CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

2013 has been a year of Highs and Lows but with more high points making it a good year.  In the past 12 months we visited for the first time the Austrian Styrian Alps, Vienna, Budapest, Austin in Texas, Imola in Italy, Toulon in France, Tokyo and Suzuka in Japan.  We also revisited Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Fuji in Japan, Shanghai in China, Bahrain and Le Mans, Paris and Le Castellet in France.   In addition to this travelling in Europe, Asia and the Americas we visited Northumberland in the north of England and the Isle of Mull in Scotland.  However the big change for 2013 was the relocation to Dunbar in East Lothian in August and the advantages that brings by living in the south of Scotland and its proximity to Edinburgh and the Highlands. We set the goal of posting something on this blog at least 365 times in 2013 and we achieved this on Christmas Day.  In 2014 the goal will be to provide more inspirational images and also give more information abou

As 2013 draws to a close we have been looking back at 12 months of travel and image making.  However 2013 will be the year that we finally made our dream happen by moving back to the coast after 23 years in rural Lincolnshire.  The East Lothian coast is one of the UK's almost secret gems as most visitors to Scotland head to Edinburgh or the wilds of the West Coast.   Winterfield gold course and Belhaven Bay, Dunbar, East Lothian So here is one final image from 2013 to remind us why we moved to this part of the world and also looking forward to discovering more of Scotland in 2014 and beyond. Image taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1, Fujinon 60mm f2.4R, 1/74 @ f13 ISO200   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support t

As we are still in December as I write the 12th installment of the 2013 MacLean Photographic Blog review it is a little difficult to choose a favourite.  However Fujifilm Japan chose this shot to feature on their Facebook page on Christmas Eve so who am I to argue with the manufacturers of my favourite camera? This shot was taken while walking back up the Champs Elysee in Paris towards the Arc de Triomphe on the Fuji X-Pro1 and the Fujinon 35mm f1.4 lens. CLICK HERE to see the December 2013 Archive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE P

November saw trips to China and Bahrain as well as further trips locally in East Lothian and Edinburgh. I've selected this shot of the main straight at the Shanghai International Circuit in China.  Using the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and the Fujinon 14mm f2.8R I selected a low viewpoint and an aperture of f16 to increase the depth of field so the image was sharp from front to back.  The low sun partially hidden in the haze surrounding the circuit adds to the atmosphere in the shot. We also had the opportunity to test two on Fuji's newest lenses and also bought an adapter to fit Nikon lenses to the X-Pro1.  CLICK HERE to see the November 2013 archive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - than

October 2013 was dominated by a 10 day trip to Japan for the Formula One race at Suzuka and Round 6 of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Motor Speedway.  This enabled me to climb Mount Fuji and spend some time in Tokyo to see and photograph some of the sights. This shot of Mount Fuji with a snow cap was one of the first shots I took on my newly acquired Fuji X-Pro1 and I decided this was a good omen. However it wasn't a good omen for the race, which was curtailed due to heavy rain. Returning to Scotland and I soon got out and about with the X-Pro1 to capture some autumnal images for the MacLean Photographic portfolio. CLICK HERE to see the October 2013 archive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps

September was another busy month for travel. Arriving back in the UK from Brazil at the start of the month we were soon off again to Budapest in Hungary, Austin in Texas and Le Castellet on the Cote d'Azure in France. Staying in the centre of Budapest enabled me to take an evening walk out to the Danube with the X100 and a tripod to get a long exposure shot of the traffic crossing the Liberty Bridge.  This is my favourite shot from September. Also in September, when I was at home, I spent some more time exploring our new home in East Lothian; finding more and more photographic opportunities at every turn.  Also there was one last trip to Grantham to clear the old house before it was finally sold. CLICK HERE to see the September 2013 archive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert

