CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Last week at the first race of the 2015 season at Silverstone was a bit 'full on' but this was to be expected as I have worked in motorsport for many years and every year it is the same.  Now we have the first race of the year under our belt then the rest should be a bit easier.   Since I got back to Dunbar on Monday I have been working on the post race information and also preparing for the next race in Belgium on the 2nd May.  So yesterday evening, with the sun shining, I downed tools and grabbed the camera bag for a much needed walk on the beach at Seacliffe. The evening light was wonderful with the low sun behind Tantallon Castle throwing deep shadows mixed in with golden light hitting Bass Rock just off the coast in the Firth of Forth. I set the X-T1 to take long exposure images as the sun slowly set to my left and while I waited I just sat taking in the view and watching the Gannets fish in the sea.  Sometimes you have to just slow down and app...

In April 2014 I bought a Fujifilm X-T1 CSC to compliment the X-Pro1 and X100 I already owned and within three months I had sold my Nikon D800, D700 and associated pro lenses. One year on, and 35,000 frames later, did I make the right decision?  Well the short answer is 'yes' but not everything is perfect in the Fujifilm garden - but then I never expected it to be. The X100 and X-Pro1 put the pleasure back into taking images and the quality of the X-Trans sensor and the XF lenses produce images that rival and sometimes exceed the more established pro brands.  When the X-T1 was announced I wasn't convinced that it was good enough to replace the Nikon D800 but on trying it I knew I had to move fully to the Fujifilm X-Series system. The other big item that has made the move to Fujifilm a lot easier is the customer service and the fact that the Japanese company listens to the photographers that use the cameras and lenses to make improvements.  These improvements us...

Yesterday was the opening race of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Silverstone, which was the culmination of a lot of pre season work by everyone involved in the world championship.  The result was a weekend of entertainment that we are all justifiably proud of. In my capacity as the FIA Media Delegate I headed to the grid for the pre race build up and the sun was shining.  I decided to take a few colourful images on my X-T1 with the 56mm f1.2 lens before going back to my office in the media centre to report on the race. There was a party atmosphere on the grid as the teams and drivers prepared for the 6 hours race and in the warm sunshine the drivers were relaxed and the colours around the grid really stood out. Here are some of the images I took in the build up to the 6 Hours of Silverstone. For more information on the World Endurance Championship visit the official website HERE ---------------------------------...

Today is the start of three days of track action at Silverstone for the opening round of the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series.  I am here in my capacity as the Media Delegate for both championships but, of course, I have my Fujifilm cameras to hand. This shot was taken earlier this week as the sun set behind the Wing building at Silverstone.  I managed to get into position so the sun was framed by the segments of the Wing using the Fujifilm X-T1 and the XF55-200mm telephoto zoom. For more information on this weekend's events at Silverstone visit the WEC website at www.fiawec.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

Belhaven Bay is the closest beach to our home in Dunbar, just 0.5 miles from our doorstep at the top of the hill by Winterfield Golf Course.  Due to the vast expanse of sand this 3-mile sandy beach never really gets busy but it does attract plenty of visitors when the sun decides to come out. Last Sunday we went for a walk along the length of the beach and were joined by surfers kayakers, fishermen, dog walkers, runners and cyclists. Using the X100 I captured some of the activities happening on the beach as we strolled along in the spring sunshine and feeling very privileged to be able to call such a beautiful place our home. All images taken on a Fujifilm X100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. -----------------------------------...

In photography, and in other areas as well, the KISS method is a something that should be adhered to whenever possible.  KISS stands for K eep I t S imple S tupid!   Sometimes photographers over think things and try to cram too much into an image.  The results is you just end up with a confusing mess.   The simplest compositions can provide powerful images and here are two examples taken last Sunday. The image at the top of the page is the room to the Observatory on Calton Hill in Edinburgh.  The green copper sheeting topped off with the ball at the pinnacle of the roof contrasts nicely with the bright blue sky and light clouds to provide a simple and colourful image. The image below was taken on Belhaven Bay beach on the same day using the X100 on macro mode.  While not as colourful as the shot above, the shell and the fine grains of sand provide great foreground detail.   Top image taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 and  XF55-200mm f3.5/...

On Sunday evening we visited Calton Hill in Edinburgh which gave us some great views of Scotland's capital city.  One of the most iconic sights in Edinburgh is the world famous castle that sits high above Prince's Street on it outcrop of volcanic rock.  As the sun was setting in the west and the sky turned orange and red, the castle was silhouetted against the bright sky, providing me with a different view of this much photographed landmark. Fitting the Fujinon XF55-200mm telephoto zoom to the X-T1 I captured a series of images including these two I have used for this blog.  The one at the top of the page shows Edinburgh Castle in its entirety, while to the shot below shows the clock tower on the Balmarol Hotel to the left and the top of the Scott Memorial to the right while concentrating on a small part of the castle buildings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT...