Favourite Photos I Took In 2024

Sgor Gaoith, Cairngorms, March. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 135mm, ISO 100, 

                                                                      1/500 sec at f8.

Belatedly here are some of my favourites from the 4500 or so photos I took in 2024. Or at least those I like most at the moment! I’ve hummed and hawed about quite a few, putting them in, then taking them out. As I said last year it’s a pleasant if time-consuming task.  It's also a useful way of analysing my photography looking at themes and changes from past years, if any.

As always, I took many photos of camps, my favourites of which can be seen in this post. Several of them could have featured here. 

Stac na h-Iolaire, Cairngorms, January. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 48mm, ISO 100,  1/50 sec at f8. 

As it has been since I bought it in 2019 my most used lens by far is the Sony E 18-135mm. I did use the Sigma 18-50mm a fair bit though. The extra reach of the 18-135 makes a huge difference and if I only take one lens that’s it. However at F2.8 the Sigma is faster and so better for low light or throwing the background out of focus. It’s also smaller and lighter weight. I do like it very much. 

Foxglove, July. Sony a6600 + Sigma 18-50 lens at 50mm, ISO 100, 1/160 @ f2.8

Generally I carried just one camera body, my Sony a6700, though sometimes I took the a6600 as well.

Campfire at Amethyst Lakes, Canadian Rockies, 1988. Scan from Fujichrome 100 film with Sony a6700 + Sony E 30mm macro lens, ISO 100, 4 seconds at f8.

Having dabbled with film photography again a few years ago and realised why digital is such a relief I ended up spending more time in 2024 working on old Fuji film transparencies than on digital images. That was because I needed to scan over 100 of them for the new edition of my book High Summer about my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988. I spent many hours and days going through sleeves and boxes of slides selecting ones for the book and then photographing them on an old lightbox with my usually little-used Sony E 30mm macro lens.

Dawn on the Graham River, Canadian Rockies, 1988. Scan from Fujichrome 100 film with Sony a6700 +Sony E 30mm macro lens, ISO 100, 1/4 second at f8.

I always shoot raw files and much of my processing is now done in DxO PhotoLab. The latest version, PhotoLab 8, is the best yet. PhotoLab was wonderful for processing my photos of my old photos and getting the best out of them. 

Autumn woodland, October. Sony a6700 + Sigma 18-50mm lens at 28.7mm, ISO 400, 1/30 second at f8.

I like many of these images because of the complexity. I can see new details every time I look at them. 

Roe deer bucks facing off, May. Sony a6600 + Sony E 70-350mm lens at 350mm, ISO 400, 1/1600 seconds at f6.3. Cropped.

I'm not a wildlife photographer but I do take wildlife photographs when the opportunity is there. On this occasion I was at home looking out of the window when two roe deer bucks appeared in the field in front of the house and started fighting. I rushed upstairs, grabbed my camera and took a series of photos through my study window. This arguably the best one, though none of the heavily cropped images are technically very good. I like them because it was such an exciting event to witness. You can see the others and read the whole story here.

Dusk over Loch Poulary, Cape Wrath Trail, May. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm at 33mm, ISO 100, 1/100 seconds at f8.

Most of my photos were taken around home and in the Cairngorms. I did make two trips further west when I walked most of the Cape Wrath Trail. Whilst conditions weren't often ideal for photography I did take some images I'm pleased with.

The Stack of Glencoul, Loch Beag, & Eas a' Chual Aluinn (waterfall), Cape Wrath Trail, October. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 34mm, ISO 100, 1/200 second at f8.

Birch tree, August. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 43mm, ISO 100, 1/250 at f8.

Every year I take many photos of a birch tree in the field outside our house. The dramatic sky made this my 2024 favourite.

A squall sweeping across Strathspey, April. Sony a6600 + Sigma 18-50mm lens at 50mm, ISO 100, 1/640 second at f9.

Dramatic clouds feature in many of my favourite images of 2024. I do like them!

Clouds streaking over Cairn Toul in the Cairngorms, September. Sony a6700 + Sony E 10-20mm lens at 10mm, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f8.

Rain sweeping over Bod an Deamhain, Cairngorms, June. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 88mm, ISO 100, 1/160 seconds at f8.

Thicker clouds and rain can make for interesting skies too. The photos above and below show different aspects of this. Both were taken only a short distance apart though five months apart in time. 

View down the Lairig Ghru from Creag an Leth-choin, Cairngorms, November. Sony a6700 + Sigma 18-50mm lens at 18mm, ISO 100, 1/1000 seconds at f5.6

Cairn Gorm Weather Station, October. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm at 38mm, ISO 100, 1/320 seconds at f8

Structures on mountain tops other than summit cairns or trig points are not something I like or generally approve of but I must admit that the Weather Station on the summit of Cairn Gorm has become a favourite old friend, especially in winter conditions. On this occasion I was alone on the summit on a bitterly cold day when another walker arrived to gaze up at the frozen mast.

Sunset, Tom Mor, Cairngorms, December. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 30mm, ISO 800, 1/80 seconds at f8.

Another favourite structure is a huge cairn on a local hill Tom Mor that I can see from home. The view along Strathspey from there is superb but on this December trip it was the sunset that was glorious.