CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Situated about 80km south of Naples on the southern end of the Bay of Salerno is the small Italian coastal town of Agropoli.  The new part of the town is situated around the coast while the older part is located on the hill overlooking the harbour, the perfect defensive position from the raids from Turkish pirates that plagued this area in the 16th and 17th century. For more on Agropoli CLICK HERE 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

A few days ago we came across a nest of blackbird chicks in our garden hedge. We decided to keep a watchful eye on the nest but also to keep our distance to not upset the parents.  Anyway today the chicks fledged and the last one was sat for ages on the edge of the nest plucking up the courage to fly the nest.  This allowed me the opportunity to grab the camera with a long lens to keep my distance and get a few shots.  the blackbird intrigued by not both by the noise of the camera and eventually it flew off to join its siblings in the big wide world. Here is the best shot of the little blackbird chick Blackbird Chick - Nikon D700 with Sigma 50-500 lens at 500mm Tomorrow we head to Heathrow airport before flying out to Tuscany for a week's holiday early on Saturday morning. I'm not sure what internet access I will have in Italy but I will post some images from out trips to Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano and Pisa when I can. ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY ...

On Friday afternoon I had a spare hour before getting the Eurostar back to London following a meeting in Paris so I decided to head two stops north of Gare du Nord on the Metro and walk up to the  Sacré-Cœur    Basilica ( Basilica of the Sacred Heart). A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.   Arriving at Château Rouge Metro station, it was a short climb up to the top of Montmartre, which at  around 120 metres above sea level is the highest point in Paris.  The view of the city from the top is fantastic and worth the climb in itself. Sacré-Cœur  is an impressive sight up close with fantastic architectural detail where ever you look.   In front of the...

Getting up this morning I spotted a number of spider webs with early morning dew covering them so I grabbed my camera and set about capturing some images.  Here is the best shot - 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

A fox watching me through the trees 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

Last Sunday was the fifth event on the 2012 Dunlop Mini Miglia and Mini Se7en Challenges calendar at Snetterton in Norfolk and once again the two race series provided some of the best racing to be seen on any circuit in the UK, or indeed the world.  I might be the Press Officer for the Mini 7 Racing Club but don't take my word for it, let the facts speak for themselves.   The second Mini Se7en race produced what is arguably the closest ever finish, with Darren Thomas taking his first victory by just 0.078 seconds ahead of reigning champion Paul Spark, who was in turn 0.052 ahead of Andrew Deviny - that's the top three drivers covered by 0.130 seconds after 8 laps, incredible. The Mini Se7ens are Europe's longest running single make championship, with the first race taking place at Brands Hatch in 1966.  The Miglias were introduced in 1970 but just because of the classic Mini shape and use of the A Series engine, don't think these cars are anything but full bloo...

The picture of the 96th Bombardment Group Memorial got me thinking of pictures that have symmetry and this is something I look for a lot in an image when I'm out and about, especially in a town or city.  During our recent visit to London I took three images that have a striking symmetry to the composition. The first is the underside of the Millennium Bridge across the River Thames.  This was taken from the walkway under the bridge and with the bracing wires running along each side of the bridge and the underside going into a point at the first upright in the water, this image makes a striking image. The second shot is of the roof in the Tate Britain Museum, this looking straight up into the domed roof at the entrance to the museum. The third shot was also taken at the Tate Britain but this time is taken in one of the viewing galleries.  I had to wait for some people to move off the right hand seat but the symmetry in this shot is very pleasing All of these...