STUDIOVHF 15 years!

Today it’s the 15th anniversary of STUDIOVHF! The Scottish website, photographerstirling.co.uk is now in it’s 7th year. STUDIOVHF started at the end of 2009 after a long career in European Sales and Marketing, of which many years in the UK office interiors industry. The photography side of things, started way before that, with the first registration at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the early nineties.

‘Branding’ in the very early days…

Logo designed by graphic designer and former colleague, Richard Lips

Logo designed by graphic designer and marketeer Roné van der Vliet

STUDIOVHF is run by Vincent Hartman, who studied marketing at the university of Zwolle and Photography at the university of Arts in Groningen. It’s therefore no surprise that marketing and photography have been strongly entangled throughout his career.

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Contact prints Ilford HP5

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Dodging and burning with hand cut masks, on Ilford Multigrade paper

When photography started becoming digital, Vincent decided that it was time to pause the photography ambitions and pursue his career in marketing. A fellow member of a local off-road club near Zwolle was a mechanical engineer and had a small business in ergonomic seating together with a co-owner who was a physiotherapist. Although he had no understanding of what a ‘Proper Car’ was (he drove a Jeep and Vincent a Land Rover😀) he did have a great idea of a new chair mechanism, which turned out to be a great success. Vincent decided to join and help building the company. This also brought him into contact with the UK office interiors industry and Vincent lived in both Northampton, Falkirk and Stirling for many years. This turned out to form the foundation under most of STUDIOVHF’s interior photography assignments, kicked off by the innovative Scottish Design & Build company Amos Beech.

A selection of images, taken in Scotland, in the first year that photographerstirling.co.uk became live:

2024

These days STUDIOVHF is in the fortunate position that it gets photography assignments from a large network of contacts as well as organic leads from both the Scottish and Dutch websites. It brings us from Copenhagen to Southampton, Elgin to Namur and everything in between!

We are proud to be the trusted commercial photography partner for both international and local clients like Ralph Lauren, Ricoh, Apex Vets, Musim Mas, London Designer Outlet, Spar, Samsung, Goliath, Wibra and many others.

A selection of images taken in the past year:

In addition to our commercial photography assignments we contribute to various local initiatives as a volunteer:

CSR

As a small company there is a lot that can be done to minimise the environmental impact. After all, there are lots of us, so if we all do our bit, it will make a massive difference. Hence we have a created a dedicated page to explain what we do.

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AI generated image: “overview of tree planting and rewilding project at Glen Affric Scottish Highlands 62541”, using Adobe Firefly 2, beta

Trees for Life & The Future Forest Company

What we wanted to highlight here in relation to our 15th anniversary is that we have planted an extra 25 trees in our grove in the Scottish Highlands, which brings the total to a 100 trees! You can see it via the button below. Why not plant a tree yourself?

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100 trees at Trees for Life in Dundreggan (click for exact location)

In addition to this we are proud to share that we have sponsored a 100 trees at the rewilding project on the lower slopes of Dumyat and around Menstrie Glen, organised by The Future Forest Company.

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100 trees at The Future Forest Company at Dumyat and the Menstrie Valley (click for exact location)

Do you want to congratulate us with our 15 years anniversary?

Thank you!

And obviously we are thankful that we can do what we love so much, so thanks for your support!

Up to the next 15 years!

Live Folk Music at Nicky Tams Bar in Stirling

A few months ago, on a Monday night, I walked past the Nicky Tams Bar in Stirling and heard some live music coming out of the pub. I do know from experience that Stirling has a lively hospitality industry, but you sort of expect it to be pretty dead on a Monday night, don’t you?

Well not at Nicky Tams!

So I walked in and was pleasantly surprised by the thriving creative atmosphere. Later, I understood that the live performance was given by the Stirling’s Youth Folk Club. Although I have been part of the so called ‘new Scots’ and have lived in Stirling for a few years, this was new to me.

Stirling’s Youth Folk Club performing at Nicky Tams

Stirling’s Youth Folk Club

Obviously I was pleasantly surprised by this Cèilidh (non Scottish readers 😀, follow the link), and I thoroughly enjoyed the music and Gaelic songs. Above all, I enjoyed the friendliness and open character of the people I met.

So last Monday I thought, let’s pop in again and bring the camera as well. After a week of commercial photography assignments, this was the last night before my journey back home, so the pressure was off.

Having said that, the actual photography was challenging enough. There was relatively little available light and as I decided to only bring a light sensitive fixed focal length lens, there was no zooming in or out, so I had to position the camera carefully without disturbing the musicians too much. Anyway, the fact that these images have been processed quicker than the commercial ones, tells it all. I hope you like them as well!

