L plates

We did some more exploring as November progressed, visiting Loch Leven to climb the hill behind the reserve and take in the magnificent view:

November ended with a trip to Watford, meeting friends locally and in Milton Keynes and with a day trip too as tourists to London.   We picked a cracker of a day and enjoyed a walk with clear skies and warm sunshine, alongside the Thames.   The first stop was a sneaky wander down to one of the London Transport floating pontoons to photograph HMS Belfast:

We passed the Millennium Bridge:

Cleopatra's Needle:

And the London Eye:

Back home in Scotland winter has been settling across the landscape and with it comes the winter darkness, with ever short days until the end of the year.   This provides an opportunity to work with night photography.  So with L plates and warm clothing on I headed to Glasgow to photograph the Clyde at sunset and into the first darkness of the night:

I then headed up to George Square and the Christmas Market there:

Before meeting-up with Helen after work and heading home.

A Supermoon was forecast at the end of the weekend so I headed this time to Blackness Castle on the Forth, a little too early and settled down to wait.   Meanwhile behind the sky caught fire was a stunning sunset back over Blackness Village:

The bridges across the Forth are lit at night:

And the moon did indeed make a larger-than-life appearance, however it was readily consumed by the cloud:

Another sunny, cold day saw us head up into the Trossachs National Park, visiting again Loch Venachar, looking very different to a green, warm Spring day or indeed a breezy summer day (see previous posts):

And into the mountains to enjoy the hoar frost which was rapidly melting under a warming sun:

It really was a beautiful day and well worth the trip.  I need to find more opportunities to photography the landscape draped in winter as it is.

I've joined Falkirk Camera Club, which I'm really enjoying and have started to explore more of the country and the technical aspects of photography.   That and wanting to learn night photography led me and a colleague on an evening explore, the first location i'd picked was a write-off as the lights weren't on (doh!) however Arria by Andy Scott was lit-up, so we parked at the back of the cemetery and spent a good couple of hours taking various images.   Mine were all rudimentary until i saw what my colleagues was doing with her camera settings, and bingo i was suddenly taking pictures including the night sky, what a difference!

I also tried some light trails from the passing traffic:

As well as being more technically prepared she was also better prepared for the temperature, it was properly baltic!