Health Scotland

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon speaking at the Scottish Parliament last night during an NHS Health Scotland launch.

In The Mood

Musicians and dancers from the Show Scotland event 'We'll Meet Again' get in the mood at The People's Palace and Winter Gardens in Glasgow.

Just one of over 40 events taking place across Scotland from the 30th April to the 3rd May.

More information from www.showscotland.com

More pictures here on my Facebook Fan Page

Love Your Home

Loved this shot from an interiors shoot I did for The Scotsman recently of a property in Carlton Street in Edinburgh. Sometimes the simplest photographs work best. Lovely light in the house.

Edinburgh Digital Switchover Announced

Digit Al arrives in Edinburgh to announce the dates for the Digital Switchover for the STV Central TV region. Edinburgh is served by the Blackhill and Craigkelly transmitters and the switchover will take place between the 1st and 8th June 2011. More information here.

And a photograph of Digit Al and me here!

Scottish Renewables

The renewables industry descended on Glasgow recently for the 2010 Scottish Renewables conference which brought together all the leading players in the field to discuss hydro, marine and wind energy supply for the future.

More info here.

A Day at the Museum

Museums Galleries Scotland, which represents over 350 museums and galleries, has announced 13 museum and gallery projects awarded a share of £750,000 of capital funding.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop MSP and Joanne Orr, Chief Executive of Museums Galleries Scotland were at the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art in Glasgow to make the announcement. More information here.

Carmina Burana at the Usher Hall

Over 400 students from Erskine Stewart's Melville School took to the stage on Saturday night at the newly refurbished Usher Hall in Edinburgh to perform Karl Orff's Carmina Burana.

3 Months Freeeeee!

TV star Hamish Clark saddles up once again to promote Historic Scotland's new membership campaign which is launched today. HS are offering three months free membership when you sign up for 12 months, offering access to hundreds of properties all over Scotland. More details can be found here.

Hamish was photographed at Doune Castle near Stirling during the filming of the new TV ad which can be seen here.

Nice Buns!

Photographed for Greggs. Eaten by me.

Run With Mark

'50 marathons in 56 days man' Mark Cooper took his training to unusual lengths by running a full marathon at Cameron Toll Shopping Centre last Saturday.
Mark aims to run 50 marathons in 56 days, starting in Holland in May, finishing in Spain 56 days later, raising funds for the Headway Group charity.

Find out more about Mark's attempt here and sponsor him in any way you can.

The Dakota Forthbridge

You've probably driven past it countless times on your way to the Forth Road Bridge. It's the big black building with the blue neon sign saying only 'Dakota'.

I was commissioned by the Dakota hotel this week to photograph their private dining areas, restaurant and the Edinburgh Suite which is pictured above. The photographs will be used in their new brochures and on the Dakota website.

It's a fantastic looking building inside and out which made it very enjoyable to photograph.

The client loved the images too:

'The images are fantastic, exactly what we were looking for. Thank you for being so patient and for really understanding the Dakota Brand, it really shows in the images.'
Michelle Orr
Sales & Marketing Executive

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World Heritage Sites

Orkney is soaked in more than 5,000 years of history. Picts, Vikings & Medieval Knights all left their mark on this breathtaking landscape.

In this commission from Historic Scotland we traveled to Skara Brae to shoot the cover for the Orkney leaflet. The shoot was particularly challenging as we literally faced four seasons in one day; from rain, horizontal hailstones, sunshine and gales.

More information on Historic Scotland's Orkney sites can be found here.
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Defender of the Nation

Edinburgh Castle is the Jewel in the Crown of Historic Scotland's properties and has been described as 'A mighty fortress with many treasures & a favoured residence of Scotland's Kings & Queens'.
This leaflet is the result of a commission from Historic Scotland to provide photography for marketing materials for properties the length of Scotland.

We shot the cover early in the morning before the hoards of visitors began to arrive. The castle welcomed 1,196,481 visitors through its doors in 2009 and is Scotland's top paid visitor attraction. More information on the castle can be found here.
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Historic Scotland Member Handbook

Hot off the press - The Historic Scotland Member Handbook for 2010/11 hits the shelves this month. The guide is packed with information on over 345 Historic Scotland properties all over Scotland.

