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.

Helvellyn, Lake District – Solo Hike Photography

The Lake District is full of routes that test both stamina and focus, and Helvellyn is one of the best known. This solo hike followed Striding Edge, up to the trig point, across Swirral Edge, and back via Red Tarn.

Taken on iPhone, these images record the sharp ridges, steady climb, and open views across the fells. More than a walk, the route doubles as a physical test and training exercise.

I was happy with 4.5hrs.

Hill walking remains a steady part of my work and training. These photographs add to a wider collection capturing the landscapes of the Lake District.

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.

Dunnottar Castle Sunrise – Drone Photography in Stonehaven, Scotland

Few locations on Scotland’s east coast carry as much atmosphere as Dunnottar Castle. Perched high above the North Sea, the ruins dominate the headland and remain one of the country’s most iconic coastal landmarks.

Captured by drone at sunrise, the first light revealed texture in the stonework and depth across the cliffs. The dramatic shadows emphasise both the scale of the castle and the rugged coastline that surrounds it.

The surviving buildings are largely from the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages.

Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century.

This work adds to my wider series on Scotland’s coastal landmarks, using drone photography to document places where history and landscape meet.

Rattray Head Lighthouse at Sunrise – Coastal Photography in Aberdeenshire

Rattray Head Lighthouse sits on a low promontory on the Buchan coast of Aberdeenshire, standing in open water just offshore. Built in 1895 and reaching 120 feet in height, it has guided vessels navigating the treacherous sands around Rattray Head for over 130 years. The area around the head has a long history of shipwrecks, which drove the original decision to build the lighthouse.

These photographs were taken at sunrise, when the first light catches the tower and the surrounding sea is at its calmest. The conditions allowed for clear reflections and strong contrast between the white stonework and the water around the base.

Getting to the lighthouse on foot involves crossing tidal sands, so timing matters — and the reward is a perspective that most visitors to the Aberdeenshire coast never see. The lighthouse is now automated and managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board.

For more coastal and lighthouse photography from Scotland, visit the Places gallery.

St Mary’s Chapel, Rattray – Historic Church Photography in Aberdeenshire

Tucked away in the Buchan countryside near Rattray, St Mary's Chapel is thought to date back to around 1214, making it one of the older surviving ecclesiastical ruins in the north-east of Scotland. Its weathered stone walls are a reminder of a time when this part of Aberdeenshire was a more substantial centre of local life.

These photographs focus on the texture of the stonework and the way the structure sits in the landscape — collapsed in places, but still carrying the proportions and form of a medieval chapel. The site has an unrestored quality to it that sets it apart from more managed heritage locations.

This visit forms part of an ongoing project documenting historic churches and chapels across Scotland, many of which sit quietly in the landscape with little formal recognition. For more church photography, see the Places gallery and the dedicated church posts in the blog.

Montrose Old and St Andrew’s Church – Drone Photography in Angus

The spire of Montrose Old and St Andrew's Church is one of the defining features of the Angus town's skyline. The current building dates from the late 18th century, with the distinctive steeple added in 1834. From street level it is striking; from the air the relationship between the church and the surrounding town becomes much clearer.

These drone photographs were taken to show the church in its wider urban setting — the way the spire anchors the High Street, the surrounding rooflines and the grid of the town below. The aerial perspective reveals the church's scale relative to the streets around it in a way that ground-level photography cannot.

Montrose itself has a long history as a trading port and market town, and the church reflects the civic ambition of a prosperous Angus community. It remains a working parish church and a significant local landmark.

This shoot is part of a continuing series on historic churches and town landmarks across Scotland

This work adds to my series on churches, using drone photography to show how historic buildings shape and define modern townscapes.

Helvellyn via Striding Edge – Winter Hike Photography in the Lake District

Winter conditions can transform even familiar routes. On this hike, Striding Edge offered its usual exposure, but Helvellyn’s summit trig point was still iced over, changing the descent.

The route taken was

Glen Ridding car park,

up and over Striding edge.

