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. ------------------------------------------------...

After our dawn photoshoot at Loch Tay we headed north, past Ben Lawers towards Glen Lyon.  The road takes you through some of the wildest moorland in Scotland and is very beautiful and peaceful at this time of year, a stark contrast to the last visit we made to this glen in the depth of winter in December 2014. Parking the car, we walked down the hill to a small burn that flows into the River Lyon.  The stream is marked on the map by it's gaelic name, Allt à Chobnair, and it flows from the top the mountain down the glen through a series of waterfalls.   The surrounding moorland is mostly peat bog and acts like a sponge.  The moor is a mass of low lying wild flowers, moss, heather and lichen. While the place looks barren, when you look closer the colours are amazing. I set the X-T2 and 10-24mm lens in front of a small set of falls to capture the flowing water and the dramatic backdrop of the mountains.  Using the Lee Big Stopper I slowed the exposu...

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...

Lake Como is full of beautiful churches with each town and village boasting at least two or three.  There were also some isolated churches on the hillsides above the lake but none were as remote as this little church perched on the side of the mountain above Griante. Looking from below on the lake from the hire boat there was no visible road up to the church and it appeared the only way up was to climb.  We didn't attempt this and viewed the beautiful building from below. Images taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 with a 18mm or 55-200mm f3.5/4.8 lens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------...

With limited access to a WiFi signal here in the Outer Hebrides, and no laptop to do major edits on the images, I haven't been able to update the blog as often as I would like on this trip to Lewis. Yesterday we visited several spots around the island and I will post the results of our endeavours when we return to Dunbar. After almost perfect weather on Saturday, Sunday can best be described as 'normal service' for the islands with bright sunshine interspersed with heavy showers. The great thing is it does make for some great pictures like the one above of the beach at Traigh Uige. Today is our last day on the island and we catch the 4pm ferry back to Skye. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. ------------------------------------------------...

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...

A chance encounter with a stag on the way back up Glen Etive resulted in this image. I only had my Fuji X100 to hand, as the Nikon D800 and Fuji X-Pro1 and their long lenses were in the boot of the car, and its fixed 23mm f2 wide angle lens was not the best solution for this shot.   Luckily the stag wasn't at all bothered by our presence and I managed to get three frames before he walked away.  I had to crop the image to get the stag large enough in the frame but the image is still very sharp despite the heavy crop thanks to the ultra sharp Fujinon 23mm lens.  The image is also big enough to print to A4 thanks to the Photo Zoom Pro4 software package I use.  This is the uncropped image taken on the X100 and 23mm f2 lens I'm pleased with the final image with the snowy mountains as a backdrop, even though it is a little 'chocolate box'.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

A day out in Glen Coe and Glen Etive is not complete without a shot of  Buachaille Etive Mòr.  This mountain is so well photographed it is difficult to get a fresh view but I tried to do my best.  The main shot was taken on the Fuji X-Pro1 and the 14mm f2.8 lens, which emphasises the clouds above the mountain. The next shot was taken down on the river but I spotted some ice amongst the rocks so I chose to focus on this as foreground interest.  This shot was taken on the Nikon D800 and Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 lens. Buachaille Etive Mòr means "the great herdsman of Etive" in Gaelic and is generally known simply as The Buachaille or The Beuckle. It is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive and its pyramidal form, as seen from the A82 road when travelling towards Glen Coe, makes it one of the most recognisable mountains in Scotland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE ...

Mount Fuji is one of the iconic landmarks of Japan and last year I took plenty of images from ground level.  This year, along with my FIA WEC colleague Lisa Crampton, we stopped at the mountain on our way down to Suzuka from Tokyo airport to get a closer look at Fuji-San and attempt to climb the 3775 metre (12389 ft) volcano. Driving up to the 5th station at 2440 metres the Fujinomiya Trail to the top is clearly marked and well worn.  The climb is not difficult but it is tiring and takes 3-4 hours on average.  We arrived at 2:30pm and with the sunset due at 5:20pm we decided to see how far we could get up the trail. The trail is marked with ropes and the path covered with loose rocks and shale from the volcano.  There are parts that are steeper than others but it is never a need to be a mountaineer.  That said warm closes, plenty of drink, choclate and sturdy boots are a must as at 12...

I have arrived in Austria for this weekend's 3 Hours of the Red Bull Ring, round 3 of the European Le Mans Series which takes place on Saturday 20 July.  I checked into the small, family run hotel, the Gasthof Perschler just 6km from the track in the small hamlet of Rattenberg and this was the view from my bedroom window. For more information on the Gasthof Perschler visit http://www.gasthof-perschler.at ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ...