I took this photo at dawn, and I must say that already arriving here in the dark was an incredibly fascinating and suggestive experience (as well as slightly eerie). Except for the lighthouse there are no other sources of light around, and the only sounds you can hear are those of nature, wind, sea and occasionally some birds. At one point, however, in addition to these relatively familiar sounds, I felt like a song coming from the sea, it was beautiful and a bit spooky, they were probably seals on the rocks below, but in the near complete darkness I felt to understand the stories and legends typical of Scottish folklore that tell of Selkies and sea spirits. The complete darkness and absence of other distractions also allowed me to feel completely immersed in nature and gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in what I was doing.
Rushing is not something I usually do in photography as I prefer to immerse myself in the moment and feel connected to nature. While I stood in one of the most wild and beautiful places I’ve been to recently, my imagination was able to take over without any other distractions.
After a while navigating in my own thoughts and breathing the cold air I started working on creating a photo and as the sun rose behind the lighthouse with a pink a delicate tone I couldn’t help but thinking how healing nature is and how grateful I was for having the chance to photograph such an incredible place.
As a lover of long exposures I thought the sea was perfect in that particular moment to create a silky effect and also the fast running clouds would have given an ethereal touch to the photo, so after carefully choosing the right filter for the current light I took a few pictures and enjoyed the moment for as long as the light of the day came. By the time I captured this 120-second exposure, it was 6 in the morning. It was mid-August and days are long in the North during summer, so I felt like I had a very special start of the day.
The most special part of this moment, however, was that I thought I would have experienced the beauty of this place only once, but then I found myself coming back again for a very special night looking at the northern lights. These moments are what make photographing out in nature so special, and they live with us forever.
Valentina Parente 