CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

UPDATE 22 January 2016: When I wrote this blog I had been testing the new X-Pro2 since the end of November 2015.  I stand by my arguments in this article that newer doesn't always mean better.  Yes the X-Pro2 is a step up from the X-Pro1 in almost every department but this doesn't make the X-Pro1 obsolete or second best, it remains a great photographic tool and one well worth having. I have been watching with interest the internet photography forums all talking about the rumours surrounding the specifications of the new camera and lenses that Fujifilm are going to be announcing.  As an X-Photographer any new piece of kit from Fujifilm is of immense interest to me.   It is actually quite entertaining reading some of the wishes and wants and some of the responses, with  the chatter on the forums usually about AF speeds, sensors megapixels and weather proofing - i.e. what's bigger and better than the previous incarnation or what the rivals are doing. ...

Spring is definitely on the way as the evenings get lighter and the temperatures start to rise.  Now I have said that I'm pretty sure winter will return with vengeance!  But the days are certainly getting longer and this means the opportunities to get out and photograph East Lothian are increasing. Instead of going to the same locations like Barns Ness, Belhaven, Seacliffe and Tyningham all the time I have decided to get the OS map out and look for new photographic opportunities around Dunbar.  On Saturday evening I headed up into the hills around the village of Spott and with a very misty and overcast end of the day it turned into a recce run rather than a photographic trip. However as the light was starting to fade I came across Brock Wood Wildlife Reserve so I decided to stop the car and go for a walk.  A grey and lifeless sky doesn't really matter when photographing in the trees, in fact the diffused light is perfect. The wooded area is filled with ...

It has been over a month since my last post on the 'Look Up' project but with trips to France, Silverstone, Belgium and Italy, it has been a hectic time to try and fit in this essentially personal project. Here are three more images from Dunbar and Belhaven where I had to Look Up to get the shot. CLICK HERE  for Part 8 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 7 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 6 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 5 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 4 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 3 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 2 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 1 of the 'Look Up' Project Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 or Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon 55-200mm f3.5/f4.8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT TH...

The countryside in East Lothian has lots of ruins of old buildings and castles that are testament to the turbulent history between the Scots and the English.  Dunbar Castle, Tantallon Castle, Hailes Castle are well documented and visited but there are other ruins tucked away in the countryside in East Lothian and the Scottish Borders. Innerwick Castle just south of Dunbar is hidden away amongst the trees of the Thornton Glen Wildlife Reserve.  The castle sits on a large crag overlooking the glen and it is easy to see why this fortress was built here to guard the way west to Edinburgh. The castle, built in the 14th century on "the edge of a precipitous glen", was a stronghold of the Stewarts and of the Hamilton family. It was extended several times, but was captured and destroyed by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset in 1548. Both Innerwick and Thornton castles had been of strategic importance for guarding routes from the south. Innerwick Castle stands within the ...

This was taken on Easter Monday during the John Muir Festival. I spotted these two walkers standing on the bank above Dunbar Harbour and took the shot on the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon 14mm f2.8 lens. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 on this blog please visit our  Facebook  page and click 'like'

The effect of light and water is something I love capturing with my camera.  This was the beach at Seacliff on Sunday morning just after sunrise.  The wet sand has reflected the rising sun while the dry sand and rocks produce some different tones and patterns.  This image was captured on the Fuji X-Pro1 and 55-200mm lens. The second picture was taken on the X-Pro1 and the 18mm f2 to give a different perspective of the beach at sunrise. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 US...

The Gannets on Bass Rock are one of the natural wonders of this part of the world.  With 140000 Gannets nesting on the large island jutting out of the Firth of Forth is isn't difficult to spot these large sea birds fishing off the East Lothian beaches.  Seacliff is the closest beach to Bass Rock and the Gannets fish close inshore so you can get a good view as they swoop and dive into the water.   However it is the spectacle of the Rock itself, which has turned from brown to white in a matter of weeks and the sky above the island is a haze of white as thousands of birds circle above it. Here are some of the shots I took yesterday morning from Seacliff beach. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 he...

My job in motorsport can put a lot of pressure on me and living in East Lothian is the perfect antidote to the stressful environment of my day job.  This morning, with the first race of the 2014 season less than a week away, I woke up before dawn.  Unable to get back to sleep I decided to take my mind off work by heading out to the beach at Seacliff and watch the sunrise.  For a few hours I was able to forget work and enjoy the marvel of nature as the sky grew brighter and the reflections in the sea and the wet sand changed colour.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

Continuing the 10 week photographic project in and around Dunbar of pointing the camera lens above the eye-line and capturing the tops of buildings and views that we normally don't notice. This week I concentrated on stone plaques that are carved and placed on the side of buildings or place names. Stanley Place - a set of terraced houses on Bayswell Road Stone Plaque set on the wall above Bellfine Gifts on the High Street Place name next to the Royal Bank of Scotland on the High Street CLICK HERE  for Part 7 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 6 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 5 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 4 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 3 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 2 of the 'Look Up' Project CLICK HERE  for Part 1 of the 'Look Up' Project Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon 55-200mm f3.5/f4.8 ---------------...