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).
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.
Technical Details
Nikon D750, Nikon 28-300mm lens, 3-shot bracketed HDR processed in Photomatix Pro.
The Machrie Moor stone circles are a collection of 6 stone circles that date back to the neolithic and bronze age in the island of Arran in Scotland. A short walk (1 mile) through a footpath through a working farm gets you to the moor where these stone circles can be found. The photos below are of Machrie Moor stone circle 1, which is formed of 6 granite boulders and alternating 4 sandstone slabs.
The scenery around the moor is breathtaking and it was one of the high points of my visit to Arran.
Technical Details:
Shot with a Nikon D750 with a 28-300 Nikon Lens. All photographs are from 3-bracketed exposures and processed in Photomatix Pro.
Further Information:
There is this standing stone in the Cashel Forest in Scotland with the words “and tomorrow the sun will shine again” referencing the songs by Richard Strauss and John Henry Mackay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgen!?wprov=sfti1).
Technical Details
Nikon D750, Nikon 28-300mm lens, 28mm, f/4,5, ISO200, 1/640.
A fire like glow on this deep yellow and orange dahlia photographed at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.
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.
Here is another close-up of the McWay Falls, this time in HDR.
Flowers are beautiful even in death. As the petals fade and die, they take on a beauty of their own.
Focus stacking of 8 photos. Nikon D7000 105mm f/2.8 Sigma macro lens
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.
Nikon D7000 105mm, f/2.8 Sigma Macro Lens 1/1000, f/4.5 ISO100
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step – Lao Tzu
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? 🙂
Juridicious 