Sunset over the Union Canal, Edinburgh
January 2025 - Winter weather
What an end to 2024! Gales, monsoons, weather warnings, floods, travel disruption and Hogmanay celebration cancellations all seem a far cry from those traditional, cold winters that some of us are old enough to remember. Archive footage shows snow during the winter of 1963 to hang around for three months and included twelve feet high snowdrifts in northern parts of the country. Back to 2024 and when we arrived for our festive break in the Cairngorms, the hills were covered in snow to give us false hope of a white Christmas; it had all gone thirty six hours later. Nevertheless, the rain and snow-melt ignited the rivers and burns with fast-running, white water which I always find mesmerising. The strength and noise of water as it thunders down the course of the river is a demonstration of the power and wonder of nature.
The month started off with pictures of seals on an island in the Firth of Forth. December tends to see the grey seal birthing and mating period start to tail off but there was still plenty of activity on the beaches. The seal pups spend much of the time sleeping under the watchful eye of their mothers. Meanwhile, the bulls keep a watchful eye on the females. It is a period of regeneration for the seals and one which I always consider a privilege to witness.
Another day I had just finished photographing on the Water of Leith when I looked up and saw a beautiful sunset developing. I rushed up to the Union Canal aqueduct which crosses the Water of Leith at Longstone and composed my image. I then had to be patient while giving way to a continuous stream of cyclists using the waterway as a route home. I wanted to avoid trails from their lights as they rode over the bridge so had to wait for them to completely disappear and it became a race against time whether I would manage a picture at all. Thankfully, a fleeting moment did come so I grabbed my chance and ran!
I otherwise took few photographs during the remainder of the month due to inclement weather and planning for Christmas. A ‘time-out’ from photography only refreshes the palate and I’m looking forward to starting again this month with renewed energy.
So, what lies in store for the New Year? It would be easy to make plenty of resolutions which will inevitably be broken by February so this year I’ll refrain from doing so. Instead I’ll look to bring a few on-going projects to a resolution which, in itself, will generate exciting times. In addition, I have several ideas for new projects mulling around my mind which may now find the time to come to fruition. Let’s see what happens…
In the meantime, may I wish you a very happy, fulfilling 2025 and may it bring you everything that you hope for.
January 2025 - Winter weather
What an end to 2024! Gales, monsoons, weather warnings, floods, travel disruption and Hogmanay celebration cancellations all seem a far cry from those traditional, cold winters that some of us are old enough to remember. Archive footage shows snow during the winter of 1963 to hang around for three months and included twelve feet high snowdrifts in northern parts of the country. Back to 2024 and when we arrived for our festive break in the Cairngorms, the hills were covered in snow to give us false hope of a white Christmas; it had all gone thirty six hours later. Nevertheless, the rain and snow-melt ignited the rivers and burns with fast-running, white water which I always find mesmerising. The strength and noise of water as it thunders down the course of the river is a demonstration of the power and wonder of nature.
The month started off with pictures of seals on an island in the Firth of Forth. December tends to see the grey seal birthing and mating period start to tail off but there was still plenty of activity on the beaches. The seal pups spend much of the time sleeping under the watchful eye of their mothers. Meanwhile, the bulls keep a watchful eye on the females. It is a period of regeneration for the seals and one which I always consider a privilege to witness.
Another day I had just finished photographing on the Water of Leith when I looked up and saw a beautiful sunset developing. I rushed up to the Union Canal aqueduct which crosses the Water of Leith at Longstone and composed my image. I then had to be patient while giving way to a continuous stream of cyclists using the waterway as a route home. I wanted to avoid trails from their lights as they rode over the bridge so had to wait for them to completely disappear and it became a race against time whether I would manage a picture at all. Thankfully, a fleeting moment did come so I grabbed my chance and ran!
I otherwise took few photographs during the remainder of the month due to inclement weather and planning for Christmas. A ‘time-out’ from photography only refreshes the palate and I’m looking forward to starting again this month with renewed energy.
So, what lies in store for the New Year? It would be easy to make plenty of resolutions which will inevitably be broken by February so this year I’ll refrain from doing so. Instead I’ll look to bring a few on-going projects to a resolution which, in itself, will generate exciting times. In addition, I have several ideas for new projects mulling around my mind which may now find the time to come to fruition. Let’s see what happens…
In the meantime, may I wish you a very happy, fulfilling 2025 and may it bring you everything that you hope for.
