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Catch up with me on Instagram and find out what I’m up to and where I’ve been. My account links to Facebook as well but I tend to interact more on Instagram.
My Top Nine from 2024.
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I covered a lot of ground over the course of the year, including visiting Harris and Lewis for the first time, which was so good that i went back again just a few weeks later.
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It was also good to meet other photographers along the way, either by chance or by prior arrangement.
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So, all that remains to say is Happy 2025 and thanks for the many kind comments throughout the year.
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#topnine #topnine2024 #scotland #landscapephotography
As we wrap up 2024, it's time to post my favourite image from the year. Taken at the end of November. And to think, I nearly drove past Kinlochard on my way back from Loch Chon, disappointed at the lack of mist, and just wanting to get home.
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These were probably the best conditions I've experienced so far in my landscape photography journey (which is six years, almost to the day). Certainly for morning conditions inland. In fact it is 6 years to the day since I placed an order with Wex for a full frame DSLR camera and set of lenses, after being inspired to take up the hobby after binge watching YouTube vlogs over the Christmas break.
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Hope you've had a relaxing Christmads break and best wishes for 2025 when it comes.
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Martin
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#visitscotland #hiddenscotland #outdoorphotomag #outandaboutscotland #elementsphotomag #scotland #thetrossachs
I've not been to this location for a wee while but I have it mind for a trip in the New Year.
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In these dull days between Christmas and New Year, I've been looking back on past images, and found this one, which I'm sure I've not posted previously.
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The shot was taken at about 5am, but I got there for 3am, judging by the timestamp of other photos that morning!!
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If you didn't know that Tantallon Castle was lurking in the background, you'd have had the surprise of your life if you happened to be looking in that direction, when a break in the haar fog came. The break last only a few minutes though. And, like I say, it was 5am, so I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who witnessed it.
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Anyhow thanks for looking and I hope everyone has had a decent rest.
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#landscapephotography #scotland #tantalloncastle #seacliff
Merry Christmas from me!
A dreamy scene to start the day, or rather, end the week.
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Taken last month at Loch Ard - the loch that keeps on giving when you get conditions like this.
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#scotland #landscapephotography
Probably one of my favourite local spots for a bit of astrophotography.
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For this shot, I tried two of the three main techniques that landscape astrophotographers typically use: (a) a single image, reducing noise as best as possible in post, and (2) taking. alonger exposure using a star tracker to keep down the ISO. I could have also taken a stack of high ISO images and reduced noise the traditional way through stacking. And I could have stacked and tracked.
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Tracking for this scene proved tricky, mostly because of the treeline intersecting the horizon on the right of the frame. It's also pretty much roadside, and a couple of attempts were ruined by passing car headlights directly into the lens. A tracked long-exposure also renders the star reflections in the water as streaks, so I would have had to have taken a short exposure for those at high ISO anyway, and blended them in again in post.
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Although I did use the star tracker, in hindsight I also don't think that tracking would have added much for this section of the milky way (it's the Cygnus region rather than the core, and I'd need a longer focal length to pull out interesting detail here). And with the quantity of horizon light pollution at play, fainter details will be washed out anyway.
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So on review, I've worked with a single frame with fairly conventional settings, just because for this particular scene, the result was better. As said, I did not go for a long exposure, even for the foreground, because of the passing traffic.
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That's not to say that I don't prefer to use a star tracker for milky way scenes, especially during core season, because you do capture more of the faint detail than through stacking alone, and it means you can stop down a lens from it's maximum aperture and keep the ISO low: factors which help to preserve star colour and other finer details.
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Anyhow, if you made it this far, well done! Hope you like the image. That's all that really counts!
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#astrophotography #nightscapephotography #scotland
Although it's not 'milky way core season' right now, the winter night sky is a thing of beauty in much of NW Scotland, where the lack of light pollution really helps to capture the finer details, incluidng star colour.
