My corner of the internet to organise and publish some photos. Most of them are mine, some are taken by friends and others are orphaned works that I find interesting.
For years, I’ve been thinking about how we store and access our digital files, especially photos. Everything is moving to the cloud, with complex systems/applications that abstract away what should be simple: a folder of images . I don’t want that. I want something simple . Something that doesn’t need a server, doesn’t rely on a database, and doesn’t lock me into any specific ecosystem. I want…
an unkempt individual Ben Lomond is a personal favourite of mine. In terms of raw mountaineering excitement, it’s pretty chill, but the snow and thick ice always add a bit of adventure. It holds a soft spot in me as it was my first Munro at nine years old. It’s only an hour away from me, and the cracking views from the summit make it the perfect choice for a short day out. The weather was spot…
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International I recently got my hands on the DJI Mini 4K and have been having a blast flying it! This is a 360° drone shot of Duncarnock Fort (The Craigie), taken at lunchtime on a crisp day. I’m still getting the hang of piloting, but capturing scenes is fun. Looking forward to exploring more of Scotland's landscapes from the sky!
TL;DR: On Monday, August 12, 2024, I had my appendix removed via keyhole surgery. The entire experience is a blur, and I was in and out of the hospital within 18 hours. Everything went smoothly, and I'm on the mend. Over the weekend, I attended a friend's wedding in the Scottish Borders. Everything was normal—I was eating and drinking plenty. I got home on Sunday evening, and we ordered Chinese…
Play Video: Tom Weir At 70 - Tom Weir at 70 The 1984 interview with Tom Weir, is a treasure trove of memories and insights from a man who dedicated his life to exploring and documenting the Scottish outdoors. Listening to this interview evokes a strange sense of nostalgia, even for those of us who weren't around during that time. The term "anemoia," meaning nostalgia for a time you've never known,…
Orion, the Mac web browser, has quickly become my daily driver, thanks to its speed, focus on privacy, and stunning Apple like design. While it's already an impressive browser, a few UI tweaks could make it even better for me. My current set up on Orion UI changes I'd love to see More Padding, Less Condensation: Orion's native Apple like interface is a standout feature, but sometimes, a little…
Diamondback Ascent EX (1994) In April 2023 in found an old Diamondback Ascent EX mountain bike from 1994 on Facebook Marketplace for a good price that looked in decent condition for it’s age and I had to jump at it. I didn’t know much about the bike itself but it was listed as having a chromoly frame and fork and that’s something I wanted. Over the last few years I’ve tinkered with bikes and have…
Today was a good day. I've taken a step back into the world of office life, and you know what? It feels pretty good. For a while, I've been all about work-from-home, enjoying the lack of commute and the ability to see my kids whenever I want. But recently, I've felt I need a bit of space away from home to focus on work in an environment that's not my home. This week, my wife switched to part-time…
Wow, August 2023 already. Life moves fast. Between work, family, and other responsibilities, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day busyness and not pause to reflect on where we are, how far we've come, and where we hope to go. But taking time for self-reflection is so important. Scrolling through social media, I recently came across a post that prompted me to stop and reflect for a moment…
Scottish Sunset: Mountain Peaks from Neilston © Chris Collins, 2023 The light nights are here! The kids are in bed and I still have daylight to play with. Tonight, I decided to nip out with my camera. The photograph I'm sharing today was taken from my home village of Neilston looking over towards the Lomond Hills and beyond. With the sun setting over the horizon, the sky turned into a canvas of…
My Fujfilm X100F, the last piece to go © Chris Collins, 2023 As I sit here, staring at the cash I've received for my last piece of Fujifilm gear, I can't help but feel a sense of bittersweetness wash over me. After years of using Fujifilm gear, it was time to explore new possibilities and make the leap to another brand. I ultimately ended up with Sony's A7 range. While I am excited about the new…
Some shots from September 2022 to January 2023 shot on my Ricoh 500 G with Fujifilm C200. The Ricoh jammed around 20-odd photos so my roll was cut short but I'm very happy with the shots I got. The film was developed by the fantastic Gulabi in Glasgow. Cumbrae Cycle In 2021 the News team at STV took on a challenge to cycle around Cumbrae 10 times (100 miles) to support the STV Childrens Appeal. It…
