CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

While out and about in the Vale of Belvoir we came across this old barn on the top of the hill near the village of Branston.  I love old, dilapidated farm building as they make for interesting subjects, even a bit 'spooky' and this building was perfect for mono images with a bit of atmosphere. The interior of the building was very dark so the decision was taken to put a couple of remote wireless flashes into the doorway to light the interior. The rest of our time was spent getting detail images of the building.  It will be good to return to this location late in the evening or early in the morning when the light is better, but I'm very pleased with this 'find' and have added it my list of photographic locations. All Images taken on a Nikon D800 - Nikon 105mm f2.8G VR micro or Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THI...

This is a bridle path that leads down the hill to the village of Branston in the Vale of Belvoir. Regular visitors to this will have noticed that I love images with strong lead in lines, which lead the viewing into the image.  This shot does this perfectly, pointing the way to the village of Branston on the hill in the distance. Nikon D800 - Nikon 105mm f2.8G VR micro, 1/100 @ f16, ISO800 - Lee 0.9 ND Grad ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE NEW 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 PERMIS...

While out and about in the Vale of Belvoir we spotted this field near Barkestone that was full of Dandelion Clocks so we stopped to get a few images before the wind destroyed the scene. Composition was difficult with such a mass of white so with the 105mm f2.8 on the camera I set the tripod very low to get a shot across the field. With a wide aperture I was able to isolate one clock head while throwing the rest out of focus in the background. I used the same technique with the 17-35 lens, a wide aperture to throw the background out of focus but this time I was able to include the sky to give a different perspective to the scene. The final shot was taken on the Nikon 50mm f1.4 at the widest aperture and I singled out one clock head with just a green background. All images taken on the Nikon D800 with a 105mm f2.8G (top), 17-35mm f2.8 (middle) and 50mm f1.4D (bottom). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

Another milestone has been reached as this is the 300th post since the MacLean Photographic blog was started on February 2011.  Thanks again to everyone who visits. Spring has come very late here in the UK thanks to cold weather that has stayed for longer than usual.  This has meant the late flowering of plants and trees and this has effected the insect population. This is a shot of a St. Mark's fly ( Bibio marci)  from the family Bibionidae. Their common name comes from the fact that the adults usually emerge around St Mark's Day, 25th April. This shot was taken today in the Vale of Belvoir on the Nikon D800, Nikon 105mm f2.8 micro and a Nikon SB600 flashgun.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE NEW 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 h...

Nikon D700 - Sigma 50-500mm f4 / f6.3 - 1/4000 @ f8 - ISO 800 - Tripod  If you are a regular visitor to the MacLean Photographic blog you'll know that the Vale of Belvoir is one of my favourite places to visit, not only due to its proximity close to my home town of Grantham but also because it one of those great undiscovered photographic locations, with a variety of landscapes in a relatively small area. The focal point of the Vale is Belvoir Castle, home of the Duke of Rutland. Perched high on the hill, surrounded by woodland, the castle is a very photogenic piece of architecture.  On every visit to the Vale I usually end up shooting it from one angle or another. The first shot was taken on a very foggy day in October 2012 and for most of the morning the castle was shrouded in mist. However as the sun started to break through the castle and the trees were revealed.   Grabbing the Nikon D700 and fitting the Sigma 50-500mm lens I took this image with the foca...

A short three minute video from a photographic trip into the Vale of Belvoir, shot near the Grantham Canal close to Woolsthorpe by Belvoir. A full HD version of this video can be seen on the MacLean Communications YouTube channel HERE   More videos are planned throughout the year which will show the changing seasons and the different type of photography undertaken by MacLean Photographic. The plans include short photographic tours into the Vale.  For more information contact Jeff Carter at photo@macleanphotographic.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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' MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

A grey and overcast day is not the best for landscapes but with a few breaks in the clouds I did manage to grab some shots of the wildlife on the Grantham Canal near Woolsthorpe. As usual there are Mute Swans dotted up and down the canal and one pair sailed serenely past use with their wing feathers puffed up in a typical pose.  One gave me a curious glance as it paddled past my camera but carried on down to the next lock. A flock of wild Canada Geese were sitting quietly on the bank so I approached with care and got my shots before they got into the water and paddled away. Catkins are starting to appear and Snowdrops are on the ground amongst  the trees, heralding the start to Spring, which probably means we'll have snow next week. The final shot shows one of the waterfalls at one of the disused locks along this stretch of the Grantham Canal.  One day these locks might be restored to full working order but for now the...

Depth of field is a term that is used in photography that describes the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Depth of field is referred to a 'DoF' in some camera manuals or texts. Depth of field is controlled by the aperture setting.  A small aperture (high 'f' number - ie f22) will give a large depth of field or a wider area of sharp focus and a large aperture (low 'f' number - ie f4) will give a small depth of field or a narrower area of sharp focus. The images below, of Snowdrops in the Vale of Belvoir, were taken on a Nikon D800 with a 60mm f2.8 AF-D micro lens and mounted on a sturdy tripod.  The first image was taken at f7.1 and the focus point was the snowdrop on the left of the image.  As you can see the DoF is very shallow, with just the front Snowdrop in focus.  In fact the DoF is so shallow not all of the flower head is perfectly sharp. Aperture on the len...

Anyone who is a regular visitor here will know I have a thing about photographing trees.  I love the shapes and textures that change with the seasons.   Yesterday I was capturing some landscape images of the snow in the Vale of Belvoir before it all melted and I found myself in the woods on the hill above Woolsthorpe by Belvoir.  The low sun was creating some fantastic light amongst the trees so I stopped to get some shots. The tall trees heading towards the sky caught my eye so I had to try and capturing this as an image.  Using the Nikon D700 and a 17-35 wide angle zoom on the 17mm end of the range I was able to get the shot I was looking for with the sun coming through the trees. I then set about capturing the textures that were highlighted by the strong almost horizontal sunlight, using the Nikon with an 80-200 f2.8 telephoto lens and my Fuji X100 with the 19mm wide angle lens, before heading back to the car to move locations to capture some m...

Last night we had some more snow in Grantham but this morning the thaw had started to set in, so I headed out to the Vale of Belvoir to capture some last images of the snow before it melted away. I headed up to Woolsthorpe by Belvoir to take some images of the village but decided to stop at Denton on the way to get some shots of St Andrew's Church for my records.  The sun was still quite low, as it always is at this time of year. This created a scene with deep contrast and I has to be careful with the exposure. After 30 minutes and several shots in the bag I headed to Woolsthorpe and trudged up the hill in the snow to get some shots across the valley towards Belvoir Castle on the opposite side. Finally I headed the other side of the castle to get some shots of the snowy fields and also some of the castle.  While I was there I saw a Red Kite soaring overhead and a quick change of lens resulted in some nice images of this beautiful bird of prey. I headed back ...

One of our favourite watering holes during our photographic trips out to the Vale of Belvoir is the Peacock Inn at Redmile.  Redmile is one mile from Belvoir Castle and this former coaching inn is located in the centre of the small village next to the church and the Grantham Canal. It is your quintessential English village pub with low ceilings, a cosy atmosphere and, in winter, a roaring log fire.  The food and beer on offer are just what is needed after a mornings photography. Next door to the Peacock is St Peter's Church, which was completed during the 12th Century, with the first Rector of the Church recorded in 1220.  St Peter's is part of the group of churches collectively known as the 'Vale of Belvoir Churches' within the Diocese of Leicester which is part of the Church of England. For more on the Peacock Inn visit - www.thepeacockinnredmile.co.uk   all images taken on a Fujifilm X100   -----------------------...