HERE'S TO COLOUR
I’ve been posting mostly landscape shots from our trip to Scotland and waxing on about all the colour we found there.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the colour found in the cloth naturally associated with the country - the tartan. Originally I thought that the development of this sometimes flamboyant weave was a response to the lack of colour in the landscape but in fact this is not the case at all. My understanding is that the ancient tartans were NOT bright but instead more muted - perhaps due to the natural dye colours but also because the muted colours allowed them to blend more readily with the landscape they hunted in. Wearing of the tartan was banned eventually, and it’s re-introduction happened in more recent history and was more of a marketing concept championed by the royal court and with this re-invention came the brighter colours.
Regardless of it’s history - I was mesmerized by the multi-hued fabric in the kilts of the scottish highland dance competitors at the Kenmore Highland Games. As they waited their turn to compete they arranged and rearranged themselves in an endlessly changing rainbow of colour. So many richly saturated hues all lined up in one place. I think I snapped over 30 shots.
GENTLEMEN - THE TARTAN
Here's to it!
The fighting sheen of it,
The yellow, the green of it,
The white, the blue of it,
The swing, the hue of it,
The dark, the red of it,
Every thread of it.
The fair have sighed for it,
The brave have died for it,
Foemen sought for it,
Heroes fought for it.
Honour the name of it,
Drink to the fame of it -
THE TARTAN.
(Murdoch Maclean)
Having colourful thoughts? Drop me a line.
IMAGE DETAILS:
Highland Dancer
Kenmore Highland Games, Scotland, UK
56°35'8" N 3°59'47" W
June 2013
GEEK DETAILS:
Nikon D700, 28-300 mm, f/3.5-5.6Single shot, initial processing in Lightroomminimal processing in Photoshop (sharpening and Color Efex Pro)