More Photos

Via the link in the button below you will be able to see and download all the images, but before you do, please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• also a tag (@studiovhf), a follow, or a mention on your social media channel is appreciated

• please contact us for commercial use (ps: Nicky Tams can use the images)

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

Obviously, if you really want to experience this great atmosphere, you need to go there yourself!

CSR for a small photography business?

Yes I know, what was I thinking? Writing a whole page about corporate social responsibility? Well to be honest, I have been thinking about doing that for a while as ‘we’ have lot’s of things in place already, so why not communicate that to the wider world and our customers?

Corporate Social Responsibility

Being a small business held me back. After all what impact do we have? And are we taking ourselves not too seriously? Obviously there are lots of small businesses and together we can make a huge impact!

So here it is:

Dumyat Hill Race 2024

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NOTICE: Unfortunately we are not covering the 2025 and 50th edition of The Dumyat Hill Race this year🙁. We have been unable to plan commercial photography assignments around it, making the whole trip financially unviable. Let’s hope planning will be better next year. I hope you will have a great run nevertheless. The weather forecast is looking promising!

Vincent

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Last Wednesday we have covered the 49th Dumyat Hill Race. Although we have only covered 4 of them, it does begin to feel a bit as a tradition.

Weatherwise it wasn’t as bright as last year, but the temperature was much more comfortable for the runners.

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Matt Knowles (Edinburgh University) breaks the record for the fastest male, with an incredible 32 minutes and 13 seconds!

Naomi Lang (University of Glasgow) finished as fastest overall female winner, with 37 minutes.

More images

Via the link in the button below you will be able to see and download the images, but before you do, please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• also a tag (@studiovhf) or a mention on your social media channel is appreciated

• please contact us for commercial use

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

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Dumyat Hill Race 2023

Hi all,

Yes indeed you did spot me near the summit when you were running up:

Good to see you all again. I did see a few runners that I have captured before, if I am correct?

We were rather lucky with the weather, because just a few hours before the start I saw a yellow weather on the motorway for heavy rain. And we did get some, but were fortunate enough to enjoy the sunshine shortly after that.

According to one of the marshalls The Dumyat Hill Race 2023 attracted over 400 runners, each tackling the 390m climb across 8km of tough terrain in the Ochil Hills near Stirling.

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First runner coming up

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Last runner going down

Dumyat Hill Race 2023 results

The list with the Dumyat Hill Race results has now also been published. The first three are:

1. Sasha Chepelin, 00:32:33 (!?)

2. Kieran Cooper, 00:33:16

3. Finn Lydon, 00:33:47

The first thee female runners are:

1. Kate Maltby 00:37:09

2. Fiona Bunn, 00:41:16

3. Clare Stewart, 00:42:16

For more results you can dowload an excel sheet from the Stirling Uni site.

Via the link in the button below you will be able to see and download the images, but before you do, please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• also a tag (@studiovhf) or a mention on your social media channel is appreciated

• please contact us for commercial use

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

Previous editions of the #dumyathillrace:

A quick round-up of our very busy and very exciting year

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since we've checked in and updated you on our photography adventures. Over the last year, we've had the opportunity to explore and capture some amazing images across the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Typically, when we’re away from this website, we’ve got our hands full with shooting equipment, which makes it harder to type 🙃. So please excuse our absence, we promise it was for quite a few good causes.

To make it up to you here’s a quick round-up of what we’ve been up to and a sneak peek at our most exciting photo shoots.

From Northern Germany to Southern England and everything in between

We’re super excited to be able to travel again with no restrictions whatsoever and to be able to shoot in so many different styles. Since last May, we’ve been traveling quite a lot around Europe and we have a lot to show for our travels too:

Corporate portraits with a twist

I’m sure you know those lifeless corporate photo shoots where everyone looks the same: they have the same facial expressions and the same awkward look. Yeah, we don’t like them either.

We had a lot of corporate gigs booked this year in Darlington, Falkirk, Rotterdam, and Zwolle. Now if you want everyone to look identical, these photo shoots can be very fast.

But we didn’t want that so we took our sweet time. We learned a little about every person whose photo we took and we managed to capture their unique facial expressions and even a glimpse of their personality.

Here are some results:

Interior design photography in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Zwolle and Southampton

Shooting interiors is right up our alley – we’ve been doing it for a while and we welcome the challenge of capturing different styles in different locations.

From lighting to shooting angles, everything has to change when you move from one style to another. Playful office spaces, stern offices, or even somber, centuries-old buildings – we’ve photographed them all and we’re very happy with the results.

I’m curious: can you guess which photos were taken where (you have the list of cities we’ve been to above).

Commercial photo shoots: product photography, advertising, and fashion

We’ve done quite a few of these lately: product photography for clothing and packaging in our Dutch studio, as well studio photos for products in the care home industry.

