I was there too
We visited the aquarium in Valencia while on a trip there, like most tourists do. It was a remarkable experience, even if I felt sad that a Beluga whale had what must be a small tank for such a large creature.
The dolphin show was a sight to see. Commentary was in Spanish, so I couldn’t follow it, but the dolphins there seemed happy, and bonded well with their trainers.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/2000s |
The north side of Cork City, with the North Cathedral and Shandon Bells visible. The Church of the Ascension is barely visible on the horizon, with the restored glowing cross bright in the night sky.
This is a time blend photo. Two images, shot at different times of the day, combined into one. The sky was photographed at sunset, when the sky was still bright, while the urban streets and buildings were captured much later after sunset. A first attempt, on an evening of rain and cold when we didn’t expect much of a sunset at all.
Here’s a video that explains how to do it:
Here’s another, slightly different edit of the photo that will make it more obvious what’s going on.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 54mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/60s |
ESPERE VERDE! Wait green! On a street in Valencia I saw the white bars of the pedestrian crossing, a “safe zone” to cross the road for pedestrians. Then I noticed the person crossing the road, their clothes neatly matched the bars of paint.
| Aperture | ƒ/2.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
I was out walking in Valencia and spotted a cyclist headed in my direction at speed. That’s not so uncommon, but he was cycling really fast through the area.
He caught my attention, I photographed him. High ISO FTW!
| Aperture | ƒ/2.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 12800 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
A Western lowland gorilla from the Republic of the Congo sits on the ground outside a viewing area where humans gaze at him.
He lives in the Bioparc in Valencia, Spain, and I think his name is Mambie. He was born in 1991 and is a beautiful animal, but when we were there, he charged and rammed into the glass windows twice. The Wikipedia page for these gorillas describes that behaviour as stereotypic behaviour, or abnormal or compulsive behaviour. It’s easy to imagine that he’s not happy there, but he is hand reared, as he was born in a zoo. This life is all he knows. These animals are endangered, and there’s a population of 500 living in zoos worldwide.
I was sad to see him in captivity. Valencia Bioparc is small, compared to wildlife parks like Fota in Co Cork, but the larger animals had room to roam about. At least, as much room as a 10 hectare site will allow.
It is definitely worth going to visit if you’re in the city. Just don’t eat in the overpriced restaurant.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 1000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/60s |
A stag buries his head in grass, to decorate his antlers and make himself more attractive to female deer.
Killarney National Park, October 2023.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 514.7mm |
| ISO | 1250 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
“Well, it is in here somewhere. I’ll find it eventually.”
“Oh sure, you forgot it, didn’t you?”
“Give her a chance. It probably fell between the seats.”
“OK, GOT IT!”
| Aperture | ƒ/2.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 160 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
