Today I’d like to share some images taken at the Strathmore games held at Glamis Castle.
Great food trucks, watching athletes competing and live traditional Scottish music playing, it was a great day out.
Helvellyn, Lake District – Solo Hike Photography
The Lake District is full of routes that test both stamina and focus, and Helvellyn is one of the best known. This solo hike followed Striding Edge, up to the trig point, across Swirral Edge, and back via Red Tarn.
Taken on iPhone, these images record the sharp ridges, steady climb, and open views across the fells. More than a walk, the route doubles as a physical test and training exercise.
I was happy with 4.5hrs.
Hill walking remains a steady part of my work and training. These photographs add to a wider collection capturing the landscapes of the Lake District.
Black and White Gym Photography – Weightlifting Event in Arbroath
At Warehouse Gym in Arbroath, a weightlifting event provided a chance to capture strength and focus in a stripped-back style. Without colour, the story shifts to contrast, shape, and movement.
The black and white approach highlights athletes in training and competition. Sharp contrasts draw out detail in posture and expression, showing the raw intensity of the sport.
This shoot extends my portfolio of event photography in Scotland, using a simple approach that keeps attention on people and performance.
Dunnottar Castle Sunrise – Drone Photography in Stonehaven, Scotland
Few locations on Scotland’s east coast carry as much atmosphere as Dunnottar Castle. Perched high above the North Sea, the ruins dominate the headland and remain one of the country’s most iconic coastal landmarks.
Captured by drone at sunrise, the first light revealed texture in the stonework and depth across the cliffs. The dramatic shadows emphasise both the scale of the castle and the rugged coastline that surrounds it.
The surviving buildings are largely from the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages.
Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century.
This work adds to my wider series on Scotland’s coastal landmarks, using drone photography to document places where history and landscape meet.
Rattray Head Lighthouse at Sunrise – Coastal Photography in Aberdeenshire
in Scotland, Lighthouse
Scotland’s lighthouses have long been designed to face harsh seas, but few look as striking in first light as Rattray Head Lighthouse. Built in 1895, it still stands strong off the Aberdeenshire coast.
Photographed at sunrise, the tower rises above calm water with warm light catching its surface. The scene captures the balance of engineering and isolation that defines Scotland’s coastal navigation points.
Rattray head lighthouse was constructed in 1895 and stand 120 feet (37m) tall.
This lighthouse is part of my continuing focus on maritime Scotland, documenting structures that combine function, history, and striking design.
St Mary’s Chapel, Rattray – Historic Church Photography in Aberdeenshire
Tucked away in Aberdeenshire, St Mary’s Chapel at Rattray is thought to date back to around 1214. Its weathered stone walls stand as a reminder of centuries of local history.
This shoot continues my project of documenting Scotland’s historic churches, using simple photography to record places that hold centuries of community history.
Montrose Old and St Andrew’s Church – Drone Photography in Angus
The spire of Montrose Old and St Andrew’s Church dominates the skyline of the Angus town. Built in the late 18th century, with its steeple added in 1834, it remains one of the defining features of Montrose High Street.
Photographed from the air, the drone perspective shows the church in its urban setting, highlighting both the height of the spire and the layout of the town around it.
This work adds to my series on churches, using drone photography to show how historic buildings shape and define modern townscapes.
Helvellyn via Striding Edge – Winter Hike Photography in the Lake District
Winter conditions can transform even familiar routes. On this hike, Striding Edge offered its usual exposure, but Helvellyn’s summit trig point was still iced over, changing the descent.
The route taken was
Glen Ridding car park,
up and over Striding edge.
The weather was nice on the route up, but unexpectedly Helvellyn's trig point was still very icey and snowy making the descent onto Swirrial edge dangerous without spikes so we walked Whiteside pass back to the car.
6 hours in total.
The photographs show both the sharp ridges and the snow-covered summit. Even with good weather on the climb, frozen ground demanded a change of route on the way down.
Hill walking isn’t just about the views — it’s about adjusting to conditions. These images document the challenges and rewards of winter routes in the Lake District.
Scurdie Ness Lighthouse – Coastal Photography in Montrose, Scotland
Built in 1870 after numerous shipwrecks, Scurdie Ness Lighthouse stands at the mouth of the River South Esk, guiding vessels safely along the east coast of Scotland.
Photographed in freezing conditions, these images show the tower against clear skies, highlighting the engineering that still defines the Montrose shoreline today.
Scotland’s lighthouses remain some of the most practical yet visually striking coastal landmarks. This shoot adds to my ongoing series on maritime structures.
Blackpool Tower Sunrise – Coastal Photography in Lancashire
Blackpool Tower has been a landmark on the Lancashire coast since 1894. Photographed at sunrise, the tower rises above the quiet seafront before the town comes to life.
The images show both the tower itself and the open promenade below, with first light adding contrast and atmosphere.
This shoot continues my coastal series, recording familiar landmarks in changing light to highlight their place in the landscape.
Car Photography – Urban Automotive Study
Cars are as much a part of city life as the buildings and streets around them. This series focuses on vehicles in an urban setting, photographed in colour to emphasise reflection, surface, and movement.
If you are anyone you know, that has a high end, or collectable car, please DM me on instagram
@lee_ramsden
The images highlight how cars interact with their surroundings, from light bouncing off bodywork to the contrast between machine and street.
This project ties into my wider work on urban photography, where everyday subjects are recorded as part of the shape and rhythm of the city.
