Canada geese on Dundas Loch
February 2026 - The Big Freeze
January seemed a wet month around Edinburgh but with a “big freeze” squeezed into the middle. I’m not sure what impact it had on the winter flowers as I haven’t yet seen any aconites in bloom and the snowdrops seem less voluminous than last year. That said, daffodil shoots have been emerging since December!
I had a memorable visit to the Water of Leith during the days of continuous frost. Such conditions only occur every few years. One of the weirs had become substantially iced-up and appeared like something out of a lunar landscape. The shades and tones of white and grey within the ice were varied and remarkable. My fingers soon became numb as the valley saw no sunlight and remained a frost-trap. There is so much to photograph in such conditions - icicles dangling against a backdrop of moving river, channels of water flowing between ice sheets, leaves frozen into the ice; it all made for some interesting abstract pictures.
At the same time, Dundas Loch remained frozen for over a week and the wildfowl gathered around a single hole in the ice. It would reduce in size overnight as it began to freeze over again but widen in the morning as the geese, ducks and swans dived back onto the water once more. Some birds were left with a long walk up the ice to the water hole which made for some atmospheric images but when the surface of the ice began to melt, the reflections were beautiful and made the wildfowl look as if they were walking on water!
Another visit to the Water of Leith allowed me to add images to my “Winter’s Toll” project depicting dead foliage against a backdrop of the river. The dead plant provides an anchor to the picture but it is really all about the light, colour and form of the background. The project remains on-going.
I had a warm welcome and enjoyable evening at Falkirk Camera Club last month. I judged a couple of their competitions - one of nature subjects, the other of images taken with a smartphone. The standard was incredibly high in both competitions but I was amazed at the quality of photography achievable with a mobile phone these days. I loved the variety and spontaneity of some of the shots which were perhaps only possible due to the immediate accessibility of a phone-camera. This was the first time they had run a smartphone competition and I’m sure they will repeat it again.
But with snowdrops now calling, it’s time to get to work…
February 2026 - The Big Freeze
January seemed a wet month around Edinburgh but with a “big freeze” squeezed into the middle. I’m not sure what impact it had on the winter flowers as I haven’t yet seen any aconites in bloom and the snowdrops seem less voluminous than last year. That said, daffodil shoots have been emerging since December!
I had a memorable visit to the Water of Leith during the days of continuous frost. Such conditions only occur every few years. One of the weirs had become substantially iced-up and appeared like something out of a lunar landscape. The shades and tones of white and grey within the ice were varied and remarkable. My fingers soon became numb as the valley saw no sunlight and remained a frost-trap. There is so much to photograph in such conditions - icicles dangling against a backdrop of moving river, channels of water flowing between ice sheets, leaves frozen into the ice; it all made for some interesting abstract pictures.
At the same time, Dundas Loch remained frozen for over a week and the wildfowl gathered around a single hole in the ice. It would reduce in size overnight as it began to freeze over again but widen in the morning as the geese, ducks and swans dived back onto the water once more. Some birds were left with a long walk up the ice to the water hole which made for some atmospheric images but when the surface of the ice began to melt, the reflections were beautiful and made the wildfowl look as if they were walking on water!
Another visit to the Water of Leith allowed me to add images to my “Winter’s Toll” project depicting dead foliage against a backdrop of the river. The dead plant provides an anchor to the picture but it is really all about the light, colour and form of the background. The project remains on-going.
I had a warm welcome and enjoyable evening at Falkirk Camera Club last month. I judged a couple of their competitions - one of nature subjects, the other of images taken with a smartphone. The standard was incredibly high in both competitions but I was amazed at the quality of photography achievable with a mobile phone these days. I loved the variety and spontaneity of some of the shots which were perhaps only possible due to the immediate accessibility of a phone-camera. This was the first time they had run a smartphone competition and I’m sure they will repeat it again.
But with snowdrops now calling, it’s time to get to work…
