MY GENERAL WORK
Creating Vlogs for YouTube is fun, but getting good images during them is only sometimes possible. In someways, the vlogging is distracting. This section is dedicated to the images I take for myself. See also the black and White section, as most are general images like these.
Mostly just me and the one camera.
Update - I now add some “other” images from my Vlogs here.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) high above Stirling and the Campsie hills.
With cloud dominating the weather for several days and more days and nights to come, I had one chance to get Comet Atlas. That was on October 14th which was hailed as the best time to see it. I took my neighbour and his two teenage sons up to a vantage point just 10 minutes from home and set up and looked out. There was no sign of anything in the sky. I took images along the horizon above the cloud line and got nothing. Then by accident I captured the comet right at the top of a frame. It was way higher in the sky than I thought it would be. I reset the tripod and camera so as to get the invisible to the naked eye comet in the frame and started taking images. I wanted to capture it above Stirling Castle which is just out of shot to the right, but by that time, the cloud had obscured all sight of the comet and tail. Both disappeared quite quickly into the high-level cloud, moving ahead of the main bank. So my images are limited. I did go horizontal but lost focus and they are not worth showing. As a gift, I allowed the three with me to take a picture each with my camera. I credited them with the copyright, printed their images and handed those over a few days later, having added their name in print onto the image.
I used Lightroom to bring up the detail in the land as it was actually very dark.
The three other streaks in the sky are of unknown origin to me. Planes, Satellites or meteors, I don’t know.
Nikon D850
f5
150mm. (Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG)
3s
ISO 1000
October 2014
Aurora
This was taken on the 10th of October. The 2nd “big” aurora this year. My club mates and I had set up around the same place and could see some red behind the tree. I moved sideways, and the bright red patch came into view. I was gobsmacked. I had never seen such a bright aurora, and certainly not a bright red one. The colour in the image is toned down as it was just too red, no one would believe it was as we saw it. This was truly a special event for all of us. I did, of course, call the others to come and see the scene properly.
This and others were taken at Shieldbank Vaulting Centre, and is where my local photo club meets up. The car was parked just a short distance behind me, and from here, I had a 360-degree view of a fabulous aurora.
Nikon D850
f5
14mm. (Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8)
8s
ISO 800
October 2014
Aurora and car
This was taken on the 10th of October. The 2nd “big” aurora this year. The best was to the East, this is later and looking North West. I’d just started the capture when a car appeared over the crest and drove through the scene. I thought it had ruined the image, but I quite like the result. This and others taken at Shieldbank Vaulting Centre, and is where my local photo club meets up. The car was parked just a short distance behind me, and from here, I had a 360-degree view of a fabulous aurora.
Nikon D850
f6.3
15mm. (Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8)
20s
ISO 800
October 2014
Forth Road Bridge with Forth Bridge
Taken back in 2014 on one of two consecutive nights of dead calm water during slack tide. Shot on my D7000 at that time at 18mm 100ISO f8.
This was taken from the breakwater at the Port Edgar Marina. Unfortunately, the access is now restricted by a fence. A similar shot is still possible. Find the Marina and the view point is in front of Scott’s Restaurant
March 2014
Wild Garlic
With the support of the wonderful community on Facebook, I discovered this hidden gem. I had been searching for beautiful areas of Wild Garlic in my local surroundings, but my efforts were in vain. Then, a captivating image popped up on a Facebook Group, and I was instantly drawn to it. It's amazing how asking the right questions can lead to such rewarding experiences. I've captured three or four stunning shots from this location that I'm truly proud of.
This is the exact image I wanted. I could tell from what was posted that the Garlic went quite far to the left of the scene. I wanted a wide shot. For this, because of the constant focus issues I have, I focused stacked 7 images in a panorama. So we have 4 images creating one Vertical with focus front to back done 7 times from left to right. That is 28 images focus blended then blended into a panorama.
The walk was short, and I was never more than 50m from the car. Torryburn Fife. Approximate What3Words location is ///flukes.states.remark
Focus stacked 28 images
Nikon D850
f9
31mm. (Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8)
1/8s
ISO 400
May 2024
Windy path through Wild Garlic
I just loved this wee composition. One of those times when you look back from where you came and see the scene. Always look back I say. Always.