One of the most memorable photo shoots was at The London Designer Outlet in Wembley. We had a ton of fun with this fashion shoot and we’re very proud of the results!

Event photography at our home base in the Netherlands & Scotland

Event photography is fascinating, don’t you think so? So much movement, so many expressions, so many opportunities for candid photography! We treated every event we attended as a new chance to explore different shooting styles and we loved every second of it.

Got a favourite photo or photo shoot from the ones above? Check our socials @studiovhf and let us know!

Need a professional photographer anywhere in Germany, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom? Drop us a line and we’ll get back to you in 24 hours or less!

See you soon (promise it won’t take this long until the next update)!

Dumyat Hill Race 2022

Hi and welcome to the site of STUDIOVHF, Photographer Stirling! We were fortunate enough to cover the Dumyat Hill Race again, since we last did it in 2018.

This time without the horizontal rain that we had back then! The weather up here is famous for it’s unpredictability and also today we had four seasons in one. This evening however, the glorious sunshine gave me the backlight that I love so much.

The Dumyat Hill Race 2022 attracted 350 runners, each tackling the 390m climb across 8km of tough terrain in the Ochil Hills near Stirling.

The stunning location of Stirling University at the foot of the Dumyat, the most popular hill in the Ochil Hills.

The Dumyat Hill Race is a running event organised by the University of Stirling. It is a fun and very challenging event and it doubles as the Scottish Student Sport Hill Running Championship and Scottish Hill Running Race.

We also spotted quite a few participants form the Ochil Hill Runners.

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The Marshalls walking up to take their positions

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Last preparations from the Mountain Rescue Service and the Marshalls

Because of the fact that I could actually see something through the view finder and didn’t get soaking wet and cold this time, I was able to cover the whole run from the very first until the last runner.

Dumyat Hill Race results

The list with the Dumyat Hill Race results has now been published! The first three are:

1. Matthee Knowles (305), University of Edinburgh: 00:32:36 (!?)

2. Jamie Stevenson (475), 00:33:44

3. Danel Spencer (468), 00:34:04

The first thee female runners are:

1. Ellen Downs (195), 00:41:56

2. Morag McClelland (344), 00:42:54

3. Lizzie Beattie (128), 00:43:27

Dumyat Hill Race photos 2022

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First runner appeared rather quickly.

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And the last courageous runner with 01:27:30, well done!

More Dumyat Hill Race Images

We have only just started editing the photographic material of this event and it will take a while to have them all finished, so bear with me!

We will update this page and at the end of next week you will find a button at the bottom of this page where you will be able to see and download all the images.

Via the link in the button below you will be able to see and download the images, but before you do please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• also a tag (@studiovhf) or mention on your social media channel is appreciated

• please contact us for commercial use

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

We also found this video made by ‘krayzeeaaron’:

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Vincent Hartman

We're back!

Manic it was, but it’s the results that count!

Only a few days after the travel restrictions between The Netherlands and the United Kingdom were eased, we jumped in the car and completed a number of jobs that were on the list for a few months now and we have also been able to slot in a few headshots along the way as well.

If things stay as they are, or even improve.. (that would be nice 😀) we will hopefully be back on a monthly basis!

Interior architecture

An interesting image to share with you is this one from a board room at James Jones in Lockerbie, one of the most innovative and efficient timber processors in Europe.

To show the saw blade embedded in the custom made boardroom table in conjunction with the chainsaw chandelier, a 330 MP image was created by combining 6 rows of HDR's made from a total of 106 raw files!

The new visitor centre, designed by Konishi Gaffney Architects, has won two awards in the Scottish Design Awards 2021. The interior was done by Amos Beech.

You van see more images of this project here: Interior architecture photographer Scotland.

A Little update

On the second day that I should have been photographing in Scotland again, I felt that it would be good to share a little update here. After all, not all of you may be following me on social media.

From May last year up until the end of Februrary 2020, we worked in both The Netherlands, Scotland and the North of England on various assignments in the field of architecture and interiors, real-estate and corporate portrait photography. The sad decision to move back to The Netherlands was in hindsight a good one, taking into account the current state Britain is in now. We were more or less settling in to the rhythm of living and working in both counties like we haven done on-and-off now, for over 20 years(!?). Then Covid kicked in…

This week we were about to photograph some exciting projects again in Edinburgh, but unfortunately the new quarantine rules for flying in from Amsterdam threw a spanner in the works.

Architecture, interiors and real-estate photography

Just before mid March we have been able a cover quite a few nice projects in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Livingston:

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Corporate headshot photography

We also did a lot corporate headshot photography on location in Stirling as well as in our studio in NL. Just a few examples:

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For more portrait photography just have a look in the gallery.

