Be prepared to be overwhelmed and photographically frustrated by Scotland’s scale and savage beauty. When we traveled to Scotland on vacation in the summer of 2013 and, by some luck of the draw, we got two weeks of near perfect weather. Therefore, no misty rain soaked photos from our trip, just a lot of dramatic light.

We spent most of our time in the Western Highlands, near Glen Coe on Loch Leven. By definition, I was photographing mountains, water and clouds. Sadly, I did not have a polarizer filter with me on the trip (rookie mistake I know, blame it on a brand new camera). Don’t repeat my error, bring one! If you have a wide angle or fish-eye lends, consider taking those as well.

I struggled with my “don’t shoot at high noon rule” since we were there in summer when the sun rose at 4:30 AM and set at 11 PM. And given the dramatic beauty of the mountains and valleys, I had to try to find ways to shoot landscapes without dramatic shadows to enhance the photo. Therefore, I experimented with focal length, emphasized silhouettes, and grabbed a shadow where I could find it. When I stumbled upon my very own very of Wyeth’s Girl in a Field, I grabbed it.

We did also quickly stop in Edinburgh, a city visually defined by spires, rooftops and its “medieval high-rises.” Think about shooting straight up, or finding a high spot and using a zoom to get perspective.

Finally, some practical non-photographic tips:

1) Rent the best sports car you can afford. Scotland is much larger than you think, the distances between towns is sizable and 90% of the roads are two lane twisty mountain roads with a posted speed limit of 60 mph, which everyone exceeds.

2) Given the distances, choose your location carefully. In the Western Highlands you can easily choose how far away you want to recede from civilization. As mentioned, we chose Glen Coe (a town with a gas station, two markets and one restaurant), but that was easy striking distance to Oban (great little town, variety of restaurants and shops), and Ft William (a complete tourist town, chock a block full of the fake Scottish shops that are prevalent in the area). We debated Perthshire (in the East) versus the Western Highlands, finally choosing the highlands for stark beauty and dramatic scenery. We drove through Pertshire on the way to Edinburgh – it’s pretty but very different – primarily rolling hills and farmland.

3) If you’re debating Glasgow vs. Edinburgh, choose Edinburgh. The combination of medieval city, Edwardian city, and modern capital make it much more interesting than Glasgow which was built entirely in the 1800 during its economic boom.

4) Enjoy the seafood! It will be some of the freshest you can find, with huge variety. But, if you’re going to Scotland expecting Ireland-like pubs, you will be disappointed. The whiskey is superb in Scotland, but you won’t find the cheerful, music infused pub culture that exists in Ireland.

Enjoy!