The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

About 20 minutes south from my home in Aberdeen lies the charming seaside village of Stonehaven.  Stonehaven has a lot going for it, not the least is that it is the gateway to perhaps one of Scotland's most famous castles.

A couple of kilometers outside of Stonehaven is the amazing Dunnattar Castle, a truly significant place in the history of Scotland.  The approach to the castle requires a walk of about a half kilometer.  Read all about its history HERE.

The magnificence of the castle's location . . .

. . . dawns on you in degrees . . .

. . . until you realize . . .

. . . Dunnottar Castle sits high on a promontory of stone high above the crashing surf of the North Sea.  The first mention of a castle on this location was 681.

The Aberdeenshire coast is a series of steep cliffs and jutting headlands.

I have never seen architecture positioned on the landscape in such a dramatic way as this!

We walked down the well-worn path to the castle entrance, completely taken in by the view.

The Aberdeenshire headlands.

We gawked at the great castle overhead.

The castle walls were made for battle and sieges, as this cannon port attests.

The final 50 meters still had the medieval paving.

After many, many steps, we finally arrived at the flattened top and the interior of Dunnottar Castle.

Although Dunnottar was shelled from sea many times, the structures were quite well preserved.

Dunnottar Castle is actually privately owned!  This house is actually occupied periodically by the current owners.

Location, Location, Location!!!

The ruins of the Dunnottar Castle Chapel.

Dunnottar Castle Chapel interior.  The original chapel was founded in the 5th century.

A view from the chapel.

We were always being surprised by the sudden views of the North Sea.

Although overtaking a castle situate this far up steep cliffs would have been nearly impossible, it was vulnerable to bombardment from ships at sea.

There was more space up on top than I thought.  A whole village existed up here in the past.

We snooped around inside the buildings.

We found the medieval kitchen and its giant hearth.

Every once in a while we would see a bright passage leading up and out of the old stone structures.

The views, from the inside out, framed in stone, were beautiful.

Like a framed picture of Time itself.

Stairs to nowhere.

This row of rooms with fireplaces was reserved for knights and visiting royalty.

It must have been a very busy place to be in the year 1100.

The castle grounds were divided by a wall.  On one side were the living quarters of the royal inhabitants and the knights, and on the other were the work shops, horse stables, and military battlements.

Stores, stables, and the remains of the tower.

The ruins of the old blacksmith shop.  Everything had to be made on-site; from horse shoes to silverware to pots and pans.

The stables to the left and the castle tower to the right, where the soldiers would have been billeted.

Castle tower interior. 

The view from a castle tower port across the roof of the gate house.

A wonderful view back to the countryside of Aberdeenshire.

Now that my dilapidated door and window fetish was fully satisfied, we left the castle to walk back down the steep path to another view spot.

Even if there was no castle near nearby, it would have been a beautiful place to spend a perfect day.

The new viewpoint was windswept and wild.

The view of Dunnottar Castle that adorns a thousand Scotland calendars.

Castle, cliff, and sea.

Before I ever set foot in Scotland I learned about The Bay in Stonehaven.  Yes, it was awarded the Best Fish & Chips in Great Britain in 2013.  The best in a country that prides itself on fish and chips.  So, of course, we had to go and see what all the fuss was about.

What all the fuss was all about.

We ordered two box sets, with a side of Diet Coke to neutralize any fat we might accidently ingest.  "The UKs No. 1 Fish & Chip Shop".

It was amazingly good fish and chips.  Next time you are in Stonehaven you should stop in and have a box full!

Our holiday vacation actually began at the 17th century farm and workshops of our Swiss friend . . . in the countryside just outside of Geneva. We stayed with them before going off to Germany, and again coming back.

Their farm is surrounded by beautiful tree lines, country lanes, and wetlands.  I took an early morning walk one morning with my new Fuji X-A1.

It was a frosty morning when I headed out along the country lanes near Geneva.

The fallow fields were festooned in frost.

I walked about a kilometer to discover a frozen wetland pond.

Everything was covered in a delicate sheath of frost.

There was a fine old weathered shed in the morning light . . . along the way.

The yellow morning light shown on the barren tree line across the frozen field.

