Fun with 3D photos

3D image of Biglees bridge.
(much better in the slideshow)

To see the 3D image look at the photo (eyes level and about 10" from the screen) cross your eyes until there is an image in the middle (3images) it should pop into 3D. You may have to try a few times to get the 3D effect.
I can do it easily but my wife can't do it at all....no gasp in amazement for me then.

I've been at the pinhole camera making again, this time the cardboard ugly takes 2 rolls of film and can do either 3D or large format (merged in software).
Its been fun but at £20 for eight photos it won't be getting much use especially since I discovered I can take 3D photos digitally with a quicker and cheaper return by mounting 2 digital compact cameras side by side in a cardboard holder.
Its nice though to design and build a camera that takes photos to my own spec and costs next to nothing to make, just some cardboard and a beer can to make the pinhole out of...... with the added pleasure of drinking the contents of course.

To see all my recent 3D stuff click on the side bar for flickr or view the pinhole stuff below. View at about 18" and cross your eyes for 3D photos.

View 3D & large format pinhole slideshow here.

MTB Busbie and Portencross

Crocuses through a vaseline coated filter

Got out on the bikes with Graham today, he's between contracts and has a bit of free time to kill before heading off down south again next week.
The weather looked a bit iffy so we decided to stay local.
I cycled over the high road to meet him then we headed over Busbie Muir Windfarm and down to my place for coffee and scones bought specially first thing in the morning with coffee break in mind.
After coffee we did some local secret singletrack then headed up over Goldenberry Hill and back along to Portencross. The waves were piling in down there and I got a few nice long exposure shots (post ride) before we had a lovely wind assisted blast along the beach track back home.

Wonderfull short outing.

View the route here.

View the slideshow here.

Super dense filter

Long exposure using my new 1000X filter.

After waiting eight weeks my super dense neutral density filter arrived today so I was off down to Portencross to give it a go
Because it was dull I also took along a set of colour filters to put some colour into the sky.
It went quite well I got a good number of reasonable photos for my efforts some looking a bit surreal, but that IS the whole point of it really.
Now all I need is nice sunny day to get a bit more colour and contrast into them on my next photo outing.

View slideshow here.

MTBing around Mugdock

Mugdock snow drops


Payed a MTBing visit to Mugdock with Graham today. Its a great little varied run, singletrack around Mugdock park, a short stretch of the West Highland Way, some old railway, a little bit of forest track and last but not least a coffee stop at Clachan of Campsie. Its not a very long run but we managed to stretch it to 4.5 hours with all the photo, and coffee stops. The sun even shone on us for a while and I had my first puncture for quite some time, I think the tube will be a goner with three punctures, a thorn and a pinch.

Great day view the route here and see the short boring video below.

Arran days

Brian on a bike to nowhere.

Anne and I were over visiting friends staying on Arran for a few days at an Auchrannie lodge in Brodick.
We had a great time wandering about Brodick Castle gardens on the first day, coffee and cake at the Aromatics place and a beach walk back in time for a bit of fun in the games hall and a bit of swimming to cool off.

Day 2 was a little bit drizzly but we had a stroll up to Coire Fhionn Loch on the north west of the island and a lovely meal at the Brodick bar restaurant in the evening.

Last day was a walk/lazy split option, three of us went up and over to Dunn Fionn and Clauchland hills from Brodick a nice little three hour loop.

Nice few days, view slideshow here.


Today was lovely and bright so I decided to get out my newest pinhole camera - its called a pinholeroid as it uses instant film. I thought it would be a good option instead of sending off film in the post and having to wait three days to see the result.
I have to say I am very disappointed with the results. The film just doesn't like shade at all, it just goes very blue. Won't be doing colour instsnt film again but I'll give B&W a try before I completely give up the pinholeroid idea.
This particular photo lesson has been quite expensive, I bought the wrong type of polaroid holder from ebay to start with and ruined a film with it. Got the right holder but ruined another film by loading it wrongly now I'm dicovering the results are not really very great at all. Oh dear what a bummer!

View todays pinholeroid photo slideshow here.

Auchinleck and Dumfries houses by MTB

Mine worker image at Barony pit head.

Graham and I went for an easy spin on the MTBs today.
He is just back from 2 weeks holday and didn't want anything too demanding so we pottered about around Auchinleck and Dumfries houses.
Auchinleck house has some interesting places in the grounds a lovely ravine (except for the farmers rubbish tip, shame on him!), several caves, some nice old bridges, and lots of snowdrops.
We spent quite a bit of time off the bikes looking about and taking photos before heading over to Dumfies house via Barony pit head, interesting place for a break with lots of information about the old pit.
The winding winding tower in place and it been nicely layed out telling the history of the mine and its workers.