I shot the cover for the handbook at Craigmillar Castle last year. The weather was very kind to us that day with sunshine and blue skies.

More information about Historic Scotland properties can be found here.
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La Potiniere

La Potiniere restaurant in the beautiful village of Gullane in East Lothian. Photographed for The Scotsman Magazine.
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Scottish Drama Training Network Launch

Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning Michael Russell MSP launched the Scottish Drama Training Network, a major new initiative between the RSAMD, Queen Margaret University and Napier University. Mr Russell was joined by students from Queen Margaret University costume department.
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Europe's Largest Advert

The transformation of The St James centre in Edinburgh has begin. Long disliked by locals, the area is being transformed for retail and urban use and renamed as St James Quarter. More information about the project can be found here. The old offices of New St Andrew's House are currently hidden behind the largest advert ever to cover a building in Europe. An improvement, some might say?
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Scotland on Sunday Eligibles 2010 Party

Scotland on Sunday Eligibles 2010 party at The Caves Edinburgh. Were you there?
See all the photographs here.
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A gruffalo! Why, didn't you know?

I was at the Scottish Book Trust yesterday for the launch of Meet Our Authors which is sponsored by Scottish Friendly. Meet Our Authors is a digital resource of first-class online content featuring the world’s best children's authors, accessible to children and young people nationwide.

I wanted a really simple photograph which summed up the story so after all the other photographers had left I set up this picture with a wee girl from a local primary and The Gruffalo. The expression on the girls' face makes the picture. And the client was delighted.
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Let There Be Light

I took these photographs of former First Minister of Scotland Henry McLeish speaking at the Royal College of Nursing Conference in Glasgow this morning.

The image on the left is taken using no flash and just the hotel conference facility lights which result in a colour cast on the skin and the background branding looking purple instead of blue. The picture also has a flat feel to it.

The photograph on the right was taken just seconds later but lit using two remote flashes which help to give a more natural tone to the skin and lifts the speaker from the background.

When photographing conferences, award ceremonies and events I always take my own lighting along so that I have full control of how the stage or podium is going to be lit.
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Make Up Artist to the Stars

Hollywood make up artist Graham Johnston dropped in to Edinburgh recently for a photoshoot to launch exclusive personal make up sessions at the David Calder Studio in Edinburgh's West End.

The BAFTA nominated artist recently worked on The Lovely Bones as stylist and make up artist to Rachel Weisz and has also worked on Bridget Jones's Diary, Death Defying Acts and Trainspotting.
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Shell Springboard

A South Yorkshire based business with an innovative idea for tackling climate change recently won an award of £40,000 from Shell Springboard, a programme designed to promote the growth of the low carbon economy in the UK. Pictured is Bob Smith, CEO at Pulse Tidal Ltd at the award ceremony in Edinburgh. More info here.
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The Carvers Daughter

Master craftsman John Donaldson spent the last 5 years carving replica heads for the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall at Stirling Castle. The 37 heads were commissioned by Historic Scotland as part of a £12 million renovation of the Royal Palace. The original heads were rescued when the palace roof collapsed in the 18th century but one head was destroyed by fire. This left John without a subject for the remaining head so he decided to use his daughter Fiona as a model.

The 37 heads are on display at Stirling Castle until the 21st February, after which they are to be painted before being mounted on the ceiling of the Royal Chapel. See more images here.
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Snowdrops by Starlight

The Cambo Estate near Kingsbarns in Fife comes alive for the next two weeks after being transformed as part of the Snowdrops by Starlight event. Visitors can wander through the grounds whilst being enchanted by the sights and sounds of this magical wonderland. More information here.

