Edinburgh Castle as seen from Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland

Few people visit Edinburgh and miss out on its castle, especially since it is so prominently located in the city centre, being built on top of an extinct volcano next to Princes Street, Edinburgh's main thoroughfare. The photo shows a view of the west side of the castle. The vantage point was suggested to me by a council worker relaxing in Princes Street Gardens. As you can see, he knew what he was talking about.

As you go on through my photo gallery, you will notice that I like photographing Scottish castles. Of all of them, however, I have found that photographing Edinburgh Castle well takes extra effort: it is almost impossible to do properly with a fixed wide angle lens compact. I have had more success with SLR's and zoom lenses in the 28-300 mm range Also, because of the location of the place, timing is crucial. Early morning is best, although early evening is another possibility while capturing it requires that you know what you are doing (bring a tripod!).