Your future: wear a beard

Important decisions in life. What job will I do in the future and should I wear a beard? I’ve got the job bit covered, but would I look better with a beard? I think there’d be trouble if I tried growing one! 🙂

The wearbeard sticker really caught my eye. It’s just weird to create a site about that but it takes all sorts I guess.

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/250s

Margi, of Ladywolf Glass

Margi is an artist and business woman living in Oracle, Arizona in the US. She makes beautiful handmade jewelry and glass beads from this small building near an iron smith in the town. I bought a few items for my wife and she loves them.

If you’re near Oracle, call in and say hi. She’s busy but is lovely to chat with and will gladly sell you beautiful jewelry!

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/160s

Fred Fans Go Wild!

Two enthusiastic fans of Cork band, Fred, when they played at the May Day celebrations in Cork back in 2005. I loved their first album, but the second one was just more of the same. Great to hear and watch live though!

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera CYBERSHOT
Focal length 17mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/250s

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

T.J. Newman, Schull

We had lunch in T.J. Newman’s in the town of Schull last month. Lovely thick bread in the sandwiches I got. Kept us going for ages and tasty too! Adam loved looking at all the paintings upstairs!

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

Black and White Tractor

A farmer ploughing his field caught my attention while out driving with Adam (trying to get him to sleep, it worked!)
The farmer saw me and asked the usual “why are you photographing me?” question but was friendly enough. Plenty of work to be done anyway as he was only halfway through the field!

When I saw the scene I pictured the contrasting bright and dark halves of the ground, but the day was so bright it was difficult to shoot the shadow close by me. I had to clone out a really annoying power line going right across the top half of the image too!

Shot just outside Ballincollig in Co. Cork.

Aperture ƒ/6.3
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 22mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/60s

Bench and Wheel

A decorative bench and wheel on the ranch in Arizona. I took so many shots of the place I’m still struggling to catch up and mark the ones I want to work on but I will eventually get to them. I suspect some may not see the light of day until next year though!

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 22mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/80s

John Sullivan

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.

Aperture ƒ/5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 22mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/250s

No moo room

Cows gather in the shed against the howling wind and cold at Allihies. No room for any more though!

Aperture ƒ/4.5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 22mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/30s