2nd year covering this event for Cancer Research Scotland and cross party MSPs, clinicians, medical specialists and patient representives to help direct the Scottish Government in all fields of cancer treatment and aftercare. This years conference was at the Stirling Management Centre

Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, again gave the opening talk and took questions.

Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, gives opening speech.

I think for future conferences I am going to ask the sound guys to be more unobstrusive with their mics! Lighting not great either but bounced the flash of a near white ceiling so all OK.

With assistance from the Edinburgh Convention Bureau, the Potato Council (GB) and World Potato Congress Inc have signed the deal to host the 2012 international conference for the ‘spud’.

Booked to cover PR photography for the ‘signing’ at the Royal Highland Show, I wanted to add the Edinburgh Brand to the background and collected the pop-ups to add an identity for Edinburgh as host city.

Potato Congress confirmed for Edinburgh 2012

Allan Parker World Potato Congress President, Allan Stevenson Potato Council Chairman and Douglas Harley, World Potato Congress Board member give the thumbs up!

The wife thinks I’m crackers creeping out of the house at just after 4am as the early morning summer light is showing above the Forth.

Though I have done this later in the year as last year, in June you really need to be out and  about even earlier to get skies at the right low light level to balance with the streets still in relative darkness.

The use of a tripod and firing off 5 shots at different speeds gives a range of images to be  later combined into one – otherwise known as HDR (High Dynamic Range) using Photomatix Pro. Then into Lightroom and Photoshop to remove unwanted street lights, signs and chewing gum on pavements!!

Greyfriars Bobby

More images

Not many people around other than the newspaper vans – and the seagulls having a ball with rubbish bags left out over night by careless business owners.

Umm well not quite!

Got late shout from Niche Works PR Edinburgh to cover a PR shoot for Festival Inn’s 3 Sisters pub in Edinburgh. The shoot was to get shots for marketing purposes for a string of events over the World Cup.

Bar staff don football shirts and raise a cheer.