Archive for the 'Latest' Category

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

On top of the world

Ever since arriving in Queenstown I’ve gazed up at The Remarkables mountain range and thought about climbing to the top. The mountain is simply unnavoidable, it’s huge presence dominating the Lake Wakatipu landscape.

The Remarkables

A bright and warm January day finally saw me reach the summit, aided by my trusty guide Stug who led the way and provided some ropes for added security near the top. I’ll admit we didn’t walk all the way up (that would be insane!) as there is a dirt road leading up to the ski field car park which is most of the way up.

The Remarkables

So it may not have been my longest hike ever but it is certainly the highest summit I’ve reached, Single Cone standing 2319 metres above sea level. It was an excellent hike / climb past Lake Alta and up the southern ridge to the top. I say climb as much of the way has no path, instead you have to hop and haul yourself over many large boulders towards the summit.

The Remarkables

The views over Queenstown and the surrounding area were breathtaking; Mount Aspiring and Mount Cook were both visible and I could really appreciate just how beautiful this area really is. Thanks Stug for an awesome day out!

The Remarkables


Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Fiordland Helicopters Photoshoot

While living in Queenstown I am currently working with Macstudio as a graphic designer. Working in a place such as Queenstown has it’s clear differences to working back home in Scotland, mainly due to the types of clients we deal with. Accountants, consultants and electricians are replaced with stunt pilots, skydiving and extreme sports.

Fiordland Helicopters Photoshoot

The wealth of adventure and outdoor activities in and around Queenstown means that there is never a dull moment at work. One of our latest clients, Fiordland Helicopters, is no exception. I worked with them in developing a new website and print materials which required some new imagery to complete the package.

To achieve this my boss Jon and I spent a fantastic few hours with pilot Jonathan and two willing models, buzzing around the mountains of Fiordland. With doors removed and securely strapped in it was an awesome experience to be skimming over the mountain tops and down through the valleys, surrounded by some of the beautiful scenery in the world. Although don’t take my word for it, judge by yourself. Here are a few images from the day. The full gallery can be viewed on the Fiordland Helicopters website.

Fiordland Helicopters Photoshoot

Fiordland Helicopters Photoshoot


Monday, October 4th, 2010

New Gallery from Tokyo, Japan

Now that both of my feet are firmly on the ground I have a chance to work through all of the images taken over the past months. This is the first of many galleries I will be publishing from my recent travels. I hope that you enjoy the images – please let me know your thoughts by leaving comments to this post. Click here to view Tokyo Gallery.

Tokyo Gallery


Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Queenstown, New Zealand

Just a quick update on my whereabouts. After five months of travelling through Asia, I have arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand. This is where I’ll be calling home for the next 6-12 months, giving me a chance to catch up on my photography backlog and earn some much needed cash. The travels have of course been incredible. In five months I managed to visit Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Australia.

Over the next few months I will be posting new image galleries from the trip and will keep you up to date with stories from my travels here on the blog. For now though, I’ll leave you with a couple of images taken, all the way from the kitchen and balcony of the house in which I’m staying…

Queenstown

Queenstown

The image above is featured on the brand new Adventure Travel Magazine website as Picture of the Week. Click here to visit the website.


Monday, July 5th, 2010

Travel update

Travelling is a tough business! OK I’ll be honest, it’s more a case of trying to work while travelling is a tough business. There has been so much to see, to photograph, to explore – people to meet and places to go. It means that any down time is spent hastily catching up on emails, keeping in touch with friends and family and processing the best of the last few weeks images.

You can probably see what I’m getting at here; finding time to tell the rest of the world how much of an incredible time I am having is dam near impossible. So, after three months on the road, here is a super quick update!

JAPAN
Shibuya, Tokyo
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

Japan is a country of extremes. The cities are huge, electric and adrenaline packed while at the other end of the scale the historic temples, shrines and gardens of Japan are some of the most tranquil places you’ll ever visit. In just two weeks I managed to pack in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Nagasaki and loved every minute of it. I have two firm favourites; Kyoto with its mix of old vs new and Nagasaki which is chilled out and of a ‘managable’ size.

Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki
Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki

CHINA
Padong, Shanghai
Pudong, Shanghai

If ever there was a county that represented ‘progress’ then this is it. China is developing on a massive scale, with whole cities being constructed from scratch and the old being bulldozed to make way for the new. The environmental and economic strains and delights were all evident in my month long journey through Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin, Yuangshuo and Hong Kong. I went in with an ‘idea’ of what China may be like and came out with a completely transformed perception of the place. It is a country of massive proportions in terms of size, population, ambitions and natural beauty which is struggling to keep up with itself. I know now that we’ll all be affected by the course China takes over the next decade or so.

The Great Wall, Beijing
The Great Wall of China, Beijing

Giant Panda, Chengdu
Giant Panda, Chengdu Panda Base

THAILAND
Koh Tao, Thailand
Koh Tao, Thailand

For several reasons my travels through Thailand didn’t go quite as planned. As I arrived in Bangkok the government ordered its troops to storm the Red Shirts camps in Bangkok, killing and injuring many people. This prompted a quick flight out of the area and down to the tropical islands of the south. The islands are very popular with backpackers and are awash with westerners, but it is easy to see why. Pristine beaches, crystal clear waters, superb diving and the best in Thai cuisine make the south of Thailand a very easy place to fall in love with.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

MALAYSIA
Twin Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Twin Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

I’ve yet to complete my full journey through Malaysia (currently in Sabah) but this country has already left a strong impression. The mix of Chinese, Thai, Indian, Indonesian and local peoples ensures a rich cultural experience. The Malay people are also some of the friendliest I’ve come across on the travels so far. In the past few weeks I have visited Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands, Perhentians and Sabah, enjoying the sights and excellent cuisine along the way.

Orangutan, Sepilok
Orangutan, Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, Sabah

There will be more updates to come as I process the backlog of images from my travels and settle down to some serious work in the next few months. All of the images will be available to view and download via the Escape Images website soon. In the meantime if you’d like to see more please feel free to drop me an email via danny@escapeimages.com


Monday, March 22nd, 2010

The Guardian Feature

Guardian spring feature

Was nice to be included in the Guardian’s Signs of spring 2010 feature which includes an online gallery and two page spread in the newspaper. Spring must certainly be on the way as it is currently chucking it down outside! Not long now before I’m back in the sun.


Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

What are you on about?

Escape Images Wordle

I just thought I’d share a pretty impressive web application with you called Wordle. Within a few seconds you can convert all of the most commonly used words in any blog feed or document into a nice graphic like the one above. Right away I can see that I’ve spent way too much time in Stirling; standing on a rather impressive mountain route! Give it a go here: www.wordle.net


Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Spoke too soon!

Goldfinch in snow

All notions of Spring were completely drowned in snow yesterday as about 3 inches of the stuff fell over night. Even more has followed today which has pleased some people but enraged anyone who has to commute to work. Luckily I can count myself out of that group! Not a great photo, but thought I should get something showing snow up on here. And yes of course it has been photoshopped! For those who are remotely interested in the technical aspects of creating this effect here is a super condensed crash course…

  1. Use Polygonal Lasso Tool to draw around the subject (in this case the handsome Goldfinch)
  2. Add a slight feather of a few pixels
  3. Select ‘inverse’
  4. Use Hue and Saturation to remove all colour
  5. Create a new layer on which we apply a black radial gradient (with reverse applied so it’s light at the centre)
  6. In the layer options dropdown select ‘Multiply’ and set Opacity to about 40%
  7. Well done, you’ve made a not so good image into a fairly interesting image!

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Spring Snowdrops

Snowdrops

After the frost and ice of the last few days I thought I’d go in hunt for some new life. So what better symbol of regrowth is there than the first Snowdrops of the year? These images were taken in the Stirling University grounds where there are an abundance of flowers carpeting the forest floor. The challenge in this situation is always what to select for a photograph. I’ve gone for two approaches here; shooting through clumps of flowers (above) and showing the island cluster below surrounded by dead leaves.Which do you prefer?

Snowdrops

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Feeling the cold

Carron Reservoir

Glorious sunshine made staying indoors a crime today despite the bitter cold. I was really glad I made the effort as I was met by some stunning landscapes, the local reservoirs all completely frozen over and some really heavy frost. I have to be honest and admit that I’ve done my fair share of hibernating this winter and haven’t been out in the cold nearly enough. Still, the winter’s not over yet and the sun certainly makes a difference.

Ice Crystals