CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 3s @ f9 ISO200 (zoom 10mm) On Friday 27 January we set off from Edinburgh for a two day photo trip into the Highlands around Ullapool.  We left Edinburgh two hours before dawn and as we traveled up the A9, the main road from Perth to Inverness through the mountains, we decided to stop at the ruins of Ruthven Barracks to capture the sunrise. Ruthven Barracks stand on a mound on the opposite side of the A9 from the village of Kingussie, about 13 miles south of Aviemore.  I have been traveling up and down the A9 since I was posted to RAF Kinloss in February 1987 but have never stopped to view the ruins. Fujifilm X-T2 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/13 @ f11 ISO400 (zoom 12mm) Ruthven Barracks were built in 1719 by the British Army after the failed Jacobite uprising in 1715.   In the 1745 rising led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart a unit of 12 British soldiers, commanded by a Sergeant Terrence Molloy of the 6th Regiment of Foo...

Today I fulfilled another one of my 'bucket list' ambitions and that was to visit The Alamo in San Antonio, the site of the famous battle in March 1836 that eventually lead to the independence of Texas from Mexico.  Texas became an independent country for 9 years before becoming part of the United States of America. The story of the heroic defence of The Alamo that saw the slaughter of the 189 defenders by the 3000 strong Mexican Army of General Santa Anna after a short siege in well known around the world, so, as a follower of history, it was a 'must do' while I was in Austin after working at the Circuit of The Americas. While the names of Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett and William Travis echo through the halls of history, what isn't as well known is that amongst the American defenders were Scots, English, Welsh and Irish; something I discovered when I saw the Saltire, the flag of St George, the Welsh Dragon and the Irish Tricolor lined along the wall inside...

Hailes Castle is one of my favourite locations for photographic expeditions.  Situated just a few miles from Dunbar this ruined castle is steeped in history and is located in the perfect location on the banks of the River Tyne.  In the winter Hailes looks forlorn and bleak but when spring comes along the wild flowers provide a carpet of colour.  There are also walks on both sides of the river and plenty of things to photograph in and about the castle grounds. Last Wednesday I spent an hour photographing the snowdrops and also the castle itself in the beautiful spring sunshine. History Hidden away in the pretty valley of the River Tyne stands the remarkable castle of Hailes. It is one of Scotland’s oldest stone castles, dating from the first half of the 1200s. Hailes Castle served as a fortified noble residence for over 300 years. The puzzle is its location, for the castle is overlooked at close quarters by high ground, making it very difficult to defend. T...

On the harbour front in Dunbar is an old pub / restaurant that dates back to the 18th century but is currently is serious need of renovation after being left empty for over a decade.  However it does make for an interesting subject for my camera lens. Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and 55-200mm f3.5/4.8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 'lik...