In our previous post on the RAF Leuchars Airshow 2011 we showcased the aerobatics team of the French Air Force, the Patrouille de France.

Following on from there we thought it only apt that, in this the second part of the series, we showcase the aerobatics team of the Royal Air Force.

Hope these images help bring to life the spectacle that is The Red Arrows.

There was a palpable sense of poignancy as they performed on the day and these images are our tribute to the pilots, past and present, of the Red Arrows. Gallop over to our story, The Reds, as featured on the DSLRBLOG to read more…

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Wow!!! February’s already here… Barely have we had time to awaken from the slumber of the holiday season, rub our eyes and start focusing on the year ahead when we find ourselves at the start of the month of Love.

At the outset, we would like to wish you all, albeit a bit late, a very Happy 2012 from Black Stallion Country. Here’s hoping that the Year of the Dragon proves to be one that’s filled with wisdom, prosperity and happiness.

January has been a pretty eventful month and hence we thought we should bring you all up to speed with all that’s happening in Black Stallion Country:

1. Three of our images (A New Day, Lunar Phase and Eurofighter Typhoon – Saltire) were featured as the ‘Photo of the Day’ in the Light and Composition Magazine.

2. Three of our images (as seen below) were published in The Herald* as the ‘Picture of the Day’.

* – The Herald Scotland is a broadsheet newspaper published in Glasgow and available throughout Scotland.

3. We published three projects (Autumn Series 1 and 2 and The Reds) on our online Portfolio.

In addition to this, we officially launched our Corporate Event and Wedding Photography services in Scotland this month. So feel free to drop us a line if you’d like us to photograph an upcoming Corporate Event or Wedding. We must, at this point, add that we are open to taking on other photography assignments and would gladly undertake specially commissioned work as well.

So as you can see, Black Stallion Country has been awash with activity be it at a slow, sleepy pace.

All that’s left for us to say is Thank You – and we truly mean that. To each and every one of you who reads our blog, visits our website,  follows us on Twitter, is a fan of ours on Facebook and regularly visits us online, to you all we bow down in gratitude. If it were not for you, we would not have had and will not continue to have the energy and motivation that keeps us going. We hope to enthrall you with even better images in 2012…

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

The Festive Season’s finally here!!!

As it is the season of giving and gifts, we at Black Stallion Country thought it would be a great idea to give you a special gift. So why not head over to our Facebook Page to download your very own Desktop Wallpaper Calendar for December 2011.

It’s our way of spreading the Festive cheer…

…Happy Holidays!!!

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty since World War I. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918; hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice (“at the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 a.m.).

The red poppy has become a familiar symbol of Remembrance Day - poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in war.

This week, Scotland’s very first Field of Remembrance was opened on Princes Street, Edinburgh.

A Poppy Scotland initiative, the Field of Remembrance is made up of approximately 11,000 small wooden crosses which members of the public in Scotland have dedicated in honour of past and present members of the Armed Forces.

Below are few of the images I captured at the Field of Remembrance interspersed with verses from the poem,In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

To view more images from the Field of Remembrance, kindly click the link below:

http://koshy.smugmug.com/Events/Field-of-Remembrance-Scotland/20009856_mfnzxP#1577030588_LPBCXRq

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Back in January, we released the Soft Cover Edition of our Coffee Table Photobook: Wildlife – A Snapshot.

Just wanted to bring you a very exciting update pertaining to the same.

Our 40 page Coffee Table Photobook can now be yours for a mere £2.99 (£3.58 after tax). To secure your very own copy of the book at this incredibly low price, just click the link below and after having previewed the book, click ‘Buy’ and select the ‘ebook download for Apple iBooks’ option. Download it onto your iPhone / iPad and it’s yours to enjoy for as long as you want.

 Wildlife – A Snapshot

And you don’t have to live in the UK to purchase this book. No matter where you are in the world, just click the link and download. So get clicking and please do spread the word…

Wildlife – A Snapshot

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

I happened to be in Bangalore (India) around the time when AERO India, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition, was held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. The air show offered a great opportunity to see the might of the fighter jets on the one hand and the grace of the aerobatics teams on the other. One such aerobatics team that performed at AERO India 2011 was the Sarang.

