CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Situated about 80km south of Naples on the southern end of the Bay of Salerno is the small Italian coastal town of Agropoli.  The new part of the town is situated around the coast while the older part is located on the hill overlooking the harbour, the perfect defensive position from the raids from Turkish pirates that plagued this area in the 16th and 17th century. For more on Agropoli CLICK HERE ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

A few days ago we came across a nest of blackbird chicks in our garden hedge. We decided to keep a watchful eye on the nest but also to keep our distance to not upset the parents.  Anyway today the chicks fledged and the last one was sat for ages on the edge of the nest plucking up the courage to fly the nest.  This allowed me the opportunity to grab the camera with a long lens to keep my distance and get a few shots.  the blackbird intrigued by not both by the noise of the camera and eventually it flew off to join its siblings in the big wide world. Here is the best shot of the little blackbird chick Blackbird Chick - Nikon D700 with Sigma 50-500 lens at 500mm Tomorrow we head to Heathrow airport before flying out to Tuscany for a week's holiday early on Saturday morning. I'm not sure what internet access I will have in Italy but I will post some images from out trips to Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano and Pisa when I can. ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN

On Friday afternoon I had a spare hour before getting the Eurostar back to London following a meeting in Paris so I decided to head two stops north of Gare du Nord on the Metro and walk up to the  Sacré-Cœur    Basilica ( Basilica of the Sacred Heart). A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.   Arriving at Château Rouge Metro station, it was a short climb up to the top of Montmartre, which at  around 120 metres above sea level is the highest point in Paris.  The view of the city from the top is fantastic and worth the climb in itself. Sacré-Cœur  is an impressive sight up close with fantastic architectural detail where ever you look.   In front of the basilica are stepped gardens, complete with fountains, and

Getting up this morning I spotted a number of spider webs with early morning dew covering them so I grabbed my camera and set about capturing some images.  Here is the best shot - ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

A fox watching me through the trees ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

Last Sunday was the fifth event on the 2012 Dunlop Mini Miglia and Mini Se7en Challenges calendar at Snetterton in Norfolk and once again the two race series provided some of the best racing to be seen on any circuit in the UK, or indeed the world.  I might be the Press Officer for the Mini 7 Racing Club but don't take my word for it, let the facts speak for themselves.   The second Mini Se7en race produced what is arguably the closest ever finish, with Darren Thomas taking his first victory by just 0.078 seconds ahead of reigning champion Paul Spark, who was in turn 0.052 ahead of Andrew Deviny - that's the top three drivers covered by 0.130 seconds after 8 laps, incredible. The Mini Se7ens are Europe's longest running single make championship, with the first race taking place at Brands Hatch in 1966.  The Miglias were introduced in 1970 but just because of the classic Mini shape and use of the A Series engine, don't think these cars are anything but full bloo

The picture of the 96th Bombardment Group Memorial got me thinking of pictures that have symmetry and this is something I look for a lot in an image when I'm out and about, especially in a town or city.  During our recent visit to London I took three images that have a striking symmetry to the composition. The first is the underside of the Millennium Bridge across the River Thames.  This was taken from the walkway under the bridge and with the bracing wires running along each side of the bridge and the underside going into a point at the first upright in the water, this image makes a striking image. The second shot is of the roof in the Tate Britain Museum, this looking straight up into the domed roof at the entrance to the museum. The third shot was also taken at the Tate Britain but this time is taken in one of the viewing galleries.  I had to wait for some people to move off the right hand seat but the symmetry in this shot is very pleasing All of these images we

I've been meaning to photograph the striking memorial to the airmen of the USAAF that flew with the 9th Bombardment Group from Snetterton Heath during the second world war for a while but usually the light has been pretty bad when I travel to Snetterton. However yesterday, while I was in Norfolk for the latest rounds of the Dunlop Mini Miglia and Mini Miglia Challenges, the lighting was almost perfect as I left the track. About the Sculpture The immensely impressive memorial is set between two flagposts, flying the American and British flags. One of the 96th's B- 17 flying fortress' lifts off over the mound marking the edge of Snetterton racetrack, with a huge vapour trail from each of its four engines. The 96th Bomb Group decided to erect the memorial to supplement the memorial Learning Centre and Museum at New Eccles Hall School and chapel and stained glass window in the south nave of St Andrew Quidenham, unveiled in 1944, to achieve an outstanding memorial and la

A dry stone wall in the Lake District ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

While the UK has been deluged by rain my thoughts are turning to our trip to Tuscany for a holiday in the sun in just over two weeks time.  This will be our first holiday in Italy since spring 2010 when we visited Lake Garda and Verona.  Verona is a beautiful city, with plenty of Roman and Medieval architecture, and we will be visiting Florence and Sienna on our next trip.   Here are some shots from two years ago - Malcesine, Lake Garda Lake Garda Verona Verona Verona ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

A few years ago we visited the Rutland Railway Museum.  A steam railway is a magnet for photographers and the Rutland Railway Museum but this was our first visit and only in the nearly 30 years we've lived in Cottesmore and Grantham. The museum is full of old trains, carriages and other railway paraphernalia, a lot of it rusted and broken down, but the Rutlander steam engine is certainly the star of the show. For more information visit the Rutland Railway Museum website  ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

On Sunday morning while we were waiting for our tour of Buckingham Palace we were able to watch the Changing of the Guard, something I haven't seen for about 30 years.  Despite the rain the ceremony drew a very large crowd along Birdcage Walk and outside of Buckingham Palace.   Changing the Guard or Guard Mounting is the process involving a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard. The Guard which mounts at Buckingham Palace is called The Queen’s Guard and is divided into two Detachments: the Buckingham Palace Detachment (which is responsible for guarding Buckingham Palace), and the St. James’s Palace Detachment, (which guards St. James’s Palace). These guard duties are normally provided by a battalion of the Household Division and occasionally by other infantry battalions or other units. When Guardsmen are on duty, the soldiers are drawn from one of the five regiments of Foot Guards in the British Army: the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, the Welsh Guards, the

London Phone Box - Nikon D700 / 50mmf1.4 - 1/800 @ f2  - ISO200 While in London at the weekend my wife and daughter went off shopping in Oxford Street so I decided to set off on a 60-minute photo challenge to see what I could find using just a 50mm f1.4 rather than a zoom lens.  A 50mm gives the same view as your own eyes so the challenge is to find photographic subjects that make the most of this fantastic lens.  It is very easy with a zoom to stand back and let the lens frame the subject but with a prime lens you need to 'zoom' by moving your feet. I set off down Regent Street and then headed towards Berkeley Square.  I know the area fairly well after working on the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Regent Street International Concours from 2006 to 2010 so I took off down the side streets to escape the crowds. First stop was Hanover Square but building work had me heading south towards St George's Church. I spotted a large puddle at the side of the road

 At the moment in the UK the only water we seem to get falls from the sky and I think we've forgotten what sunlight looks like, so here is a reminder.  Here is a picture I took a few years ago in Barcelona of a fountain backlit by sunlight. ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

This weekend we are heading for a family weekend in London for the first time in three years. I am a regular visitor to the capital on business but I haven't had many opportunities to visit the sights or take in a show, something we used to do every six months or so.  So we have booked a hotel in central London and will visit a gallery. We've also booked theatre tickets to see 'Wicked' on Saturday night and then we have tickets to tour Buckingham Palace on Sunday before heading back to Grantham. Here are some shots from our last family visit to London in 2009 - Houses of Parliament from Trafalgar Square  Westminster Abbey ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE