Posts Tagged ‘Bigton’
Posted on August 25, 2010 - by benmullay
Lisa & Stephen’s Hamefarin
We recently covered Lisa Woodside and Stephen Glaister’s Hamefarin by taking them down to their chosen destination of St Ninian’s Isle, Bigton.
This was my second photo shoot at St Ninian’s Isle this summer and again the weather was absolutely glorious. As a result the beach was very busy with people enjoying the fine day. We had a great time photographing Lisa and Stephen despite the midges!
Lisa is originally from Bangor in Northern Ireland but moved to Shetland a few years ago. Lisa is now working for the Shetland Islands Council at Hayfield House.
Stephen is employed by T & N Joinery and used to stay in Mossbank.
The Hamefarin was held afterwards at the Sandwick Social Club where there was a meal for 40 close family and friends. Music was supplied by 6-piece folk-rock band Scaldin’ Bragg which added an Irish element to the evening. Everyone had a great time and danced the night away.
Lisa and Stephen now live in Sandwick. I would like to thank them for letting us cover their Hamefarin and wish them all the best for their future together.
-Ben
Posted on June 28, 2010 - by benmullay
Make Hay
(click on image for larger view)
Pictured above is my first attempt at HDR photography. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range which basically means that the highlights, midtones and shadows of a scene are captured in separate exposures and then combined to make one image. For more information click here.
I’ve never quite decided if I like HDR as some images I’ve seen have that overly “Harry Potter” look. I’ll admit, this example is perhaps a bit on the extreme side but I think it works. I really like the grungy effect emphasising all the foreground interest.
-Ben
Posted on May 20, 2010 - by benmullay
Shetland Visitor Magazine 2010
(click on image to enlarge)
I was delighted when I found out that Shetland Litho had chosen one of my images to be used on the front cover of this year’s Shetland Visitor magazine. The magazine is now available and is free.
The image featured can be found on my gallery pages here. Some folk may be interested to know that this camera was taken with a 1958 Yashica 635 Twins Lens Reflex:
One of my all time favourite sunset photographs captured on a 1958 Yashica 635 TLR (Twin Lens Reflex). This camera takes 6×6 images on 120 roll film. As there is no built-in light meter then I had to guage the exposure myself. I got the exposure pretty much spot-on in this case, but using print film gave me much more latitude than slide film would have done.
With the Shetland Hamefarin, Shetland Classic Motor Show, Flavour of Shetland, record number of cruise liners, galas throughout the isles and the Mid-Summer Carnival it promises to be a very busy summer for Shetland. Hopefully this recent run of nice weather continues!
-Ben
Posted on May 10, 2010 - by benmullay
Shetland Photography – Out & About # 10 (Part 2)
Another image from Friday night’s sunset photo shoot down at the Ireland Beach. I love the colours, different cloud formations and the reflection on the water.
I’ve added this image and the image from my previous post (click here to view) over on my gallery page. By clicking on ‘purchase options’ you can choose from a range of products from canvas gallery wraps to photo mugs. To go over to my gallery page please click here.
-Ben
Posted on May 8, 2010 - by benmullay
Shetland Photography – Out & About # 10
Click HERE to purchase this image
Had a great night last night with the camera down at the Ireland Beach. I had to abandon the car washing in order to have sufficient time to capture the sunset which I knew was shaping up to be a real humdinger with Foula clearly visible on the horizon. Could this be the start of the summer?
Really enjoying the combination of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II with the Canon 17-40mm F4 L lens - great sharpness and the bigger LCD screen is much easier to use than the smaller one on my old Canon EOS 20D.
Thursday was election day and I would like to congratulate Alistair Carmichael on retaining his Shetland and Orkney seat by a clear majority up 10.5% on the previous campaign. It was, however, a disappointing night for the Liberal Democrats overall as they failed to gain ground on their rivals despite a few bouyant performances by Nick Clegg during the live TV debates.
Have another image from last night’s sunset which I’ll post soon.
-Ben
Posted on March 27, 2010 - by benmullay
SMUHA (Part 4) – Procession
A dramatic silhouette of the Guizer Jarl in front of the evening sky
A typical Friday night in Bigton!
Final touches being applied before the procession
The galley with a beautiful sunset in the background
Jarl Squad member Derrick Bradley good to go
Sam Smith and Karen Lobban take it all in
Janet Smith all set for the procession to begin
Let's get this show on the road
Ross Smith on the march
Guizers march through Mews
The Brass Band at St Ninian's Isle
Burning Blaze
Gary Irvine
Dale Smith
Guizer Jarl David Smith
Guizer Jarl David Smith in a dramatic scene
A silhouette of the Guizer Jarl in front of the burning galley
Posted on March 18, 2010 - by benmullay
SMUHA (Part 2) – Daytime
Early morning light up
Burning torches stationed at Bigton Hall
Gordon Stove standing proud at Sandwick Junior High School
John Jamieson in full flow at the ASN Dept, Anderson High School
David Smith leading his troops to Bigton Stores
The Up Helly Aa song being sung with great gusto
Aleksandur Leifsson of Vinland catches up with local developments
Michael Shotton enjoying the big day
The Jarl Squad with St Ninian's Isle a beautiful backdrop
Playtime at Dunrossness Primary School!
Young Sam Smith waves goodbye to his friends at Dunrossness Primary School
Elma Johnson having a laugh with Gordon Stove at Bigton Stores
Dale Smith and Shavonne Smith arrive at The Bigton Hall for breakfast
Pictured above are a few of my favourites during the day from the first ever South Mainland Up Helly Aa.
I followed the Jarl Squad from 7am where they enjoyed breakfast at the Bigton Hall. The other locations were ASN Dept, Anderson High School, Sound School, Cunningsburgh School, Sandwick Junior High School, Bigton Stores, Sumburgh Hotel, Dunrossness School, Overtonlea Care Centre and Levenwick Hall.
I had a great time and the time simply flew by. There was a real sense of camaraderie between the squad and they were warmly greeted at each venue. Best singing performance has to go to the pupils at Dunrossness Primary School who belted our a rousing rendition of the Up Helly Aa song.
A comprehensive range of images can be viewed and purchased over at http://www.benmullay.com/gallery/SMUHA/.
Stay tuned for the final part of my SMUHA collection featuring photographs from the procession. For those that missed it, the first part of my SMUHA blog posts can be found here.
-Ben
Posted on March 14, 2010 - by benmullay
SMUHA (Part 1) – Jarl Squad Photos, Maywick Beach
South Mainland Up Helly Aa Jarl Squad 2010
David Smith - The Guizer Jarl Aleksandur Leifsson of Vinland
Guizer Jarl David Smith at Maywick Beach
Gary Irvine with family at Maywick Beach
Keith, Karen and Tracy Lobban
David Smith leading his squad along Maywick Beach
Links
http://www.benmullay.com/gallery/SMUHA/ – purchase SMUHA photos in a range of products
http://www.southmainlanduphellyaa.com/new/ – South Mainland Up Helly Aa official website
http://www.shetlink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8974&start=50 – Shetlink forum on the event
Posted on January 28, 2010 - by benmullay
Shetland Photography – Iceberg!
Pictured above is another image I took during the cold snap we experienced a few weeks ago. The image shows Foula with Ireland in the foreground. I really liked the cloud formations coupled with the late-afternoon light. My cousin George, owner of Shetland Powder Coating, thinks Foula looks like Bart Simpson lying down. I’ll let you judge for yourselves…
The weather forecasters are predicting another bout of snow and ice this coming weekend so it’ll be interesting to see what develops.
For up-to-date information on the Shetland weather then I suggest you visit Dave Wheeler’s website here.