I was helped by nice people on Facebook in finding this location. I had not found nice areas of Wild Garlic locally and was losing hope. The,n an image appeared on a Facebook Group, and I just had to get there. Asking the right questions is not a bad thing to do. I have three or four from this location that I really like. The walk was short and I was never more than 50m from the car. Torryburn Fife. Approximate What3Words location is ///flukes.states.remark
Focus stacked 4 images
I am struggling to get this and the previous image to show as clearly as it should do.
Nikon D850
f11
29mm. (Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8)
1/6s
ISO 400
May 2024
Wild Garlic Tree
It’s not really a Wild Garlic Tree, just a tree surrounded by Wild garlic. I was helped by nice people on Facebook in finding this location. I had not managed to find nice areas of Wild Garlic locally and was losing hope. Then an image appeared on a Facebook Group, and I just had to get there. Asking the right questions is not a bad thing to do. I have three or four from this location that I really like. The walk was short and i was never more than 50m from the car. Torryburn Fife. Approximate What3Words location is ///flukes.states.remark
Nikon D850
f17.1
29mm. (Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8)
1/20s
ISO 400
May 2024
Sun setting in arms of trees
On return from Dollar (see below) with the Club, several of us took images of the sun going down behind the Ochil hills. Lucky for us, the venue for our club has a spectacular view over the hills to the North and West. I did have the two trees in full, but prefer this zoomed in image as it is more intimate and the natural framing works well.
Nikon Zfc
f16.3
250mm. (Nikkor DX 50mm- 250mm f4.5 - 6.3)
1/500s
ISO 100
May 2024
Cherry Blossom washing away.
My photography club visited Dollar a few days after I did, as shown in the YouTube gallery. The blossom was now falling heavily and would all be gone within days. We had walked up and down the bank beside Dollar Burn and taken a few images before I spotted this scene. I did not think I would get what I wanted as the light was fading. I was using a telephoto lens, and I had no tripod with me. This shows the wonders of modern cameras and lenses with built-in image stabilisation. This was taken at 195mm with a speed of 1/15s, which is way slower than recommended. Yet I managed to keep the petals and stone crisp enough for an acceptable image and have the water smoothing out around it. The focus point is on that rock alone, so i am happy to have the rock behind slightly blurry.
Nikon Zfc
f10
195mm. (Nikkor DX 50mm- 250mm f4.5 - 6.3)
1/15s
ISO 250
May 2024
Aberdour Pier
Well, I did not see this as the best of the bunch, but fellow photographers liked it the most. So, here you are, a Monochrome pier.
It was horrendously windy and I was hoping for crashing waves, but no, just rough water further out. I guess, that’s why the pier was put here in the first place, it is fairly sheltered.
Nikon Zfc
f8
23mm
4s
ISO 100
April 2024
Dog
The camera club I belong to was doing a “Photograph your pet” night. While the others used flash, I just used the lamps lighting the subject between flashes. This is the studio owner’s dog, and she was posing well, looking at the cameras but at this point she looked towards the lamp. I went for a “His Masters Voice” type of image. I like what I got even with a very high ISO.
Nikon Zfc
f6
43mm
1/1000s
ISO 51200
March 2024
Tree line
The plan was to do some woodland photography, but my ageing dog, Duke, decided he wasn’t going to walk, so I headed home. Just a very short distance away, I saw this treeline to the side of the road. As the camera was out and ready, I stepped out of the car and took a few images. This one I decided to convert to Black and White as it just added a touch of drama to the scene.
Nikon Zfc
f9
32.5mm
1/640s
ISO 100
February 2024
Lambs
Taken a few years ago. A group of young sheep or older lambs, depending on your viewpoint. The RAW file has them very dark against the sky, but with very little work in post an acceptable image appears. Taken from the side of the road to Denny from Fintry in the Carron Glen.
July 2016
Scrooge
A studio shot with my camera club. Single light source (flash) to the left of the image. In hindsight maybe the candle should have been on the other side. BUT that may have cast a shadow which would have looked odd. Edited in Lightroom where I opted for the more orange glow rather than a more white light.
Nikon Zfc. f8, 1/125sec, ISO 100, ARTLAB / Nonikkor 35mm f1.4 lens set to f16 where others had theirs at f5.6. To me, it shows how that lens gobbles light!
