Lauriston Castle

October 2024 - Lauriston  Castle

Weather - Bright and sunny 

Optional theme - Autumn 

Refreshments - Mimi's Bakehouse at Lauriston Castle 

Colin's photo captures the textures, as well as the colours, of autumn. 

John photographed two trees - of very different ages - showing the different stages of autumn colours. 

This perfect dahlia was photographed by Kate...

... while Sandra captured these sweet peas against a blue sky speckled with little fluffy clouds. 

The autumn colours this year were great, but Ada's photo - taken last year - shows that last year's colours were even better.

Alison's photo captures the textures of an old tree trunk. 

Alex took multiple photos of this tree and combined them in Affinity Photo to create this impressionistic view. 

The Botanics

October 2024 - Royal Botanic gardens, Edinburgh 

Weather - bright, with beautiful autumn light 

Optional theme - autumn

Refreshments - Café at the John Hope Gateway 

Sandra's photos perfectly captured the beautiful autumn colours. The reflections in the first photo are gorgeous! 

Alex captured some of the garden's flowers gently embracing the new season. 

Colin captured two very different aspects of autumn: the colours of the flowers fading to a gentle gold, and two squirrels scrambling to lay down a store of nuts for the winter. 

Another squirrel, this time from Kate. This squirrel has clearly noticed that it's being watched. Kate's other image looks out to a lawn from under the canopy of an autumnal tree. 

Maggie went for an abstract approach. Very autumnal, but concentrating on colour and texture instead of subject. 

Barrie found a couple of beautiful autumnal scenes, including this colourful cluster of rudbeckia.

Ada shared some photos from a recent trip to Ireland. That Guinness sure looks welcoming! That menacing Portrush sky, on the other hand? Maybe a good idea to find a warm, dry, pub. 

Stockbridge

September 2024 - Stockbridge 

Weather - bright and clear

Optional theme - Curves 

Refreshments - Nero's - cinnamon buns highly recommended 

We dived enthusiastically into this theme. Maggie's images come from the opposite ends of her zoom range - a still life and a long zoom of some distant chimneys.

Sandra's photo of the door gave us our longest discussion of the day. Is it blue or is it green? Eventually we decided it was turquoise. A good old British compromise! 

Everyone loves a dog - Ada found three cute wee dugs standing just by a curve in the pavement. 

We found lots of curves in Alison's photo of this very comfy-looking chair. Her other image highlights an art deco-style sunburst in the road markings. 

Colin used black and white to emphasise the curves in these semi-abstract images. 

Kate found intricate curves in the stonework of Stockbridge's historic buildings. 

Granton Park

August 2024, Granton

Weather - Sunshine and clouds 

Optional Theme - Black and white 

Refreshments - Morrisons Cafe

Alison captured the men at work on the old Granton gasometer. Her second image is of a beautiful modern building nearby. We were all taken by the clean lines which worked so well in black and white. 

Colin captured this perfectly-timed image of a passenger jet, framed by the struts of the gasometer. His other photos capture more peaceful images of park life. 

Remember that building that Alison photographed? Here it is again - this time as seen by Eileen. I told you those clean lines looked good in black and white. Eileen's last photo is presented in its original colour version - the orange of the jumpsuits standing out against that subdued blue sky. 

Maggie enjoys finding abstract compositions by working on her photos in Photoshop Elements. Her interpretation of the communications mast evokes the feel of a pixelated image from the early days of the internet. Ah ... remember the days before the internet was filled with relentless advertising!  Her final image is a variation on Eileen's interpretation of the men working on the gasometer. This is a more colourful view which emphasises the diagonals of the structure. 

Sandra's photos concentrated on the beauty of the natural life to be found in the park. But she found time for a moody black and white of a detail from a gate. 

Alex wandered home via Granton Harbour, where he captured this serene image of the old wooden jetty at the end of the breakwater. Does anyone else see a big letter A there? His other images are infrared black and whites from Granton Park. 

Ada captured a dreamlike set of abstracts. Her first photo, showing the curve of the boardwalk, foreshadows our theme for next week: curves.  

Kate took two photos of guerrilla art in the park. The first one, according to Wikipedia, is yarn bombing. Not sure about the second one though.