The temple of Saturn

Not much remains of the temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, except these 8 pillars and the pediment which reads:

Senatus Populusque Romaus, incendio consumptum restituit

Or translated as “The senate and people of Rome, restored (this temple that was) destroyed by fire”.

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Old and New

Cambridge is an old city and both co-exist in reasonable harmony. Walk down the old streets around the colleges and you will come upon signs of modernity in an older setting. This photograph is from Queen’s Lane in Cambridge with Queens’ College (1448 AD) on the left, St. Catharine’s College (1473 AD) on the right and the Webb’s building (Part of King’s College)(1441AD).

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Shot as 3-shot bracketed exposures with a Nikon D750. Processed in Photomatix Pro and Color Efex Pro.

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.

Machrie Moor Standing Stones

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.

Machrie Moor Stone Circle 4

Machrie Moor Stone Circle 1

Machrie Mooe Stone Circle 1

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:

Wikipedia

St. Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge

On a warm winters day (as have most days been in the UK this December). Shot from the Tate Modern Gallery end of the Millennium Bridge.

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See more viewing options on Flickr (https://flic.kr/p/CB1R7L)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The V1 flying bomb

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German V1 flying bomb

The Imperial War Museum in Duxford has a fantastically preserved German V1 flying bomb dating back to 1944-1945. The V1 is one of the earliest weapons to use a pulsejet engine. With an effective range of 160 miles over 9000 of these were launched at the United Kingdom between June and October 1944 till their launch sites were overrun by Allied advances.

The above photo is a composite of 3 shots bracketed at -2, 0 and 2 eV and merged in Photomatix Pro.

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIB

The Hawker Hurricane was the workhorse fighter plane in the Battle of Britain. This particular plane on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England was recovered from a crash site in Russia in 1941.

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIB

The Hurricane the first single-seat 8-gun monoplane fighter that entered service in 1937. In 1940, Hurricanes shot down more enemy aircraft that all the other defences combined. Source: IWM, Duxford.