I walked back along the same country lane.  We were packing this morning for a drive to famous Swiss alpine village, Gstaad.

The drive along Lake Geneva was  . . . . well . . . . truly awesome.

One of the most beautiful sights of my life.

GSTAAD

We left the shores of Lake Geneva and headed up into the Alps, passing through small, old villages along the way.

As we drove higher and deeper into the Alps the scenery became more dramatic.

After several hours of driving we arrived in the Gstaad Valley.

What a beautiful place!

After so many years living in the perfectly flat swamp of Bangkok, the mountains were a revelation.

Our friends have an apartment in a wonderful chalet.  They planned some wonderful experiences for us that we were very grateful for.  One was a ride to the top of a mountain in a cable gondola.

I have to admit that this is not one of my favorite things to do . . . but with five of us squeezed into the little cabin, I hardly focussed on the imagined possibility of mechanical failure . . . .

We joined the skiers and visitors at the top for a wonderful meal with cheese in every dish!

A winter wonderland . . . and playground.

It was a perfect day on the mountain.  A perfect day for a walk DOWN the mountain . . . there was no other way!

And so, three of us walked down the five mile road, and two rented sleds for the descent.  I walked . . . and it was the most beautiful walk of my life.

Clear light and beautiful scenery, what more could I ask for?

I have so missed the mountains.

New views around every corner.  Fortunately we passed through Oregon last summer and visited a mountaineering store in Portland:  we had the right clothes for this kind of cold weather . .  and I had excellent weatherproof, insulated hiking boots with good tread for walking in the snow.

The 'trail' we walked down doubled as a sled run and emergency vehicle access to the top of the ski lifts. The walking was easy, the views fantastic . . . but . . .

You had to keep your ears pealed to hear the wild sledges speeding down the mountain.  Imagine, a five mile sled run!

This old chalet, from 1902, was about a third of the way down.  Nice weathered wood.

There were good views of the village of Gstaad all along the mountain trail.

Small chalets dotted the hillsides and hidden mountain valleys.

About half way down the mountain my friends decided to take a short-cut across one of the switchabacks in the road.  It didn't look too steep, or difficult . . . but I discovered that it was too steep and difficult as soon as I started down.  I was not used to walking in deep snow on a steep slope . . . with a camera in my hands . . . and a bad knee!  I made it down 'OK' . . . but fell in the snow numerous times.

After a couple of hours of walking, we drew near the valley floor.

We passed this new chalet on the way.

Some of the sled riders rode in a horse drawn sleigh the rest of the way back to the ski lift.  It was a great day.  We went back to the apartment completely exhausted . . but looking forward to the next day's adventure.

We stopped off at the village of Gstaad and ogled the Gstaad Palace Hotel.  Little did we know that we would be joining a New Years' party a stone's throw from there.

Old Gstaad village had some fine old architecture . . . and a few cranes hoisting up some new, large chalets.

The next day our generous hosts drove us all on a winding road to the top of another ski lift . .  for another fabulous, cheese filled lunch.

There were many beautiful winter scene nearby.

There were many fine chalets dotted about the area.

Like a scene from a post card.

Another fabulous Swiss chalet.

The next day we spent some time in Gstaad.  There were many pretty scenes to photograph there.

Gstaad also had what was described as "the most expensive grocery store in the world," the Pernet Comestibles.  It also had just about every luxury brand as well.  Gstaad, it seems, is the playground of the extremely rich and famous.

Gstaad horses.

Gstaad prancing horse . .  and horsepower: a 2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.I want one.

Château de Gruyères

On our drive back to Geneva from Gstaad we passed by the Château de Gruyères, built around 1270, so we stopped in for a look.  The view of the countryside from the castle mount was fantastic.

There was a charming village within the castle walls.

The medieval atmosphere was very pronounced within the walls.

Château de Gruyères is in a very good state of restoration, as this fabulous door handle attests.

I was able to feed my obsession with weathered doors here as well.

The castle itself was very impressive.

There were many fine pieces of art on and around the castle. A medieval mandala?

The placement of the sculpture was very nice.  The whole village was full of art and art galleries.  The city fathers have made it a wonderful place to visit.

The castle itself sat on the highest point of the hill.

