She Sells Sea Shells on the Sea Shore

KINGHORN HARBOUR

 I absolutely love the sea, it is my most very favouritist thing in the whole wide world. I love the smell of the air, the saltiness of the water, the rough texture your hands are left with after touching anything from the beach. To this day I find it incredibly hard to not take off my shoes when on a beach, to feel the beautiful fine grains of sand escape between my toes.  I grew up in a small fishing town called Cellardyke in the East Neuk of Fife, in Scotland, part of a collection of unique old fishing communities that all share an inherent beauty, a beauty that has been etched into the stone over hundreds of years which could never be replicated. Many of my childhood homes were but a stone's throw from the beach, quite literally. Some of them were even on the beach! There are some truly spectacular properties to be had along the Fife coastline, and I don't think the view across the water to Edinburgh and East Lothian can be bettered.

A couple of weeks ago I moved from the city centre of Edinburgh to a new house in west Fife, and we have also acquired a dog, so now was the perfect time to explore the beaches closest to our new home. First up was the beach at Kinghorn Harbour, small but perfect. The harbour is constructed of huge slabs of rock like all the harbours in Fife, and was full of small traditional fishing vessels, which used to be powered by oars but are mostly now powered by outboard. These little boats fish close to the coast for lobsters and langoustines, which the locals in the East Neuk refer to as prawns, in handmade baskets we call 'creels' (more commonly known as lobster pots).

I would be very tempted to take this wee boat- though I'm not sure how long it has been for sale judging by the weather beaten sign! A dream of mine is to retire to the coast somewhere and have a few creels of my own one day, so I'll be 'swimming' in lobsters for the rest of my days. 

Mostly Macro

The weather the other day was terrible- so I thought I would set myself a task to find some subjects within the house that may prove interesting to photograph. I also got a new Macro attachment for my lenses through the mail... I went for a really good glass version as attachments are not as brilliant as dedicated macro lenses, nor as easy to use, but the results are pleasing none the less.

Luckily, my new dog, a gorgeous 6 month old cocker spaniel who had been kenneled his whole life, had decided that I didn't really need the beginning of the book I had been reading. He's right, the introduction is boring anyway. Here it is after Merlin introduced himself to it's pages! I have taken a series of the bits of book to print and display next to each other.

A Very Kelly Wedding

Last week we had the pleasure of being guests at Jim and Michelle Kelly's wedding near Bathgate. The ceremony was led by a mad reverend, who had the guests in fits of giggles before the bride had even arrived. I think he would do very well indeed as a stand up at the Fringe this Summer. The day itself was a little wet, but that did nothing to 'dampen' (ahem) the spirit of the day. Michelle was a gorgeous bride, and the couple were very graceful hosts. This was the first wedding I had been to with my camera, and wedding photography is certainly not easy as it may seem. There are all sorts of concerns, mainly to do with the fact you can only possibly be in one place at any given time! I can definitely see the advantage of taking an aesthetically eyed chum along as an extra set of eyes.

Throughout the day I took over 600 photographs, and that was in between eating, singing and dancing! I shudder to think how many I would have taken if I was actually the professional, with no socialising to get in the way- easily thousands. Just imagining the weeks of editing is a daunting thought, it's a good job I enjoy my own company.... 

A Small Sample of Simplicity

Dearest readers, my sincerest apologies for not updating for a few weeks. Life has been incredibly busy with the last 10 weeks including major surgery, selling our home, our house purchase almost falling through, another trip to hospital, a 4 week stint in a caravan, 6 weeks with no internet, moving house (finally) and a new dog to name but a few things! Quite the busy time indeed. Our new home is a little cottage in the Fife countryside surrounded by farms. There are cattle and horses everywhere, and our our new farmer neighbours  have been wonderfully helpful and welcoming. Already we have experienced more sense of community in the two weeks we have spent here than the 7 years we spent in our beloved basement flat in central Edinburgh. It is incredibly peaceful, ideal for personal reflection and relaxation, a much better place for me to recuperate. The pace of life is slower, though not quite as slow as the south of Spain I might add, and I don't see myself ever moving back to the city. 

These pictures are selected from a series I was commissioned to shoot for the walls of a wine bar in Edinburgh. The brief was for black and white shots of Edinburgh. As always, I tried to approach my subjects from a slightly different angle, hopeful to have produced images with a little pizzazz, and a little less yawn. Hopefully the many visitors and tourists this particular bar in the Old Town receives will want to take a print or two of mine home with them as souvenirs!

 You may be marveling at how straight the park keepers of Princes St Gardens keep the benches. Well they don't! Lining up the benches you see in this particular shot took yours truly no less than 30 minutes of VERY hard work lugging and hauling these heavier-than-they-look bottom perches. At the other end of the benches you can see another photographer if you look closely. Upon passing by he noted his gratitude as he had been thinking of doing exactly the same thing! Pity he didn't think to help and start from his end though....