Shoes on The Danube

                     

I recently went on a long weekend to Budapest with family - the city is amazing - beautiful bridges, architecture and views from the citadel. It also has a war memorial called Shoes on The Danube which is a very thought-provoking thing to visit.  Sculptors have created a moving memorial to Holocaust atrocities in front of the stunning Parliament building on the banks of the river. From 1944-45 Hungarian Jews were rounded up and forced to stand, naked, facing the river where they were shot at close range by firing squad. They fell in the river to be washed away. What you see are 60 pairs of shoes made of cast iron. The different sizes and styles illustrate that nobody was spared - there are shoes of women, children, businessmen, sportsmen and  so on. Take a moment today to think about how lucky we are and appreciate the things that you might take for granted. 

Wild West Coast

Went on our 'summer' holidays in October and thoroughly enjoyed the wet and wind if the west coast to blow the cobwebs away. I love autumn - the colours are amazing and nature is beautiful.

Flowers in the sunshine for a cloudy dull flowerless winter day. Can't wait for the signs of Spring and the flowers to brighten up the gardens! 

Practicing close ups on the beach at Port Rush, Northern Ireland just as the sun was about to set. The top picture is one of my favourites that I've taken to date.

View from Calton Hill, Edinburgh. August 2014. Really pleased with the light that night. Taken as a commission for my brother for a friend who was leaving the city. Anyone interested in one - let me know!

Getting back in to the swing of it

After a busy time over the last wee while, moving house, making career changes I picked up my good friend and went for a long walk around Torduff Reservoir, despite the photography being a bit rusty, I really enjoyed being in the fresh air and peace and quiet. So here is the first of hopefully many more posts this spring and summer! 

Paris

 

Spent a wonderful few days in Paris earlier this month where we went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame and up the Eiffel Tower. The bottom picture of the tower is through my fish eye lens which is great for capturing tall structures. The inside of Notre Dame is beautiful and so peaceful - hopefully an atmosphere which is reflected in the other two pictures.

Back from Holidays - The Best of the West

Having spent a week in Gairloch, on the west coast, it is lovely to know and be reassured of the beauty we can find right on our doorstep, especially when the sun is shining.

Experiments with technique

 

I recently got a set of filters for my birthday and this is the first time I've tried them out. This picture turned out the best using an ultra violet filter at Cramond gives the pitcure a vintage feel whilst keeping the colour of the sea and the grass. Can't wait to try them out again soon!

 

It was a windy day even in the rocks so I had to time it right and have a very steady hand due to not havng my tripod with me and I think it turned out really well - lots of different shades but only two colours.

 

Another experiment with perpectives and adding depth to a picture by changing the position and angle at which it gets taken.

 

A couple of sunset pictures. The top one from my living room window in Edinburgh and the other from my parents house over looking the Pentland Hills in Juniper Green.

Today I have mostly been taking picture of the beautiful Cherry blossoms in the sunshine in the gardens on Princes Street. I was desperate to catch a sunny day before all the blossoms disappeared and caught a break today. My favourite picture that I've taken recently is the top one with the railings and the passerby.

Enjoyed a day off in the sunshine today and had a wander round the town - up Calton Hill and around the Botanic Gardens. The colours really stan out in the sun. Really hope the squirrel remembers where to find his dinner come winter time!

 

 

Spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh admiring the signs that say Spring has sprung - the snowdrops and the squirrels are out and looking beautiful. 

I recently bough t a speedlight for the top of my camera and theresults are fantastic! I'm hoping to do some product photography soon and these are just some of the pratice shots using the seepdlight - hopefully they'll get a bit better but I'm liking the initial results and enjoying practicing.

Yesterday I was out and about playing with a new fish-eye lense - the light wasn't great so I didn't get much of great quality but I like this one of the Castle and fountain in Princes Street Gardens. I like the 3D effect of a fish eye lense and look forward to playing with it on a sunny day!!

We went for a walk along the beach at Cramond today and managed to blow away some cobwebs and enjoy the fresh air while at the same time having some fun trying out a new macro lense.

Edinburgh Castle on a crisp December afternoon. I love the silhouette the light creates and the cloud pattern gives the picture more depth.

Lucky Pennies at Clifford's Tower in York

Two pictures from a trip to York in July. The coins are at Clifford's Tower and the wee bird was quite happy to stand and pose for a picture.

Baaaaaaack!!

 

At the bottom of at statue in Verona

Saint Mark's Basillica in Venice

Parthenon in Rome

Venice

Roman Forum

Cast of a body found at Pompeii

Padlocks on the gates of Juliet's House in Verona

After a wee hiatus due to the small matter of getting married I'm back up and running! Here are a few pictures that I took in Italy while we were there on honeymoon. It's a beautiful country - can't wait to back. We visited Venice, Verona Rome and Pompeii so here are some pictures from each location. Hope you enjoy! =) All of the places we visited are fascinating. I particularly liked seeing the thousands of padlocks at Juliet's House in Verona and in contrast the bodies at Pompeii are really quite eery but captivating.