Linlithgow Palace

I spent Sunday afternoon wandering around (and in) Linlithgow Palace, mostly wondering why there was no coffee available there. The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 24km west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the palace was little used, and was burned out in 1746. It is now a visitor attraction in the care of Historic Scotland. Several monarchs were born in this royal ‘pleasure palace’, such as Mary Queen of Scots'.

This impressive retreat was an ideal place for royals to break the journey between Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle. High towers look out over lush greenery and a loch brimming with wildfowl, which is today a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

I have put together a gallery of the shots that I took here. and there are a couple of them below.

Moodscapes

Rebekka Gu∂leifsdottir - Moodscapes

I recently bought Rebekka Gu∂leifsdottir's book titled "Moodscapes". The easter weekend has presented me with some free time to finally read it and enjoy the photographs within its pages. I can't recommend it enough, she introduces the evolution of photography, the basics of the photo triangle, equipment, composition and much more. It is very readable!

Many of her ideas resonated with me and in particular this line:

"The time, I got exactly the image I had been hoping for. This is proof that you should never settle for mediocre when you feel that you can do better"

I feel that a lot of my shots of late have been mediocre or worse, formulaic. Taken because it's an easy shot that looks good instead of pushing my own boundaries. This is what I hope to do now. It isn't easy to take a photograph nowadays that hasn't already been taken, but it is possible to take one that has your own signature look in it.

This may slow down the amount of shots that I post though :-)

Endrick Falls

Also known as the Loup of Fintry, Endrick Falls is a 94ft waterfall a couple of miles from Fintry. Best seen when it has been raining heavily or iced up in really cold weather. Alas, today was neither of these conditions but it was nice to visit it for the first time since I was very young.

Seeing as I had a little time on my hands I also thought that I would play about with Cameo from Vimeo...

 

Dean Village, Edinburgh

Dean Village is a former industrial village northwest of the city centre of Edinburgh, about 15 minutes walk from Haymarket Train Station. It was known as the "Water of Leith Village" and was the centre of a successful grain milling area for more than 800 years. At one time there were no fewer than eleven working mills there, driven by the strong currents of the Water of Leith. 

From the mid-1970s onwards it became recognised as a tranquil oasis, very close to the city centre, and redevelopment and restoration began, converting workers' cottages, warehouses and mill buildings. This included development on a cleared former industrial site on the north side of the river. The area has now become a desirable residential area, plagued with tourists and photographers ;-)

I was finally able to get some time to take some photographs of this little village and was happy to spend a sunny (if windy) couple of hours wandering around. Click the thumbnails for the larger versions.