To build up an appetite and burn off some calories before Christmas dinner, we decided to go for a forest walk. We drove up to Drumclog car park beside the Milngavie reservoirs and headed into Mugdock Wood for a long walk that includes a stretch of the West Highland Way. From the car park, we walked along the main path until the first sharp bend and then ventured into the forest following tracks meandering through the dense forest and alongside the valley to the North.
After a long and winding journey, we eventually reached the West Highland Way and wandered South along this walker’s equivalent of a motorway. It was not as busy as usual, but still plenty of walkers about, with and without dogs. Maybe most people did not want to miss the Queen’s speech. So fun and a few chases through the undergrowth for Lola with her newly found four legged friends. When we reached the main cross roads of walking routes, we headed left, back up hill towards Drumclog.
The scenery throughout the walk was fantastic and photogenetic, although it was bitterly cold and the light was very dim. I am very pleased with quite a few of the shots I took during the walk, so you will find more than the usual below. The first half was all about trees and closeups, and the second half was more about vistas.
Although I had the tripod with me, I took most shots handheld with the camera set at ISO 800, still providing me with enough light to ensure a sufficient depth of field. The quality of images taken with my 5D Mk II at ISO 800 again proved to be exceptional in terms of image quality, even when inspecting these at full resolution. I find that, provided shots are exposed correctly and do not require recovering of shadow detail during post processing, shooting at ISO 800 does not jeopardise image quality.