Yesterday we went for a walk on the beach at Belhaven Bay, which is just a few minutes from our new house in Dunbar.  The idea was to blow away some of the Christmas Day cobwebs and the high winds certainly did that.  Once again we got to witness the sand being blown across the beach and with the low sun providing some unusual light I was able to capture some images and video on the X-Pro1 and 18mm f2 lens Image and video taken / recorded on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon 18mm f2 lens ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY O

August was a busy month as we moved north of the border for the first time since 1990.  The relocation to Dunbar in East Lothian has opened up a wealth of photographic opportunities in the local area, in Edinburgh, which is just 40 minutes away and the Highlands and just over the border in Northumberland. Dramatic weather has been the trademark of the first four months of our stay in Dunbar and this image taken on Doon Hill a few days after we moved into our rented accommodation at Innerwick proved to be my favourite of the many pictures I took in August.  The shot was taken just a storm approached from the south using the Nikon D800 and Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 lens. In August we continued our review of the X100S with back to back tests against the the X100 and a test of the video capability of the Nikon D800.   We also travelled to Sao Paulo in Brazil for the first of five long haul FIA World Endurance Championship races.  CLICK HERE to see the August 2013 archive

A very Merry Christmas to all our readers.  We hope Santa has been kind to you all this year and has left you lots of photographic goodies under the Christmas Tree.    Besides being Christmas Day, today is the 365th blog of 2013 and so we've reached our target of an average of one blog per day this year six days early.  There will be six more posts rounding off our review of the year.  Thanks to everyone who has visited and read the MacLean Photographic blog and in 2014 we will have more of the same, with some extra bits and pieces.  What this will be we can't say yet, but if you keep checking back you're sure to find out. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon XF35mm f1.4 lens   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but w

July was a busy month that saw trips to Austria, Denmark and Scotland as we prepared for our relocation the following month to Dunbar. The third round of the European Le Mans Series took place at the Red Bull Ring in the Styrian Alps.  In the centre of the track is a statue of a bull leaping through a ring.  The sculpture is made of rusted iron and the horns are made of gold.  The second evening at the event saw a beautiful sunset and I walked over to the statue to capture this image on the X100. After the event I spent a couple of hours in Vienna before heading to the airport to catch my flight home. A short trip was made to Odense via Copenhagen to attend the funeral of Allan Simonsen.  Denmark is a country I've always wanted to visit and I intend to return at some point in happier circumstances. CLICK HERE to see the July 2013 Archive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEAS

June was the month I travelled to Le Mans for the world famous 24 Hour race, the biggest event on the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar.  I had the opportunity to spend a day travelling north of the city.  This is an image taken from the bridge over the River Sarthe of the old town of Beaumont sur Sarthe. The first few posts in the early part of June was taken up with images from our trip to the Isle of Mull.  The later part of the month saw the first review of the three month test of the Fujifilm X100S. June also marked the passing of Allan Simonsen, the Danish driver lost his life in a crash in the early stages of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  I was fortunate to count Allan as a friend and I was proud to have known him.  This was the last shot I took as I left the grid before the start of the race.  RIP Allan, you wont be forgotten. CLICK HERE to see the June 2013 Archive -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May saw me travel to Belgium for the FIA WEC at one of my favourite circuits in the world,  Spa-Francorchamps, and my first trip to Imola for the European Le Mans Series which was also a personal journey to the site of Ayrton Senna's crash in 1994 and the memorial to my racing hero on the inside of Tamburello Curve. However the highlight of the month was our annual trip to the Isle of Mull in Scotland which saw one of my ambitions ticked off when we saw wild White Tailed Sea Eagles on my birthday.  However my favourite image from the month of May was this shot of the waterfall on the trip up to the ridge below Ben More, the highest mountain on the Isle of Mull. The image was taken on the Nikon D800 and 17-35mm f2.8 lens.  The 30 second exposure was acheived by using a Lee 10x Big Stopper ND filter and a tripod. CLICK HERE to see the May 2013 archive ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P

