A host of golden daffodils.

 I spent much of Sunday morning happily engaged in setting up a little corner of my darkroom in order to indulge a macro session.

Not long ago, I purchased a Canon 100mm macro lens, but I've had little time to use it; being retired, I find I have less time to indulge my hobby than I ever had when I was working - and I've no excuse, I'm still getting up anywhere between 4-5.30am during weekdays.

Anyway, as I said, I set up a little shoot: a freshly picked daffodil from the abundance we have growing in the garden just now. This, I placed in a small vase at shoulder height (perched on an upturned plastic bucket). I used just one very small softbox which I placed as close as possible to the flower, and spent the next two hours shooting different angles and f/stops.

Here are some of the few I've processed thus far:

Charlotte Sometimes

This is a portrait I took from a session I had the pleasure of arranging with the glamorously gorgeous, Charlotte.

I used to call her Charlotte Sometimes - a reference to The Cure song of the same name.

Charlotte - or Charlie, as she preferred - had a very distinctive look: a little grungy, a little goth. Shooting her was a pleasure - especially since she was very patient with me; I'd just opened a new studio space and she was probably the model who gave me time to learn the rudimentary techniques of studio lighting.

This portrait is from one of those early shoots back in 2010.

Will I ever be a REAL boy :-(

I happened upon this cute marionette sitting outside a shop in Lanzarote, Canary Isles.

He looked as though he's just collapsed after a hard work out - likely entertaining the tourists.

In post-processing, I couldn't decide which of these two edits presented him in his best light. Your opinion?

#marionette #Lanzarote #CanaryIslands #Pinocchio #puppet

 Beautiful Loch Ard

The small township of Aberfoyle - not so far from where I live - has always been in my heart. As a young parent, I used to take the boys up there to camp and we'd spend days walking or cycling around Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.

More recently, June and I have opted for the comforts of a local hotel - you need your comforts when you add a few years on.

These pictures are from a series I captured on a recent trip. Taken from the banks of Loch Ard on a bitterly cold morning which saw frost gild the trees.

I hope you enjoy them.

 Lovely day yesterday; knowing the early morning sun would fall perfectly on Linlithgow Palace I took the camera out for a walk ... only to discover that - without my permission - someone erected a scaffold over the North facing facade

Almondell Country Park

 The fresh air does you good and, just occasionally, I get a real hankering to to take the cameras for a walk in a place I know will be pretty much person-free - dog walkers excluded.

Almondell Country Park is just such a location: right on my doorstep, it offers slight rises and dips, a long path which pretty much follows the river, and a welcomed, conspicuous quietude which lends the soul time - and space - to simply ponder what is happening in your world; the picturesque scenery is just a much welcomed extra.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I did enjoy the walk. Here's a couple of captures that I did keep.