In January 2023 I made the decision to move away from the Fujifilm eco-system and move to Sony. I sold my Fujifilm gear and bought a Sony A7 III. I love Fujifilm and have shot with Fujifilm for over 5 years. The colours and the cameras themselves are beautiful, however, I want to start dabbling in video and experiment with some advanced aspects of photography so I felt the move to Sony was a good…
iPod Classic running Rockbox with the iMMXX theme © Chris Collins, 2023 Why install Rockbox, and what is it? Breathing new life into an old iPod Classic with Rockbox is a great way to give your old device a new lease on life. Rockbox is an open-source firmware replacement for portable media players that provides a wide range of enhancements and additional features. It can be installed on the iPod…
In July 2022 I cycled from Inverness to Fort William via the Great Glen Way with my good friend Grant. We underestimated the first leg big time but the second leg was a jolly in comparison. Both absolutely brilliant days out on the bike. We wanted to make it a weekend trip so we didn't need to take any holidays from work so we got the 07:07 train from Glasgow Queens Street to Inverness on Saturday…
This is my first proper attempt at colourising an old photo. This is Neilston Low Station on what is now the Glasgow South Western Line. The station opened in 1871 and closed for good in 1966. Almost nothing remains of the station and there’s very little photos of it to document its existence. Hoping to do some more of this type of thing with old photos when I have the time. Note: I kindly ask…
In Feburary 2022 I bought a Ricoh 500 G in decent condition off of eBay. The camera was released in 1972 and this particular one had been in a drawer for many years and had been owned from new by the sellers grandparent. Like most cameras at this age it needed a bit of TLC to get up and running again. The lightseals needed replaced, the focus ring was loose and the range finder was wasn't moving.…
On the 13th November, I was hospitalised with a severe, life-threatening asthma attack. It was pretty bad and while I was in hospital I was genuinely worried about how long it would take me to recover and get back to cycling and outdoors. I felt much better and near enough back to normal within a couple of weeks but I still hadn't pushed myself into any physical exertion since I was discharged…
I've been collecting and archiving old 35mm slides (most destined for the bin) for a while now, cleaning them up and scanning them. I come across some rare slides now and again and recently found this lovely shot of the Inveroran Hotel in 1960 on AgfaColor 35mm film. Photographer Unknown, 1960. Inveroran Hotel in the 1960s (approximately) Photographer Unknown
Despite what the Christmas pictures of Edinburgh try and portray, winter in Scotland is shite. By 3pm you can start to see golden hour creeping in and by 4-4:30pm it's dark. The harsh reality is that half of your day is lost to the darkness. It's mentally draining and slightly depressing to think of all the things you can do after work during the summer. In the summer I'd finish work around 5:30pm…
In the summer of 2021 I walked the majority of the West Highland Way with a few friends. Having already completed the trail in 2019 we weren't particularly bothered about doing the whole thing in the one go and opted for a few day trips before walking from Crainlarich to Fort William over a long weekend. Two of my friends, Grant and Stewart, brought their film cameras with them and limited…
In early 2021 I was reading Tom Weir's iconic book, Weir's Way (the 1981 frist edition) , and stumbled across an old black and white photograph taken by Weir of an idyllic cottage. The caption below the photograph gave its name as Arlehaven cottage and its location as Blane Valley, just off the West Highland Way path near Strathblanefield. Unfortunately the photograph isn't dated. Weir himself was…
After months of Covid restrictions being imposed on Scotland, I managed to escape Glasgow and head up North for a night of wild camping on Sandwood Bay. Sandwood Bay had been on my radar for a while and a few of us had settled that it would be the next spot for a few nights camping. Unfortunately, throwing the Scottish winter and Covid-19 into the mix it took us over a year to actually get there.…
I left the house at 07:50 am, stopped at McDonald's in Balloch on the way for my usual coffee and porridge. I arrived at Inverglas Visitor Centre, which was already pretty busy, just before 9 am and started walking for 09:15 am. I was pretty buzzing to get up a hill as my last climb was The Cobbler months earlier in October and hadn’t climbed a Munro since July 2019. I had just bought a new pair…
After a failed winter attempt with Grant Elliott in March 2018, having turned back at Stob Coire nan Lochan, I had Bidean nam Bian on my radar since. I took a Wednesday off work and got super lucky with the weather. It was over 20°C at points during the day - which made it tough but you can't beat a shorts and t-shirt day on the hills. I always get a good feeling when I see the Buachaille Etive…