I’ve always been fascinated by Bass Rock, a 320‑million‑year‑old volcanic plug of hard phonolite that rises abruptly from the sea only a few miles off the East Lothian coast. As a child, I remember my Dad taking us along the winding coast road through Port Seton, Longniddry, Aberlady and Gullane, sometimes all the way to […]
Bass Rock Photographic Trip July 2026 Read More »
Ever taken a photo you’re pleased with, only to spend longer than you’d like wondering, “what shape should this actually be?” Same here. Lately, cropping and aspect ratios have taken over my editing brain… Cropping simply means removing parts of the photo you don’t need. Aspect ratio simply means the shape of the photo, it
Thinking Inside the Box – the Square Photo Read More »
This post is a little different from my usual photography content. After years of battling an ageing HP workstation that wheezed under the weight of my projects, I finally decided it was time for an upgrade. Instead of taking the easy route and buying a pre-built system, I jumped headfirst into the challenge of building
Zen and the Art of Computer Building Read More »
The second part of my Calton Hill posts focuses on the hill’s lower slopes. While many people associate Calton Hill with its uppermost part where the National Monument sits, it actually begins further down, encompassing Old Calton Burial Ground and St. Andrew’s House. Old Calton Burial Ground and Waterloo Place The burial ground is situated
Calton Hill Part 2 Read More »
Calton Hill, like Arthur’s Seat, or Castle Hill, has always just ‘been there’ through my life, almost taken for granted. I don’t recall the first time I climbed the hill, it was probably when I was quite young. I’ve recently been re-discovering its attractions and reading about its eventful past. You sense this history as
Calton Hill Part 1 Read More »
This post was originally going to be about Calton Hill, which I started in September last year. Life, however, has a way of throwing up unpredictable events . My father, Dad, became ill in November 2023, and never completely recovered. I don’t intend to write a detailed life story, nor attempt to capture every aspect
Angus Nicolson Bathgate, 1939-2024 Read More »
I’ve lived most of my life in Edinburgh, but I’ve only once visited this hill. For that reason, I decided to do a bit of research on the area, and get my walking boots on. This post is the result. Background and Location Located 2 miles south of Edinburgh city centre, Blackford Hill rises to
Blackford Hill and the Royal Observatory Read More »
In this post, I’ll venture further outside the city centre to explore some of Glasgow’s murals that grace buildings and gable ends away from the busy heart of the city. Similar to the artworks in the city centre, new works are constantly springing up, while others are disappearing. Consequently, I’m aware that this post could
Glasgow Murals Part 3 Read More »
Or, to be more precise: ‘What is photo metadata?’ While looking through some drone photos recently, I noticed just how much information the drone records about each image. There’s lots (and I mean lots) of it, some of it useful and some of it obscure. This is one of the photos I was looking at,
Part 1 of my personal guide to some of Glasgow’s murals covered mainly the East of the Merchant City area, for no other reason than it seemed like a good way to divide them up at the time. This second part covers the area to the West. I’ve included some indication of each mural’s location
Glasgow Murals Part 2 Read More »
