CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

In a new series of features I will be focusing on some of the areas I take guests of the MacLean Photographic workshops, starting with Barns Ness Lighthouse. Barns Ness is located a couple of miles to the east of Dunbar.  The area features two sandy beaches, one at White Sands and the other sweeping around the bay to the east of the lighthouse towards Torness Power Station. The lighthouse was built in the early 1900s, with the light going operational in October 1901.  It was built, like many of the lighthouses in Scotland, by a member of the family of lighthouse engineers, David A Stevenson, cousin to the author Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island).  The lighthouse at Barns Ness was deactivated in 2005. For more information on MacLean Photographic workshops please visit the MacLean Photographic website HERE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLE...

The second full Rockhopper of Percuel episode has been published on the MacLean Photographic Vimeo channel . In part two Skipper Barry Brunton explains the various controls, dials and screens he has in front of him in the Rockhopper's wheelhouse. As well as the controls and dials for the engines, he explains the chart plotter and GPS system, the auto pilot, a must for him as he is single handed on the 32 foot fishing boat, and the radios, including the emergency system. The video was shot on a Fujifilm X-H1, a GoPro Hero 5 Black and the aerial images on a DJI Mavic Pro drone. The Rockhopper of Percuel has a new web presence with the launch of the Rockhopper pages on the MacLean Photographic website HERE . The site has all of the Rockhopper videos shot to date, seven in total - two episodes and five 'shorts'. It also features a new online shop for Rockhopper of Percuel merchandise where you can purchase items such as baseball caps, cotton shopping b...

The XF80mm f2.8 macro was unveiled last year and is the first 1:1 macro lens for the Fujifilm X Series.  With an equivalent 120mm focal length, this lens can double up as a short telephoto / portrait lens as well as magnify small objects. As someone who does a little bit of macro work I was intrigued to see if the 80mm was a better option than the 90mm f2 Fujinon prime which I use with extenders to allow me to shoot macro shots. There is a cost factor here as well.  The 90mm f2 is £879 compared to £1249 for the 80mm on the Fujifilm UK online shop, so does the 80mm justify the extra £370?  I suppose it depends on the amount of macro work you do. There are two obvious advantages that the 80mm has.  First it has OIS, the first XF prime to have this, and it can also accept the 1.4x and 2x converters, also the first prime lens to do this after the 50-140mm and 100-400mm zooms. As a portrait lens the 80mm is fantastic, but it isn't an f2 and this is where the 90m...

Just off the B9007 between Forres and Carrbridge in the Highlands of Scotland is the little known ruin of Lochindorb Castle.    Lochindorb means 'Loch of Trouble' and the 13th century castle was built by the Clan Cromyn on a man made island in the centre of the loch. On a recent visit to Forres I decided to stop off at Lochindorb to scout out the location for a future visit.  The wind had dropped completely and the loch was like a mirror, with the dark peaty water water perfectly reflecting the broken clouds above. I launched the DJI Mavic Pro to get some aerial footage around the castle as the only other way to approach the ruin is by boat.  The scene below the drone's camera was very etherial and I carried out a 15 minute flight to capture several angles and a few still images before landing the drone on the shore.  Being low down, and with only one angle from where I was flying the drone, I decided not to shoot still images with the Fujifilm X Serie...

Sunrise in the North Sea - Fujifilm X-H1 + XF10-24mm f4 After the first teaser video for the new series of features on the Rockhopper of Percuel, a fishing boat working out of Dunbar Harbour was posted last week, I have put the final touches to the first part of the series.  This is a three minute video entitled 'A Typical Day'. I went out on Friday with skipper Barry Brunton to film a typical day onboard the Rockhopper.  I was filming and photographing using two Fujifilm X-H1s and two GoPro Hero 5 cameras. The day started at 5:30am and we headed out just as the light was breaking on the horizon.  We are treated to a fabulous sunrise as Barry deployed the net for the first tow of the day. At 10am the net was brought back in but the tide and the wind had shifted meaning the sea had started to get a bit choppy.  Barry decided that it was a bit risky doing a second tow in the 32 foot Rockhopper and he decided to head back to Dunbar Harbour with a small ...

I am working on a personal project with Barry Brunton, skipper of the Rockhopper of Percuel, a 32ft fishing boat that works out of Dunbar Harbour. The Brunton family have a long association with Dunbar stretching back to the 14th century with Barry's grandfather and great-grandfather fishing the North Sea and being the coxswain of the Dunbar Lifeboat.  Over the next few months I will be following Barry as he fishes the coastal waters around the South East of Scotland and I'll take everyone on a behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a fisherman in the 21st century. CLICK HERE to visit the Rockhopper of Percuel Facebook page ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. -------------------...

I am pleased to reveal that I will be speaking at The Photography Show 2018 at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 March on the Fujifilm stand. My talk is called 'Fujifilm Shoots Sport' and will take place between 11h50 and 12h40 on both Saturday and Sunday.  The Fujifilm stand is D61 and all of the talks are free. I will be joining a line up of some of the best photographers in the UK including Paul Sanders, Kevin Mullins, Elli Cassidy, Ben Cherry, Chris Upton and Saraya Cortaville. For more information on the talks on the Fujifilm stand CLICK HERE   For more on The Photography Show CLICK HERE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. --------------------------------------------------------...