With some additional free time this month, I have been planning a solo trip these past weeks. When looking at how I could use this time, there were many destinations I was considering. Using Google Docs, I was working on multiple itineraries and flights to consider. What would be the best option?

I’ve been back from Scotland for a few weeks now, and I wanted to take this opportunity to summarize how I photographed the country, including which gear I used most and what film simulation I used. I also want to examine how many final images came from the RAW files and how many were JPEGs. I was heavily debating bringing the Canon 5D Mark II with the 24-105mm and the 70-200mm as I knew I would be taking photos of vast areas and would like to zoom in on details and isolate my framing.

Our week-long adventure exploring Scotland’s landscapes spanned about 1,000 kilometres, making stops in cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh and scenic spots including Glencoe, Fort William, Inverness, and the Isle of Skye. The journey through Scotland offered various experiences and sights, from the towns to the countryside. If you’re planning a visit, here’s a glimpse into what you could expect from Scotland.

The 2020 Scotland trip, revised for 2024, finally happened. I’m working on a post about our experiences in Scotland and what to expect if you plan on visiting, but in this post, I wanted to share some of the photos I captured from Scotland and the background of each one. Overall, I wasn’t feeling it at first. I’m used to that, as it can take a while to become focused.

For the past two nights, we have been staying in a bed and breakfast on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Today, we will head east towards Aberdeen, north to Dundee, and then to Edinburgh for the final few days. Photographing the Scotland landscape has been challenging so far, as, in hindsight, I should have brought some range. I have been thinking about scale while travelling around the landscape of Scotland.

It was May of 2019, and Lisa and I were assembling an itinerary for our upcoming Scotland trip the following May. We would land in Edinburgh and extensively tour Scotland, looping through many country areas. There were dozens of points on our custom Google Map of places we would visit. We booked our flights and waited until we would touch down in Scotland for the first time.

It is a 20-minute drive from where I live to the airport. I’ve done that drive often, to and from, dropping off and picking up. The route there isn’t exclusive to the airport, as it’s the main route from Nova Scotia to the neighbouring provinces. But those first 20 minutes always remind me of travelling. Passing the airport, the cargo planes are visible from the road, and if I’m lucky, some arriving or departing flights.

Travelling to Barcelona, I wondered what and how I wanted to capture. First, I wanted to be able to capture everything as sharply as possible, and that meant I had to sacrifice something. As I wanted a minimum shutter speed in all conditions, the ISO would inevitably need to increase based on the lighting conditions. Second, I wanted to shoot “blind.” The X-H2 has an articulating screen that makes it easy to shoot without looking at your subject.

While exploring Barcelona last month, we experienced a variation of weather. Initially, I was worried. Would I not experience Barcelona in what I imagined—beautiful weather and a favourable climate I love? After capturing only around 100 photos from the first 24 hours, I remember thinking, “I’m not going to get anything from this trip.” I was patient. I pushed that frustration aside and enjoyed what was before us regardless of what was to come.

As you probably guessed from the title, Barcelona was our destination for an impromptu trip. We had some fun choosing where to go. I listed each option on small pieces of paper, and we each chose our top three. If one location matched, that was our choice. Only after that would we look at accommodations, flights, and the weather. Travelling at the last minute is exciting, but something so close to embarkation time can get expensive.