Isle of Arran

Off the west coast of Scotland Arran, in the Firth of Clyde is Scotlands 6th largest island. Accessible by a regular ferry service from Saltcoats, the island is divided into highland and lowland areas and has been described as a “geologist’s paradise” (Source: Wikipedia).

 

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Click on the picture for more viewing options on Flickr

 

The Doon, Arran

Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh largest in Scotland. The King’s Caves are a series of natural caves on the western shores of Arran and are associated with Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Legend has it that he took refuge in these caves while on the run and had his famous encounter with the spider. For more on this legend see here.

The following photograph was taken on a hike to the King’s caves and shows the Doon in the distance. The Doon is a geological formation known as sill – which is formed when magma extrudes through older rocks and solidifies. The Doon seen in this picture is formed of sheer vertical columns of rock.

View of the Doon, Arran
View of the Doon and the western shore of Arran (Click here to see a larger version on Flickr)

Technical Details

Nikon D750, Nikon 28-300mm lens, 3-shot bracketed HDR processed in Photomatix Pro.

McWay Falls, Big Sur

I happened to be in California the last two weeks on work related business. Over the weekend my cousin drove me down the scenic pacific coast on the scenic Route 101 from San Francisco to the Big Sur and back. Sadly the day was overcast but we managed to take in some pretty sights along the way, including the famous McWay Falls in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Sadly in the absence of a wide-angle lens, I had to resort to taking overlapping photos with my 50mm and then stitching them in Adobe Lightroom.

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Composite of 5 stiched photos. See in large size on Flickr by clicking on the photo!

Here is another close-up of the McWay Falls, this time in HDR.

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See in large size on Flickr by clicking on the photo above.

Camelia sp.

I believe this is a flower and bud from the ericaceous soil loving Camelia or a related genus like Rhododendron or Azalea. This photo was shot at the mediterranean biome of the Eden Project in Cornwall.
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Nikon D7000
105mm, f/2.8 Sigma Macro Lens
1/1000, f/4.5
ISO100

Seeds and Spider

A new job has meant that I have not been able to devote as much time as I’d like towards photography and maintaining my blog. Nevertheless, I’m determined to make a new beginning starting with this post!

This was shot at the Eden Project in Cornwall earlier this year. See the photo in large size to appreciate the detail on the seed head. Also can you spot a tiny spider photobombing this composition? 🙂
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In multiples..

I was in Cornwall last week. This picture was taken at Kynance Cove in the Lizard Peninsula. It is a stitched panorama of 7 overlapping photographs while my son obliged by running across. Click on the photo and follow the link to see the photo in large size! Shot at low tide around 8:30PM.

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Kynance Cove (see larger image on Flickr)