Urban Seagulls.

Urban Seagulls

Seagulls are so familiar in coastal towns that they're easy to overlook photographically. These two black and white images take a closer look at how they occupy man-made environments — not as visitors to the urban landscape, but as permanent residents entirely at home in it.

The first shows a gull perched against a backdrop of concrete and steel, the hard geometry of the structure contrasting with the softness of the bird's plumage. The second places one near a fairground ride — an unlikely combination that works because both belong to the same seaside world.

Shooting in monochrome suits this subject well. Without colour, the focus shifts to form, texture, and the relationship between the bird and its surroundings. Gulls are bold, adaptable, and largely indifferent to people, which makes them easier to photograph candidly than most wildlife.

Both images were taken in the Angus and Aberdeenshire area of Scotland — locations where the boundary between town and coast is never far away.

For more wildlife and coastal photography, explore the Places gallery.

Arbirlot Walks – Fields, Waterfalls and Woodland

A short walk through Arbirlot, just outside Arbroath, takes you from open fields into shaded woodland and down to the small waterfall under the old stone bridge. It’s a quiet spot, ideal for a wander with the dog or simply enjoying the scenery. The mix of farmland, riverside paths and that hidden cascade makes it a favourite place for locals to explore.

The waterfall itself, tucked beneath the bridge, is the highlight. Whether standing above it or cooling off below, it’s a reminder of how much variety you can find within a short distance of town.

Exploring places like Arbirlot shows just how much variety is on offer in this part of Scotland. From open coastlines to tucked-away woodland, I’m always drawn to the mix of landscapes nearby. You can see more of my work across Places and People.

Glamis Castle. Highland games.

Glamis Castle. Highland Games.

The Strathmore Highland Games are held annually in the grounds of Glamis Castle in Angus, and they're one of the more distinctive events in the Scottish calendar. The castle itself provides an extraordinary backdrop — a working historic estate with a history stretching back to the fourteenth century, most closely associated with the Lyon family and later the Bowes-Lyon family, including Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who grew up there.

The games follow a traditional format — heavy athletics including the caber toss and hammer throw, pipe bands, dancing, and the kind of food and atmosphere that makes it worth the journey. These images, shot in black and white, focus on the people, the movement, and the setting rather than the spectacle.

Angus is well placed for this kind of event — Glamis sits just a few miles from Forfar, and the wider Strathmore valley has a long connection to Highland culture and rural Scots tradition. If you're in the area in summer, the games are worth adding to the itinerary.

Black and White Gym Photography – Weightlifting Event in Arbroath

At Warehouse Gym in Arbroath, a weightlifting event provided a chance to capture strength and focus in a stripped-back style. Without colour, the story shifts to contrast, shape, and movement.

The black and white approach highlights athletes in training and competition. Sharp contrasts draw out detail in posture and expression, showing the raw intensity of the sport.

This shoot extends my portfolio of event photography in Scotland, using a simple approach that keeps attention on people and performance.

The Importance of Revisiting a Site – Photography Practice in Scotland

Returning to familiar locations often produces new results. Light, weather, and season all change, meaning a second or third visit can reveal details that weren’t there before.

This series shows how repeat visits create variety. The same place shifts character depending on the conditions, offering new compositions and perspectives.

Revisiting sites is part of my regular approach, ensuring subjects are documented in different moods and at different times. It keeps even familiar places fresh.

Montrose A92 and Railway Bridges — Sunrise Drone & Structure Photography

Bridges are found in most towns, but when the light is right, they become more than infrastructure—they turn into patterns, angles, and motion. At Montrose, using my drone at sunrise offered fresh views of the A92 and railway bridges, where structure meets transport in the early calm.

From the air, the steel girders and road decks form lines against the sky; the railway tracks cut through the frame, waiting for trains to add motion. Dawn light inches across surfaces, casting long shadows and making reflections dance off metal. Watching a train pass beneath, perfectly framed among beams and spans, gives a moment of balance between still structure and movement. The set includes both wide-angle shots and tighter compositions, showing scale and detail.

Patiently waiting for a train to pass, does not disappoint when they come in to the scene.

Structure, motion, and lines are themes I return to often. For more work exploring architecture, bridges, and drone perspectives, see my Places and Drone galleries.

Sunrise Stood on the A92 — Bridges, Trains & Morning Light, Montrose

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference. Standing on the A92 bridge in Montrose at sunrise, I saw light that turned ordinary trains into golden silhouettes and bridges into dramatic lines. These images come from those moments when waiting pays off.

The morning sky warmed slowly as I watched trains cross the bridge, each passing bringing out the contrast between metal, rail, and light. From the A92 vantage point, I captured wide views of the highway and railway, then turned to shoot the railway bridge itself. The contrast between warm sunlight on train carriages and the darker structure around them struck a chord. These aren’t staged scenes — just light, structure, and time aligning.

Architecture, transport, and light are themes I like to explore repeatedly. For more work with bridges, rails, and early-morning sky, see my Places and Drone galleries.

Elephant Rock, Lunan Bay, Montrose — Coastal Travel & Landscape Photography

Walks out to coastal arches like Elephant Rock are reminders that nature’s shapes matter — rock, sea, sky combining into unexpected forms. A recent visit to Lunan Bay brought just that: the arch of Elephant Rock with cliffs and the chapel above, tides low, skies open.

Chapel of St Skae burial ground.

Elephant Rock (also called the Rock of St Skae) is a volcanic coastal arch, shaped over time by wind and wave. These photos capture its elephant-like silhouette — trunk and head — framed against cliffs, water, and sky. Nearby is the 12th-century Chapel of St Skae, perched above the cliffs; I included shots that show its position in the landscape and even the odd gravestone (like George James Ramsay’s) that gives the place character. Walking back via Lunan Bay, you get wide views: dunes, receding tide, sand ripples, the light changing across beach and cliff.

Upon leaving Elephant rock, we called into Lunan Bay.

Information if you are visiting.

Lunan Bay has attracted many visitors throughout the ages, from Viking armies in the 10th century to generations of holidaymakers. Today it offers a secluded haven on the dramatic Angus coastline.

Sites like this remind me why landscape travel photography is about more than the view — it’s about place, memory, and context. For more work in coastal landscapes and travel-informed photography, see my Places and Travel galleries.

St Vigeans Church

St Vigeans Church sits on a low hill in the ancient village of St Vigeans, on the northern outskirts of Arbroath in Angus. The church is one of the older surviving ecclesiastical sites in the area — the building dates from the 12th century, though the site itself is thought to be older. It was consecrated in 1242 by David de Bernham, Bishop of St Andrews.

The village of St Vigeans takes its name from Saint Fechin of Fore, an Irish monk whose name was anglicised over centuries to Vigean. The church stands on a raised mound that may indicate even earlier pre-Christian use of the site.

These photographs are part of an ongoing project documenting churches and historic buildings across Angus and Scotland. The Church of Scotland parish still serves the local community, and the adjacent Abbots House museum holds an important collection of carved Pictish stones found in the area.

For more church photography, see the Church category in the blog and the Places portfolio.