Galloway and its coastline is a lesser visited part of Scotland. That being said, it is certainly worth a trip. Most of the notable places I found were on the fringes of the national park or the coastline surrounding it. I'm going to share those places with you and discuss the photography opportunities each posses.
I hit the jackpot with conditions at the start of the trip, then it just got progressively worse (conditions) from there on in.
As you can see in the above photo mist and light! You can't ask for much more really.
After arriving late at night we set up camp at the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct. Getting up at sunrise, I noticed this amazing veil of mist behind the viaduct. So had to go and send the drone over to inspect. To be fair I could have probably ran over and got some camera shots, however I was running on 3 hours sleep with a 3:30am start. So didn't really feel up to the task.
The above shot was taken on my Mavic Pro 3 using the Tele lens to get those details in. You can see in the below shot where the mist was in relation to the viaduct.
You can see there was a spectacular sky just before the light burst through. For me, the Big Water of Freet Viaduct is very much a drone spot. You could get good shots on a camera, just not as good (in my opinion) as on a drone. The aerial view provides a much better vantage point to work with.
Sunrise or sunset could work here, personally I think sunrise is a little better. With it rising just behind as you can see in the above shot. You could definitely get something to work at sunset too. Just find a nice composition from the other side or use the light that would be hitting the front of the viaduct if the above shot was taken at sunrise.
If you go here in summer be careful of the midges. We got absolutely swarmed just after the sun came fully up. It was a commando like mission to get the tent down and back in the car without getting bitten too much.
From here we headed to Turnberry Lighthouse. This is located on Donald Trumps golf course. You can still access the lighthouse through the golf course. Turnberry Lighthouse is a spot for both drone and ground level camera. There are beaches on either side which provide a great foreground to play with.
Its a very typical looking Scottish lighthouse. with a fantastic surrounding area. I think sunrise would be better here, however, sunset could also work. This shot was taken around 3 hours after the sun had gone up but the clouds provided a reasonable layer to cover up the sun. If you have read many of my other blogs you'd know I try to avoid bright midday light, so those clouds were a welcome cover up.
Moving on from Turnberry Lighthouse, we went to the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse for sunset. This is where the conditions started to get really bad. There was a small window where there was no rain to go and get shots of this amazing location.
As you can see above, this place has a lot of potential. I will definitely be coming back in better conditions to get this nailed. The huge sea cliffs surrounding also have a great potential for photographs. The sunrise or sunset could work here.
There are plenty of great spots to go and check out here, including a lot of castles which I didn't have a chance to get to this time. I'd recommend going, but if you haven't been to Scotland before, further up towards Glencoe and the Isle of Skye has more to offer.
If you want to check out some more of my work from here and other places, feel free to have a look at my instagram here.