The weather was nice on the route up, but unexpectedly Helvellyn's trig point was still very icey and snowy making the descent onto Swirrial edge dangerous without spikes so we walked Whiteside pass back to the car.

6 hours in total.

The photographs show both the sharp ridges and the snow-covered summit. Even with good weather on the climb, frozen ground demanded a change of route on the way down.

Hill walking isn’t just about the views — it’s about adjusting to conditions. These images document the challenges and rewards of winter routes in the Lake District.

Scurdie Ness Lighthouse – Coastal Photography in Montrose, Scotland

Built in 1870 after numerous shipwrecks, Scurdie Ness Lighthouse stands at the mouth of the River South Esk, guiding vessels safely along the east coast of Scotland.

Photographed in freezing conditions, these images show the tower against clear skies, highlighting the engineering that still defines the Montrose shoreline today.

Scotland’s lighthouses remain some of the most practical yet visually striking coastal landmarks. This shoot adds to my ongoing series on maritime structures.

Blackpool Tower Sunrise – Coastal Photography in Lancashire

Blackpool Tower has been a landmark on the Lancashire coast since 1894. Photographed at sunrise, the tower rises above the quiet seafront before the town comes to life.

The images show both the tower itself and the open promenade below, with first light adding contrast and atmosphere.

This shoot continues my coastal series, recording familiar landmarks in changing light to highlight their place in the landscape.

Car Photography – Urban Automotive Study

Cars are as much a part of city life as the buildings and streets around them. This series focuses on the Audi S3 in an urban setting, using both colour and black and white to explore the relationship between the vehicle and its surroundings — reflection, surface texture and the contrast between machine and street.

The shoot was kept deliberately light and mobile, with equipment fitting into a single rucksack so the car could be moved between locations. That kind of constraint tends to produce more considered images — you work with what the location gives you rather than imposing a setup on it.

The S3 is a clean subject for this kind of work. The proportions are tight, the lines are direct, and the blacked-out details respond well to directional light. Both natural and mixed ambient light were used across the set.

If you have a high-end or collectable car and are looking for professional photography, get in touch via the contact page or on Instagram at @lee_ramsden.

St Annes Beach Sunset Walk – Coastal Photography in Lancashire

St Annes Beach stretches wide along the Fylde Coast, the sands running south from the pier towards the dunes. At sunset the light changes quickly — the sky shifts through orange and pink while the wet sand reflects colour back from below, and the wide beach gives walkers and silhouettes a scale that tighter shorelines cannot match.

These drone images were taken in the early evening, hovering above the beach to capture the scale of the space and the figures moving through it. The Fylde Coast has a particular quality at this time of day — it is never frantic, and in summer the evening light rewards patience.

St Annes is one of the locations I return to regularly, both as somewhere to walk and somewhere to photograph. The beach and the estuary offer different conditions each time.

For more coastal photography from Lancashire and Scotland, visit the Places gallery.

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.

Offshore workers.

On an offshore wind farm substation, the real story is the people who keep the asset running. This set focuses on routine tasks, safe systems of work, and the teamwork that holds everything together. The aim is simple: clear, direct portraits of workers on the job—no fuss, just the work and the environment.

Part of my ongoing industrial and renewables series. For more, see the renewables and industrial sections of my portfolio.

Offshore Substation

The Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) offshore substation sits in the southern part of the Dutch North Sea — one of the largest offshore wind projects in the Netherlands, operated by Vattenfall and connected to the Dutch grid via TenneT. The substation is the electrical hub of the wind farm, collecting power from the surrounding turbines and transmitting it back to shore via high-voltage cable.

These images show the structure's deck, steel beams, walkways and cable trays framed against open sky and the changing light of an offshore day. There is contrast in the work-worn surfaces, in the reflections where light catches metal, and in the sense of human scale where fittings and handrails appear alongside the larger structural elements.

Also visible in this set are wind turbines within the HKZ array, and the yellow control tower at Ijmuiden on the Dutch coast — a landmark for any vessel transiting in and out of the port.

For more photography from offshore substations and renewables work, visit the Wind Industry gallery & portfolio.

