British summertime restarted my weekly evening photographic forays and this year I hope to visit new locations that have been on my radar for a while as well as some "old haunts"; after projects on the Water of Leith and Forth estuary, it is hard to walk away from locations one knows so well but also challenging to find new images that haven't already ben taken.
Barns Ness lighthouse in East Lothian was a new location to photograph. I had seen it on many occasions - and even checked the area out - but never managed to spend camera-time there. Some late evening sun provided atmosphere and softness to the images and I enjoyed watching roe deer grazing in the twilight on the way home. Meanwhile on another evening I enjoyed a muted sunset image down the Firth of Forth towards the lighthouse on Fidra from North Berwick (see image).
The Stirlingshire hills are less than an hour from where I live and is an area that I am keen to explore. After an introduction last year, I discovered some lovely viewpoints to exploit and can see myself frequently returning.
Another evening I called in at Longniddry Bents on the Forth estuary. The day had been sunny and I hoped for an inspiring sunset but it never materialised as a cloud bank rolled in. Nevertheless the sea was mill pond calm and the scene one of peace and tranquility; I posted an image on Facebook.
The combination of warmth and dampness during spring has produced an abundance of wild flowers. The woodland floors, road verges and hedgerows have been so colourful with bluebells, campion, primroses, stitchworts and hawthorn brightening up the countryside. Spring is such an amazing time of year and can uplift the spirits; whatever human tragedies and frustrations may currently abound, nature is always there to restore our equilibrium.
A highlight of last month was a visit to Beamish museum in County Durham. This open-air visitor attraction has reconstructed a high street from the 1900's, a colliery village from the same era, farms from the Second World War and the Georgian era and two short steam railways. One moved between sites by vintage bus or tram and was very interactive with knowledgable volunteers in costume describing life in the respective eras. Along the 1900's high street, I drank cider in the tavern, ate traditionally made sausage rolls from the bakery and sampled warm cake fresh from the range in the home farm cottage! I only took a small compact camera with me but the photographic opportunities were enormous and am currently considering how to reproduce the images I took to lend an authentic feel to them. We spent two days there to do the museum justice and am so full of praise for it; I would urge folk to visit. The perfect gift perhaps...?