CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

One of my favourite spots to visit in and around Dunbar is Doon Hill with its sweeping views of the East Lothian countryside and coastline. We made the trip up to the hill earlier today, dodging the bands of heavy rain sweeping across the coast from the west.  The fields at the top of the hill are filled with barley, which is nearly time for harvesting. As we walked up the sunlight hitting the golden crop contrasted nicely with the dark skies as the next rain front moved in. I captured a nice set of images before the rain came down using the X-T2 fitted with the 100-400mm and 50-140mm zooms plus the 90mm f2 prime. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. --------------------------------...

The view to the west of Doon Hill One of the best spots in East Lothian to get a wide vista is the top of Doon Hill, which overlooks my home town of Dunbar.   The hill is just 177 metres above sea level with the top is marked by a concrete Tor.  Doon Hill is far from being the highest point in the area but the view from the top is worth the short climb. Yesterday evening I decided it was worth a visit to grab what was promising to be a good sunset. It was pretty windy which was pushing the clouds across the Lammermuir Hills to the south of where I was standing but the light over the Firth of Forth was looking promising. Dunbar and the Firth of Forth I set the X-Pro2 on the tripod fitted with either the 16-55mm f2.8 or 50-140mm f2.8, while I had the two X-T1s with either the 10-24mm f4 or 100-400mm f4.5/5.6 lenses. Shooting the sunset from the top of Doon Hill Here are some of the shots I took from the top of Doon Hill The Law, North Berwick ...

I love a good sunset as much as the next landscape photographer and given the opportunity I will grab my gear and head out to the beaches here in East Lothian and set the camera on the tripod to get the last golden glow of the setting sun. What amazes me is how many photographers pack up as soon as the sun has dropped below the horizon thinking that the photographic opportunities are done.  In fact the best light is often just before the dawn or just after the sun has set and a lot of photographers are missing a golden opportunity (pun intended!) The best way to capture the twilight you need to be set up in good time as the sun is dropping towards the horizon and you'll need to have your camera strapped to a sturdy tripod and to use a cable release as the shutter speeds start to get longer very quickly once the light has gone. Once the sun drops below the horizon you'll notice the colours shift from bright oranges and reds to purple to blue before turning black. ...

This evening there was another glorious sunset here in East Lothian so I grabbed the camera bag and headed up to Doon Hill to capture some images on the Fujifilm X-T1. The first image is of Belhaven Bay with Bass Rock silhouetted against the rays of sunlight hitting the Fife coast on the north side of the Firth of Forth. This image is of Doon Hill from below the top with the wonderful cloudscape that promised to provide this evening's sunset. The next image is of some of the hawthorn trees that grow on the summit of Doon Hill.  They have been shaped by the strong winds that blow across East Lothian on a regular basis. As the sun started to set the sky turned red and orange in the west and this image was taken of The Law just outside North Berwick and then the hills of East Lothian are clearly seen against the fiery backdrop.  The final image of the sky above East Lothian. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------...

August was a busy month as we moved north of the border for the first time since 1990.  The relocation to Dunbar in East Lothian has opened up a wealth of photographic opportunities in the local area, in Edinburgh, which is just 40 minutes away and the Highlands and just over the border in Northumberland. Dramatic weather has been the trademark of the first four months of our stay in Dunbar and this image taken on Doon Hill a few days after we moved into our rented accommodation at Innerwick proved to be my favourite of the many pictures I took in August.  The shot was taken just a storm approached from the south using the Nikon D800 and Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 lens. In August we continued our review of the X100S with back to back tests against the the X100 and a test of the video capability of the Nikon D800.   We also travelled to Sao Paulo in Brazil for the first of five long haul FIA World Endurance Championship races.  CLICK HERE to see the A...

Today I will be heading to Japan where I will be working at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka this weekend and then heading to Fuji for the second running of the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Fuji.  My flight to Tokyo will take over 14 hours, with a stop in Amsterdam to change planes, so I wont have much chance to post on here during today. Here is one more shot from Doon Hill, with views across the North Sea, to remind me of home. And here is a shot of Fuji San from last year's trip and I am looking forward to visiting Japan once again as this was the highlight of the 2012 season. This year we have trips up Mount Fuji and into Tokyo planned on this trip so I will be able to take more pictures of this beautiful country for this blog over the next 10 days.  Don't forget to check back. Doon Hill taken on a Nikon D800 and Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S Mount Fuji taken on a Nikon D700 and Nikon 80-200nn f2.8 AF-D ------------------------------------...

Scotland is famous around the world for its beautiful scenery and historic castles and houses and East Lothian has its fair share.  But what of Scotland's more ancient historical sites?  As well as boasting beautiful views across the countryside and the North Sea, Doon Hill is also home to one of the oldest settlements in Scotland, a site that dates back 6000 years to Neolithic times, with more recent activity by the Anglo Saxons in the middle part of the first millennium.   Between 1964 and 1966 archaeologist Brian Hope-Taylor discovered two timber halls on Doon Hill and a wooden palisade on Doon Hill and the outlines of these buildings are marked in a concrete walkway around the site for visitors to see. As you stand on top of the windy hill, it isn't hard to imagine what life would have been like for the first farmers to settle in East Lothian. For more information on the Doon Hill Settlement CLICK HERE  All Images taken on a Nikon D800 ...

With the promise of a clear sunrise this morning, I got up early and headed up to the top of Doon Hill, which is the highest point above my new home town of Dunbar.  I was rewarded with a spectacular sunrise over the North Sea. Nikon D800 - Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S - 1/125 @ f5.6 - ISO200 - Tripod - Lee 0.6 ND Soft Grad Nikon D800 - Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 AF-D - 1/2000 @ f4 - ISO400 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION If you like what you see...

Doon Hill overlooks the coastal town of Dunbar and provides great views across the North Sea and down the Firth of Forth towards North Berwick and Edinburgh.  The hill is just 177 metres above sea level, the top is marked by a concrete Tor.  Doon Hill is far from being the highest point in the area but the view from the top is worth the short climb. Images taken on a Nikon D800 and 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S or Sigma 50-500mm f4/f6.3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHO...

Another Scottish sunset over the Firth of Forth.  The weather over the past couple of weeks has been changeable to say the least but the result of these weather fronts moving across East Lothian has been some dramatic sunsets.  This shot was taken from Doon Hill above Dunbar on the long end of the Sigma 50-500mm looking towards North Berwick and Edinburgh.   On the right of the picture you can see The Law, the extinct volcano that is located close to North Berwick.  The light in this shot lasted no more than five minutes before the clouds closed in again. Image taken on a Nikon D800 and Sigma 50-500mm f4/f6.3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping -----------...