2020 Gallery
Contents of this page:-
Introduction - My "2020 Vision"
My 2020 Vision (an obvious pun, I know!) primarily represents a change of mindset ushered in by this new decade, in which I’m pursuing some new photographic techniques and generally striving for quality over quantity. As a result, the images from my 2020 gallery are mostly from planned photoshoots, and were all taken using a Fuji X-T3 mirrorless camera with one of four different lenses. Post-processing was performed using Lightroom.
I initially trialled my Fuji X-T3 at Lanyon Quoit (Cornwall) during January 2020, as illustrated by the first pair of pictures below. My recollection here is of watching the glow of golden hour fade as I endeavoured (I hesitate to say “struggled”!) to operate the camera for the first time…
Many of the subsequent images reflect constraints of the Covid-19 lockdown, in which I remained in the vicinity of my Devon home to focus on astro photography (with a timely appearance by Comet Neowise) and garden wildlife (generally birds or macro subjects).
The final set of images are from Scotland’s Isle of Arran - a favoured holiday destination of recent years - which I was lucky enough to re-visit “between lockdowns” during September 2020.
Lanyon Quoit (Cornwall, January 2020)
The inaugural trial of my Fuji X-T3, with wide-angle kit lens, featured the enigmatic Lanyon Quoit at sunset. The hazy “cloud of insects” in the second image is actually a passing flock of starlings engaged in their twilight acrobatics!
Astro Photography (Devon, April to August 2020)
My early attempts at astro photography (or “nightscapes”) utilised StarStax to blend long-exposure star trails, and to merge foreground with background in (for example) contextual moon shots.
The small selection below is rounded off by three images of Comet Neowise, which handily appeared from the heavens to enliven the lockdown.
My comet shots include one relative close-up, in which the subject was pinpointed using a 400mm telephoto lens (ISO 5000, 1.3-second exposure at f5.6).
By contrast, my final comet shot is a wide-angle self-portrait with torch (18mm focal length, ISO 1600, 10-second exposure at f2.8). In the latter, “The Plough” serves as a secondary subject toward the top of the frame (perhaps making a constellation appearance?!). :-)
Garden Bird "Flockdown" (Devon, May 2020)
These bird photos were all taken during lockdown in the back garden of my Devon home. The lone bird images - tree sparrow, robin, house sparrow, goldfinch - were captured using a 400mm telephoto lens with 1.4x teleconverter. The final image - naturally entitled Flockdown - is a rare foray into the world of Photoshop, depicting a blend of birds which appeared in frame at various times during a 40-minute vigil one Sunday afternoon.
Macro Photography (Devon, July/August 2020)
The macro shots featured below were taken while experimenting with an 80mm prime lens, either in my Devon back garden or alongside the nearby River Culm. The very narrow depth of field generally leads the eye to a specific part of the frame, highlighting microscopic parts of the subject - whether spider, bee, fly or flower.
For me, the joy of macro photography is in discovering alien worlds on our doorstep, simply by pausing and focusing on the intricate detail which surrounds us. In that sense it can be regarded as the miniature equivalent of astro photography, except with “strange new worlds… new life” guaranteed!
Meeting Moogie - A Pawtrait (Devon, August 2020)
Pawtrait of a Pooch:-
I’m not sure that Wee Moo really qualifies as wildlife… but as her Granny Mann likes to say, “There’s no show without Punch!”.
And although Moo’s August pawtrait is naturally the main event, I’ve also included a sneaky pic (from May 2020) of her elusive lockdown playmate, the irrepressible Moses (a.k.a. “the Moggy next door”).
Their garden games of hide-and-seek were, of course, supervised and socially distanced at all times! ;-)
Isle of Arran (Escape to Scotland, September 2020)
All of the remaining pictures from my 2020 gallery were taken during a socially-distanced holiday on the Isle of Arran, which we were fortunate enough to squeeze in between national lockdowns.
Our base was at Kildonan, on the southern shore, with views to the comma-shaped island of Pladda and volcano-like Ailsa Craig.
Also featured in the mix is Holy Isle, whose tranquil presence lends an air of serenity to Arran’s south-eastern seaboard.
Arran has been a favoured holiday destination of the past few years, and we certainly aim to return. Below is a small sample of the scenic splendour - from grey granite skylines to cute coastal critters - which greeted us this time around.
Oh, and watch out for that dinosaur footprint… some of the local wildlife could be wilder than we bargained for! :-)
For a selection of imagery from earlier Arran visits (and from elsewhere), please see my photo archive pages, Hills & History and Boat-Trips & Composites.
For a continuation of Fuji X-T3 imagery, please see my 2021 Gallery (which naturally includes a section on our Autumn 2021 Arran Adventure), or indeed subsequent years… :-)
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