News - John MacLean Photography

Drone photography and filming

By John MacLean

John MacLean Photography is a fully insured CAA-registered commercial drone photographer based just outside Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Applications for drone work include property photography, land inspections/aerial surveys, construction progress, landscape videography, overhead imagery of archaeological sites/works, imaging of otherwise inaccessible or unsafe areas, and many more. Shown here are some downsized sample drone photographs taken recently.

High resolution still images, supplied ready to use
4K aerial filming
True overhead photography/filming
Photo library of high quality aerial images
4K stock video footage
Excellent for marketing, advertising and property selling

I can work on drone/aerial photography and filming throughout the Hebrides. Drone photography is of course highly weather-dependent, so early booking is advised if you want work done in a certain timescale.

For further details and information on availability, please contact me on 07468 297727 or email me at john@johnmacleanphotography.com

Tourist accommodation and property photography

By John MacLean

Looking for a property photographer based in the Hebrides? John MacLean Photography has wide experience of photographing properties large and small, from small holiday chalets to guest houses, bed and breakfasts and whole-property luxurious holiday accommodation, even carrying out an extensive high-resolution photographic recording of the recently renovated Lews Castle in Stornoway. I also photograph all shapes and sizes of private houses coming up for sale, using the best equipment and techniques to present each property to best advantage.

Below are just a few of the photos taken recently at the Marabhat Lodge holiday chalets at Lower Shader, Isle of Lewis.

Have a look at my Interiors page to see some of my work. Feel free to get in touch any time via my Contact page for further information or to book my services.

Property and holiday accommodation photography

UV-blocking acrylic for archival picture framing

By John MacLean

Now available for use in framing high-value work and items prone to fading, such as colour photographs and prints, is UV-blocking acrylic ‘glass’.

Blocking just over 99% of UV light while still retaining the highest optical clarity, acrylic is an excellent solution for increasing lightfastness dramatically and protecting work which could otherwise fade or discolour quickly behind ordinary glass. It is particularly good for protecting colour photographic prints, original illustrations from magazines and newspapers, posters, delicate artwork, medal displays, etc.

If you have important photographs, documents, or artwork in an old frame, the glass may be darkening or ‘blueing’ with age. Replacing it with UV-blocking acrylic will improve clarity and halt the progress of any fading or discolouring that may already have occurred.

The UV-blocking acrylic is totally optically clear, has no colour cast and can be used with all the framing materials and mouldings I normally use. There are cheaper acrylic glazings available, such as the styrene supplied in mass-market picture frames, but they are of poor optical quality, have a colour cast and do not possess UV-blocking properties. The higher quality acrylic, while protecting work from UV damage, also lets through slightly more light than ordinary picture glass, giving a brighter appearance to the photograph or artwork, while still providing maximum protection.

For further details, please contact me to discuss options for framing.

Framed panoramic view, Stornoway

By John MacLean

Framed canvas photographic prints: this detailed panoramic photograph shows Stornoway from Gallows Hill, looking beyond the town towards Back and Tolsta, with Muirneag hill on the left, and Point on the right. The picture was taken while the summer Hebridean Celtic Festival was in full swing in the Castle grounds and in the streets of the town. Shown at the piers are the Loch Seaforth and Isle of Lewis ferries.

The photograph, printed on high-quality canvas and framed in a bare wood canvas inset/tray frame, is available now. The overall size including the frame, is 93.5cm x 33.5cm (36.75 x 13.25 inches).

Please contact me for further details or to purchase: all major credit and debit cards are accepted. This item can also be sent by insured mail delivery (UK only), at extra cost.

Mìr air Mhìr at An Lanntair

By John MacLean

Doing some installation photography of the excellent Degree show at An Lanntair, Stornoway, today.

The exhibition runs till Saturday 4th September.

A first of its kind in the Isle of Lewis, An Lanntair welcomes Mìr air Mhìr (Bit by Bit) – a collaborative show featuring the works of eleven art school graduates from the Western Isles.

Due to the global pandemic, Degree Shows in universities across Scotland during 2020 and 2021 were cancelled, leaving students unable to physically present their years of work to the world. In response, these island students have returned home to showcase and celebrate their final year’s work in An Lanntair’s main gallery.

Mìr air Mhìr presents their own Degree Show, providing a space for our local art students, who have studied all across Scotland and specialised in various disciplines, to present their final pieces to the local community.

Gill Thompson exhibition at An Lanntair

By John MacLean

Some of my framing work can be seen at An Lanntair, Stornoway, where artist Gill Thompson has an exhibition of her work in the Café Bar gallery.

Titled Oirean: Borderlines, the exhibition runs till 28th August.

Second Open Studios Hebrides event

By John MacLean

I enjoyed meeting those who visited my studio/workshop last weekend: the second Open Studios Hebrides weekend starts tomorrow, Thursday 29th July, and runs through to Saturday 31st. Call in at 22 Upper Coll anytime between 10am and 4pm to see some of my photography and where I carry out bespoke photography/art framing for customers.

There is also a chance to see the beautiful 1870s brass and mahogany camera formerly owned by Peter Liddle, farmer at Gress from the 1890s to 1929.

Open Studios Hebrides: Lumen print making

By John MacLean, 23/07/2021

A lumen print from 2020, on display as part of the Open Studios Hebrides event from 22nd to 24th July and 29th to 31st July, 2021.

Call in at 22 Upper Coll on Saturday 24th July anytime between 10am and 4pm and see a new lumen print being made! (the sun does most of the work)

There is also a chance to see the beautiful 1870s brass and mahogany camera formerly owned by Peter Liddle, farmer at Gress from the 1890s to 1929.

Open Studios Hebrides

By John MacLean, 20/07/2021

For two weekends in July, I will be taking part in the Open Studios Hebrides event, based in the Loch a Tuath (Tong to Tolsta) area of the Isle of Lewis. The event runs from Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th July, and the next weekend from Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st July. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm each day.

All are welcome, please stop by and have a look round. A selection of framed work is on show and there are also some mounted prints to browse through.

Please note that current Covid-19 guidance must be adhered to at all times, including wearing a face mask, using the supplied hand sanitizer and leaving track and trace information. Please contact me anytime if you need further information.

An Lanntair installation photos

By John MacLean, 29/06/2021

Today I was doing installation photography of Gill Russell’s exhibition South West by South, An t-Eilean Fada, The Long Island: A Poetic Cartography in An Lanntair’s main gallery.

This excellent show, exploring the dynamic relationship between the sea and land, and revealing the nautical heritage of the Outer Hebrides, runs until Sunday 4th July, so only a few days left to catch it!