A Solitary Figure in Birmingham

Walking along Corporation Street, I was watching out for interesting people to photograph when I saw a man watching people walking past. We’d just come out of Grand Central Shopping Centre, the sun was shining, and I quickly walked over to the shaded part of the street. It was too warm for me. Might have been the same for this gentleman.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length16mm
ISO320
Shutter speed1/500s

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 Man and His Dog

It’s so unusual to see a dog in Cork City, but then I saw this beautiful Border Collie. His attention on something off-camera.


Apertureƒ/1.9
CameraM2101K6G
Focal length5.89mm
ISO197
Shutter speed1/500s

Milky Way Over the Costa Brava

In July 2022, I was in Llafranc and wondered if I’d be able to photograph the Milky Way. Dark skies maps of the area showed glowing lights all along the coast, and it seemed unlikely, but I wandered down to the beach one night to try. I was pleased with the result because there was no way I could see anything like this with my bare eyes! There was too much light around.


Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length16mm
ISO6400
Shutter speed20s

The sign Americans dread

It’s a commonly held belief that Americans don’t know how to drive around roundabouts, but when I visited that country last year (in the before times), I saw at least 2 roundabouts and local people had no problems traversing them.

Good luck getting around them in a monstrosity like the Cybertruck however.


Apertureƒ/2.4
CameraSM-G998B
Focal length9mm
ISO50
Shutter speed1/1400s

Hay Bales at Dusk

In a field behind Wine Strand on the Dingle Peninsula, I spotted some hay bales. The sun had already set, but the sky wasn’t very interesting. The lay of the land cast an interesting shadow and I like photographing bales whenever I see them.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/250s

The Three Sisters at Twilight

From Dooneen Pier on a lovely April day in 2022 I saw the Three Sisters off the distance. The sea was fairly calm, and the evening was warm for that time of the year. I think I spent a good hour wandering up and down the pier taking photos, until darkness descended, and I went back to our B&B.


Apertureƒ/13
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length72mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/25s

The Grand Parade Preacher

This woman was screaming into a microphone on Grand Parade, Cork, for the last few years. This is a photo from 2022, but I remember seeing her in late 2024 too. I could never make out what she was saying as the sound was distorted so much by the volume on her speaker.

I hardly ever saw anyone talking to her. I wonder how effective this sort of preaching is?


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraDSC-RX100M4
Focal length25.7mm
ISO125
Shutter speed1/640s