The Château de Gruyères is a fine fairy tale castle situated in a beautiful location in the foothills of the high Swiss Alps. 

A truly beautiful castle.

While walking back through the village, we were surprised to find a Tibet Museum!

The Tibetan prayer flags blew in the alpine breezes.

We were happy to discover the door was open.  We went in, made a donation, and saw the exhibition . . . .

The Buddha exhibit was actually in a converted/reclaimed christian chapel.  I was glad to see that.

It was an exquisite collection, although I immediately wondered how this particular 'museum' came by these Buddhas, satus, and monks.  I hope they were not purloined . . . sold as stolen treasure.  This place was not a Buddhist temple (wat) after all.

Yes, thank you Buddha for reminding me to vanquish Mara.

The lighting and arrangement of the exhibit was excellent.

I hope the museum procured these wonderful artifacts legitimately.  I will assume they did.

This was my favorite Buddha in the collection.  Very powerful.  We sat in the calm darkness of the 'temple' for some time enjoying the tranquility.

We went to Le Chalet for a tasty lunch that included lots of cheese . . . and amazing fresh raspberries and clotted cream.

The restaurant had these cow bells hanging from the ceiling.

Our last stop, before driving on to Geneva, was at an art museum that featured these metal sculptures of aliens . . . erotic and otherwise . . . by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger (famous for his work on the movie Alien).  After the Buddhas, these seemed extra strange.  We humans like images.

This was the last image from our wonderful winter holiday. What a wonderfully humorous image it is . . .

The medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in central Germany, was founded around 950.  Today it is one of only a few intact walled medieval cities left in Europe. (This image was borrowed from Turistmus Rothenburg.) It is also known as "the best place in the world to spend Christmas." So, we went there for Christmas.

Our train pulled into Rothenburg on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.  The Hotel Eisenhut was a fabulous Old World experience right in the center of this charming town.  We checked in at the beautiful lobby, then offloaded our baggage in our spacious room and went out to look around before it got dark . . . and the shops closed.

Our hotel was next door to the "World Famous Christmas Museum" (Kathe Wohlfahrt) which had a wonderful old bus parked outside.

It was getting to be late afternoon, making photography in the dark shadowed narrow streets very difficult.

Rothenburg is carefully and loving restored and maintained to the original medieval condition.

It was a beautiful (and mild) afternoon to walk around this historic and architectural gem.

Cobbled streets and pastel colors.

Lots and lots of cobbled streets!

Rothenburg has the fine St. James Church from 1311.

The St. James Church holds an altar carved by the great German sculptor, Tilman Riemenschneider.

All over Germany people eat sneeballen ("snow balls") during the Christmas season.  They look delicious, but are, in fact, somewhat dry . . . unless you get the amaretto and almond coated ones.

It was beautiful no matter which way you turned.

We walked around in amazement, but before too long we realized that almost all of the shops were closed!  No Shopping! Oh No, it was Christmas Eve and everybody was home with their families.

All we could do was window shop.

There were many things we wanted to purchase from the beautiful shop window displays.  Drat!

Here and there we would head up a street to find the old arched gateway of the city wall.

It felt like we had gone back in time . . . except for the occasional car.

The City Hall and City Museum were under restoration . . .

The old building exteriors were amazing, and so were the interiors!  We loved looking into each shop window and marveling at what we were seeing.  Bread!

So many beautiful shops . . . and shop window displays.

We were desperate to buy a set of these small ceramic Rothenburg town buildings to add to our collection from Prague, but the shops closed early on the 24th of December and did not open until after we left.  Oh No!

We need doyleys and lace around our new Scottish home, but, alas, it was closed too.

However, shops selling food were generally open on the 24th and 26th.

Beautiful German breads!

The sausage shop was closed.  We could have filled our suitcases with these.

Fortunately the butcher was open and had these cute pepperonis with cigar bands in a wood box.  We bought a couple of boxes . . . they are great!

A Rothenburg doll shop. I always find great collections of dolls creepy . . . its the animist in me.

We never tired of strolling arm in arm around this gem of a town.

While walking around the narrow medieval street that Rothenburg, it's easy to forget that it is a walled hill town.

