• The Panoramic Wheel Spectacle

    A long exposure photograph of an illuminated Ferris wheel at night, creating a circular pattern of light trails in red, yellow, and white. The wheel's structure appears as a perfect circle against a dark background, with radiating light beams emanating from the center like spokes. The light trails create a mesmerizing starburst effect, while the wheel's frame is visible as a transparent, geometric pattern around the circumference.

    The ferris wheel, or big wheel, or Panoramic Wheel as it’s known to it’s owners, on Grand Parade. We had some fun photographing it from the car park across the street.

    Henry has a photo of the wheel on his Instagram account too.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7RM5
    Focal length42mm
    ISO320
    Shutter speed2s

  • Red Brick and Stone

    Following on from yesterday’s photo of Shandon Bells, here’s another one taken nine years earlier in 2007, on a day when it was about to rain, but the sun came out for one final glimpse of Cork before the wet enveloped the city.

    You can see Shandon Bells, the North Cathedral, SS Peter & Paul’s Church and the presbytery attached to that church.

    All taken from the roof of the car park on Grand Parade, but I think it’s blocked now. I’ll have a look this evening.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraCanon EOS 20D
    Focal length144mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/250s

  • Cork’s Spiritual Heights

    The historic spire of St. Anne’s Church, Shandon Bells, rises out of the mist, with the North Cathedral, the Cathedral of St Mary & St Anne, behind it.

    In the foreground is the roof of SS Peter & Paul’s Church and the nearby Presbytery.

    This was photographed on December 10th, 2016. Just a day over 8 years ago. I think it’s not possible to photograph this scene now. The new Capitol building is in the way.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraCanon EOS 6D
    Focal length300mm
    ISO3200
    Shutter speed1/320s

  • 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

  • The Aquatic Paparazzi

    A photographer with his phone captured the waves on Cuminole Strand a few years ago. It was a beautiful August afternoon, a far cry from the wintery weather outside right now!


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraILCE-7M3
    Focal length31mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/1600s

  • The walk to the lighthouse

    The end of Sheep’s Head in Co Cork and there’s a small lighthouse there.

    It’s a bit of a hike to get out there.


    Apertureƒ/8
    CameraCanon EOS 40D
    Focal length18mm
    ISO100
    Shutter speed1/125s

  • 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