Noord Pier IJmuiden — Early-Morning Drone Photography, Netherlands

Predicting what dawn will bring is part of the job. This time, I cycled to Noord Pier in IJmuiden, raised my drone just before sunrise, and tried to capture how the pier looks when light, weather, and tide conspire. The difference this visit had over previous ones was in the softness of the sky and calm water, which changed how shadows and reflections behaved.

These shots show the pier’s structure against the open sea, the water reflecting the early sky, and the perspective lines of the jetty converging toward the horizon. The clean air and low tide helped turn familiar elements into more dramatic compositions.

Revisiting locations like this lets me see subtle changes in light and atmosphere. For more coastal drone work with changing conditions, check out my Places and Drone Photography galleries.

Evertsenstraat Watertoren IJmuiden — Drone Photography, Netherlands

The converted water tower at Evertsenstraat in IJmuiden caught my eye during a recent trip — its history, monument status, and architecture combining into something photographically interesting. What used to supply drinking water now stands as residential apartments surrounded by park-like green spaces, and the tower’s shape against sky feels different from every angle.

The complex dates from 1914–1915. Built as a water supply complex, the tower and filter building remain as national monuments. Flying the drone above the Watertorenpark, I aimed to capture both the structure’s form and its setting — the clean lines of the tower, the geometry of the rooftop apartments, the park and landscaping around, and the sense of height.

Architecture and monumentality in unexpected places is a focus of mine. For more structural drone photography in the Netherlands and beyond, check the Drone and Places galleries.

Arbroath Harbour — Coastal and Historical Harbour Photography

Arbroath Harbour has carried centuries of history in its red sandstone walls, medieval origins and weather-worn docks. I’ve visited this place several times; when the sky clears and the water calms, the textures of sea, stone, and light combine in ways a single visit can’t capture.

The harbour, medieval in origin, was improved by John Gibb in 1838-39 and extended by James Leslie in 1841-46 to include 2.4 hectares enclosed by red sandstone sea walls. The old 1725 harbour was converted into a wet dock in 1877 — the wrought iron gates remain, now kept open to the North Sea.

Today’s shoot shows weathered stone, calm reflections, the contrast between structure and water, and the soft lines of dawn light reaching the sea wall and boats. Where light hits the sandstone wall or the gates, there’s depth; in the shadows and water, quiet shapes. These images are about material, history, and stillness.

Harbours like this connect past and present, where centuries of maritime life continue in stone, wood, and tide. For more harbour and coastal photography with structure and mood, see my Places and Drone galleries.

Great Orton Wind Farm — Onshore Drone & Renewables Photography

Great Orton Wind Farm, in Wigton near Carlisle, shows the power of clean energy set against the rural English landscape. These six turbines stand tall at 45 m to the hub (68.5 m to blade tip), and today’s drone shots aim to show not just their scale, but how they sit in place relative to the field, sky, and horizon.

Flying above, I captured compositions where turbine towers puncture the skyline, blades silent but implied in motion. The open land around means little to interfere — just farm tracks, walls, and the occasional tree. Light at this time of day softens the metal surfaces, casts long shadows, and gives contrast between turbine steel and landscape texture.

My ongoing renewables and industrial photography seeks moments where engineering and environment combine. For more drone work in landscapes like this, check out my Drone and Wind Industry galleries.

IJmuiden, Seaport Beach — Drone Photography, Netherlands

Golden hour over IJmuiden’s seaport beach gives light a rare softness — when metal, sand, and sea all respond with reflection. These drone shots capture that brief moment when the elements line up at the edge of sunset.

Flying over the beach and port area, I watched how the light changes the textures — wet sand mirrors sky, breakwaters cast long silhouettes, shipping containers and cranes glow faintly in warm tones. Each image is about contrast: structure against horizon; calm water against the industrial edges of the seaport. Golden hour makes everything more dramatic without forcing it.

These images are part of my ongoing exploration of shorelines and port environments. For more coastal and industrial drone work, see my Drone and Wind Industry galleries.