Every once in a while our wanderings would spill us out at a view point over quaint river valley village scenes.

There was always something interesting to catch your eye, like this two-tailed merman.

It was cold, grey, and cloudy, but it was still like being in a post card.

We walked around Rothenburg all day, but eventually had to get back to the rococo hotel to get ready for Christmas Eve dinner.  Our hotel was filled with these wonderful old religious artifacts.

Christmas Eve dinner was a special event at the Hotel Eisenhut Hotel: a three hour, nine course meal that culminated with this delicious fruit sorbet.

After dinner we went for a stroll in the brightly lit streets.  This is our hotel on the right; the Hotel Eisenhut.

The World Famous Christmas Museum.

I woke up early and walked around the corner to fetch breakfast.  Fortunately I brought my new Fuji X-E1 camera.  What an amazing sight.

Take-away coffee, cheesecake and strudel back at the hotel room.  Delicious.

The following morning (Dec. 26) broke cold, wet, and gloomy.  We decided to walk the length of the covered ramparts of the old city wall.  There was much to see on the way, as usual.

Now THIS is what I call 'an addition' to your house!

We first walked to the edge of town past these amazing vine covered homes.  They would be just as wonderful in summer.

As is my habit, I was infatuated by old doors showing their age.  What is in there?

Yes, at some point, the neo-classical style even penetrated this old German village.

Grand, heroic, and romantic . . . and pigeonproofed.

One of the newer buildings in Rothenburg from 1681.  Only 335 years old.

An old door again; this time one of the city gates leading outside the town to a small garden and chapel.  The textures visable in this flat light were wonderful.

The small austere chapel was a little gem in the winter gloom.

The rain started to get heavier at this point, so we headed back under the gate we came from and discovered this wonderful view of medieval Rothenburg.

I couldn't resist taking more photos of this gate and wall.  I am sure you could produce a fascinating book of photographs of just this gate alone.

"If these gates could talk" . . . . .

The other tourists began to immerge from their hotels to begin their silent meander through the streets of Rothenburf ob der Tauber.

So much to see in Rothenburg.

Rothenburg was especially beautiful in the rain.

Wet cobblestones evoke a kind of melancholia . . .

We followed the wall around to find the steps up to the ramparts.  Nope, these would not take us where we wanted to go.

Our route led us to an amazing door.  I could not tell if this was contemporary or some kind of an old world attempt at 'modern' iron and rivet door-making. It looked like a lot of doors I have seen in India.

A retrofit?  There was so much to look at and contemplate in Rothenburg.

A cat in an old Rothenburg window on a cold and dank winter day.

More old weathered doors than I knew what to do with . . . but fortunately I had a lot of storage media!

We eventually found the way to the top of the city walls.

Up we went for a walk around the top of the city wall.

There was some beautiful cantilever stonework on the city wall stairs.

Walking the covered ramparts of the old city walls turned out to be the best thing to do on a rainy day.

The views from the ramparts were spectacular.  It was fun to walk along these old passageways above the town.

This foreign tourist seemed very happy to be where he was.

There were some good opportunities to photograph patterns from the top of the city walls.  We walked about 3/4 of the way around the city walls before coming down.  It was getting late.  Time to head back to the hotel.

We walked back through one of the city gates to find Rothenburg lit up like a scene on a Christmas card. 

We walked home in the gathering darkness as a few shops lit up the street. We went in this bakery and had coffee.

Hmmm . . . what do we want this time? . . . .

We changed and walked a block to this Gasthof for another wonderful meal.

There was a manger in the churchyard.  It was Christmas, after all.

We walked around a while in the dim, moody alleys.

We walked around the same streets we walked during the day, but in a very different mood.

I wanted very badly to check these doors . . . and see what was behind them.

At last we stumbled upon the main town square next to our hotel.

Some of the Christmas Market stalls opened on the night of the 26th . . . we stopped for another Gluhwein before turning in.  We were off to Stuttgart and the airport for a flight back to Geneva the next morning.

The next morning, bright and early, we were on the train.  What an enchanted couple of days we spent in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

The charming and spare German countryside from the moving train.

We departed Germany ant the small, but very nice Stuttgart Airport.

