A wee evening jaunt out with a small group of photographers from Chevron conditions seemed promising but A large grey cloud plonked itself down in front of the sun refusing to move, preventing that vital surge of sunlight from illuminating the castle ramparts. When all but three of us departed the sun briefly peeped out and flickered across Dunottar Castle on the Aberdeen coast near Stonehaven and a chorus of shutters fired.
Thanks for posting this, Ian. It provides me with an interesting comparison with my humble effort, as one of the three diehards,http://www.pbase.com/image/102619213 and illustrates the superior qualities of the 6x7 format.....as well as your own special talents!! Superb.
A remarkably beautiful image with a great sense of light.
The only (minor) CC I would add is as follows: An interesting inquiry is around how to express the story visually in metaphors. The obvious aspect that makes this castle unique and special is the siting on land that juts into the sea and its relationship to the vastness of the sea. While I like the more horizontal crop that supports that sense of vastness and grandeur (which is wide by definition), it would feel more resolved if the rocks in the sea weren't cropped off and we could see the water completely wrap around the rocks. The view from the castle itself out towards the sea would be of the unbroken vastness of the water, so to include that tells that "story" if you will. Also, compositionally, when objects intersect the frame, that creates visual tension that draws the eye a bit more. But then I have no idea if that was even possible to include more of the sea.