Where I was going to go today but ended up drinking beer & watching TV instead. A lovely relaxing Sunday; I was due one. This is your bog standard landscape really, I just thought it was particularly postable right about now given that the weather doesn’t really know what it’s doing from one day/hour to the next. Now, there’s a bottle of Hoegaarden in the fridge with my name on it. I’ll be off. Actually, Donncha is organising another photowalk.Read More
Having ensured both his callers understood the jist of the game of blackjack, Rick proceeded to deal the cards. Why blind mans blackjack? Well.. Err.. Radio!?! This second in the ‘Rick 2008’ series (I’ll have enough to open a gallery with by the time I’m done) is brought to you today purely because I\’m in people photo processing mode. I’ve been processing a wedding (hereafter to be known as ‘work’) for the evening so it made sense to post aRead More
The one o’clock gun fired at Edinburgh castle in Scotland. This is the second shot in a quick series. The first one is quite blurred. Why? Because I took it as a result of the shock I got when the gun was fired. It frightened the holy hell out of me, my hand tightened up and my finger pressed the shutter! Thankfully I managed to get this one before the smoke cleared too much. I really didn’t expect it toRead More
A field of rapeseed grows near Garretstown. Fields like this are a common sight at this time of year and are dotted throughout the country, some providing fantastic photo opportunities. The field of bright green next to this bright yellow was irresistible. Well, it looked better in person than I was able to capture on camera. Ah well.
As per usual, standing in the middle of the stream with my tripod holding my camera mere inches above the water. It’s something that no matter how many times I’ve been to the woods at Gougane Barra, I can’t seem to get away from. At least this time I had the good sense to reclaim some land and build myself a little peninsula before stepping into the unknown. Good day today, wedding went off without a hitch thankfully. Beautiful weatherRead More
First trip out to see the bluebells in Currabinny woods. It was getting late and the light was beginning to drop off fairly rapidly so we didn’t spend long down there. Must take a spin back down there over the coming days to catch some more. Speaking of taking a spin, I was quite looking forward to heading to Dublin this evening/tomorrow morning for the rare meetup of photobloggers that’s taking place. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I’m at a weddingRead More
Waste plywood strewn on the old tracks at Mogeely train station in east Cork. It’s days like we’ve had recently that make me wish I was self-employed again. Back then, if the sun suddenly came out I could conveniently ‘go missing’ from ‘the office’ and jump on the bike with camera in hand. Those days led to many great trips around west Cork and many a fun time was had. Now, some years later it’s all changed. Now I haveRead More
During golden hour in west Cork. Driving over the mountain on Goats Path on the way back from the lighthouse on Sheeps Head. For a brief moment, a ray of light burst through the cloud.
Leave the car running? A wedding car sits in wait outside a west Cork church. The wedding season has officially come back into full force and free Saturday’s are a thing of the past. Well, until October anyway. Really must get working on that portfolio/website.
Down in Currabinny, about 10 minutes from my front door, there’s a wonderful pier that stretches out in the direction of Crosshaven across the water. Crosshaven may sound familiar to some as the host town for the Ford Yacht Club event. Currabinny may sound familiar as the place across the water from it. There’s a nice stony beach and a wonderful storehouse down there too. Never fails to offer some kind of photographic opportunities.
Just over the mountain at Sheeps Head on Goats Path. The light was outstanding as we crossed the top of the mountain and mid-way through a phone call I saw the way the sun was hitting the hills. Well, I think we both saw it at the same time. It was like a simultaneous moment of \”Bloody hell, look at that!\” By both I mean Darren, who got some great shots too.
Two co-op silos next to the abandoned train station at Mogeely, east Cork. This was the start of the long weekend photo fest. The train station, for such a simple location, always seems to provide some sort of photographic opportunities.
For the longest time (after years of visiting Sheeps Head) I never knew the funkiest little lighthouse on the planet was sitting right on the end of the headland, holding onto the cliff edge. That’s thanks in no small part to John, who posted a fantastic image of the building that today inspired me to get off my lazy ass, leave the car park and walk to the end of the world. It also helped that is visiting for theRead More
Crew of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Independence of the Seas” take a well earned break as the mammoth ship, over one thousand feet long, is docked in Cobh. Apparently the only port in Ireland big enough to dock the vessel. People hung around on their private balconies while others dined in large glass fronted restaurants looking down from a height on the peasants below with their feeble camera phones.
There were a few of what I can only call ‘craftsmen’ working in Edinburgh Castle when we visited. Some of them were renewing the pathways and public areas in the grounds of the castle. In this case, fresh cobbles were being laid. It was a pleasure to watch the skilled workers laying the stone in uniform patterns, filling in the cracks with cement and polishing the finished areas. It was almost enough to induce a trance. Really could have stayedRead More
One of Edinburgh Castle’s cannon’s pointing out over the city toward the sea. I hadn’t been to Edinburgh in almost ten years so it was quite nice to get back there and re-visit a few sites. Was better to get away from work for a few short days though!
Footprints in the sand at Rocky Bay in Cork. Either very soft sand or very heavy shoe wearer. Perhaps the former.
Oh dear! Those extra items of gear I was pondering on in a previous post were not only ordered, they arrived today. I bought a Canon Speedlite 430EX and a Canon ST-E2 wireless flash commander thing. Once I get a battery for the ST-E2, I can take both my 580EX and the new 430EX completely off camera. Woo! This was a quick bit of farting around with the two flashes. Something tells me I’m going to have to re-watch thatRead More
Helpful words written on the edge of a blackboard in a local Cork primary school. The busy season is starting again in the next week or two, it’ll be a few weddings a month from more or less now until September or October. All that and I’m trying to get my head around what I’m doing where work is concerned. Do I go for a new job or stay where I am? All this and more still to come. StayRead More
Little chairs for little people. The contents of a classroom in a local primary school tidied and stacked away into a corner to cater for the room’s conversion into a photo studio for the days communion portraits. Busy day today. First to get the running order of portrait work, then off to a wedding in west Cork. And now, I’m pooped. Pooped but happy, in a kind of overworked way 🙂