Our Winter vacation started off with a flight from Aberdeen, Scotland to Copenhagen, Denmark where we caught a connection to Geneva, Switzerland.  My CRS flared up and and I left behind my camera bag at the security check-in at the Aberdeen Airport.  A phone call to Aberdeen fortunately yielded the good news that my expensive camera equipment was safely locked up in their lost and found.  Whew!We stayed the night with good freinds on their lovely farm outside Geneva and then headed off to the medeival German town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  In route, I picked up the excellent Fuji X-E1 camera fitted to their equally excellent IS 18-55mm zoom lens at the Geneva Duty Free. I couldn't go on this vacation without taking some photos! We arrived in Stuttgart for a one night layover before our train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  As it turned out, the Stuttgart Christmas Market (first started in 1692) was in it's last night!

A monument as only the Germans can make them.  Heroic, gigantic, romantic.

Stuttgart Winged Liberty (under repair).

Did I mention Stuttgart pastry . . . it would be worth moving here just for the pastry . . . . almost.

The Christmas Market spread along the entire length of Stuttgart's main walking street.

Their were lots of pretty booths set up selling just about everything Christmas-related.

There was a lot of festive seasonal food for sale too.

We stopped for delicious sausages and Glühwein (roughly translated, "glow-wine").

It was a beautiful, not-too-cold night in Stuttgart.  There were many tourists in the crowd that night (all, eventually, heading to Rothenburg the next day, we found out).

It was a wonderful evening to stroll around with the entire population of Stuttgart looking at the fun and interesting booths.

We were tempted . . . . but where would we put it?

There have been Bolivian street musicians in EVERY European city I have visited in the last twenty years: Stuttgart was no exception!  These guys were playing a kind of Bolivian Space Music.  Very esoteric.

A brightly lit merry-go-round tested the dynamic range capabilities of the new Fuji X-E1 camera.  Excellent!

Did they only use this Christmas Tree Bulb Ferris Wheel one month of the year?  Who knows . . . it was beautiful!

I imagine that the shapes and sizes of these Christmas Gingerbread Hearts have huge significance to the residents of Stuttgart.

About half way down the walking street my wife made the observation that all the buildings seemed new.  Yes, they were . . . because most of Stuttgart was bombed into smithereens in WWII.  Only a few old buildings remained, like this cathedral tower.

But the Stuttgart city fathers made the most of their suddenly new city by planting and trimming very lovely trees down the promenade.

We found a nice beer garden that brewed their own ale, and had delicious pork schnitzel (me) and pork knuckle (my wife) with authentic sauerkraut.

We had a wonderful evening among the throngs before walking back to our hotel.

I saw this interesting poster in the gutter on our walk home.  I'm guessing it is either a political poster for a politician running in the Big Partei, or it is an invitation to a Big Party.  The arrangement of leaves is attractive.

Our hotel was clean and centrally located.  We slept well after our long walk in the Christmas Market.

I took my obligatory art shot in the lobby of our hotel before we headed out the door.  We had a train to catch.

We hustled through the austere beauty of the Stuttgart Hauptbahnof to catch our train (after a quick stop for Starbucks). We would come back through this train station in a few days and then transit to the airport.

It was another cold and bleak Saturday . . . big clouds, a strong wind, and some blue sky poking through here and there.  The days are short this time of year here northeastern Scotland.  "Let's take a drive up to Huntly and see the castle this time."  "OK."  After a beautiful 40 mile drive from Abrdeen, we settled into a delicious lunch in the bar of the Gordon Arms Hotel, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

On our walk to Huntly Castle, my wife and I couldn't help but chuckle at this Chinese take-away.  Literally every town in Scotland, no matter how big or small, has a Chinese take-away!

We parked in the city center, and after a delightful lunch in the town square, and walked up the tree lined entry to Huntly Castle.

You come up on Huntly Castle from behind old walls  . . .  and get your first glimpses through the stone framed windows.

The first castle was built on this spot in the 12th century, but it was torched in 1452.  Sometime in the mid-1500s this beautiful structure was built in its place.

The beautiful and mysterious Huntly Castle ruins.

The castle out-buildings held a few surprises:  the killing floor of this sheep butchery must have been high technology at the time.

