Alan Cameron Images

Favourite Photo Accessory?

2011-04-13T22:04:00.000+01:00

I'm often asked what equipment I use when out & about shooting landscapes, & top of my list is a good pair of Wellington boots! After that it doesn't matter if it's a Canon , Nikon or Leica..... especially if you photograph in Scotland! I love photographing close to the waters edge, & in this example on the left was no exception.
Taken at Dunure, Ayrshire, this site is normally busy with day trippers & picnickers, but luckily I was there out of the peak tourist season & had the shore all to myself.

....Alan

Chasing Clouds?

2011-04-06T18:55:00.002+01:00

While playing around in Lightroom with my images from Arran, I thought I'd have a try of the slideshow module, & this was the result.

...Alan

Chasing Light

2011-04-03T15:13:00.001+01:00

I'm just back from the Isle of Arran, off the West Coast of Scotland. To say that the weather was challenging for photography would be an understatement! … But like all good things, a little extra effort can reap rewards. The challenge was to be at a predetermined location, when weather, lighting & tides would come together for an image worth capturing.

…Alan

Anticipating Changing Light

2010-12-11T18:26:00.003Z

In late October this year, my fellow camera club member Neil MacGregor & I embarked on a long weekend photo outing based in Glencoe. Our hope was for splendid autumn colours usually due at this time of year, but due to the strange weather patterns this year autumn was late! Undeterred we looked forward to our little expedition. To add to our woes, the weather forecast was not promising, with more or less constant rain & high wind forecast. In the lead up to this weekend, I had been whetting my appetite for this photo fest by pouring over books by my favourite photographers, David Ward, Joe Cornish & Charlie Waite, & one of the observations that I took from their pictures, which gave me hope for the coming weekend, & that was many of their successful pictures were taken just as the weather turns. With this in mind we concentrated of the weather forecasts & used the great photo tool "the photographers ephemeris" to anticipate the best locations to setup our cameras.
The picture featured here was taken late in day on the shores of Loch Leven looking towards the Pap of Glencoe. I had consulted "the photographers ephemeris " to pre-visualise the scene for the placement of the late evening light, hoping the setting sun would shine along the length of loch & illuminate the Pap with warm light. As you can see despite the planning, nature had a plan B, just as the sun went down, a bank of cloud to our west, blocked the sunlight reaching the mountain, instead it lit up the heavens above in a glorious pink & golden hue.
So the next time you look out the window & mulling over whether to go brave the elements or not with your camera, remember the best light is not only at sunrise or sunset, but also during the transition between good / bad or visa versa weather, & hone your skills at anticipating the moment & location for that wonder shot.

….Alan

Light at the end of the tunnel.

2010-08-11T10:49:00.001+01:00

I haven't picked up my camera, to shoot in earnest for the last few months, since my father past away after a long illness & then a subsequent vacation. In an attempt to motivate myself I was trawling though past images, when I came across this one taken at Loch Tulla in the early autumn. The circumstances where that after a long & rather fruitless photo outing, due to the weather, I could see that there was the possibility that the sun may peek out under the cloud, as it lowers into the west. I new that there would be few obstructions to the sun at this location as the sun sets, with an open expanse of loch, to the left of the shot, I knew if I was correct, I may be in luck.

It was not until after reviewing this shot I realised the similarity of the situation I now find myself in. But clearly there is light at the end of the tunnel.

....Alan

Eilean Donan Castle

2010-06-03T17:36:00.004+01:00

One of the ironies of photographing landscapes in Scotland, is that, yes it is very photogenic, with “at times” wonderful light, but it is a comparatively small country. So it can be difficult to find a scene or area that has not been captured before. When presented with a subject, photographed numerous times before, by photographers more capable than I. That is were I find the challenge exciting. Trying to find another angle, foreground, background or lighting effect.
Here for example is Eilean Donan Castle, taken on route to Skye, the weather was foul on the journey north from Glasgow. Our party of club photographers decided to take a break at the castle car park. The scene was set, the weather was at best poor, building contractors had descended on the castle approach bridge, suitably attired in their gaudy florescent jackets & helmets, scaffolding erected at various ramparts & parapets & oh!.... the tide was out! But I love a challenge. To date all the pictures I have seen of this castle seemed to be taken from a distance, with the dramatic hills made to look larger by the foreshortening effect of long telephoto lenses, or illuminated by artificial spot lights. Yes all very dramatic, but I wanted something different.
So by using the overcast lighting to emphasize the rock, moss & seaweed on the shore, I found that I had quite a different perspective on the subject, with the gloomy weather conditions adding to the atmosphere. I hope you will agree.