And details of VisitScotland's White campaign can be found here.
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Shepherd's Delight

A recent image from the Nick Nairn Cookschool food photography shoot for Spectrum Magazine. There are more images on my Facebook page and you can follow the recipe here.
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Farewell to Homecoming

Last week saw the final event of Homecoming Scotland 2009 - a thank you party for stakeholders and event organisers from all over Scotland. The event took place in Oran Mor in Glasgow and included entertainment from Mauchline Burns Club, the Birnam Quartet and singer Dougie MacLean (above).

Dougie wrote the song 'Caledonia' which was used throughout the year of Homecoming.

Often at these types of events the lighting looks great for the audience but isn't really suitable for photography purposes. I always use a couple of off-camera flashguns to create an interesting lighting effect whilst also maintaining the atmosphere of the occasion. In the picture above I have used two flashes on stands at either side of the stage to light the singer. They are controlled from the main flash on my camera which allows me to raise or lower the level of light. When photographing singers I also like to capture them doing something interesting 'off mic' which I think leads to more engaging image.
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Free Photography Services Brochure

The new online photography services brochure is packed with stunning images, client testimonials and information on how I can help you with your photography solutions.

'Of all the freelance photographers that I could call on in Scotland - Rob McDougall remains firmly at the top of my list. He is creative and professional. If I could use him every day - I would. He is everything that you want in a photographer - and a little bit more.'

Kayt Turner, Picture Editor, Spectrum Magazine

Click on the image above to view the new brochure in a web browser. It's just like a magazine - you can flick through each page. The areas of speciality covered are;

• Events, Conferences & Award Ceremonies
• Commercial Photography
• Public Relations
• Interiors, Food and Products
• Portraits

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Hotline during the cold time

Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil MSP yesterday visited the offices of the Energy Saving Trust to pay tribute to the energy experts who manned the hotlines. Nearly 7000 people called the government's energy assistance centre during the recent cold snap. Also pictured is senior energy advisor Roddy Hamilton.
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Fisherman's Friend

The third commission for the Nick Nairn Cookschool Spectrum Magazine food spread features a lovely fish pie. At this time of year, comfort food will go down well with the whole family. Want to give it a go? The recipe is here.
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Edinburgh Friends

Spread from Edinburgh Friends, the magazine of The University of Edinburgh featuring images from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine. The team are leading research into diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinson's.
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Offaly Good Food Photography

The second batch of photographs commissioned by Scotland on Sunday's Spectrum Magazine for the Nick Nairn Cook School food spread. This week sees the team preparing Braised Oxtail with winter vegetables. Once classed as offal, Oxtail, if cooked correctly can make the base of a perfect stew.

The full recipe is here.
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Just a Moment...

Canadian skater Jenna Burton photographed last month on the ice at Winter Wonderland. Jenna works at Scottish Widows and bravely offered to pose for the back cover of 'Life Times', the magazine os Scottish Widows. Although Jenna hadn't skated for a number of years she did really well and we nailed this shot in just a couple of takes.
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Gallic Charm at the Barley Bree

Nestled in the village of Muthill just south of Crieff is the Barley Bree, a restaurant with rooms owned by French chef Fabrice Bouteloup and his wife Alison. Photographed for Scotland on Sunday's Spectrum Magazine.

Definitely one on my list to go back and visit for the weekend sometime this year.
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Hungry Yet?

These photographs are first in a series commissioned by Spectrum Magazine for the regular food column by Scottish chef Nick Nairn. The photographs illustrate a step by step guide to home cooking. This series focused Thai food using the theme of airline food, combining Scottish beef with a Thai recipe. You can follow the recipe here.





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The Thai High Club

Food spread in yesterday's Spectrum Magazine by Nick Nairn. I spent a day up at his cook school at the Lake of Menteith just before Christmas. Great experience and just like having a personal cooking lesson. More to follow next week.
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La Favorita

La Favorita Italian restaurant on Leith Walk, Edinburgh. Photographed for Scotland on Sunday's Spectrum Magazine.
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Happy New Year

I didn't have to go far for this photograph; it was taken the other evening at the back of my house. A great start to 2010 if you don't have to go anywhere but not so much fun if you have to travel.

Best wishes for 2010.
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