Scottish Western Isles Gallery

Luskentyre beach, Isle of harris, Scotland

Photo: Last light over Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Western Isles, Scotland photography gallery: CLICK HERE

I’ve added about 100 new images to my Western Isles gallery.  The Photos are from my most recent trip from December 30th 2010 – January 8th 2011.  Islands covered are North Uist, South, Uist, Berneray, Isle of Harris, and Isle of Lewis.  I’ve also added a few photo’s from the Isle of Skye, even though it’s not technically part of the Western Isles.

butt of lewis coast

Photo: Rugged coastline at Butt of Lewis, northern most point on the Outer Hebrides, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Lofoten Islands Winter Photo Gallery

Lofoten islands winter photo gallery: click here.

In early January I traveled north into the Norwegian arctic in search of the polar night.  At 68 degrees north, I was unfortunately too low and too late for a true polar night, finding only the ‘polar twilight.’  Twilight would begin around 9:30 AM and last until around 3:00, all other hours of the day I would consider to be night and stars were visible.  It was actually far brighter than I was expecting when the sky was clear, the day being essentially a 4 hour long sunrise/sunset all merged into one before the night’s darkness arrived again.  Needless to say, I got a lot of reading done.

Since there are no tourists to the islands at this time of year and no hostels are open I was left to sleep in my (tiny) rental car as best as I could.  Which wasn’t very good.  Only having a 0˚ C sleeping bag and temps down to -7-8˚ C ensured for some cold nights.  I felt like some contortionist trying to fit inside the car to sleep.  I could fold the back seats down, but there was no possible way for me to get even somewhat comfortable.  Better than an airplane seat, yes, but the cold and my lack of a proper sleeping bag would mean that if I didn’t maintain good blood flow to my feet, they would become super cold.  On one of the nights it snowed so much that I could hardly get out of my parking area in the morning.  Only twice did I get the car stuck in the snow.  Once having to track down some dude in a tractor and ask him for a tow.  His comment, “You’re not the first one today.”  Second time a car full of the young guys came along after about an hour and helped push the car out.  I tried to be more cautious after that but still managed a few close calls.

I was fortunate enough for one day of good weather.  The remaining days I would classify a somewhere between bad and ‘I wish I had a warm house to sit in and some decent food to eat and not be stuck in this freezing car being rocked about by the wind and buried under snow.’

Å I lofoten, Lofoten islands, Norway. Winter travel photography

Autumn in the Lofoten Islands Photo Gallery

Landscape stock photography: Reflections of autumn trees in Steinbakkvatnet lake, Hinnøya, Vesterålen, Norway

Photo gallery of Lofoten Islands in autumn: Click here

I’ve created a stock image gallery of Lofoten islands, Norway from September and October 2009.  Most of the pictures are from Moskenesøy, Flakstadøy, and Vestvågøy islands, with a couple from Vesterålen as well (such as the above photo of the lake).  I spent about 2 weeks at Stamsund, one of my favorite places in the world where I’ve returned to again and again since 2001 (I should probably just try and move there one of these days).  I rented a car for a couple days with a fellow traveler and Lofoten addict so I was able to get out to some of my favorite beaches at Utakleiv and Unstad, as well as the nearly tropical looking beach at Ramberg.  I also got to explore a few new areas, such as Gimsøy, where I had never previously been on my normal hitchhiking journeys through the islands.

My last few trips to the islands had always been in the late winter/early spring so I decided it was time for a change of scenery from endless snow to actually having some color in my photos.  Weather wasn’t always so good, hence the need to stay for 2 weeks just to get a day or two of sunlight and blue sky, but I think I had pretty good timing as far as the turning of the trees.  I think it’s always something magical to watch the snow level creep lower and lower down the mountains each night until one day the first big snow storm comes and turns the whole world white.

travel photographer: Scenic beach at Ramberg, Flakstadøy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Ramberg Beach, Flakstadøy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Travel stock photo: Snow covered rocky coastline at Stamsund, Vestvågøy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Autumn snow on rugged coast at Stamsund, Lofoten islands, Norway.

If you have any trouble seeing the below slide show, please let me know.

Brecon Beacons Winter Photo Gallery

Pen Y Fan at dawn winter snow, Brecon Beacons, Wales

Brecon Beacons December 2009 photo gallery

I’ve uploaded about 40 new photos so far from the mountains after the snow in December.  I made a few trips up Corn Du and Pen Y Fan and once up Fan Fawr.  Recently added photos appear at the top of the gallery, which I’ll still be adding to during the next weeks as I get more photos processed.  There’s also a few old photos from 2006, you can tell which ones they are as there’s no snow.

Fan Fawr with winter snow, Brecon Beacons national park, Wales

New Panoramic Photo Gallery

Panoramic stock photo: Evening light on Loch Duich with mountains of Isle of Skye in far distance, Scotland. Cody Duncan Photography

I have created a new gallery for my panoramic photos: CLICK HERE.

Over the last year or so I’ve been transitioning to shooting more and more panoramics, so I thought it appropriate that I should dedicate a gallery to this format. As of today, it it just shy of 200 images, with more added every week or two.

The gallery is is sorted with the newest appearing first (newest that I upload, not necessarily chronologically, as I process a bit out of order sometimes), so if you feel like browsing every once in a while, you can easily see the new stuff. A few of the images may have appeared on the blog here, but most should be new, unless you spy on my at one of my stock photo agencies. In the coming weeks I may add an RSS feed as well (also for some other galleries that I update frequently, like my German gallery which is approaching 400 photos), but I still have to give it some thought.

Panoramic Stock photo: Shipwreck at Punto San Jacinto, Baja California, Mexico. Cody Duncan photography

All the panoramic images are available to license as RM (rights-managed) stock photos.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Photoshelter Collection Closing

After less than one year in existence, PSC – Photoshelter Collection, is closing its doors on October 10th. It sounded like a good thing, a stock agency which gives 70% to its contributors and not the reverse, which is all to common today (even as low as 20% to the photographer in some places. An insult). But it would seem that they set sail with a poor wind and never gained enough momentum to make the numbers work.  At least they gave it a shot.

Unfortunately, I now have to think of all the hours I spent to upload and process the 1,300 images which I currently have represented with them.  But, thus is the business.  No different than traveling halfway around the world and having sucky weather the whole time you’re there.

Official Statement: HERE

Statement on the Blog: HERE

PSC - Photoshelter collection stock agency closing notice on front page

Front Page

This photo from last April, on a cold snowy day near Neuschwanstein castle, has made an appearance on the front page for best new images at my stock photo agency Photoshelter.  Cool.

PSC photoshelter collection front page image by Cody Duncan