New Photo Studio

Just before Covid kicked in, we had assigned a specialised joinery company to build a new infinity wall in the studio. The build was well underway when lockdown came, but fortunately we had saved up so no trouble in that respect. Unlike in Scotland the construction industry in The Netherlands, more or less kept going apart from a few weeks to adapt to the new safety standards.

The guys did an excellent job as you can see here:

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Only last week the carpeting was laid and apart from a few details we are ready for the grand opening party, if only…

Some first results of images taken in the new studio:

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Product photography for Animal Health Concepts

Fashion photography for Loufz Fashion

Fashion photography for Kjelvik International complying to the Zalando image guidelines (yes I know a ‘bit’ boring but that is what Zalando wants, not the client)

As the new studio is in The Netherlands, this might be less relevant to you, but apart from Covid restrictions: you don’t have to fly to Amsterdam (although we would love to welcome you 🙂) because we can still help you at Broadscopestudios in Glasgow:

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Now is not the time?

When doing lots of DIY jobs during lockdown and very much missing my regular walks in the local Ochil Hills, there is lots of time to think about all sorts of things and that made me think about Trees for Life:

(If you haven’t done so already, I would recommend watching the video above)

Despite the economic downturn, I felt that it is always the right time to contribute to the wider environment and future sustainability of nature. If we have learned anything from what has happened over the last few months and happening today, it is that we have moved way too far away from nature.

Don’t take me wrong, there is still a lot to improve in my personal lifestyle to limit my impact on the environment, but better late than never. We have therefore set the first step in setting up our corporate grove with Trees For Life, the award-winning charity that works on the restoration of Scotland's ancient Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands. By doing this we follow the example of Interior design and office fit-out company Amos Beech from Falkirk who now have planted over 750 trees. Obviously 'we' are just that little bit smaller and we start with 10, but every little helps!

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Screeshot of our Corporate Grove @ Trees For Life

Obviously the plan is to grow this little grove further in various ways and obviously you can play a role yourself as well…

Why not plant a tree in the Scottish Highlands yourself?

We would be honoured if you would donate trees to our grove, but you can also start your own grove, donate, buy a giftcard as a present, or just visit the webshop.

Go for it, it is not expensive and you’ll find it is very much worth it!

What a year!

It is an old habit of me to reflect on the year just past to determine if we have grown as a little business and how I have developed myself as a photographer from a creative and professional point of view. I haven’t done that on this site yet and will try to keep it as short as possible.. promise!.

Photographic highlights 2019

And that is where the trouble begins, because we like every image we produce otherwise we wouldn’t have taken it that way. Every now and then we select a few images when a series is finished and add them to the relevant sections of the website. Going through the library again today I make a different choice.

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Portrait photography in the studio

We are very grateful for the assigments we have had this year and appreciate your trust in delivering the look and feel you want. In addition to architectural and interior photography in Glasgow and Edinburgh we have made portraits, done fashion shoots in The Netherlands, product photography in the studio, photographed real estate, covered events and have even done a wedding in Stirling!

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Great atmosphere, stunning scenery and above all great fun!

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It was an honour to cover this wedding in Stirling and be given the trust to do so as after all you don’t find any wedding pictures on this website. Obviously we have done many weddings in the past but are now focussing more on commercial photography. Having said that, the next one is lined up already!

Another highlight I want to share with you is that we are honoured to be able to say that we now work for Ralph Lauren:

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Ingram Street, Glasgow

A rather challenging assignment, both during the capture but especially in post processing. It was one of those jobs where I have totally misjudged the amount of time that would be involved in the editing of the images. Anyway very much chuffed with the results and so is the client!

Interior photography Glasgow Edinburgh

Also this year, we have photographed many impressive interiors designed and build by Amos Beech, clients since 2001:

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The new offices of Cleanship in Glasgow

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(Clicking on the image will enlarge it in a lightbox)

To see more of their work I would recommend to have a look at the gallery and project page on their website.

We are also proud that we get more and more clients from down south who appreciate the style and eye for detail in our interior photography. Maganta projects assigned us to photograph their flagship project of Computershare in Edinburgh:

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You will find more images of this project in the gallery interior photography

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Commercial real estate photography

We have also photographed a number of buildings on the outside, like for instance this stunning Datacenter in The Netherlands:

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And 110 Queen Street in Glasgow, opposite Ralph Lauren:

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More images can be seen here: Commercial Real Estate Photography.

Fashion

Also good fun was the outdoor fashion shoot for Kjelvik Scandinavian Outdoor, featuring the summer collection of 2020:

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Events

We have also covered the Stirling Marathon this year (more images via the featured links below ) and are pleased that despite doubts about it’s future The Stirling Scottish Marathon will be back October next year. So if you are running you may find us in the verge again somewhere along the route!