A sign by the Scottish Trust explained that these features were meant to contain sheep entrails and blood . . . haggis catchers!

The back, or working, side of Huntly Castle is very imposing on this grey late Autumn day.

A structural element is missing off the back wall.  The 'windows' are purely functional and meet features of the interior without care for the exterior aesthetic consequences . . . as defense is the prime consideration in castle building.  My love of 'wall histories' was consummated in full here!

A chilly afternoon at Huntly Castle.

But it was time to explore the interior of this famous, so called, "haunted" castle.

The hunting scenes over the door attest to the castle's past use as a stop-over for royal visitors of the time on hunting trips to the wilderness of Scotland.  Robert the Bruce even stayed in the older castle in 1307.

The interior was empty and parts of the roof were open to the sky.

The castle was completely abandoned by the 18th century . . . and all the interior decor and features have long since been stripped.  The Scottish National Trust seems to have been responsible for installing the flooring on the second level and the improvised structural bracing seen here and there.

A window view out on the gloomy day.  The sun never rises very far into the sky this time of year, but it goes down very slowly which extends the sunsets for a long time.

As I made my way over to the rooms on the south side, the light became fantastic.

You can see the structural bracing in the yummie light and shadow . . . I'll try it in Black and White . . . .

Oh yes.

The sun at last sunk beneath the low cloud cover to shine a golden light through the windows of Huntly Castle!

Oh! The light! 

I realized I was standing in the castle tower, and looking up I was surprised to see the high walls lit with golden light.

An otherworldly sight!  The castle tower lit from the inside!

The recreated slotted ceiling lattice and fine light.

Perhaps one of the best photos I have ever taken . . . the only thing missing is a body in a noose hanging from the high castle tower ceiling.  Too bad I didn't have my 16-35 L-II lens with me.

A marvelous, cold, quiet space.

There are many stories of ghosts in Huntly Castle lore.  This happens not to be one of them . . . it's my wife's dancing shadow.

Castle shadow ballerina.

Self Portrait With Wall no.24. I'm a shadow of my former self.

All good things must come to an end . . .  time to leave Huntly Castle.  It gets dark early, and we have a 40 mile drive ahead of us.

I was met with this skyview as soon as I stepped out of the castle door.

The Aberdeenshire countryside around the castle was delightful.

The preferred view was straight up into the Autumn Scottish sky.

The sun is always low in the sky in this part of Scotland at this time of year.  Wonderful moods on the day.

We passed around the front of Huntly Castle on our way out.

What an imposing structure it must have been in its day.

Huntly Castle ruins in their full splendor.  The golden light of only moments earlier had gone.  I looked up at the tower and was glad I was lucky enough to be there at the right moment today.

The walk back to Huntly through this line of old trees was very pleasant.

The trees, in anticipation of an icy winter, had pumped up their turgor (sap pressure) to guard against freezing.  I'm glad I took that botany course in university now.

We returned to Huntly under an ever-changing light.

We walked through sunset-bathed Huntly, poking our noses into small shops.  We stopped in one cafe for free coffee and pastries . . . it was their grand opening!

We enjoyed our day trip to Huntly, but it was time to head home.  We wanted to stop at one of the Farm Stores we passed on the way . . . and I had hopes of standing in a farmer's field and shooting the rapidly developing sunset.

Th sunset did not disappoint!  I let my darling wife off at the Farm Store and drove out into the countryside on a farmer's road.

With the sun setting at such an acute angle, it took many minutes to fully develop.

In the tropics, like Bangkok (where I lived until five months ago), a sunset would begin and end in a matter of minutes . . . .

. . . but this most beautiful of sunsets lasted nearly 40 minutes.

This horizontal swirling braid moved fast enough for me to see it twisting.  Incredible.

If there were such things as flying saucers, this is the cloud from which they should descend!  WOW!

It was a big sky full of beauty.

I chose the Canon 24-105mm L-series lens, and tried to keep it around f8 hand-held for clarity.

As I stood by my car getting ready to put the camera away, I happened to look straight up . . . .

. . . and caught this shot of the reflected, and refracting, light of the sunset on ice crystals from yet another weather pattern moving in from the west.  What a great way to end the day.