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So here we have the ruins of Duntulm Castle on the Isle of Skye, with the constellations of Orion and Gemini hanging overhead.
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For those with a technical interest, I used my star tracker for this one, so that I could keep the ISO relatively low whilst taking long exposures. I'd have liked to stop down to f/2.8 and take the ISO a stop lower really, but it was too windy to consider extending the exposure of the sky to 4 minutes.
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#isleofskye #astrophotography #landscapephotography #nightscape #scotland #alphashooters
A grey afternoon on the rocks. Taken in Boddam last month on a wee jaunt up to Aberdeenshire.
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#landscapephotography #scotland #lighthouses_around_the_world
A scene from last month where I was lucky to witness this beautiful scene unfolding in front of me at Loch Ard in The Trossachs.
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Have a good weekend.
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#scotland #landscapephotography #visitscotland
From a cold morning in Assynt back in March.
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I watched and admired the wispy, freezing mist as it blew gracefully across the snowy peak of Cul Mor. The image was taken from the reedy shoreline of Loch Cul Drommannan.
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#assynt #scotland #landscapephotography
Some images from a little trip to Loch Lomond last month, where the morning pastel blues, lilacs and pinks gave way to bright sunshine and a cool dip in the loch for the boys.
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Living near Falkirk, the east shores of Loch Lomond always looks fairly near to me on a map, yet always seems to take ages to get to, which probably explains why it's been almost two years since I was last there.
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#lochlomond #scotland #landscapephotography
Some dreamy morning light cast upon a misty Loch Ard in The Trossachs.
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#scotland #landscapephotography #lochard #thetrossachs
Waiting for the light that never came. Same expression as mine today as I sauntered about Glencoe, finally ending up at Loch Tulla.
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#glencoe #scotland #deer
A beautiful sunrise developing over Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland. For once I got the conditions I was hoping for at this location.
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It's also an environmental portrait because @scottjessimanphotography is also in the frame - can you spot him?
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#bamburghcastle #bamburgh #northumberland #castles_oftheworld #landscapephotography
Another trip to the Isle of Skye coming up.
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Loved this little scene last time I was there in Winter, on a day exploring the lesser visited Sleat peninsula. Taken as the sun was setting, giving the cold day a hint of warmth.
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#skye #isleofskye #scotland #landscapephotography
This was taken last month on my little adventure to the north east of Scotland. It feels like we're due another big showing of the aurora.
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#northernlights #aurora #findhorn #scotland
The sunrise builds as the mist swirls about Loch Ard, my co-witness being the crescent moon. Taken on Thursday last week.
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EDIT - shot at 24mm not 12mm, and ISO 100 not ISO 3200.
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#scotland #landscapephotography #thetrossachs #elementsphotomag #stayandwander #morningslikethese
I finally got out last week for some nightscape milky way work. The fog was thankfully very low-lying, but talk about freezing.
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Once again I was trying out a new filter: NiSi's soft star filter, which gives a little more emphasis to the larger stars and constellations.
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Taken at the Lake of Menteith in The Trossachs.
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#astrophotography #milkyway #scotland #landscapephotography
Last night's clear skies and zero wind was too tempting for me to miss out on some nightscape work, despite the temperatures. I also wanted to test out Nisi's Star Soft filter, which helps to accentuate the brighter stars relative to the minor stars, helping to emphasise constellations.
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This little scene at the Lake of Menteith was my first stop of the night. There was a function taking place at the hotel, hence the colours and light (both of which were made more intense by the fog). I think it adds something to the image, as does the presence of the Plough, hanging over the scene.
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#nightscape #lakeofmenteith #thetrossachs #astrophotography #landscapephotography
The old boathouse at Loch Chon looking a little creepy on the morning after bonfire night. Taken at first light on a foggy day.
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#thetrossachs #landscapephotography
Blog Posts
Martin Smith
Martin Smith
Landscape Astrophotography Tip #1
When shooting milky way images, put the milky way to the back of your mind