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Another great event to cover was the In the Attic Music festival:

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2020

We are very much looking forward to the new year and are confident that we will cover a great variety of subjects again in both Scotland and The Netherlands. Above all, we are excited to re-open our studio in The Netherlands again, which will be bigger and better than we have had before, allowing for product photography of furniture, fashion and many other products as well as portrait photography.

We are looking forward to seeing you all again the the new year!

Photos Stirling Marathon #GreatStirlingRun 2019

A great day again in beautiful City of Stirling!

Just like last year we covered the Stirling Marathon, or #GreatStirlingRun.

We were awaiting the runners just 2 Miles after the start on the CraigForth roundabout and later at Causewayhead at 10 miles.

Photos Stirling Marathon 2019

After I had chosen position a testmodel turned up:

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Testmodel

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Kevin

She ran ahead to cheer up her partner Kevin who showed up at top position shortly after that.

What’s supposed to be routine job for me didn’t quite go as expected. The start at Craigforth went well, but later at Causewayhead I was struggling a bit. Perhaps the fact that I locked myself out of the car just before that had an influence? Or perhaps I have done to much interior and architectural photography lately?

I was struggling to find the right position but having said that, if I had I would have missed this shot:

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A young spectator at Causewayhead.

And after the runners cheered me up I was quickly back into the game!

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More Photos of the Stirling Marathon 2019

Via the link below you can see all the photos taken by Photographer Stirling but, just like last year, please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• please contact us for commercial use

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top of this blog, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

I hope you will find yourself in one of the images. Enjoy!

You can find the images here:

NEWS: The Stirling Scottish Marathon will be back in October 2020!

Sorry but , things move fast these days, it will now be in 2022: And that didn’t go ahead either…?

Wallace Monument Hogmanay Fireworks 2019

To mark the 150th Anniversary of The National Wallace Monument a special Hogmanay fireworks display was organised on the Abbey Craig which synchronised with the celebrations at Stirling Castle.

After the fireworks display the Monument was illuminated in a multi-colour display using their new floodlights.

For more information about the monument click here: The National Wallace Monument.

Dumyat Hill Race 2018 Photos

That people run OK, you see that more often but that people run uphill?? That is another matter! Only recently we have had the Stirling Marathon. And believe it or not, 35 KG's ago even Photographer Stirling did the odd cooper test and other sports, but never anything like what I have seen the other week, let alone what I have seen today! 

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The mountain rescue service on their way to the Dumyat summit

Of course I have a great excuse because we don't have hills in The Netherlands. Therefore for me Dumyat is a mountain! 

Dumyat Hill Race 2018 Photos

The Dumyat Mountain Race is organised by Stirling University.

The website says:

"This race is ideal for all levels, from those attempting their first hill race to the more experienced hill runner."

Perhaps that's why 400 people signed up? 

The record of the Dumyat Hill Race stands at 32 mins and 23 second, so I planned an extra hour or so to get up there and choose my position. I was expecting fierce competition from other photographers to get the best spot.

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Mountain rescue team, Stirling University marshals and photographer

The wind was already strong, but that was nothing in comparison with the rain that was on its way. And rain at that height comes in horizontally!

I had to give up in the end because I couldn't see in the viewfinder anymore if the images were in focus. I was totally relying on experience (as in: in theory they should be good..) and the sophistication of today's Canon autofocus system. It is rather amazing really that it can still find the (moving) subject behind the rain and bring it into focus.

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At this time it was really pissing down!

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One of the marshall showing his admiration

Dumyat Hill Race results

Some results of the Dumyat Hill Race 2018 that we want to share with you are those of some that feature in our pictures:

1. Scott Fraser (788), overall winner with 00:34:37,

2. Jonathan Crickmore (708) with 00:35:21

3. Hamish Battle (730) the photogenic one, with 00:35:21

and of course prominently featuring in these images are:

• Bill Duff (543) with 01:01:06

• Chris Lorimer (872) with 00:42:35

• Amy Frankland (754) with 00:43:53

• And many, many more!

Unfortunately not all 349 runners will find themselves back in our photos, but I hope you enjoy viewing them nevertheless. For more results and images please visit the site of Stirling University.

All extremely well done everybody!

More Photos of the Dumyat Hill Race

Via the link below you can see all the photos taken by Photographer Stirling, but before you do please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• please contact us for commercial use

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

I hope you will find yourself in one of the images. Enjoy!

You can find the images here:

10-05-2018 20:45h : all images are now online! If I have missed you then perhaps I see you next year?

Thanks for visiting!

Vincent Hartman

More recent editions:

Stirling marathon photos

Today we covered parts of the Stirling Marathon 2018. The start of the Stirling Scottish Marathon was at 08:30h on Millennium Way (A84)  close to Stirling City Centre. I was waiting for them at Graigforth Crossing and later on Airthrey Road between Wallace High School and Stirling University.

