Gillies Mackenzie Photgraphy

Gillies Mackenzie Photography

I am a photographer located in Stornoway in the Isle of Lewis, in the Western Isles of Scotland, and have been taking photographs for a number of years now. I have found that photography which was once a hobby that I just enjoyed doing in my spare time slowly turned into something that I was doing more and more for not just myself, but for other people, businesses and organisations, so things took off from there.

Landscape photography is my main passion, but that is more like a hobby that I enjoy doing when I have time, over the past number of years I have been professionally carrying out photography for a number of businesses and organisations, as well as photographing numerous events and weddings, as well as providing photographs for press and publications locally and nationally.

Over the years a number of photographs I have taken have been published, and have appeared in articles and features for various publications including.

Darts World, Quad Magazine, Sea Angler, Total Sea Fishing, Stornoway Gazette, Box and Fiddle, Press & Journal, The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The BBC.

I am available to carry out photographic work almost anywhere, working out of both Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, and Glasgow easily lets me get around, so if you have any queries, and wish to contact me, you can easily do so through the contact page on the link at the top of the page.

~ Gillies

A little bit more information on me as a photographer.

What photography equipment do I use?
I have been using the Canon EOS SLR camera system since 2003, with the following main equipment.

Cameras:
Canon 5D, Canon 20D, Canon 300D

Lenses:
Canon 70-200mm F4L, Canon 24-70mm F2.8L,
Canon 17-40mm F4L, Canon 50mm F1.4,
Canon 28-135mm IS, Canon 18-55mm,
Canon 50mm F1.8mm, Sigma 20mm F1.8,
Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro

Flashguns:
Canon 550ex, Canon 580ex

Accessories:
Lowepro Computreker Backpack,
Lowepro Nova 5 Bag, Canon Remote,
Lencarta Background Support System,
Tamron Teleconverter x1.4, Slik Able 300 DX Tripod, Manfrotto Monopod

and lots of other various photography bits and bobs...

How far will I travel for a photography project?
Although I live in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, I am often down in Glasgow in central Scotland, from Glasgow it is a good base to get around Scotland, and from the airport there I can get easily get around to anywhere throughout the UK and beyond.

Who are my inspirations and favourite photographers?
With landscape photography been my main passion, like many photographers I very much admire the work by the late Ansil Adams, he set a standard in landscape photography that opened up the creative minds of photographers everywhere. Today, I find myself looking very much at the work of Scottish photographer Colin Prior and been in awe of the images he has captured from both around Scotland and around the world.

Away from landscapes, I love looking at street photography and portraiture, always amazed when I look at work by the world famous Annie Leibovitz, her work is iconic and absolutely timeless pieces in history. A maybe lesser known photographer I very much admire the work of is Melanie Dunea, an award winning photographer whom is based in New York whom regularly has photographs on the covers of top glossy magazines and photographs all the top celebrities.

What is the best photograph I have ever seen?
There are so many stunning images that have been captured since the advent of photography, but one photograph however is always in the forefront of my mind as the best photograph I have ever seen though, since the very first moment I ever seen it, when I walked into a shop in Glasgow and a print of it was hanging on a wall, it left me awestruck, and I still look at it in admiration when I see it.

It is called “Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper” and was taken by Charles C Ebbets in 1932, the photograph shows a group of construction workers sitting on a girder having their lunch with their feet dangling hundreds of feet above the streets of New York City below.

This photograph has absolutely everything, it’s a naturally posed candid portrait, it’s a landscape, it’s an action shot, it has danger, it has peace, it has detail, it tells a story of the day… just looking at the guys sitting there so naturally... this photograph in my eyes, is “the” greatest photograph ever taken, and it’s a photograph I know if I was the photographer back then, I could never have taken.

What got me interested in photography?
I got into photography from going fishing here in the Western Isles of Scotland, and looking around at the stunning scenery that surrounded me and taking a cheap wee camera and “trying” to take photographs to show people the beautiful places I would be fishing. From there, I got more and more into it, striving to take nice landscapes and portraits of people with a cheap wee camera.

What is my favourite landscape photograph that I have taken?
I can not honestly say I really have a favourite landscape photograph, I am my own worst critic and am yet to take a photograph myself that makes me go “wow”, one day soon hopefully though I will manage one.

Some information, debate and comments on photogrpahy.

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A selection of various photography links that I regulary visit or find useful.

Photgraphy resource and debate web sites.

Photographers who's work I admire.

Favourite places to buy Photography Equipment.

www.warehouseexpress.com

Manufacturers of Photography Equipment.

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