In Photos dot org

This is John Sullivan, a man we met near the beach at Allihies in West Cork a few days ago. He’s quite a remarkable man, especially as he will be 91 in June. I’ll be very happy with myself if I’m as fit and healthy as he is when I celebrate my 91st birthday!

The photo isn’t the best I could manage but I only took the one shot and wanted to share it. There was a very strong light behind him from the afternoon sun and I used the on-camera flash to fill in the shadows as best I could.

The MAC Counter at Brown Thomas

Hands up now lads. How many of you have waited around while your significant other picked out makeup or browsed the aisles in a department store?

Yeah, me too.

This young fella was collecting the rubbish from the drawers and in contrast to the immaculately done up girls dressed in black he wore torn jeans and a cheap sweater.

PS. Lunar eclipse in 2 hours time. I think I’ll be asleep!

Denis MacSweeney

One of the few photography shops left in Cork City center, Denis MacSweeney’s shop in Merchant’s Quay is a simple photo development outfit. O’Leary’s Camera World and MacSweeney’s on Oliver Plunkett St. will sell you cameras and all sorts of other photography bits. Unfortunately both shops were out of 77mm filters the last few times I called in.

The hat and the smoke

I made this image of the guy in the hat on Patrick’s Street last February and I knew I had a great street shot. I have no idea what those people in the car are doing but they left shortly after.

Link love: Donal has a great portrait of some of the kids from his trip to Lesotho.

Yummy crisps

What’s in a name? In Ireland and the UK they’re called crisps, but in the US they’re chips. Whatever they’re called they’re universally loved. I bet it’s all the MSG in them. The monosodium glutamate in them is the flavour enhancer that makes you want to have just-one-more-crisp. The Wikipedia page on the ingredient is rather interesting, and it seems that various tests have shown it to be safe.

This image was made in Dingle, Co. Kerry. A tourist munched on the crisps as we approached so I had to take a shot!

Square tiles and doorway

A man leaves Larry Tompkins Pub on Lavitt’s Quay, Cork. This was taken on St. Patrick’s Day this year!

Barratts on Patrick’s Street

A young man enjoying the sun on a warm September afternoon on Cork’s main thoroughfare, St. Patrick’s Street, or Panna as it’s sometimes known locally. That’s probably an iPod he’s listening to isn’t it?

Barratts shoe shop is in the background. The side of that shop is visible in Walk This Way.

PS. Haydn has blogged about the new gallery in West Cork he’s opening. I’ll be exhibiting there, as long as I can find time to get a few images printed and framed. Haydn says Ryan is contributing too which I didn’t know! Ryan - must talk to you about printing, framing and sizes! Conor picked up on it too. Harbour View is just down the road for him so I shall expect to see you there on the 31st!

Man on the street

Since the smoking ban was implemented people can’t smoke in pubs which drives them on to the streets where the pub owner may have some street furniture out for their convenience. No such luck on North Main Street for this man. He’s enjoying his cigarette while sitting on an electricity junction box marked clearly “DANGER Keep Away”.

Staring at me

Am I feeling conspicuous or what?

I tried shooting from the hip yesterday with the strap of my camera over my shoulder and my camera in a horizontal position instead of being wrapped around my hand in a vertical orientation.

It proved useful, but I found that:

1. More of my shots were blurry, perhaps because either the back and forth movement of me walking. I tried shooting in Tv (Shutter Priority mode) and even at 1/200sec and higher there was shake.
2. It’s great getting more of the surroundings in but I miss the feet.