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Stirling, the Gateway to the Highlands

Stirling marathon photos

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The runners are on their way

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Michael Wright takes the lead and he kept it, making him the winner of Stirling Marathon 2018 with 2:29:38 !

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Scotland's most picturesque marathon

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Great atmosphere!

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Realising what is lying ahead...

More Photos of the Stirling Marathon

Via the link below you can see all the photos taken by Photographer Stirling, but before you do please read the following:

• you can freely download the images in all resolutions if it is for personal use

• in return we would appreciate a link to this website when you post them on your own social media channels

• please contact us for commercial use

• if you want to share this post with others then please do so by using the sharing options at the bottom of this blog when you're on your mobile or at the top, when you are using a desktop. This is to ensure that people will be able to get through to the Flickr site.

I hope you will find yourself in one of the images. Enjoy!

You can find the images here:

Update 30-04-2018 18:30h: all images are now online!

Vincent Hartman

Photography for the Falkirk Camera Club 60th Anniversary

On the 14 of October 2017, I took some images to replicate a group portrait of the Committee of the Falkirk Amateur Photographic Association (FAPA), taken in 1898.

The club as we know it today, was renamed Falkirk Camera Club (FCC) at its AGM of April 17th 1958, hence the preparations of 60th anniversary were in full swing.

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FAPA group portrait taken in 1958

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FCC committee members 2018

Falkirk Camera Club Friends and Members

Over the last few years I have done various workshops at the FCC and I still visit some of their clubnights to get inspired and feel the community spirit. It was therefore an honour to be asked to take these historic images.

The images were taken at Callendar House in Falkirk on exactly the same location at 60 years ago.

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For more information about the Falkirk Camera Club, visit their website via the link below:

DUMYAT In The Winter Of 2018

Stunning scenery again here in Central Scotland. We went up on Dumyat on Saturday afternoon for some exercise and another attempt for a panorama.

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View on Wallace Monument from Dumyat

The first time I wanted to create a panorama from this viewpoint was in the summer. As it is a bit of a climb, I didn't bother taking a tripod. Sometimes you get away with it, but not this time. For sufficient overlap between images you can better use live-view and the grid on the LCD on the back of the camera.

This time I decided to take a light carbon fiber tripod up the hill which was kindly carried bij Daan Metz on the way up and Brockwell James (who we bumped into on the summit) on the way down. Thanks guys!

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If you click on the image below, a new window will open with the high resolution image. You can browse the Forth Valley all the way from the Queensferry Crossing in the east to Stirling at the foot of the hill.

The Foth Valley from Dumyat

The image is 59.954 x 4.760 pixels at 300DPI and has a file size if 1.6GB

DUMYAT

The final 360 image took a bit longer to construct and still has some minor errors, but for this purpose I am happy with it. The main problem was the maximum file size of the Adobe Camera Raw that powers Lightroom. Anyway, I won't bother you with the details. I found this blog about Panorama File Sizes that explains why things weren't working as they should and found a way around it.

I decided to process the separate images in Lightroom first as that can be done reasonably quickly and you can copy edits from image to image. Then I made 3 panorama's of 55 images each in Lightroom and stitched them together in Photoshop manually (the autofunction didn't work properly either), hence you may notice some errors, that I left in there to save time. Perhaps later when I am bored or when somebody wants to buy the image they can be corrected. 

The image can be seen by clicking on the thumbnail below:

The final image is 106.587 x 5168 pixels at 300DPI and has a file size of 3GB.

The river Forth at Kildean

A few days later the snow was gone, it was raining and there was high tide:

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Wallace Monument

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Stirling Castle

Photographer Stirling

Hogmanay Fireworks Stirling Castle 2018

Time lapse by of the fireworks display during the Hogmanay celebrations 2018

Portrait Of Britain

Having been behind the camera since 1987 with varying intensity, photography has been close to my heart ever since. It has been a journey with a lot of discovery and experimenting. From having my first exhibition in Zwolle in 1990 and a little photography business, to happy snapper and hardly touching a camera at all when we were living in Northampton. The last 8 years with a studio in Heino, close to my hometown in Zwolle, the photography was a head on commercial business, specialising in corporate and advertising photography, product and interiors. I also did some editorial work and to a certain extend, those images were more liberating. As a commercial photographer with a marketing background I have always had the communication goal of the client in the back of my mind when creating an image.

That commercial drive was good for my clients and subsequently for my business, but made it hard or even impossible to switch off and do my own thing. Not that you can't be creative in commercial assignments, but that is more related to creating the right look and feel of an image in order to make an impact. Of course some commercial images clearly have my signature, whatever that means, but it is not free work. 

