Ice Cream?

[Donald]

The famous John o' Groats. The most northerly point in the mainland UK (except that it is not) has improved the attraction for visitors over the past few years. Even at that, it has that end-of-the-pier feel to it and on a days when the wind is blowing the snow horizontal and the waves are battering the coast just alongside you, it feels a very sad place.

I don't like saying that. It is, after all, Scotland, my country. It is trying to win tourists. But ......! I'll never be allowed back in the place after saying all that.

But I can do colour. Any comment and critique will be welcomed.

[Shadowman]

Very desolate looking, like the touch of color and sense of movement.

[lovelife65]

I like this a lot. Subdued is a good approach to emphasize the mood and the scene.
It’s actualky quite beautiful.

[Tronhard]

Was this facility actually open for business at the time? I assume people (other than yourself) come up that way for the wild coastal views.

[Donald]

Was this facility actually open for business at the time? I assume people (other than yourself) come up that way for the wild coastal views.

Yep. It is on the route of the North Coast 500, a major tourist drive to encourage more people to visit the north and west. It has been phenominally successful. So much so that locals now complain they roads are so busy they take ages to get anywhere.

John o' Groats has always been popular because it is the 'top of the UK' and to get a photograph with the signpost that says Artic Circle - xxx miles' is good for the people who like bus trips!

[Manfred M]

Looks like a typical shot taken during a snowstorm; muted colours and all.

The depressing (picturesque?) look is an excellent counterpoint to these places look like in the summer, when they are overrun by crowds of people. That's when I find these tourist sites to be truly "depressing". That was certainly my feeling when we visited that other "famous place", Land's End in Cornwall a very long time ago.,

I wonder how many typical summer visitors would recognize the place from this image?

[Donald]

I wonder how many typical summer visitors would recognize the place from this image?

Indeed. They could never imagine it like this.

Like you, I actually find it a wonderful scene. I have another sort of looking the other way. I'll post it in due course.

[pnodrog]

Apply a good dollop of dehaze, add heaps of saturation, clone in a blue sky, adjust the colour temperature and it will look like summer. You could clone in a few bikini-clad models with icecreams to make it look absolutely realistic. SOOC is so limiting...

At least it does not suffer from a major problem we have here - you would get to eat your ice cream before it melts and drips all over the place.

[Donald]

Apply a good dollop of dehaze, add heaps of saturation, clone in a blue sky, adjust the colour temperature and it will look like summer. You could clone in a few bikini clothe models with icecreams to make it look absolutely realistic. SOOC is so limiting...

At least it does not suffer from a major problem we have here - you would get to eat your ice cream before it melts and drips all over the place.

Haaa. Thank you Paul.

I have to confess I haven't seen a lot of bikini-clothes models in John o'Groats, even in what passes for high summer.

[wilgk]

Tough as it is, the extremes in seasons do make for good photographs.
I would like to do 4 seasons in the one place, but nowhere around here fits the bill.
Maybe a reason to return to NYC!

For me the empty picnic bench/seats are the cherry on top, perfect viewpoint

[Donald]

For me the empty picnic bench/seats are the cherry on top, perfect viewpoint

That's what I thought too, Kay

[FootLoose]

No-one queued up for ice cream?

[JBW]

It's beautiful. Diagonals and horizontals matched up exquisitely. The tilted post lined up with the background. Blowing snow from the left. And no people. Perfect

[mugge]

The bits of colour made this picture for me. On a more serious note, it is early autumn here and I will soon slurp an icecream in 29 C.
Cheers Ole