Sarang, which means Peacock (hence the peacock design on the sides of the chopper), is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force. Formed in 2003, the team flies four Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dhruv helicopters. The Dhruv is a utility helicopter that meets both military and civil operator requirements. The military variant performs the roles of transport, utility, reconnaissance and MedEvac. The name Sarang is symbolic in itself as the peacock is the national bird of India.

This was the first time I had witnessed a helicopter formation display team in action and I must admit I was pretty amazed at some of the maneuvers. As you view the images below, I hope you will be amazed too

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

Just wanted to share a bit of news that is literally ‘Hot off the Press’!!!

One of our images (below) has just been showcased in the October 2011 issue of the Digital SLR Magazine in the UK.

The magazine hit the stands on the 21st of this month. So if you’d like to own a copy of the same, why not head down to your local newsagent and pick one up

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

PS: Coming soon to our blog: Part Two of the Photo Feature Series – RAF Leuchars Airshow 2011

From the Royal Engineers launching balloons in the Tentsmuir Forest in 1911 to Typhoons operating from RAF Leuchars in 2011, North East Fife has played a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of UK’s airspace. Hence it was apt that this year’s airshow at RAF Leuchars be a centenary celebration marking 100 years of military aviation in North East Fife.

Starting with this entry, I will be running a Photo Feature series showcasing the various planes that formed part of the flying display at RAF Leuchars this year.

So let’s start the show by filling the grey Fife skies with the patriotic colours of France. I present to you one of the oldest aerobatic demonstration teams in the world. Sit back and enjoy the Patrouille Acrobatique de France (also known as Patrouille de France), the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force, perform their visual magic right before your eyes.

And trust me, you really want to click the link below to see all the images in this set:

http://koshy.smugmug.com/Events/RAF-Leuchars-Airshow-11-Part-1/19053906_GSQfxp#1481828859_V7Vgn6C

Hope you can join us next time when we will turn our focus to the aerobatic team of the Royal Air Force – the Red Arrows.

Till then, take care and gallop free.

August has been a really hectic month both for myself as well as the City of Edinburgh. The city has played host to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 – a month-long spectacle that sees close to 21,000 performers presenting 41,689 performances of a record-breaking 2,542 shows at 258 venues – and I have been kept busy photographing bits and pieces of the Festival.

Edinburgh might well have been the Festival City in August but now with the festival drawing to a close, the city is getting ready to acquaint itself with its wild side and be transformed into a Jungle City. 130 life-size animal sculptures of the planet’s most endangered species – Asian Elephants, Tigers, Orangutans, Crocodiles and Hornbills – have been unleashed in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. From the 6th of September these animals will hit the capital’s streets.

Jungle City, set to be Edinburgh’s biggest outdoor art event on record, has received the backing of a large number of donors and supporters. Many large corporates have also sponsored the event and by doing so they’ve played a part in a major conservation project – one example is the image below that shows a tiger sponsored by the Scottish Football Club, Rangers.

A Fundraising initiative by the charity Elephant Family, the sculptures will be sold via auction (online or live – details can be found on their website) in a bid to raise £1 million for the survival of endangered species.

So if you live in Edinburgh or just happen to be here, head over to the Botanics and see these beautiful creatures for yourselves. They are on display at the Botanics till Sunday 4th September. And after that, look out for them on the streets of Edinburgh where they will be on display till the end of the month.

Till next time, take care and gallop free.

I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of photographing quite a few events lately and one of them has been the Second International Conference on Compassionate Care.

The two-day conference held in June 2011 focused on leadership and development of compassionate care practice, education and research. It was organised jointly by NHS Lothian and Edinburgh Napier University.

Kindly click the link below to see a snapshot of the images taken over the two days:

Conference Image Gallery

If you or anyone you know is organizing an event in the Edinburgh / Scotland area and would like it to be photographed, feel free to email me at blackstallionphotography@igallopfree.com.

Till next time, take care and gallop free.