A Photographic Walkabout in Glasgow's West End

Summer seems to have graced us here in Scotland. Or at least we're hoping it intends to stick around a little while. It's been warm and dry most days and that means lots of time spent outside. Of course I have my camera with me!

In fact, I recently was able to upgrade my camera and boy am I glad I made the move! For most photographers, it's usually best to invest in lenses first and upgrade camera bodies in certain situations, like mine where my camera was entry level and several years old. My skills have progressed so much in this time and knowing where I want to be able to go allowed me to see that, yes, it was time to move on.

Enter my Nikon D7000 and brand new Tamron lens (a 28-75mm, 2.8 for those of you who are familiar with lens lingo). We're really getting to know each other and I think it was the best decision I could have made. The new equipment will allow me to actively pursue portrait photography, which I am so excited about and can't wait to share more about with you! It's weather sealed and the image are able to be enlarged a great deal without losing quality, which is very important to me.

I love living in the west end of Glasgow. It's a vibrant place full of people and parks and lots of interesting things to do. I'm often walking various parts of it as part of my daily routines and it's not uncommon that I'd have my camera with me.

Taking advantage of a beautiful evening on the weekend, my daughter and I went out to the shops to run some errands. But I paused frequently to document some lovely things that caught my eye:

All the trees are leafy and in bloom right now.

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery

University of Glasgow as seen from Partick Bridge

Cheers! ~Lindsay

It's In the Details...

A somewhat sunny weekend allowed us to escape the city for a bit and explore the area around us. It was a reminder that not only do I really like Glasgow as a city, but that Scotland is truly a beautiful place as well.

Here are some images for architectural and man made details from out trip to Dumbarton and Dumbarton Castle.

Unabashed Photography

Part of my growth as a photographer has been getting over looking silly. I mean, let's face it, sometimes in order to get the perfect shot that's captured your eye, you either need to be rather brazen or perhaps do something unconventional to get it.

If you're concerned about what others might think when you're in the process of getting that picture, you probably won't even try to take it. And that's a shame. I won't say that I've completely gotten over it, but I'm better than I used to be. I do have to remind myself that photography is about capturing a moment and telling a story, about looking deeper and seeing more. This is how the viewer of our images learns and grows with us.

I had a wonderful moment when I was out on the weekend. First off I should state that in taking advantage of the amazing sunshine, I took over 200 photos. Now I have to edit and convert the best of them, which is a time consuming process. In any case, I was walking by the water treatment station in our area, which is in this very old sandstone building. Ever addicted to reflections, this one caught my eye. But the painted metal fence was in the way, so I had to get right up against it and poke my lens between the top of two bars. A man was walking behind me and I could practically feel his gaze burning holes through me! It was as if there were thought bubbles creeping out that said, "What the hell is she even looking at?" He slowed as he passed and seemed to be trying to figure it out.

I love that. It is after the beauty of photography and I think what most people who consider themselves an artist wish to achieve: making someone look, question and wonder.

This is the image that I was taking: