Revisiting Scotland

I've been working at re-creating my website, chriscina.net. It had been a place where I uploaded just about everything I shot and so it had gotten very cluttered and unwieldy.  It was time to clean it up and try and show, and hopefully sell, prints of the very best photos I've taken.

It has meant a visual trip through many trips taken in recent years.  Looking at my Hawaii photos from 2003 reminded me of what a great trip that was, but showed me that I have improved as a photographer since then.
 
While it was great remembering the seal we almost tripped over on a beach, most of the images were small .jpgs and fairly poor quality. The image above of the Na'Pali Coastline, taken from a helicopter window, was one of the best.



Last week I revisited the Aran Islands in Ireland (a place I go back to in my thoughts when I am having difficulty sleeping).  The photo above is my husband stopped on his bike, patiently waiting for me to take the picture. Oh how I love the geography there, ocean on one side, rolling green landscape broken up by stone walls and occasional cows all around you. And it felt like the island was all ours to explore. Definitely one of my very favorite places.

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland
 Today I've been strolling through Edinburgh, Scotland - a very different experience. A large city brimming with spectacular architecture,  history and ghosts of writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Walter Scott, Robbie Burns and J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan).  The great thing about photography is that it allows you to go back in time and relive special moments in life as well as to stop and appreciate the beauty of a particular area.

Edinburgh has the most spectacular skyline which we discovered immediately after hiking the 823 feet to the top of Artur's Seat.

Spires and gothic grandeur can be seen as far as the eye can see and beyond it all, the sea.  Buildings down below favor a mixture of old and new, but all are large and impressive.


Castles can be found throughout Scotland, but nothing is quite like the Edinburgh Castle that sits up high on a volcanic rock, a mile north of the Palace on a road strewn with great restaurants and shops, the Royal Mile.





The Royal Mile, looking down the road from Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh even has a sense of humor.  It is a magnificent city in a beautiful country. If only I could spend my days traveling and shooting and enjoying all that this world has to offer.

Saving right now for Alaska. Stay tuned!

Happy shooting, friends. For more photos of Edinburgh, go to ChrisCina.net.

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