Renfrewshire – a year in photos

Graham Morgan (@travelandmixpix)

Bluebell Woods at night, always a great place for a stroll or walking the dogs… Takes on a life if it’s own in the dark and in winter.

The Northern Lights, always a chance to see them in the autumn or winter, even outside dark areas. The fireworks added a bit more to the scene.

Linn Brae in Johnstone, leaves sat perfectly in the pavement all the way down the hill forming a carpet of leaves…. The wind had blown them away by day’s end ☺️

Bluebell Woods in the snow and walking the dog’s, very photogenic at the best of time’s and everything combined to get me a photo I like very much.

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Picturing Paisley (@picturing_paisley)

We are a photography collective, passionate about all that is positive in Paisley and we try to bring one image every day to our Instagram, highlighting a positive message of the town. We love capturing images of all the wonderful places, events and businesses in the town. We’ve chosen one photo from each of our members. We are Avi, Audrey, Carole, Christine, Karen and Kate.

Red book on a shelf, in Paisley’s new library and learning hub. Looking forward to being part of the community who uses this beautiful new asset.

These stuffed jeans in Brown Lane have walked their last steps.

All is calm on river Cart heading towards the Hamills.

Vespa Day in Paisley

Pub culture … plenty of choice in Paisley.

Coats Venue in the Snow

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Lee D Connor (@l_dconnor)

Illuminated figure during the 2023 Paisley Halloween Festival. When I attend an event with my camera I try to capture detail & interest for the viewer, celebrating the subject.

A photo taken during a walk at Jenny’s Well, a nature reserve in Paisley. This area is one of my favourite places to walk.

Windy Hill in Renfrewshire.

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Pauline Moss (@minimossp)

Spring. This is a baby blue tit with its juvenile plumage—one of my favourite birds taken at one of my favourite places in Renfrewshire, the RSPB reserve in Lochwinnoch.

Summer (despite the rain drops). A young woodpecker, photographed in my back garden in Houston. This year was the first year we’ve ever had woodpeckers in the garden and I spent a lot of patient hours trying to capture a decent photo of this shy bird.

Autumn. This was the hardest season for me to choose because Renfrewshire is treated to such a fantastic array of visiting birds. This photo is a redwing on my neighbour’s rowan tree. At one point we had between 20 and 30 redwings flying around the area and the noise was incredible. That is my sure sign of Autumn—the redwings and the geese.

Winter, during the recent snowfall. This is one of the resident herons at the River Gryffe. I had been standing taking photos for a while when an angler waded into the river and spooked the heron and I was lucky enough to capture it in flight. I also hadn’t noticed before this photo that the heron has lost one of its feet.

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Michael A (@the_rusting_robot_84)

Paisley’s industrial history lives on in the fantastic architecture on display. On this summers day the sun caught the former Anchor Mill just right and it looked glorious.

The light fog combined with the sunrise to provide an autumn glow. The old fire station took on a fairytale appearance in that early morning light.

Dykebar hill and the surrounding houses looked like a little hill top village against the fantastical looking clouds and blue sky.

Steeped in a long history, Paisley Abbey played a significant role of establishing and growing Paisley as a town. It still sits proudly in the centre of the modern town and made for a picturesque winter scene after some recent snowfall.

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Tam Love (@theclashcityrocker)

This shot was taken at the start of the year on what was one turned out one of the coldest days of the year. It was taken early morning when there was a heavy frost and freezing fog hanging over the bascule bridge in Renfrew

I have been wanting to get a photo of the Victoria baths in Renfrew ever since they had been lit up as part of their 100-year anniversary but had never got round to it. I headed out late one night in March to get this shot. I slowed the shutter speed down on the camera to capture the moving traffic passing the swimming baths.

This shot of the Renfrew town hall was taken on my phone as I was walking home one night, I noticed the sun beginning to set behind the town hall. As it was setting the sun light lit up the beautiful cloud formation that was over the clock tower, I knelt behind one of the flower beds on the high st to introduce some colour in the foreground.

This is a shot of the sunset at the new footpath and cycle path bridge crossing over the river cart. The bridge was built to link Inchinnan, Renfrew & Paisley and to improve cycling and active travel to the newly built manufacturing and innovation centre near Glasgow airport.

I was really happy to be asked if I could photograph the Frank and McStein monster lab show for emergency exit arts at the fantastic Paisley Halloween Festival this year. This is a shot of one of the cast members that took part in the amazing fire show.

Wandering chairs. Paisley Town Hall.

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Kirsten Ferguson (@kizbang)

If you aren’t in over your head how do you know how tall you are? Red fox in tall grasses. I captured this image in May of 2023 in Paisley. The fox was concealed from view, lying in long grasses.  I caught the moment as he raised his head to sniff the air. I have photographed foxes for over 14 years, and I still feel privileged to observe moments of calm and vulnerability that so few get to witness.

Sibling rivalry (taken in the Renfrewshire area mid summer 2023). A very special encounter as I have waited a long time to see badgers. I got the chance to observe a family of badgers emerge from the sett, and to watch their interactions with each other. This image was taken in poor light, and from a great distance, pushing my lens to its limit. Despite the grainy image I love how it captures the interaction between these two siblings. It serves as a reminder of the variety of wildlife that resides in our local area.

Fly Agaric. This image was taken in October 2023 in the grounds of Dykebar hospital.  I opted for a different perspective to this classic toadstool associated with fairytales. The contrast of colours and textures in these natural forms reminds me of the fabrics in Elizabethan costumes.

Connections (October 2023). I spend a lot of time in the Gleniffer Braes. I’m used to looking to the skies, and at longer distances for larger subjects. So it was challenging to look down and cover smaller areas of ground with macro photography. I captured this shot on a bright day in Autumn photographing the textures and colours of the season. This image of bracken leaves in golden light is my favourite from that day walking in the woods.

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