St Annes Beach Sunset Walk – Coastal Photography in Lancashire
St Anne’s Beach stretches wide along the Fylde Coast, a place where open sands meet shifting light. Photographed at sunset, the shoreline glows under soft, fading colour.
The images capture walkers moving across the sand, their silhouettes adding scale to the wide expanse of beach and sky.
This shoot adds to my coastal portfolio, recording how light transforms familiar seaside locations into something more atmospheric.
The Importance of Revisiting a Site – Photography Practice in Scotland
Returning to familiar locations often produces new results. Light, weather, and season all change, meaning a second or third visit can reveal details that weren’t there before.
This series shows how repeat visits create variety. The same place shifts character depending on the conditions, offering new compositions and perspectives.
Revisiting sites is part of my regular approach, ensuring subjects are documented in different moods and at different times. It keeps even familiar places fresh.
Offshore workers.
On an offshore wind farm substation, the real story is the people who keep the asset running. This set focuses on routine tasks, safe systems of work, and the teamwork that holds everything together. The aim is simple: clear, direct portraits of workers on the job—no fuss, just the work and the environment.
Part of my ongoing industrial and renewables series. For more, see the renewables and industrial sections of my portfolio.
Offshore Substation
This offshore substation isn’t just infrastructure — it’s a hub of scale, engineering, and the environment. These images show parts of its structure, deck, and setting offshore, captured during site conditions that mix light, metal, and sea.
Today I’m sharing a collection of images from that substation. The steel beams, walkways, cable trays, and platforms are framed against open sky and occasionally shifting light. There’s contrast in the work-worn surfaces, in the reflections, in the human scale where people or fittings show just how large these structures are.
This shoot adds to my ongoing series on offshore industrial installations. If you’re interested in renewables, structural photography, or commissioning work in wind infrastructure, check the wind industry section of my portfolio.
Noord Pier IJmuiden — Early-Morning Drone Photography, Netherlands
Predicting what dawn will bring is part of the job. This time, I cycled to Noord Pier in IJmuiden, raised my drone just before sunrise, and tried to capture how the pier looks when light, weather, and tide conspire. The difference this visit had over previous ones was in the softness of the sky and calm water, which changed how shadows and reflections behaved.
These shots show the pier’s structure against the open sea, the water reflecting the early sky, and the perspective lines of the jetty converging toward the horizon. The clean air and low tide helped turn familiar elements into more dramatic compositions.
Evertsenstraat Watertoren IJmuiden — Drone Photography, Netherlands
The converted water tower at Evertsenstraat in IJmuiden caught my eye during a recent trip — its history, monument status, and architecture combining into something photographically interesting. What used to supply drinking water now stands as residential apartments surrounded by park-like green spaces, and the tower’s shape against sky feels different from every angle.
The complex dates from 1914–1915. Built as a water supply complex, the tower and filter building remain as national monuments. Flying the drone above the Watertorenpark, I aimed to capture both the structure’s form and its setting — the clean lines of the tower, the geometry of the rooftop apartments, the park and landscaping around, and the sense of height.
Arbroath Harbour — Coastal and Historical Harbour Photography
in Travel
Arbroath Harbour has carried centuries of history in its red sandstone walls, medieval origins and weather-worn docks. I’ve visited this place several times; when the sky clears and the water calms, the textures of sea, stone, and light combine in ways a single visit can’t capture.
The harbour, medieval in origin, was improved by John Gibb in 1838-39 and extended by James Leslie in 1841-46 to include 2.4 hectares enclosed by red sandstone sea walls. The old 1725 harbour was converted into a wet dock in 1877 — the wrought iron gates remain, now kept open to the North Sea.
Today’s shoot shows weathered stone, calm reflections, the contrast between structure and water, and the soft lines of dawn light reaching the sea wall and boats. Where light hits the sandstone wall or the gates, there’s depth; in the shadows and water, quiet shapes. These images are about material, history, and stillness.
Great Orton Wind Farm — Onshore Drone & Renewables Photography
Great Orton Wind Farm, in Wigton near Carlisle, shows the power of clean energy set against the rural English landscape. These six turbines stand tall at 45 m to the hub (68.5 m to blade tip), and today’s drone shots aim to show not just their scale, but how they sit in place relative to the field, sky, and horizon.
Flying above, I captured compositions where turbine towers puncture the skyline, blades silent but implied in motion. The open land around means little to interfere — just farm tracks, walls, and the occasional tree. Light at this time of day softens the metal surfaces, casts long shadows, and gives contrast between turbine steel and landscape texture.
My ongoing renewables and industrial photography seeks moments where engineering and environment combine. For more drone work in landscapes like this, check out my Drone and Wind Industry galleries.
IJmuiden, Seaport Beach — Drone Photography, Netherlands
Golden hour over IJmuiden’s seaport beach gives light a rare softness — when metal, sand, and sea all respond with reflection. These drone shots capture that brief moment when the elements line up at the edge of sunset.
Flying over the beach and port area, I watched how the light changes the textures — wet sand mirrors sky, breakwaters cast long silhouettes, shipping containers and cranes glow faintly in warm tones. Each image is about contrast: structure against horizon; calm water against the industrial edges of the seaport. Golden hour makes everything more dramatic without forcing it.
These images are part of my ongoing exploration of shorelines and port environments. For more coastal and industrial drone work, see my Drone and Wind Industry galleries.