These great pics come from Gary Sutherland, a twitter pal and also the author of several fab books. He has sent me two festival-related photos taken from his book Great Balls of Fire: A Year of Scottish Festivals.

The photo of Stonehaven Fireballs was taken minutes after the bells at the beginning of a New Year. Gary says: “I’d already had a couple of pints but got lucky with the picture. It’s of a Stonehaven fireball swinger close up. My hair didn’t even get singed. Minutes later he flung his fireball into the harbour. It’s an amazing sight and experience.”

Leopard Magazine – a north-east arts magazine – used the Fireballs photo for their cover.

The second photo is of Langholm Common Riding one hot summer’s day. Gary says: “It was exhausting climbing to the top of that hill without a horse but worth it for the picture. Again I got lucky. I’m no pro.”

Thanks for these Gary. To find out about the man himself and his books check out his great website