A number of times I have come up with ideas of starting various projects and discussed these with friends. I have envisaged some images in my head and still like some of them if I think about it, but I have never actually done it. Running a little photography business 7 days a week leaves little time to reflect and switch of to think about the next step to grow the business. The commercial impact of some of the images I have drawn up in my head were influencing the execution of it and some of the project ideas I had were in hindsight just there to make the business grow. So I was exploring a dead end road.

Now having moved back to the UK with main professional emphasis on marketing and with photography only being a part of it, opportunities for free projects are more within reach. And when I learned of the Portrait of Britain public art competition back in June 2016, I have followed the project with great interest.

Portrait of Britain, public art competition 2017

The Portrait of Britain public art competition is an award-winning annual exhibition that shows the diversity of people in modern Britain. It is organised by the British Journal of Photography in partnership with  the outdoor advertising company JCDecaux. Although I don't particularly like photography competitions and don't necessarily need national exposure, I thought it was a good opportunity to start a little project. With the deadline approaching, it would give me a clear goal. 

EU nationals in the UK

With winding down STUDIOVHF in The Netherlands, selling the Dutch property and moving the family back over to Britain again, I have followed the Brexit discussions with great interest. It is fair to say that the political climate here in Britain has changed tremendously from the years that we were living in Northampton. Without willing to turn my photography project into a political statement, for me it was an obvious subject to cover. 

Drawn up a list of people that I knew of or have met the last year that fitted the category, I set of that morning to take my first portrait for this new series.

In the 10 minute drive to the location of the first image, I have again been deliberating with myself about the style of photography, what techniques to use, landscape frame or portrait frame etc? I concluded that it was not a commercial assignment so all those thoughts could be skipped and that I didn't have to win the competition either. How liberating! 

I did set myself some guidelines though, to ensure that not just the subject is the connecting factor, but also the style:

• Images taken in my beloved Black and White

• The subjects to be photographed facing camera, in an environment of their choice and where they feel comfortable

• No directing of posture and scene and no controlling of styling and environment, just take it as it comes

• Landscape mode to connect the surroundings to the individual and to complete the story visually

• Keep photographic techniques as basic as possible

• Limit myself to the geographical area of the Country of Scotland

The project has now 6 images and they have entered the competition. However, the project will not stop here, as the Portrait of Britain competition was just a tool for me to get it of the ground. So I will keep on adding portraits on the basis of 'who I bump into'. We will then see where this leads us..

Portraits

The full series of portraits of EU nationals in Scotland can be viewed here:

IAN HOGG

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Ian is an Irish farmer living in Bridge of Allan and running his farm south of Falkirk. A couple of years ago he sold most of his cattle to branch out into the tourist industry as his farm is located near the Falkirk Wheel. The Wheel Caravan Park opened to the public in the summer of 2015 and is establishing itself as a meeting place for tourists from all over the country and the continent. Ian is an enthusiastic communicator and enjoys meeting a diverse variety of people and making them connect. The Ceilidh house is a small building where he holds gatherings where people can come and play or listen to Scottish and Irish folk music or share stories. Ian himself plays the Irish bagpipes. In addition to this he has taken on the art of painting.

AILEEN DIMMER

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Aileen is a primary school teacher in Doune, Perthshire and from Dutch origin. She moved with her parents to Callander at the age of 16 and that is where she met her architect husband. It was a joy to hear the story of how their eyes crossed in the local pub and how they have been together ever since. She talks about it with a twinkle in her eyes. I came into contact with Aileen through her husband Andrew who is thinking about designing his own home and he was introduced to me by Incognito Underfloor Heating as he was interested in ergonomics in the workplace as well. It was a nice experience talking to a fellow Dutch national, talking English with each our own specific accent. We will certainly meet again when my wife Dorien is over, as she is from 't Gooi' as well!

ULI SCHLÄFLI

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Uli is a German business administrator who recently moved from Stirling to Falkirk. I have met Uli last summer at one of those inspiring evenings at the The Ceilidh house on the Wheel Caravan Park, where she was staying for a while when she was moving house. Uli is a true global citizen as she has lived in many countries due to the work of her Swiss husband, a diplomat. From Switzerland to South Africa and Canada. She talks highly of the quality of family live and culture that she experienced when the family was living in Manchester. But Scotland has apparently stolen her heart as she has been here for over 12 years now.

MARJAN VAN DE WEG

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I will never forget the great entrance the Dutch Marjan made when she got onto the Easyjet flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam. I was sitting on the isle seat on the 2nd row when she rushed into the plane, hit her knee badly against the chair in front of me and let the world know in unmistakingly Dutch swearwords that she didn't like it! I obviously laughed my head of! It happened to be that her seat was next to mine and the hour and twenty minutes flight-time were gone in no time. Marjan studied plant physiology at the University of Edinburgh and never left. She currently works as a data consultant for energy and environment. The portrait was taken at the pier in Leith where she recently has cleaned the beach with a group of volunteers.

