CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

While I have been busily testing the Fujifilm GFX I have not neglected the faithful X-T2 and this shot from last week's trip to Glen Coe jumped off the computer screen when I downloaded the images at the end of the day. I visited the base of Buachaille Etive Mor to take the well trodden path to the edge of the waterfalls.  I don't usually go for the 'standard' image, preferring to find a different angle, but I make an exception with the location because it is one of the most beautiful in Scotland. With the clouds still hanging low over the mountains I had to wait patiently for a break. I ftted the X-T2 with the XF10-24mm f4 wide angle and waited for the perfect moment.  The sun made a brief appearance, lighting up the waterfall and foreground while keeping the brooding mountain in shadow while framed by the white clouds. With the Lee 10x ND Big Stopper fitted to the lens the exposure was120s @ f16 ISO400. ------------------------------------------------...

Yesterday afternoon we went for a walk up the path next to the River Almond in Cramond.  After all the recent rainfall the river was running quite high and the water was crashing over the falls near to the cafe.   The tea coloured water , which was probably caused by peat runoff, was creating some strong contrasts as the current produced patches of white foam against the darker colours. So after a stop for a bite to eat at the cafe I took out the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and the XF50-140mm f2.8 to get some arty shots of the falls. Using a slowish shutter speed to get some movement in the water I relied on the Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) system built into the Fujinon lens to keeps things sharp as I didn't have a tripod or anything to lean on to stop the lens from wobbling about.   The resulting images are proof that the OIS works well and there final pictures are exactly what I was looking for. Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro2 + Fujinon XF50-...

While on our quick one day tour of the Highlands yesterday we headed to the old bridge on the River Lyon.   This stone bridge is visible from the road on the opposite bank of the river but is usually obscured by the foliage on the trees that line the road.  However with it being winter we were hoping that we could get a clear shot. While there were no leaves on the trees, the river was running very high after all the recent heavy rain and the usual place to stand on the side of the river was underwater.  So we took some shots of the bridge through the branches of the trees to give a 'hidden secret' feel to the shots. The images were shot in black and white using the monochrome film simulation on the X-T1 and I used the XF50-140mm f2.8 to zoom in on the bridge and the falls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON T...

Photography is all about the light and when you get the perfect light a scene that would be 'OK' photographically is suddenly transformed.  This was the case this morning as I headed along the beach at Barns Ness just after sunrise. Halfway along the rocky shoreline between Whitesands and Barns Ness lighthouse are some rocks where the rain water pours onto the beach.  After days of heavy rain the ground above the rocky outcrop was quite sodden and the water was pouring down like a shower. Normally this would make an interesting image but with the low sun hitting the cascading water, there was a bright glow as the water hit the rocks.  I set the camera up on the tripod to allow me to use a slow shutter speed and set about capturing this set of images before the sun rose too high in the sky and the light changed. I also took some other shots with a higher shutter speed to freeze the water drops With in 10 minutes the light had changed ...

After leaving Rannoch Moor we headed south again on the A82 to Bridge of Orchy before turning right on the B8074 down Glen Orchy.  This single track road runs parallel with the River Orchy as it passes down the glen with steep mountain ridges on either side.  Lower down the woods cover the slopes but further up the trees give way to open mountain tops which were covered in snow. The contrast between the dark green trees and the snow topped mountains made for some great patterns to photograph. The River Orchy drops down through a series of rapids and waterfalls and we stopped a couple of times to get some images.  However, because the winter sun was is low in the sky at this time of year, the sunlight didn't reach the bottom of Glen Orchy so the light was a little flat.  We also came across a herd of cows in a snowy field, some Highland cattle and some of another breed that I couldn't identify. At the bottom of Glen Orchy ...

The Italians have a desire to build churches in some of the most beautiful positions in the mountains surrounding the Italian Lakes.   This little church was built into the mountainside above the town of Porlezza on the banks of Lake Luggano near to the border with Switzerland. A waterfall was cascading down the rocks alongside the chapel and running through the town to the lake below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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...

At the start of this year I said I was going to produce more mono images in 2014.  While out and about in Glen Etive yesterday I spotted this scene that was just perfect for a long exposure mono image.  Using the Lee Big Stopper 10x ND filter on the Nikon D800 and 17-35mm lens I slowed the exposure down to 55 seconds to produce plenty of movement in the waterfall and in the clouds. Glen Etive is accessed by a single track road at the eastern end of the more familiar Glen Coe.  Glen Etive is not as busy as Glen Coe because the tourists tend to stay in the more famous part of the area and this leaves this beautiful glen for the people who know about it.   The road leads down to Loch Etive, which is a sea loch surrounded by tall mountains (more on that later this week). For more information on Glen Etive CLICK HERE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THI...

Today we went for a walk up towards Ben More, the only 'Munro' on the Isle of Mull.  A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 3000 feet (1000 metres) and there are over 250. On the way up there is a series of waterfalls and this one is probably the most spectacular. Nikon D800 - Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S - 30s @ f11 - ISO 50 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 PERMISSION If you like what you see on this blog please visit our  Facebook  page and cli...

Today I went out with local Mull photographer Sam Jones for an Islandscape Photography photo tour. This was one of the last images I took today.  After a beautiful sunny day a weather front moved in across the island and produced some great light.  Taken on a Nikon D800 with a Lee 'Big Stopper' ND filter to give a 30 second exposure that blurred the waterfall and the fast moving clouds. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 PERMISSION If you like...

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...

2012 has been an interesting year with more opportunity to travel due to my work on the FIA World Endurance Championship and also family trips.  Over the next twelve days I will choose one image from each month, starting with this picture of a waterfall near Loch na Keal on the Isle of Mull from our visit to the island for Hogmanay (New Year). Waterfall near Loch na Keal - Nikon D90, Sigma 10-20, 8s @ f14 - ISO200 This year we have visited - Shanghai, China Fuji, Japan Bahrain Sao Paulo, Brazil Marrakech, Morocco Florida, USA Istanbul, Turkey Le Mans, France Paris, France Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium Tuscany, Italy In the UK we have visited: Isle of Mull, Scotland Isle of Skye, Scotland London, England Berwick on Tweed, England Alnmouth / Alnwick, England Farne Islands, England Leeds, England  Southwell, England Vale of Belvoir, England  I will post an image from February tomorrow morning. -------------------------------------...