CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

I started this review of my ten favourite images of 2016 with an image from Japan and it is fitting that my favourite shot of the year was also taken on my last day on my trip in October a few hours before I boarded a flight back to the UK via Qatar. This image was taken on the X-T2 and the Samyang 8mm f2.8 fisheye lens of one of the many stones in the grounds of the  Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.   Using a low angle below the stone, I took the shot upwards using the ultra wide angle lens to get a different view of the subject surrounded by the trees. CLICK HERE to view the blog   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

While technically this is not a perfect shot, it is the effort that it took to take that makes it very special for me. The shot was taken underwater using an X-T1 and an XF18mm f2 lens in a DICAPAC underwater bag.  The camera was then put in the water from the boat as we were leaving the Gannet colony on Bass Rock. The birds were diving into the water all around us and putting the camera in the water next to the boat I was able to capture several images of the birds underwater. CLICK HERE  to see the blog post   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES (UNLESS INDICATED) ARE THE PROPERT...

A few weeks ago I bought a waterproof housing for my Fujifilm X-T1 and tested in the local rock pools here in Dunbar ( CLICK HERE ).  I bought this DICAPAC Waterproof Case for the landing trip to Bass Rock that I had booked and the idea was to capture some underwater shots of the Gannets diving for fish which is thrown in the water by the skipper of the tour boat. Yesterday I finally got to try the new underwater housing in the Firth of Forth.  Now I need to explain how the housing was used. The DICAPAC case was attached to my Manfrotto monopod by the means of a Mini Clamp.  The monopod has a clip and this was attached to one of the connectors on the waterproof case and then I attached a Peak Design leash to the case which was then attached to my wrist.  There was no way that the camera and case was going anywhere should it become detached from the clamp. When doing my tests I found the case, which is airtight obviously, tended to flip up and point t...

This morning I took a boat out to Bass Rock with a view of taking my second landing trip in two years with the Scottish Seabird Centre.  This was actually my fourth attempt to do this trip as the previous three occasions were cancelled due to the weather.  With finger crossed I headed down to Dunbar Harbour this morning and all looked to be OK as we boarded the 'Fisher Lassie'.  However our hopes were dashed when the swell was too big and we couldn't land safely on the Bass so the skipper made the call to abandon the landing in the interests of safety, which we totally supported. Anyway there was an opportunity to circle Bass Rock and grab some images of the 150,000 birds that call the big lump of rock home. Using the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and either the XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 or Samyang 8mm f2.8 fisheye I set about capturing some images. Here are a few examples of the images I captured this morning.  I will be hoping to actually land on Bass Rock later this summer...

The annual migration of Gannets to Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth has been described as one of the natural wonders of the world.  150,000 Northern Gannets nest on the lump of rock sticking out of the Firth and is a spectacle we can see from the end of our road here in Dunbar everyday during the spring through to the autumn. Yesterday evening I head out to Seacliff beach which is the closest point to The Bass with many of the Gannets feeding in the waters just off the beach.  I stood on top of the Gegan, a small outcrop of rock looking right out to Bass Rock. The Gannets were flying past me at eye level or even below and I set about capturing some images of the birds in flight using the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 lens. The Gannet might be a big bird but it can move extremely quickly.  Even shooting down on the birds from my rocky perch, the AF proved to be more than up for the challenge of photographing the birds in flight against a busy backgr...

This was one of the last shots I took on my X-Pro1 before it went for a swimming lesson in the harbour on the Isle of May.   The boat taking us out to the island from North Berwick circled around Bass Rock and the gannets were overhead as the sun broke through the clouds.  I captured this image looking straight up from the boat with part of Bass Rock in the frame. The shot was taken on the X-Pro1 and the Fujinon XF18mm f2 lens and makes it into my 2015 Top 10 because of the dramatic lighting highlighting the spectacle of thousands of seabirds circling overhead. After this shot was taken the boat took us out to the Isle of May.  The camera fell out of my jacket pocket as I got off the boat into six foot of sea water.  The harbour master fished the camera out for me but the camera and lens were both dead.  I managed to recover the images and videos from the card.  The camera and lens were replaced by my insurance company. This image is my favourit...

Today is day 3 of the 7 day Nature Photo Challenge set by Tom Hodgetts and today is a picture from one of the natural wonders of the world, which is right on our doorstep.  I am talking about the Northern Gannet colony on Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth.  We see The Bass every day (when there isn't any sea fog of course) from the end of our road and after two years I still marvel at the annual spectacle of 150,000 Northern Gannets ( Morus  bassanus)  living, eating and breeding in such a small area. In 2014 I had the pleasure of landing on Bass Rock as part of a Scottish Seabird Landing Trip and it is still one of my all time top three Wildlife experiences (whale watching in South Africa and the Sea Eagles on the Isle of Mull). I took hundreds of images during the three hours I spent on Bass Rock but this shot of a Gannet spreading its wings is one of my favourites.  The wingspan of a Gannet is impressive but it is even more so close up. This image wa...

For the past 3 months I have been secretly testing the new Fujinon 1.4x converter which when mated with the XF50-140mm f2.8 makes this superb lens a 70-196mm f4 (or 105-300mm f4 equivalent focal length). I have been using mainly for motorsport but I have also used it for wildlife and for landscapes and I can report that this converter doesn't affect the image quality, even when using the lens with its maximum aperture, and it also doesn't affect the performance of the AF.  You do loose one stop of light (hence the f4 rather than the f2.8) but if the light drops off too much you can just dial in an extra stop on the ISO. Physically the Fujinon 1.4x converter is tiny as some of the elements fit up inside the back of the 50-140mm lens and it only adds 18mm to the profile of the lens and body.  It may be small but the 1.4x converter feels solid and is easy to attach and remove. As I said earlier the quality of the images the lens produces with the 1.4x converter fi...