28 December SNOW IN GLEN LYON
A heavy snow fall toward the end of the year had me out getting cold in the hills with my brother. We had intended to head out the long way up over Ben Lawers but eventually we turned back due to the strong winds and horizontal snow. Occasionally there would be a break in the gale and this is the sort of view we were rewarded with. I braced myself into the wind and overexposed by about a stop and a half to compensate for the light reflecting of the white snow. Shortly after this picture was taken another storm descended down upon us and we headed for the warmth of home. 28-135mm zoom.

21st December HEIDELBERG BRIDGE
I was hurrying out one morning during my visit as the sky had cleared. As I dashed across the bridge to head up the hill on the other side of the river from the main town I glanced back and saw the way the light was falling on the bridge and despite my anxiety to rush to the top of the hill I stopped and took this photo. The key to this situation (I have to keep reminding myself!) is that if a picture is worth taking then its worth taking properly. So out came the tripod and I corrected the composition, then took the photo. Trpod and 28-135mm zoom

14th December HEIDELBERG AT NIGHT
A good friend of mine is currently completing a year abroad as part of her languages degree and on hearing that she was staying in the picturesque German town of Heidelberg I started to plan a trip. I knew a little about the town from Turners paintings but I also trawled the internet for web photos of the town to familiarise myself with what to expect. I knew that the view over the river was beautiful but I wasn’t sure if the town would be lit up at night but I took a gamble. I lugged my tripod all the way out there and it paid off – I spent two of my four nights in Heidelberg down by the river taking night shots and this is my favourite. I prefer a twilight shot to a straight night shot as it leaves more atmosphere in the unlit parts of the photograph. The best time is when the sky balances with the artificial light sources. For more pictures of Heidelberg see my gallery which will be online shortly. 28-135mm zoom and tripod

&th December DOUNREAY
I went up to the North coast of Scotland for a job interview at Dounreay and whilst searching the area for suitable accommodation I was drawn down towards the foreshore from where it is possible to get a view of the Dounreay Nuclear establishment. The light was beautiful, mainly to do with it being so low in the sky, and it gave me this crisp shot of my new workplace. My interview was successful so you can look forward to more pictures from this part of the world. 28-135mm zoom

30th November SCOTS PINE TREE
I obtained permission from an understanding land manager to go and photograph inside a beautiful piece of old Caledonian pine forest woodland near my home. The day was damp and dark but it didn’t prevent me from going out. Everything was wet (including me) and this helped to saturate the colours of the old gnarled trees. This old tree signified for me the possible future of Caledonian pine forests if we don’t continue regeneration schemes to encourage more young growth. Thankfully the land owner for this particular wood has already started fencing of area and at times I found myself hip deep in heather and young trees. 28-135mm zoom and tripod