Scotland’s First Creative Ageing Festival – Luminate – including the inter-generational dance group “Ultra Violet” at the Macrobert Arts Centre.

Above and below: all welcome: 4 generations of women and girls in dance show Ultra Violet

Photography for Luminate / Age Scotland.

Production photography for theatre company Magnetic North of their latest show “Sex And God”.

Tantalising fragments of the lives of four women from across the twentieth century are woven together to transform everyday experiences into something extraordinary in this lyrical new play by Linda McLean.

The show tours around Scotland until 26th October – for tour dates see here.

Conducting its’ own affairs: Music Co-operative Scotland, an ensemble of musicians from Scottish Opera’s orchestra, who have won a £10,000 of funding from Scottish Enterprise’s subsidiary Co-operative Development Scotland.

Above: Katie Hull and other performers from Music Co-operative Scotland

Above: Katie Hull, leader of Music Co-operative Scotland

The group were one of three shortlisted cooperatives I photographed for CDS’s Collaborative Prize – the others are the Dumfries & Galloway organic meat farmers cooperative and Screen Facilities Scotland, a group of film-makers and film-making services suppliers (see below).

Above and below: Dumfries and Galloway organic meat farmers cooperative, pictured near Moffat

Above and below: Screen Facilities Scotland film-makers and film-making services suppliers

Photography commissions for Scottish Enterprise / Cooperative Development Scotland and published in The Herald (front page and main page three spread) and other daily newspapers.

On Edinburgh’s Calton Hill this morning snapping global swashbuckling adventurer Mark Beaumont ‘bunny-hopping’ a ‘cairn’ of climbing boots.

All to promote the “Spirit of Adventure” series of adventure lecture events around Scotland by adventure cyclist / rower Mark, with Polly Murray (the first woman to climb Everest) and Guy Grieve (the ‘Alaskan hermit’ and author of “Call Of The Wild”), hosted by Tiso outdoors shop. Tiso is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary of business.

For more info about these events visit: www.tiso.com/events

Pictures for Tiso and Jigsaw PR / Jude Henderson PR and in tomorrow’s daily press and news websites.

Made In Scotland 2012 – Creative Scotland’s showcase of Scottish theatre and dance performed around the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and supported by the Scottish Government’s Expo Fund. Including works especially created for children.

Above and below: ‘Tam O’Shanter’ – Burns’ story of a drunken night out, supernatural debauchery and courtship – is beautifully brought to life in a musical adaptation created and directed by Gerry Mulgrew and Communicado Theatre.

Photography commissioned by Creative Scotland and featured in their ‘In Pictures’ portfolio.

Above and below: Leaving Limbo Landing by East London Dance – performed in Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square to a sun-bathing audience. Commissioned by the Unlimited Programme and the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Below left and right: an aerial dance sequence and a ‘rain-shower’ arrest the attention of passers-by in St Andrew Square in Leaving Limbo Landing.

‘Paperbelle’ by childrens’ theatre company Frozen Charlotte (two pictures below). Paperbelle’s world is plain and dull but soon her life is enriched when the colours want to come out to play….

The high-risk ‘Bullet Catch’ illusion (above), performed by Rob Drummond and Glasgow’s The Arches theatre venue.

Portraits of Fringe performers and Edinburgh festivals personalities commissioned by and published in The Scotsman’s ‘Festival’ supplement and Scotland on Sunday.

Above: “I interpret your dreams”: Kaya The Dreams Interpreter.

Above: A pillar of the community: outspoken comedian Jim Jefferies (pictured in Edinburgh’s Waterloo Place).

Left: Mark Thomas – the thinking person’s comedian and one of my all-time favourites – in ‘Bravo Figaro’ at the Traverse Theatre.

Mark’s usual style of politically aware comedy is softened this year in this touching portrayal of his father Colin – a Thatcherite builder and huge opera fan – who now suffers from dementia.

So Mark sees to it that his old dad gets a very special performance from ENO’s finest talent in his very own sitting room at his Bournemouth retirement house.

For more info on this touring show – which won a Fringe First Award from The Scotsman and a Herald Angel Award – visit: www.markthomas.info

Above: Cultural Olympiad Director Ruth Mackenzie OBE, who popped into town to oversee the Edinburgh Festivals end of London 2012 events – pictured in her trademark killer heels and platinum hair.

 
Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival coverage for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News.

Soprano soloist Anna Christy (above and left), who performed at the Edinburgh International Festival opening concert in the city’s Usher Hall.

‘Mies Julie’ (below), part of the South African season and which won a Fringe First from The Scotsman – an award given to new writing. Also from South Africa is hard-hitting drama ‘Mother To Mother’ (middle picture), set in the dying days of apartheid.

Above: ‘This Land – The Story of Woody Guthrie’ cast members celebrate Woody’s love of animals by serenading Greyfriars Bobby, one of the festival city’s most famous landmarks. This picture was used on the front page of the Edinburgh Evening News on Tuesday 7th August.

‘Space student’ Rebecca Frith in today’s Edinburgh Evening News – my portrait of Rebecca with an ‘outer space’ background. Rebecca did exceptionally well in her highers exams and has enrolled at Strarthclyde University’s “Space School”.

It’s not actually outer space as the EN budget doesn’t usually stretch to that kind of expense.

So against a black backcloth Rebecca flapped 2 dusty dusters around a second before I fired the camera, so the dust is behind her, not between the lens and the camera. And a placed a reflector in front of me to bounce some light back into Rebecca’s face.

Pictures from the largest arts festival in the world as it opens its’ shop window for August – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe pictured for The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday.

Greg Hemphill leads a talented Scottish cast in the National Theatre of Scotland’s “Appointment With The Wickerman” (above left); and the climactic burning scene with real fire torches on stage (above right).

Duo Sifolini from Bulgaria and The Wheel Of Death (above) at the Edinburgh International Circus Festival – the latest addition to Edinburgh’s long list of August festivals.

And Monalisa from Romania with her unique acrobatic skills (left).

Maurice Roeves (below left) in “Just A Gigalo”, a play about Angelo Ravagli, the ‘real Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ – of DH Lawrence’s wife Frieda – and thought to be the inspiration for the author’s book. Maurice is famed for his leading roles in theatre, TV and films including Tutti Frutti and The Last of the Mohicans.

The Band of the Royal Australian Defence Force on board the Royal Yacht Britannia to launch the Edinburgh Tattoo (above right).

All the world’s a bus: the charming Molly Taylor aboard an Edinburgh bus launching her one-woman Edinburgh Fringe show “Love Letters To The Public Transport System”, produced by the National Theatre of Scotland.

Photography commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland.

Molly’s delightful show seeks to find and thank the people who transport us daily – to friends, to lovers, to work, to moments of significance in our lives.

More information on Molly’s show, which runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 26th August here: www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/LoveLetters

And booking information here: www.edfringe.com/loveletters