To say the past ten days have been hectic would be an understatement.  The normal manic build up to Christmas has been compounded by our decision to purchase a new house in Dunbar and move in so we can spend the festive period in our own home rather than in rented accommodation.   After a week of driving a truck from England to Scotland an back again, moving furniture from two locations and humping box after box (as well as concluding the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season), yesterday I felt the need to go for a short walk with the Nikon D800 near to our new abode in Dunbar. The Clubhouse at Winterfield Golf Club I haven't picked up the D800 since I returned from Japan in October mainly due to the fact that I have the Fujifilm X-Pro1 system to use now and the bulky Nikon has not been the camera of choice for my work of late.  But I needed to remind myself that while the DSLR system is a more considered choice it is still one of the best pro cameras on the mar

April was the start of the racing season with the first FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series event at Silverstone.  However I have chosen as my favourite shot from April this image of the roof in the departures hall at Kings Cross train station in London.  I was on my way back from Le Mans after meetings and was waiting for my train back to Grantham when I spotted this shot. Luckily I had the Fuji X100 in my bag and a duly got the image. CLICK HERE to see the April 2013 archive   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE

March saw more snow in Lincolnshire so there was plenty of opportunities to get some interesting snowy landscapes.  This shot was taken from Somerby Hill just after a snow storm had passed over Grantham.  The sun started to peep from behind the snow clouds giving this surreal scene that last about 30 seconds. Also in March we had three trips to London to organise the launch of the FIA World Endurance Championship's first event at Silverstone.  This involved a display of cars at Potters Field next to Tower Bridge and a press conference at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall. There was also the first overseas trip of the FIA WEC season with the official test at Le Castellet in the South of France. CLICK HERE  to see the March 2013 archive   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an adv

The shortest month of the year saw us visiting Paris, Northumberland, East Lothian and the Peak District. The weather was decidedly wintry with more snow covering the ground in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire providing some dramatic landscapes.   We also added a Nikon D800 to the MacLean Photographic line up and the 36 megapixel camera provides us with a great working tool for landscapes.  We also unveiled the new MacLean Photographic logo, a much simpler and cleaner image for the company.  The shot I've chosen for this month's review is the scene from Curbar Edge in the Peak District.  Using the D800, Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 lens and a Lee ND Grad filter I captured this image as the light rapidly changed across the landscape.  The wind was really blowing and the clouds were moving quickly but the result was one of the most amazing natural light shows I have every seen and this image captures what I witnessed perfectly. CLICK HERE to see the February 2013 archive   -

2013 was an excellent year for photography and this blog has been a diary of the places we've been this year. Over the next 12 days we will revisit some of the best moments and share our favourite image from each month. January saw the first snowfall of the winter in Grantham, which stayed on the ground for a few days enabling us to get some fantastic snowy landscapes.  This shot was taken in the Paddock between St Catherine's Road and Avenue Road. Also in January we had our first trip of the year to Le Mans and spent a productive hour in St Pancras station shooting the bronze statues on the concourse. We also reviewed the first three months of owning the Fujifilm X100. CLICK HERE to go to the January 2013 Archive   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we g

A beautiful day in East Lothian and the red sails of an old fishing boat working its way East along the coast from Dunbar are seen on the horizon near to the Barns Ness lighthouse. Image taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 - Fujinon XF60mm f2.4R macro - 1/300 @ f8 - ISO200

Since we moved to Dunbar in August White Sands beach has become one of our favourite places to go for a stroll on the sand and take pictures. I decided to try a different technique where I used a slowish shutter speed and moved the camera during the exposure to create a little movement in the landscape. This shot was taken on the Fujinon XF14mm f2.8R using a shutter speed of 1/30s and an aperture of f16 (ISO200).  The result is a bit of movement but enough of the image is still sharp.  A Bleach Bypass filter was applied in Color Efex during post processing to give it more of a wintery feel.   What do you think?   Image taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon XF14mm f2.8R lens   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this h