The Lovat Memorial, Dunvegan, The Isle of Skye Photograph

For the more technically inclined

Camera used: Nikon F

Film Used: Kodak, High Speed Infra Red (Rated 100 – 400ASA)

Location: St Mary’s Old Church and Burial Ground, Dunvegan, The Isle of Skye

Date: September 2003

The Tomb was shot on a hillside burial ground on the edge of the village of Dunvegan and I’m told it’s called the Lovat Memorial. The Church of St Mary dates from 1694 and the walled burial ground is the last resting place of some of the chiefs of the McLeod Clan. The church itself is a ruin, but the tombs dotted around it are worth a walk up the hillside.

The film used was Kodak High Speed Infrared, hence the rather ghostly, Gothic look to the image. The IR film renders vegetation / greenery in white and the blue of the sky as very dark. The film itself isn’t easy to work with, it must be stored in a fridge, or freezer opened, loaded and unloaded in complete darkness and requires a very dark red filter (Wratten 25) fitted to the lens. It’s best to use small apertures, f8+ and take light readings with a hand-held meter, through the filter. Thus, experimentation is the keyword when shooting IR and I used it, with some success in the late 90’s and into the early 2000’s until it was discontinued in 2007.

Print / Paper information

The paper used was, Fotospeed MATTULTRA240 heavyweight Matt paper and this is certified by ‘Artsure’ – of the Fine Art Trade Guild to be light fast when printed using pigment ink. (https://www.fineart.co.uk/artsure-for-the-trade.aspx)

The image was scanned and printed digitally on A3* (297mm x 420mm) paper, with a 1cm white border, signed by the photographer and showing the relevant Edition number.

*The image is also available as an A4 (210mm x 297mm) print, please contact me for more information

Printer information:

Printing was carried out on an Epson Surecolor P600 inkjet printer which carries nine cartridges. These include four Blacks / Greys to ensure fine reproduction of Black and White images. The ink used is Epson’s own Epson UltraChrome™ Ink

Purchase information.

The print is one of a limited edition of 150, sold unframed and mailed to your address in a sturdy, sealed cardboard tube.