....Alan

Kirkintilloch Camera Club

2010-06-02T19:01:00.003+01:00

Kirkintilloch Camera Club

My local Camera & Photography club, has a new website
The club has meetings at 34-36 Eastside, Kirkintilloch on Monday evenings.
New syllabus starts after the summer break, September.

...Alan

The Old Beech Tree

2010-05-23T18:38:00.008+01:00

For many years now, at this time of the year, I have returned to view & photograph the spectacle of the bluebells flowering in Mugdock woods, near my home. This year, due to the unusually long & cold winter the bloom is later than in previous years.
(one of the benefits of digital images, is there ability to not only capture the image but also details such as date & time, which is a great reminder for future reference if you intend to try & re-visit or recapture a seasonal event. )

This year two things struck me on my return visit, the first , that the amount of bluebells was significantly down, whether as a consequence of the unusually cold & snowy winter, or my timing, which was based on previous visits. I had scouted the location a week previous, but found that the scattering of blooms rather sparse, so I decided to leave it another week, which so happened to be an unseasonably warm spell! Prompted by the mini heat wave I returned to the woods, where the bluebells where perfectly formed, but a little thin on the ground. The second think that I noticed was that an old beech tree, where I had had photographed on numerous occasions before had collapsed, I was surprised at my own reaction, when I found the site of the broken & torn tree.

Why should the loss of a tree in a wood of many trees cause such a reaction? I think it comes down to my memory of my first visit to this location in the wood, when I was engrossed in capturing the magnificent show of bluebells, I had began to have an eerie feeling I was being watched. Looking around no one else seemed to be in the vicinity, so I carried on shooting away.
It was not until I had finished photographing the beech tree with it’s carpet of bluebells from every conceivable angle, that I stood up straight after peering into the viewfinder, & stepped back…… CRACK! …. I stepped onto a fallen branch, this was followed by a “TOO WIT TOO WOO!” There, directly above me was an owl, spookily I had been correct, I had been under observation!

Bluebells under the old Beech Tree.

I'm sure many photographers will have similar stories to tell, & this is what what makes photography special, not only the visual aspect, but the stories behind them. The picture itself maybe rather unremarkable but, to the photographer the story associated to it can add another dimension.

......Alan
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A new beginning.

2010-05-07T20:03:00.004+01:00

Well here I am, after deliberating for many months as to whether or not to start blogging!
So why start now?.... well I'll be honest I want to share with you the joy I get out of photography, whether it's taking or viewing images, I never get bored of the subject. Hoovering up photo books, & surfing the web for wonderful images.
So where to start, well I am never bored of the captivating images that can be found around us everyday & take pleasure in the pursuit of recording these images on film or digital media. I am blessed with luck in staying in one of the most photogenic countries in the world, Scotland, my land, spirit & love.
I was first introduced to "serious" photography when I borrowed my fathers old Agfa 35mm camera, which when I got hold of it, was already 20yrs old. When I had the transparencies developed, I was immediately hooked on photography, & have spent the last 30yrs or so since trying to capture that all elusive perfect picture. I hope you will join me in this ongoing journey through photography.

A little info about this picture, as it may look familiar to golf fans, it's Turnberry Lighthouse, Ayrshire Scotland. Standing in my welly boots on the rocks, with the tide comming in, trying to avoid spray on the lens & graduated filter, but I did not care, I was in my element. All the planning of being in the right place, at the right time, with the weather elements all comming together to make one of my favourite recent images.

...Alan