Nature – Page 8 – In Photos dot Org

Misty Morning Bird

What were you doing at 5:52am this bright Sunday morning? Fast asleep? Our little boy Adam had us up and about bright and early. Bleary eyed parents who read this will I’m sure agree that it’s a shame young kids don’t realise the weekend is for sleeping in.

I would have missed this shot though so I’m thankful he was up this early. The fog is gone now, burned off by the early morning sun, I’ve already been out with both Adam and Oscar and brought home a couple of good photos. I’m a bit tired now, more then 3 hours later at 9.30am as I write this. Adam is asleep and I’m going for a nap shortly. zzzzz.

Aperture	ƒ/13
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	125mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/640s

House on the hill

A house with a striking red door overlooks a field with sheep in one corner and a feeding trough in the foreground. This was shot near Bantry in West Cork a few months ago and I just love the vast rolling grassy slope of the ground.

Cork City Marathon is on Monday. It starts at 9am in Patrick’s Street. I’m going to try and get in there for that time. I’ll be up anyway since 6am so hopefully I’ll have some shots to share next week!

Aperture	ƒ/7.1
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/125s

Rough Weather ahead at Allihies

Allihies in West Cork is a beautiful beach surrounded by beautiful scenery but on this day in February clouds hung over our heads, the sun broke through momentarily but the seas still lashed at the coast and I almost got drenched while shooting on the pier there.

Love this shot though, well worth braving the fierce cold wind!

Aperture	ƒ/5.6
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/80s

Walking to Mizen Head

The lighthouse at Mizen Head in West Cork is a fairly big tourist attraction in the area, and no wonder. From the visitor center you descend by a sloping path to a narrow bridge between two high cliffs with the sea lashing underneath. The lighthouse itself is nestled at the end of the headland, clinging to the rocks. The people who built it must have awfully brave souls.

This is part of the path and the lighthouse buildings are in the background. It’s well guarded by a bright red railing so there’s little risk of falling off a cliff unless you really have a death wish. Lovely area. Definitely going there again!

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/160s

The faraway hills of Arizona

When I’d look out on the desert landscape and watch the sun soak away as night fell I was always reminded of Terry Pratchett’s description of sunrise on Discworld where the sunlight slowly filled in all the dark parts of the landscape.

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	200mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/100s

The old boat at Mizen Head

Next time you’re out at Mizen Head you might notice this abandoned boat lying upside down by the visitor center. I almost missed it but I looked back to get a shot of the cliffs in the background. This makes a nice foreground I think.

Anyway, must have been an awful chore dragging that boat all the way up from the water. It was tiring enough pushing a buggy (and later carrying my bored baby) up from the bridge connecting the lighthouse to the mainland.

It’s a beautiful location. If you’re in West Cork be sure to visit!

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/200s

Shih Tzu in the sun

We attended a beautiful christening in Fermoy today and afterwards it was off to Mitchelstown where we joined the other guests in a light lunch of finger food and sandwiches. Loved that apple tart afterwards. Yum!

This is our shih tzu, Oscar, who we took along for the drive. After the main course was over half the crowd piled out onto the adjoining terrace and so I got Oscar from the car. He had a great time, and was a big hit with all the kids but we did warn them he was a little odd and liable to snap so they were careful. Later I checked the temperature in the car dashboard and it said 25C which I hope is as hot as it’s going to get in Ireland this year. I had to seek the shade, it was so hot!

Aperture	ƒ/7.1
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	18mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/250s

The birds of Schull

Two seagulls wander into the water on the slip ~~that serves the Bere Ferry~~ in Schull Harbour.

Jacinta was the first to notice that actually, the Bere Ferry does not go from Schull. It lands at Castletownbere! Oops!

Aperture	ƒ/9
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	22mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/125s

Allihies Beach

I look outside now and see the hazy cloud and rain that has descended on Cork and wonder if I was really at Allihies beach and saw the fluffy cumulus cloud stretching off into the distance. It seems like a another lifetime.

Today my wife, Jacinta, and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. It’s a joyful day because we are a happy family with our mad little son but it’s also the first anniversary of Jacinta’s sister’s untimely passing from this world. We went for dinner this afternoon with her family and it was a cheerful gathering, but of course in quiet moments, one’s thoughts stray to Gerry who wasn’t there.

Aperture	ƒ/7.1
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/125s

Daisies in the grass

This is really looking back into the archives. I shot this in 2004, probably with the Sony 717 and at a guess probably in the park near the Gun Powder Mills in Ballincollig. Long time ago. Lovely day!

Aperture	ƒ/3.5
Camera	CYBERSHOT
Focal length	9.7mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/1000s

Glengarriff River

This is a picturesque stream that runs through Glengarriff Nature Reserve in Co. Cork. We went for a short walk close by but by the time we got here it was getting late in the afternoon and Adam was getting hungry!

Aperture	ƒ/4.5
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/50s

Hungry Cat

A hungry, scrawny cat came up to us while walking around Schull in Co. Cork last weekend. The poor thing was crying for food and affection. This was the first time Adam saw a real cat and he was delighted but we had to leave the poor thing to fend for itself.

I discovered that the Irish name of the town called Schull is “Scoil Mhuire”, a much nicer name IMO. In English that would be “Mary’s School”, or more likely, “St. Mary’s School”. West Cork is so beautiful but the basterdisation of Irish names is shocking. I even saw a sign for a town called “Snámh” which had been translated as “Snave”. “Snámh” is the verb, “to swim” in English. Perhaps the town was created by an English landlord and named “Snave” first and then named “Snámh” by the Irish?

PS. Congrats to fellow Mallow Camera Club member, David Lavery, who left his comfortable 9-5 day job to become a wedding photographer in Mallow, Co. Cork a year ago today! Not many would take the jump, so I hope he’ll get that blog rolling and write about his experiences. I know I’d like to hear about them!

Aperture	ƒ/5.6
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/80s