I was there too
As we were waiting for a train to take us to the old town of Warsaw, another train pulled up with a little Polish flag stuck in the bumper. It was August 1st, so no wonder. A pretty important day in that city because of the uprising 80 years ago.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
Griffins sit at the points of the roof of the gatehouse at the main vehicle entrance to Blarney Castle. It’s a private entrance, so if you’re wondering where it is, go back towards the village from the tourist entrance and turn right across the bridge and go 20m down the road. It’s on your right and you can’t miss it.
The house sits alongside a long straight road to the grounds of the Castle.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 115mm |
| ISO | 250 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Just before I left Warsaw, I spotted these four women leaning against the wall of the stairs to the train station, and they appeared to be Jehovah’s Witnesses. You’re no doubt familiar with them as they’ve taken to the streets as well as calling to homes to spread the Word. In Poland, it appears that there are 116,307 “ministers who teach the bible” according to their website.
Anyway, now I want to watch Life of Brian…
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 125 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
A nearby tree and bushes were silhouetted against the dying light of the sun, as it had just set behind the distant hill.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 125 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Blarney Castle can be seen above the trees of the surrounding area as the sun set last Thursday evening. Blarney Photography Club took the opportunity of a lovely evening to walk around the village and nearby to photograph the area. This photo is, of course, taken from Ring Wood, off Station Road.
Did you know that membership of Blarney Photography Club is now open to all (over 18s)? The new season starts in September and the club is holding an open night on September 5th at the local secondary school. Doors open at 7:30pm. I’ll be there, as will other members of the club. The famous Beginners and Improvers Photography Course will start the following week, and the 8-week course is great value at only €75. You’ll also become a member of the club, so you’ll be welcome to our weekly meetings, outings, competitions, practical sessions and more.
Visit the Club open night web page for further details!
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/50s |
Visiting the Mural Room in the Courthouse of Santa Barbara was a treat I was not expecting. The murals depict the history of the region, sometimes inaccurately, as they include Peter Pan, Robin Hood and Errol Flynn!
| Aperture | ƒ/2.2 |
| Camera | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Focal length | 2.2mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/30s |
The train tracks of Birkenau concentration camp in Poland lead off to the front gate. The camp is only a 5 minute bus journey from Auschwitz, along a road bordered by a train track. It’s surreal passing by homes, businesses and people walking about living their lives next to these places.
Tourists gather around the building, listening to their tour guides.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 160 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
An angel checks her phone and takes a photo during the Cork Pride parade last weekend.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
I loved to see all the support for transgender rights at the Cork Pride Parade last weekend.
Mammies for Transgender Rights can be found on Instagram here.
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 73mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
One of the (many) highlights of the Cork Pride parade is the massive rainbow flag that accompanies the marchers through the city. It was unfurled on Grand Parade where a jubilant crowd carried it and waved it in preparation for the trip around the city. I noticed a bump in the middle, and saw the reason underneath. 🙂
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/6400s |
The Commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, lived in the large house at the end of this road. It sits right outside the concentration camp where so many people were put to death, but a family lived here, and they are the subject of a 2023 movie, The Zone of Interest.
When I visited the camp last week, the guide made an offhand remark while pointing in the direction of a locked gate, saying, “That’s where the camp commandant lived with his family.” My group were on our way to Gas Chamber 1, so nobody went to look, but I stuck my camera over the gate and recorded a photo of an ordinary street with parked cars outside a red brick building and the family home further down. Watch the trailer of the movie, and you’ll recognise the shape of the roof in the background. Gave me chills.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