On the way back we met a couple of other MTBers out from Cumnock doing a similar loop to ourselves, well actually doing quite a bit more on this trail.


View today's slideshow

Ski visit to Ben Lawers area.

Sun and snow Ben Lawers area

My efforts at Beith Golf Club put me in the notion for a little tour so put the skis in the car and went off up to Ben Lawers, handn't intended going that far but the snow further south was suprisingly scarce.
Ben Lawers used to be one of my regular outings early in the season to help get my ski legs, not the hill itself but the easy corrie to the NW.
There used to be a Scottish Ski Club hut near the top of the corrie but I discovered today that's away now. The hut veranda had a bench seat and was handy for a bit of shelter during lunch, now its a case of making do with crouching behind a big rock or a dip in the snow.
I was anticipating some great skiing on the way back down but it was just too hard for my skill level, all icy or windblown ripples I just couldn't get a decent turn in without falling on my bum but despite the sore bum it was nice to get up there on such a great day.

A local ski tour

'Snow flower' Blair estate Dalry

It snowed again Sunday past and its been cold since then, I thought I'd break out the XC skis.
First try was down West Kilbride Glen sure enough I got a bit done but there was too little snow to turn the skis so today I went over to Beith golf course in the hope that the snow cover would be better and the fairways would allow me to practice some turns.
Turned out great, clear sunny skys great view up to Ben Lomond and Arran and the skiing was fun, good enough to spend a while doing a ski tour of the golf course.
It put me in the notion for some more...see video below.

Icy Kelburn

The view beside Wardlaw cottage upper Kelburn

Lovely crisp winters day today, Anne was off to Ayr shopping and I took a wander up into Kelburn hoping it would be sheltered from the cold north west wind.
It was snowy and icy up in Kelburn with lots of icicles in and around the burns, needless to say I took a few photos as I meandered.

Met a chap on his MTB up at Kel bridge out with the same idea as me to shoot a few photos of the ice and burn. We chatted for a while before I headed off down stream toward the Castle waterfall and the car.


View an icy Kelburn slideshow here.

Snowy Greeta Bridge

Anne and I had a walk up to Greeta Bridge behind Largs today
lovely and sunny snowy and icy.
View snowy Greeta bridge slideshow here.


View an icy Kelburn slideshow here (Saturday 07Feb09)

Shortbread tin photos

Photo taken with a shortbread tin pinhole camera.

Got my latest photos back from the lab this morning, I was delighted with my wide angle shortbread tin photos, just what I'd hoped for lots of vignetting and fly away verticals.
The retry shots with my converted Agfa Clack though were a disappointment they still show light leaks not sure where from but next time I'll remove the shutter and use a bit of tape to see if that helps.

I'm just loving this designing and building cameras I'm sure it won't last but its lots of fun at the moment.

View my latest pinhole photos here.

A frosty days walk

Boats and castle at Portencross

Wonderfully clear, crisp, still morning this morning Anne and I went down to Portencross for a walk along the bridleway and over Goldenberry hill.
Several times on route we stopped to warm ourselves in the winter sun, if we did a Prince Philip walk we were treated to nice warm(ed) hands.
It was superb walking all the mud was iced up the sun was warm(ish) and there was no wind.
On the top of the hill we lingered a while to enjoy the view and to puzzle over a motor launch, out for a spin around Wee Cumbrae we decided.

View slideshowof the walk here.

PM I wanted to get out on the bike, over to Busbie moor windfarm seemed like a good option but as I cycled over there the cloud came down and it started to snow thankfully lightly.
Enjoyed the 1.5hours on the bike even though it snowed the ground was mainly nice easy going with it being frozen.

Busbie moor boxing day video below (soon once I get one of these video sites to work) ahh.. finally got there.....

Snowy day

It snowed off and on all day today but I got out and about between showers to grab a few photos. All varieties, pinhole on medium format 120 film, digital with my ZX18, and lensed pinhole with an ancient cosmic symbol hack.
All this film developing is costing the earth, I hope my super dense neutral density filter comes soon then I can do pinhole(esque) on my digital camera for next to nothing.

All was not lost on the exercise front though cause I also had a run on the beach, it only snowed a little bit.

View a slideshow on Flickr