Nocturnal Streets

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Joe

Nocturnal streets offer a different face to the daytime version – a busy, central area now quiet, almost no people, little traffic, all but deserted

All the same buildings are there, the traffic lights wink and change in their pattern, regardless of the lack of vehicles passing, but it is all just somewhat different, while still being the same place. I think that’s one of the reasons I like taking long exposure shots at night, it just reveals a version of the city your eye can’t see.

These were all improvised shots – I was coming home late from the cinema, and so no tripod with me. I had ten minutes to wait for a bus, so I set the timer and sat the camera on bollards, ledges and posts to steady it for a few shots while I waited, and this is what I got, all around Edinburgh Quay, the modern buildings around where the Union Canal now ends (although originally it continued on over the main road to an inland port nearby).

Sign of the Times

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Joe

I could be wrong, but I suspect this venue may well be some sort of drinking establishment…

Night Vision

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Joe

While many are depressed by the long, dark, winter nights in Scotland (dark by around 3.30pm by mid-winter), I tend to take the chance to snap some night shots of the city. I’m always fascinated by the way the camera, on a long exposure, can drink in more light to see more than the human eye can, and also how different the city seems at night, or how different again on wet nights to dry nights.

Dusk skies, the very tail-end of Blue Hour, just that little hint of fading colour in the western sky.

A wet evening by the Union Canal – the wiggly line you can see is a “light trail”, caused by a passing light caught in the long exposure into a line. When it is on a car or bicycle, it tends to be a smooth line, here it is dipping up down like a sine wave because it was a head torch on a jogger running alongside the canal

Passing traffic creating light trails on a wet evening

Warp speed!!! A double decker bus, caught on a long exposure as it passed, creating this interesting light effect.

The Union Canal at night, the upper pic around a four second exposure, the lower image was a much longer (thirty seconds) exposure, capturing more light, even that light reflecting in the water and puddles, and a long, white light trail from the lamp on front of a passing bicycle, the bike itself invisible in the long exposure, only the light coming out as a solid line.

Picking up their dinner – person going into a restaurant at night, Dalry Road.

Travelling by light beams – traffic stretched out into light trails by long exposure shots

Light trails crossing the junction at Townhead, Kirkintilloch.

Reflections On The Tyne

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Joe

I had a few days off this week, and on a whim I decided to take the train down to Newcastle. I have passed through the city so many times on the train to London or York, but never actually visited the city itself. On those train trips I would look out of the window as the train traversed the High Level Bridge over the River Tyne, and see the lovely, old Swing Bridge and the iconic, steel arch of the Tyne Bridge (now a symbol of the city), and think I’d love to get some photos of this spot. So this week I did…

I spent the afternoon walking around town, exploring and taking many photos (as always). By late afternoon I was badly in need of a rest and some food and drink, so found a nice bar on the Quayside, right by the river, and by the time I finished eating, dusk had settled across the city, so I got a couple of Blue Hour shots of the bridges, reflecting in the dark waters of the Tyne. As ever, click on the pics to see the much larger versions on my Flickr.

The Moon and Venus, Dancing in the Heavens

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Joe

Walking home from my first day of work of 2025, frigid but beautiful winter’s night, amazingly clear skies, even over the city. Above the Union Canal, which was rapidly icing up, a large, bright, crescent Moon, with an incredibly bright Venus shining right next to it.

As I was coming from work, I didn’t have my tripod with me, so I improvised, setting the timer on the camera, then resting it on the edge of the old, stone bridge over the canal to steady it for a longer exposure, and crossed my fingers. And while it isn’t as good as with the tripod, given it is a makeshift night shot, it’s not too bad:

And this was the view looking east – you can just see Jupiter in the sky above the buildings at the end of the canal in this one, just right of centre:

And a wee zoom in closer to the old Leamington Lift Bridge, and the cold waters starting to freeze over:

As ever, click on the links to see the full-sized versions on the Woolamaloo Flickr stream (now north of 28, 000 photos on there!)

The Twilight Zone

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Joe

Walking home along the Union Canal at Fountainbridge – as March moves on the sunset is a little later each evening, so as I have been heading home from work I’ve caught the extended dusk, the tail end of Blue Hour, when the streetlights have come on, the eastern sky is already darkening, but the western sky still holds some pale blue light and hints of reds and purples from the sun that has just dipped below the horizon.

I took these using the little mini-tripod, the type with the bendy legs. It’s only 3 inches high, and obviously doesn’t give the scope my main tripod can, but unlike that one, this fits into my satchel! Handy when I want to catch low-light or night shots but not have to carry the big tripod around town. Being to tiny I have to use other things to try and raise the height on it, so sitting it on the side of the bridge, or on a bench by the canal. It doesn’t replace my big tripod, but it is a very handy wee addition.

I always love the “ghost” effect caused by moving people when making a long exposure!

This last one wasn’t taken with the main camera and the mini tripod – this was actually taken with my phone camera, as I walked home. I didn’t really expect it to come out, but thought I would try – I set the timer mode, and then steadied it as best I could, sitting the phone on the edge of the bridge. Quite suprised by the result.

Nocturnal scenes

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Joe

With it now being dark by four in the afternoon, I tend to take a lot more night photography around this time of year, which is something I have always liked doing since I was a kid with my first cameras. There’s something about the way the camera sees a city at night, drinking in the available light on a long exposure to show more than the naked eye sees, the way the long exposure turns passing people into translucent blurs, like ghosts walking past your lens.

Victoria Street is one of the prettiest in Edinburgh, which is saying something in this remarkable city. It curves steeply up from the Grassmarket, below the Castle, to George IV Bridge above, and along the way it showcases the many levels the tall, old, historic buildings of the Old Town are contructed on as they descend the steep, volcanic slopes of the ridge they are based on, running down either side of the famous Royal Mile.

The Grassmarket on a winter evening, taken with the wee, mini-tripod (just 3 inches high, bendy legs, small enough to go in my satchel) to steady the camera. Situated on an open square right below the Castle, at the bottom of the Old Town, this area contains many old pubs, most of which were old even when Robert Burns stayed in them, and started off as coaching inns centuries ago (a couple still have the larger entrance next to them for carriages to go round the back for the night).