CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Continuing with my project to photograph the Vale of Belvoir throughout 2012 I headed out just before sunset.  It was a snap decision because after a very grey and wet day the clouds started to break up and the formations were quite spectacular.  I didn't have long so I headed to Belvoir Castle which overlooks the Vale and I chose a spot looking towards Barkestone village in the distance. The moral to always be prepared for changes in the weather.  I always keep my camera gear packed and ready to go at a moments notice.  I also have some areas that I've previously scouted out so I can go directly there are set up the camera in the right position. ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

Standing proudly on a clifftop guarding the Sound of Mull, Duart enjoys one of the most spectacular and unique positions on the West Coast of Scotland. For over 400 years this has been the base of the Clan Maclean's sea-borne power. Duart Castle stands on an outcrop of land on the approach to Mull This is the introduction on the Duart Castle website and is one of the reasons I am drawn to the Isle of Mull.  My Great Grandmother's maiden name was MacLean and I am proud to carry on the tradition of keeping the MacLean name in the family, a name we have passed to our daughter, Kathryn Eve MacLean Carter. The MacLeans of Duart played a major role in the rich history of the Highlands and Islands and Duart Castle draws visitors from all over the world to visit the ancestoral home of the Clan MacLean on the beautiful island of Mull. History The castle stands on a crag at the end of the peninsular jutting out into the Sound of Mull at the intersection of the sound of...

For the landscape photographer a set of neutral density (ND) graduate filters are one of the most essential items to carry in the camera bag.  An ND grad balances the difference in exposure between the bright sky and the darker ground.  You can do this in post processing by combining two images (one exposed for the sky and one exposed for the ground) but I prefer to get things right in camera.  This also gives me more latitude for dodging and burning in photoshop afterwards. I recently bought a set of three Lee Neutral Density grads, which are the filters that other professional landscape photographers swear by.  The first time I used these massive 100mm x 150mm filters I was bowled over by the quality of the images they produced.  The set of three filters are designed to darken the sky by 1 stop (0.3), 2 stops (0.6) and 3 stops (0.9) and they can be used in combination to darken the sky further. The following two images of Belvoir Castle demonstrate t...

Last year I wrote that there wasn't such a thing as bad weather, just different photo opportunities.  Well yesterday a huge storm hit the centre and north of England with high winds, hail stones the size of golf balls and rain, lots of rain.  This was certainly NOT the type of weather to be running around with a camera but I did manage to get some record shots of the storm from Grantham station, where I had just arrived from a warm and sunny London. This shot from Grantham cemetery was taken as a second storm front approached and the dark clouds make this a perfect black and white image - almost apocalyptic. Grantham Cemetery just before the second storm front came through at 3pm Grantham railway station at 2:30pm (in the afternoon and this is June) Grantham Railway station at 2:30pm 28 June 2012   Another downpour had us running for cover at 3:30pm ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT ...

I love taking shots of architecture or mother nature that display regular or unusual patterns.  This shot was taken earlier at Kings Cross Station in London and is the roof of the new departures hall.  I've been through Kings Cross a few times in the past couple of months so today I grabbed my camera and took a few shots looking straight up into the roof. The effect of the steel lattice work is quite pleasing, I hope you agree. ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE

This was the scene recently on the Isle of Skye.  we were travelling back to the mainland on the B8083 around Loch Slapin when I noticed the perfect reflection in the completely still water.  A quick stop to grab some pictures resulted in this mirror image of the Cuillins in the the loch.

There is something very interesting about old things that we photographers can't stop taking pictures of.  While staying at the house in Le Mans there was an old door in the garden that actually didn't lead anywhere but the flaking paint and rusty hinges had me reaching for my camera.   ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. MORE IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED ON  FLICKR  AND ON OUR  WEBSITE