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| Pro photographer and tour leader James Christie. Learn more at his website. |
Today was our photo tour with professional photographer James Christie, who lives just outside of Edinburgh and has a successful photography business here. We found his walking tour of Old Town while searching the web for information about the area back in the summer when we were planning the trip.
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| National Monument on Carlton Hill, Edinburgh |
Smoky and I and tour-mate Michelle joined James for his 4- to 5-hour walking tour. In addition to taking us to iconic sites in Edinburgh, James provides instruction to participants on how to use their cameras in manual mode so as to capture images in the best possible exposures for the conditions of the day without having to rely on what is programmed into the camera.
With detailed explanations about how to frame the photos and what settings to use, along with history of what we were photographing, we progressed through the morning, learning more about photography and Edinburgh as we walked. Oftentimes the difference between an "ordinary" tourist shot and an extraordinary amazing shot was just a matter of 40 more feet to walk or 16 steps to climb. James helped us open our eyes so that we were noticing more and seeing more critically, with the goal being better photographs.
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| Robert Burns Memorial, Carlton Hill. |
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| Nelson Monument, Carlton Hill. Read more on Wikipedia. (Photo by Shann) |
And throughout the time we were touring, James' enthusiasm for his art form was apparent. Here is a man passionate about what he does, one who is willing to spend hours each day leading people like us around a city, hoping that by the end of the day, we've been touched in some way that makes a difference.
We were fortunate today that the group was small; it isn't always like that. This gave us lots of opportunity to ask questions and learn from James. At the end of the day, Smoky and I had photos we were really pleased with. In addition, we had had an opportunity to see the Old Town of Edinburgh through new eyes. We will leave tomorrow with a much greater appreciation for this interesting city. Thank you, James, for your part in that!
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| Three of Smoky's favorite abstract shots from today's tour. | ||||
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| Edinburgh Castle from one of James' special spots. (Photo by Shann) |
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| St. Giles Cathedral. |
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| One final "hidden" spot, shared by James, with a great view of Edinburgh Castle. |
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| One more of Smoky's abstracts from today's tour. |
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| Smoky, Michele, and me at the end of the photo tour with James Christie. (Photo by James Christie) |
By the way, as we were walking along Victoria Street, a side street off the Royal Mile, I spotted this sign, which made me chuckle. Maybe we need services like this in our country...
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| Nothing like a good husband day care! (Photo by Shann) |
Tomorrow we drive to Glasgow, turn in the car, and prepare for our flight home on Wednesday.
--Shann
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