Fresh Fruits and Fortune

I went out one morning to photograph Palafrugell, walking around the town, exploring the streets. It’s a small town with narrow roads and tall buildings, with a few public squares dotted around. Near one is a vegetable market where I spotted a man buying a lottery card.

The ONCE lottery, seen in the photo, is unique in Spain for being operated by the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles, an organisation founded in 1938 to support the blind and visually impaired. Many of the lottery vendors, like the one pictured, are themselves visually impaired, making each ticket sale a contribution to social inclusion and support for people with disabilities.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length35mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed1/500s

A Striped Antelope at Valencia Zoo

A young antelope stands in water at Bioparc Valencia, Spain.

The animal in the photo is a sitatunga, a type of antelope known for its semiaquatic lifestyle. Its splayed hooves help it walk easily through marshy and swampy habitats.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length205mm
ISO250
Shutter speed1/1000s

Tools, Trades, and a Cold Beer in Athens

While wandering around a market in Athens, I saw this man sitting on the ground outside his tool-filled shop. He seemed very relaxed and was chatting to a nearby man. I hope that beer was nice and cold as it was quite a warm day!

The Areti beer seen in the photo is a Greek pale lager produced by Zotos Ltd., known for its light body and low alcohol content (3.5% ABV), making it a popular choice for casual daytime drinking in Greece


Apertureƒ/1.7
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length6.3mm
ISO1250
Shutter speed1/500s

Cork Stands with Gaza

The pro Palestinian rally on Grand Parade today was huge, with a larger than usual turnout from all over Cork. It was energising seeing people from all walks of life, and all ages gather to hear speakers talk about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and urge the Irish government to pass the occupied territories bill which would ban trade from illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

The Irish Examiner has a good article on the rally. (backup)


Apertureƒ/9
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length30mm
ISO640
Shutter speed1/500s

Coastal Adventure in West Cork

Just a few months shy of ten years ago, we’d visited Sherkin Island and as we were leaving I spotted a man on a RIB talking to two others on their dingy. It was a lovely warm August day, just before school was about to start again.

In the background is the famous Baltimore Beacon, built in 1849 as a navigation guide.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraCanon EOS 6D
Focal length105mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/500s

The Glorious Banners of St. Giles, Edinburgh

The interior of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on a bright, sunny day in July, 2018. I visited again recently but these are from my first visit.

I visited the cathedral with the aim to photograph it, but I forgot to bring my tripod! It was sitting in my suitcase in my hotel room. I did my best, using tables and benches and the floor instead to hold my camera steady.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/30s

Riding the Santa Cruz Swell

A surfer in a black wetsuit carves along the face of a large green wave in Santa Cruz, California, leaving a spray of water behind.

More than a decade ago, I spent some time in Santa Cruz along with the rest of Automattic for the Grand Meetup that year. I’ve already posted a few sunrise photos on the beach, but these photos of surfers riding the waves have been in my TODO folder for a long time.


Apertureƒ/4
CameraCanon EOS 6D
Focal length105mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/2000s

Celestial Circles

The sun was particularly active last weekend, promising spectacular aurora with KP values of over 7. Unfortunately, the expected nighttime display failed to materialise. Instead, I swung my camera around and took 10 30-second exposures of the night sky, with the trees of a nearby road.

After combining them in Photoshop this is what you get. Not bad for 300 seconds.

Star trails form circular patterns around the celestial pole due to the Earth’s rotation, and in the Northern Hemisphere, these circles are centred on Polaris, the North Star, which barely moves at all in the sky. I wasn’t sure where Polaris was, but it looks like it’s just off the photo.


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed30s

Eircom Phone Booths in Cork

A pair of Eircom phone booths on St. Patrick Street, Cork, pictured in 2005.

The phones were there until at least 2022, but Eir announced a few years ago that they’d be removing their public phone booths, so away they go.


Apertureƒ/13
CameraCanon EOS 20D
Focal length55mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/320s

Dog’s Day on Barrack Street

A little dog looks out of a window of his home on Barrack Street, Cork. He must be very used to passing foot traffic. He never barked once!


Apertureƒ/1.7
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length6.3mm
ISO10
Shutter speed1/390s

Curiosity in the Old Town

We were wandering up the Royal Mile in Edinburgh when I spotted these two women looking up. At what, I’m not sure, there wasn’t anything special in the building they were looking at. Is there such a thing as “Edinburgh Neck”?


Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/640s

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