CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Just off the B9007 between Forres and Carrbridge in the Highlands of Scotland is the little known ruin of Lochindorb Castle.    Lochindorb means 'Loch of Trouble' and the 13th century castle was built by the Clan Cromyn on a man made island in the centre of the loch. On a recent visit to Forres I decided to stop off at Lochindorb to scout out the location for a future visit.  The wind had dropped completely and the loch was like a mirror, with the dark peaty water water perfectly reflecting the broken clouds above. I launched the DJI Mavic Pro to get some aerial footage around the castle as the only other way to approach the ruin is by boat.  The scene below the drone's camera was very etherial and I carried out a 15 minute flight to capture several angles and a few still images before landing the drone on the shore.  Being low down, and with only one angle from where I was flying the drone, I decided not to shoot still images with the Fujifilm X Serie...

After the stop at the waterfall at the base of  Buachaille Etive Mor I got back in the car and drove a few miles into Glen Coe and stopped on the other side of the mountain where a small white painted cottage sits on the edge of the river. The clouds that had shrouded the top of the mountain had started to lift and I walked down to the river an set up the tripod to get some images of the scene before me. I also pointed the camera up stream and down the glen towards the mountains further along the A82.  The sunlight was streaming through the clouds creating light patches on the mountain side and in the clouds above. The images were shot on the Fujifilm GFX50S and the GF32-64mm f4 except for the image above which was taken on the Fujifilm X-T2 and 50-140mm f2.8, using the longer lens to highlight the clouds on the top of Buachaille Etive Mor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

Fujifilm GFX50S  + GF32-64mm f4 - 0.5s  @ f22 ISO200 Last Friday I headed north into the Highlands of Scotland to put the Fujifilm GFX50S through it's paces as a landscape camera.  This medium format beast does not disappoint and I spent an enjoyable day in four locations from dawn until late afternoon before heading back to Dunbar. First stop was Rannoch Moor, a favourite haunt of many landscape photographers.  I arrived before dawn and with the misty clouds hugging the mountains and not a breath of wind to ruffle the still waters of the small lochs, I set the camera on the tripod and waited.   The biggest issue I had was the fact the camera was only delivered with one battery and it is only good for around 250 shots, so I had to limit the time the camera was switched on to ensure I had enough power throughout the day.  It certainly reminded me of when I used to shoot with my Bronica ETRSi.  The issue back then was not battery power but...

Tarbert is a small fishing town on the main route down to Campeltown at the end of the Kintyre peninsula.  Sitting high above the pretty harbour is the ruin of Tarbert Castle, one of the most important castles in Scotland at the time of Robert The Bruce and later in the reign of James IV .  Tarbert Castle  is located on the southern shore of East Loch Tarbert  at the north end of the Kintyre peninsula . Tarbert Castle was a strategic royal stronghold during the Middle Ages.  It overlooks the harbour and although pre 14th century in construction, the tower dates back to 1494 and the visit of  James IV to the Western Highlands.  The castle is now a ruin with just the remains of the tower still standing but you can still see the outlines of the building and curtain walls that made this such a strong fortress. Today the castle is surrounded by walks and is part of the Kintyre Way that runs down to Campbeltown.  We didn't have t...

As a landscape photographer I am often asked what do I do when the clouds gather and it starts to rain?  Well I certainly don't pack up and go home if that is what you are thinking.  Up here in Scotland the weather can change very quickly and it is not impossible to have all four seasons in one day up here. Now on my wall at home we have a small plaque and it says, "life is not about sheltering from the storm, it is learning to dance in the rain!"  Well this applies to photography as well and if the weather is not going quite to plan, then it is time to switch to Plan B or even Plan C. When it is raining and the sky is overcast I go looking for natural shapes and colours, usually a copse or forest.  We found these silver birch trees on the side of a loch up in Sutherland and the muted orange and yellow colours of the bracken highlighted the silver branches and the green lichen. Using the X-T2 and the XF50-140mm f2.8 lens I captured a variety of images, u...

The Three Widest Fujinon Prime Lenses 14mm f2.8 - 16mm f1.4 - 18mm f2 You often see on Fujifilm forums and groups questions about which wide angle lenses are the best for landscapes and travel and I see a lot of different answers from people of varying expertise.  It is really down to the individual photographer to identify what they want to shoot and the best lens for them.   For me I love to have an ultra wide lens, so  my favourite wide angle lens in my camera bag is the Fujinon XF10-24mm f4, which goes with me everywhere because of its flexibility and relative compact size.  I also have the XF18mm f2 prime, which was one of the four primes I bought with my X-Pro1 back in 2013, which is one of my favourite primes for having on the camera when I am travelling due to its small size and fast f2 aperture. The Three Widest Fujinon Prime Lenses 14mm f2.8 - 16mm f1.4 - 18mm f2 The widest field of view prime lens that Fujifilm produce for the X Series is the ...