The Great Suitcase Lineup

A retail display showing colorful hard-shell suitcases in pink, yellow, navy blue, and hot pink arranged in a row, with fur-trimmed winter hats displayed on stands above them. On the left side, there is a glass display case containing jewelry and necklaces, while decorative patterned fabrics or textiles in turquoise, orange, and green hang on the wall in the background.

In a city of tourists, you can’t have enough suitcases, and that’s true of Istanbul. Tourists everywhere in the old city, and numerous places to buy clothes, goods, trinkets and souvenirs. You’ll be needing another suitcase to bring it all home with you!

I don’t share links very often, but here are a few you’ll appreciate if you edit in Adobe Lightroom (Classic or app):

  • A video about the Learn section of adobe.com, a great resource to learn editing techniques.
  • How James Popsys edits his photos, mainly using the global tools.
  • Using masks to reveal the photo. The opposite of the video above.

Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO125
Shutter speed1/500s

Ruins and Beacons

The Baltimore Beacon can be spotted between the ruins of a Franciscan Friary on Sherkin Island. The Beacon is around 900m behind the ruins, sitting on a cliff overlooking the sea.

The Friary, known locally as The Abbey, was founded in 1460, and it continued to act as a religious building until 1650, when it was confiscated by Cromwellian soldiers.

ref:

  1. https://westcorkislands.com/franciscan-friary-sherkin-island/
  2. https://heritageireland.ie/unguided-sites/sherkin-franciscan-friary/

Apertureƒ/11
CameraCanon EOS 6D
Focal length105mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/80s

Storm Clouds over West Cork

We went for a walk with my aunt one cold December evening in West Cork, doing a loop around the local area with our dog. The sun had dipped below the clouds, but it was still showing a bit of colour in the distance. A very lonely, quiet area, apart from our busy family walking back home, looking forward to a cup of tea and some brown bread.


Apertureƒ/7.1
CameraCanon EOS 40D
Focal length18mm
ISO800
Shutter speed1/25s

Rural Barriers

Barbed wire along the edge of a field on Valentia Island is knotted to make sure the barrier holds.

I remember hearing a podcast about the use of barbed wire in the US, how, in the 19th century, it helped white farmers control herds and easily fence their territories.

The wikipedia page is quite interesting.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length105mm
ISO125
Shutter speed1/200s

Albert Quay in ye olde times

Before the glossy, glass faced building of One Albert Quay, a warehouse and other old, industrial buildings occupied that site. This is what it looked like in 2009. I would guess they were originally part of the train station that sat at that location. The “FREE FIT EXHAUST CENTRE” would have been a familiar sign to anyone who lived in the south side of the city and passed by that area.

The Elysian can be seen in the background, but it was a brand-new building then, having only been completed early in 2008, the previous year!


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraCanon EOS 40D
Focal length18mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/100s

The Building of Opera Lane and Boots

A street-level view showing pedestrians walking past Le Chateau Bar, with its distinctive yellow wall mural and outdoor seating area. Behind the bar, the ongoing construction of the steel-framed building is visible, with construction cranes in the background against a blue sky.
A construction site on a rainy day in an urban setting, showing a steel frame structure being built behind blue construction barriers marked "BOWEN." In the foreground is a wet cobblestone street with green bollards, and to the left is a red-painted building with "Murphy's" signage.

You have to go all the way back to 2008 to see the building of Opera Lane., in Cork. Google Maps only goes back to 2009 on Patrick’s Street, where you can see some construction work, but Emmett Place isn’t covered until 2010 when construction had completed.

Turn around and there’s the modern site of Boots on the corner of Paul Street and Half Moon Street.


Apertureƒ/3.5
CameraCanon EOS 40D
Focal length10mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/1000s

Cosmic Bubbles Meet Electric Candy Floss Trees

One of the nice things about Wonderlights was how they used the natural surroundings as part of the display. The electric trees and sign in the background were eye catching, but what piqued my interest here was the light highlighting the branches and autumn leaves of the tree in front!


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length32mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/2.5s

Flowers and lasers at Fota House

I went to Wonderlights in Fota House last night with others from Blarney Photography Club and, despite the rain and mud, we were blown away by the light show, especially over the pond where lasers cut through the dry ice fog over brightly lit flowers on the water’s surface.

It’s a bit pricey at €25+booking fee, but it’s spectacular and worth it.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length26mm
ISO2000
Shutter speed1/20s

DMode at Cyprus Avenue

A concert stage scene with white spotlights illuminating a performer in a black outfit. A large projection screen shows a portrait in the background, while keyboard equipment and band members are visible on stage. The lighting creates stark beam effects through the hazy atmosphere.
A close-up shot of a performer in a black jacket singing passionately into a microphone against a vibrant blue background. His arm is raised in an expressive gesture and his face shows intense emotion during the performance.
A performer stands in silhouette with arms outstretched against an intense green lighting display. Stage equipment and "DMODE" signage are visible in the background, while light beams cut through atmospheric haze creating dramatic rays.

DMode, Depeche Mode Experience, is a Depeche Mode tribute band. They played in Cyprus Avenue on Saturday night. As expected, most of the audience was a bit older, around my own age, or older. Well, Depeche Mode have been around for a while!

I learned that I really don’t know anything but Depeche Mode’s major hits. The rest of the audience were fans and sang along and had a blast. If you love Depeche Mode, you’ll love DMode!


Apertureƒ/1.7
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length6.3mm
ISO320
Shutter speed1/50s

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