December 2023
Woodland Fungi
Back in my favourite woods, I found this lovely bunch of mushrooms. No tripod, APS-C camera and low light. No worries, just rest the camera on a log, use a shutter delay and hold it carefully. The great thing about the Zfc is the articulated screen. No need to get too low myself to get the shot. I have reduced clarity and Texture very slightly in a bid to get a “magical” feel. Not sure it worked. I am not keen on taking those settings right down.
Nikon Zfc. f8, 1/40sec, ISO 100, 13mm (7Artisans lens)
AUGUST 2023
Man in Workshop, Portrait - Competition entry
A double image! The speed was too slow to capture a sharp image of the subject and also get the movement of the arm. I took two shots, one with Vic standing still and the second bringing the hammer down. I blended in the moving arm to create one image. Both images are at the same settings as below. The Workshop is dimly lit with old fluorescent lights. We added a studio light but this was not enough to be able to bring the ISO down or the shutter speed up.
Nikon D850. f11 1/4sec 800ISO 24mm
May 2023
Pelican - Edinburgh Zoo
I visited the zoo back in 2019. I like taking an image of animals and being able to have them stand out from the background. This was a dark day and the water was getting really dark. A little tweaking in Lightroom and I got the result I wanted.
Nikon D750. f10 1/500sec 7200ISO 175mm
Las Americas - Tenerife
It had been a bad day for me. ME/Long Covid was still bringing me down, and I’d spent all day in the Hotel. At sunset, I walked across the road to the beach and took some pictures with my new, more portable camera, the Nikon Zfc.
I had taken a few of this family walking towards me, but this shot, my last image, was the best. Yes, I could have had them closer to the camera, but I try hard to avoid taking pictures of children. I even showed this to the parents to be sure they were happy with it, which they were.
The f-stop seems wrong. F11 may have been a better choice for focus throughout. The camera focus peaking assured me it was getting everything in focus, so I trusted it and carried on. A smaller f stop (f8 to f11) would have meant a higher ISO and possible graininess or a slower shutter with the risk of motion blur. I am happy that the camera managed what it did with those settings.
I also had grad grey filters on the camera to stop the sky from blowing out.
Nikon Zfc. f4.5 1/500sec 200ISO 16mm
Glen Coe
I took this while on a walk to the Ralston Monument. The views are spectacular. I stopped here to get one of my favourite shots of all time. I could not have placed these two walkers in a better position if I had tried! I could not believe my luck that one would point towards the three sisters just as I wanted to take the image. In my opinion, the composition is perfect. So many lines lead directly to these walkers, and the outstretched arm takes your eye back to the Three sisters. The hills on either side balance each other off, right down the valley. Their slopes led us to the walkers again and again. The only thing that would have made the image perfect would have been a shaft of sunlight on the pair and a shadowed area behind.
Nikon D850. f11 1/125sec 100ISO 24mm
Glen Coe
This is an 8-shot pano. Relatively large file size that I had to reduce by 75%. As a result, even here, it is a little soft compared to how I see it on my screen before uploading.
I took a walk to the Ralston Monument. A place I had wanted to visit for a very long time. The view is spectacular. I walked up to the outcrop above the monument and took this image.
Nikon D850. f7.1 1/400sec 100ISO 24mm x 8 images blended in Lightroom.
Fire and Ice
This is an additional image to the one shown in the Vlog section. Light painting with wire wool, but despite the pitch dark in this image, I have managed to bring up the Ochil hills 10km away, dappled in snow and Ice.
30Sec, f10 and an ISO of 125. Nikon D850
Old Observatory. Edinburgh
King Charles I
Not my usual type of Image, but I met this nice chap portraying King Charles I at Dunfermline Abbey on the King’s 421st Birthday. The real king was born in the abbey, in a room that would have been behind the windows that we see in the picture.
Glen Affric
An addition to the image in the “YouTube” gallery. Before the snow came, we had rain and low cloud. I quite liked the moody look.
Location image taken:-
57°15'59.1"N 4°59'15.6"W
57.266414, -4.987652
What3Words. ///jets.lightbulb.letter
Oct 2021
Lochan and boat house
I took just a few images and offer two just now. This is the Landscape version I liked the most. To follow is the Portrait orientation version. I don’t know the name but the location is : 56°33'55.0"N 3°57'10.4"W. 56.565268, -3.952888
As Above, Location as Above. Date 28 Aug 21
Fungi