Mark's Blog

It's been over eighteen months since I visited the Isle of Skye and took this image of the Cuillins from Elgol. However, having scanned it using my Epson V700 scanner, I was always aware that I could glean just that little bit more information from the transparency using a drum scanner. In particular the left rock jutting into the sea, which simply blocked up in the shadows. I decided to call in to see Tim Parkin, the font of all knowledge with these things, who kindly drum scanned the transparency (along with a few others), so that I could get the very best out of the image. What I hadn't realised is that he is able to scan right to the edge of the transparency including the film name and black border of the transparency itself. I'd seen this done by a few photographers in the past and always thought they...

What with running five separate photo workshops, getting the Staircase Gallery up and running plus trying to make some autumn images of my own it seems like an age since I was on the Isle of Arran – yet it was only three weeks ago! Phew, time just seems to have flown by since! As the weather wasn’t favourable during our stay, John and I spent a lot of time seeking out rock details along the shores of Arran in between showers. One area I was particularly taken with was the amazing rock formations just south of Lochranza at Catacol Bay. These formations were excellent for detailed work, so we spent many hours just working the area looking for interesting features. I could see a pattern emerging with strong lines and patterning of the rock. After making three similar images I was already envisaging a tryptic at some point in the...