ANA MARIA ZAMORA

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For more than 5 Months I have been visiting a site in Edinburgh where Amos Beech has been working on an office interior design and fit out project. I installed a timelapse camera there in December 2016 to cover the whole project and it needed regular TLC. Most of the time I visited the site in the weekend, but when I was there during the week, I was welcomed by the warm and friendly Spanish Ana Maria. Ana Maria came to Scotland 8 years ago, just to stay for a few Months and to learn the language. She never left. 

DARIUSZ PANEK

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Dariusz is the archetypical bloke who is full of positive energy and has the ability to learn from experiences. After staying in Belfast for 2,5 years, the Polish Dariusz moved to Edinburgh 10 years ago. Currently living in Bo'ness where he moved to be closer to the job he had there at the time. He started his own business 3 years ago in quality designer lighting called Modelight. I have met him a couple of times on a local networking event where he presented himself and his company. We met for the portrait in a pub in Edinburgh where he spent quite a few hours when he lived there.

And today 05/01/2018 i learned that Julian Love in London had the same idea: Europeans living in London.

Soroptimists Go Strictly

The Soroptimist International Falkirk held their second Strictly Come Dancing event at the MacDonald Inchyra Hotel in Polmont. It was a fund raising event for two charities: Playlist for Life (personal music for dementia) and Barnardo's (the UK's largest children's charity). My neighbour Bob Black, a committee member of the Falkirk Camera Club was asked to take care of the photography of the event and asked if I could help him out.

Soroptimists Falkirk Go Strictly

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The dancing couples

I wasn't sure what to expect, but when we arrived we learned that we had half an hour to take the group portraits, so I went into 'work-mode' very quickly, set up the light and the shots of the dancers were taken before the audience arrived.

Only when we set down, I learned that the Soroptimists were not an association of some sort of medical profession but an international vibrant and dynamic organisation for today’s professional and business women. The name Soroptimist is derived from the Latin 'soror'  meaning 'sister' and 'optima' meaning 'best'. So Soroptimist is best described as 'Best for Woman' and who doesn't support that? The Soroptimists are committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide. The Falkirk branch of Soroptimist International is a long-established active and enthusiastic community of women active in all areas of society in Falkirk and the Scottish Central Belt. 

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The Showgirls

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Unaware that they were well underway winning!

The winners:

More images!

All images taken by Photographer Stirling

More images can be found via the following link:

Some Shots From The Local Area

With less editing jobs to do over the weekends and the weather improving, I am getting out a bit more by car, by foot or a combination of both. Sometimes with camera.

In the slideshow below in aspect ratio 16:9, you will find images taken in Falkirk, the surrounding countryside of Stirling, Carronbridge, North Third and Kilsyth.

The slideshow starts with two shots taken from a recreational area in Falkirk between Princes Park and Callander Park. A great place with good views over Falkirk and the Forth Valley and the countryside south of the town towards Shieldhill. The third image represents something where the United Kingdom is an example for The Netherlands as it generates 25% of it's energy consumption through renewable energy sources like wind and water power, heat-pumps and not surprisingly to a lesser extend solar energy. The fourth image is taken at North Third Reservoir. The overview landscape over Falkirk, Grangemouth refinery and in the distance the New Forth Road Bridge, is taken from the carpark at the Tak-Ma Doon Road between Carron Bridge and Kilsyth. In the last two images you see Stirling Castle and The Wallace Monument.

Some shots during walks from Falkirk:

Great walks from Lionthorn Falkirk via Glen Burn, up the hill towards Westerglen Transmitting Station.

Carron Valley:

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Bracklinn Falls in Callander, Stirlingshire

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F11, 10s, ISO100, see further details under the image below

The Loup of Fintry waterfall Stirlingshire

Loup of Fintry waterfall is on the River Endrick in the Carron Valley. It is 29m high in the Endrick River and feeds the Carron Reservoir. 

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Canon 5DS with old 70-200 f2.8L, to fit the 77mm ND filter. The 6 stops B+W Neutral Density filter allows for long shutter speeds during daylight to achieve a nice milky water flow. Focal length 70mm, F8, 3.2s, ISO50.

Loch Lomond:

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A bit further afield:

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Upper Glendevon Reservoir

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Laide in the North West of Scotland

The River Forth

The river starts at Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area 19 miles west of Stirling. Just west of Stirling the river Teith joins the forth and at Stirling the river becomes tidal. It widens eastwards and becomes the estuary Forth or Firth of Forth and eventually ends in the North Sea.

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The start of the River Forth at Aberfoyle

All images by Vincent Hartman