CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

In a new series of features I will be focusing on some of the areas I take guests of the MacLean Photographic workshops, starting with Barns Ness Lighthouse. Barns Ness is located a couple of miles to the east of Dunbar.  The area features two sandy beaches, one at White Sands and the other sweeping around the bay to the east of the lighthouse towards Torness Power Station. The lighthouse was built in the early 1900s, with the light going operational in October 1901.  It was built, like many of the lighthouses in Scotland, by a member of the family of lighthouse engineers, David A Stevenson, cousin to the author Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island).  The lighthouse at Barns Ness was deactivated in 2005. For more information on MacLean Photographic workshops please visit the MacLean Photographic website HERE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLE...

The second full Rockhopper of Percuel episode has been published on the MacLean Photographic Vimeo channel . In part two Skipper Barry Brunton explains the various controls, dials and screens he has in front of him in the Rockhopper's wheelhouse. As well as the controls and dials for the engines, he explains the chart plotter and GPS system, the auto pilot, a must for him as he is single handed on the 32 foot fishing boat, and the radios, including the emergency system. The video was shot on a Fujifilm X-H1, a GoPro Hero 5 Black and the aerial images on a DJI Mavic Pro drone. The Rockhopper of Percuel has a new web presence with the launch of the Rockhopper pages on the MacLean Photographic website HERE . The site has all of the Rockhopper videos shot to date, seven in total - two episodes and five 'shorts'. It also features a new online shop for Rockhopper of Percuel merchandise where you can purchase items such as baseball caps, cotton shopping b...

The XF80mm f2.8 macro was unveiled last year and is the first 1:1 macro lens for the Fujifilm X Series.  With an equivalent 120mm focal length, this lens can double up as a short telephoto / portrait lens as well as magnify small objects. As someone who does a little bit of macro work I was intrigued to see if the 80mm was a better option than the 90mm f2 Fujinon prime which I use with extenders to allow me to shoot macro shots. There is a cost factor here as well.  The 90mm f2 is £879 compared to £1249 for the 80mm on the Fujifilm UK online shop, so does the 80mm justify the extra £370?  I suppose it depends on the amount of macro work you do. There are two obvious advantages that the 80mm has.  First it has OIS, the first XF prime to have this, and it can also accept the 1.4x and 2x converters, also the first prime lens to do this after the 50-140mm and 100-400mm zooms. As a portrait lens the 80mm is fantastic, but it isn't an f2 and this is where the 90m...