CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

While the Fujifilm X-System cameras have changed how I work by replacing my Nikon DSLRs, I will be the first to admit that for sports and wildlife photography the DSLR is still king.  This is mainly down to the fact that Fuji haven't yet added a fast telephoto lens.   However the doesn't mean that the X-T1 and the current lens line up isn't capable of taking images in this genre, it means that a photographer has more flexibility using a DSLR.  I've already proven that in the right conditions the X-T1 / X-Pro1 are capable in getting wildlife shots (see blog HERE ) and also for sports photography (see blog HERE ). Anyway I had another opportunity to put the X-T1 and 55-200mm through its paces yesterday at to level rugby match.  I attended the friendly match between Leicester Tigers and Edinburgh at Melrose and while I was there as a spectator, not a member of the press, I managed to get myself at the front, just 2 metres from the touchline.   I put ...

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

Varenna is a comune on the east bank of Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Milan and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Lecco. We spent a couple of hours in Varenna after driving around the north end of the lake from San Siro.  There is a car ferry from Varenna back to Menaggio so we bought a ticket for the late crossing and explored the town. Giovanni Battista Pirelli (1848–1932), entrepreneur, engineer and politician who founded Pirelli & C. in Milan in 1872 was from Varenna. For more information on Varenna visit the official tourism site for the town  CLICK HERE Today's post on Varenna marks the 800th feature since February 2011.  The MacLean Photographic blog is now attracting an average of 800 views per day and I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who takes the time to visit and view this blog.  Images t...

The apartment we rented for our week near Lake Como was situated on the side of the mountain overlooking the lake in the commune of San Siro.  San Siro was made of mostly new build properties but there were some older buildings clinging to the side of the hillside.   The first few mornings of our stay was unusually wet for Italy in August but the low cloud and mist provided a moody backdrop for some images from our balcony.  The view is looking north east towards Rezzonico down below on the lakeside. The two images above were shot on the Fujifilm X-T1 and the Fujinon XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8R OIS lens and converted to black and white in Silver Efex Pro2. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. -----------------------------------------------...

The X-T1 has several advance modes which allows the user to select different effects.  One of the effects  is miniature mode, which adds top and bottom blur for a diorama or miniature effect. The first image below was taken during our 3-hour boat trip around the lake and the second is standard image shot from the same location to show the difference. And here is another example, the first shot was shot in ADV mode and the second is the straight image of the scene. Other X-T1 advance modes include - Dynamic Tone Creates a fantasy effect by altering the tonal reproduction of the scene. High Key Enhances brightness and reduces contrast to lighten tonal reproduction. Low Key Creates uniformly dark tones with emphasised highlights. Partial colour (Red / Orange / Yellow / Green / Blue / Purple) Retains one selected original colour and changes the rest of the photo to black and white. Soft Focus Creates a look that is evenly soft throughout the...

We hired a speed boat for 3-hours to get a look at some of the big houses and towns from the water.  Top of the list was the Villa del Balbianello which has been featured in two of my favourite films - Star Wars Ep2 and Casino Royale.  The gardens are supposed to be spectacular but we didn't stop our water borne tour of Lake Como and we didn't have time to visit later in the week. Built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery, del Balbianello is a villa in the comune of Lenno on the edge of Lake Como. It is located on the tip of a small wooded peninsula on the western shore of the south-west branch of the lake, not far from the Isola Comacina and is famous for its elaborate terraced gardens. Images taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 with a 18mm f2, 35mm f1.4 or 55-200mm f3.5/4.8 lens ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE A...

Lake Como is full of picturesque towns nestling on the side of tall mountains with brightly coloured houses and narrow cobbled streets bustling with tourists and traders.  Bellagio sits on the peninsula at the fork in Lake Como and is a popular destination for anyone looking for that typical Italian Lake experience. We decided to take the passenger ferry from Menaggio across to Bellagio as the drive was going to be a lot longer and the thought of that journey through the narrow, windy mountain roads did not appeal.  The journey on the boat via Verenna took around 30 minutes but it soon sped by as we took in the wonderful scenery as the ferry crossed the lake. Bellagio is known as the “Pearl of the Lake”, with world class hotels and restaurants providing the perfect place to soak up the lake's famous panorama. The village is characterised by century-old buildings, stone lanes and picturesque cobbled stairways filled with shops showcasing the finest Italian ...