My picture gallery contains; photographs of the West End of Glasgow, photographs of Glasgow, and photographs of Scotland.

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29th January 2002

A few pictures before we leave this windy and wet month of January. I have managed to mislay (or lose) the 50mm lens that came with my Canon T90 so I have bought a second hand 70-150mm zoom to replace it. It has presented some new photographic opportunities as well as some challenges.

The good thing about having this new camera lens is that the world now looks totally different - and that means I can re-visit all my favourite photographic haunts and photograph the same subject as before - but from different angles and perspectives. With that in mind I have taken some photographs of the statues in the Kibble Palace - examples of which you can see above and below.

One of the problems I am trying to get used to with this long lens is that I get a lot of camera shake. So I have switched from my habitual 'aperture priority' to 'shutter priority' to ensure that I get a quick enough shutter speed to avoid too many blurred photos. The problem is not helped by the fact that this is a relatively 'slow' lens f4.5 and my options are pretty limited when there is not much light.I realise now why people are happy to pay big money for a fast telephoto lens.

I think I will probably keep the new lens on the camera for a while until I get used to it. I don't need to use a wide angle lens at the moment anyway as I now also own an 'up-market' point and shoot, which I got as a birthday present. I am the proud owner of a Contax T2 - titanium shell and all. An embarassment of riches for sure.

13th January 2002

It's been a while since my last diary entry and last set of photographs - something about Christmas and New Year that feels like a long dark underground tunnel that you only emerge from half way through January. Anyway here we are - with some new photees. Last week we took a run up to Callander with the intention of having a nice lunch in the Roman Camp Hotel. We hadn't been before but Pat had been told that it was worth the visit. Sad to report it was shut to visitors the day we arrived - so I can't tell you if reports of a pleasant dining experience can be confirmed or not. Still the building and surrounding are lovely to look at.

On the road up to Callander I stopped to take a couple of photographs. It was a nice bright day and the views fairly lifted the spirits.

On Christmas day we popped in to see Pat's friend Issi and her family. Always a joy. Photographs were the order of the day as both of Issi and Davy's daughters had got cameras as presents - mini cameras that take instant mini pictures - instant photography really is a form of magic.

Above is a view of King's Bookshops - on the main street in Callander. I had a chat with the owners (poetry book enthusiasts and publishers) Ian and Sally King. They publish English, Scots and Gaelic poetry books - doing the book binding themselves. Nice people, doing a grand job. Visit their website: http://www.poetryscotland.co.uk.

Just before Christmas Basia and her partner John came for their dinner. Basia told us the amazing story about her family's lucky escape from Belarus during the war - another case of fact being more unbelievable than fiction.

Ashton Lane on a wet bright morning.

I have a selection of my photographs for sale in the Gallery Shop.

Comments

Thank you for all of the beautiful pictures! I have been missing Glasgow terribly -- studied at Glasgow Uni last year on exchange and stayed in Murano St. Your pages bring back lots of memories and the pictures are gorgeous! GLASGOW, I'm coming back mid-Feb to interview for a postgraduate program and visit friends, so I'll see you soon! Hopefully I can pop into "The Stevie" for some Box-Fit and Step.
--Lindsay ( steviefan46 at hotmail dot com ) from USA on 28.1.2002; 10:08:35 Uhr