Urban Dreams in Bokeh

The blurred Christmas lights along St. Patrick Street and Cook Street transform into a dreamy tapestry of golden and multicoloured bokeh, creating a magical backdrop above a person wearing a studded black beanie and glasses near Opera Lane.

Nollaig shona duit! Hope you had a nice day today if you celebrate!


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length240mm
ISO8000
Shutter speed1/250s

Cork’s Christmas Commotion

Nollaigh Shona Dhaoibh go léir! Now that no more shopping is possible, maybe we can return to normality. Of course, in cold and dreary January, we might look back with nostalgic eyes at the bright lights, decorations, and all the stress excitement.


Apertureƒ/18
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length208mm
ISO100
Shutter speed5s

Festive Feathers & Glitter Glory

Two fabulous Mockie Ah! queens posed for me in the middle of the street yesterday when I asked if I could take their photo. The cold weather was freezing, but they put on a smile and stopped for a moment to chat, and I was very grateful for the photo. Their vibrant presence transformed an ordinary winter’s day into something extraordinary.

These glamorous performers graced The Pav‘s stage last night, with another appearance scheduled for New Year’s Eve, promising to end 2024 with the perfect blend of sparkle and spectacle.


Apertureƒ/11
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO320
Shutter speed1/500s

Keeping an Eye on the Youngsters Below

The tower of St. Anne’s Church, or Shandon Bells, towers over the surrounding buildings and is visible from the big wheel on Grand Parade.

Behind it is the North Cathedral and the distinctive roof of the Firkin Crane is off to the left. In the foreground is the brand-new Capitol building.

First time on the big wheel. Nice view from up top. Thanks Henry!


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length240mm
ISO2500
Shutter speed1/500s

The Car Park’s Secret Disco Portal

The big wheel on Grand Parade in Cork spins and makes a lovely shape when captured by a long exposure shot. Also missing from this are a few friends who thankfully kept walking back and forth so they wouldn’t be captured in the image!


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length33mm
ISO250
Shutter speed8s

The Yeni Camii overlooks the mall

A long exposure photo of the Yeni Camii in Istanbul, with the entrance to a small shopping mall in the foreground. Steps lead down, under a busy road, and vendors have set up shops down there selling all sorts of goods.

The Yeni Camii is also known as the “New Mosque”, even though it was completed between 1660 and 1665. It was originally named the Valide Sultan Mosque.

I wonder if that’s a drone flying overhead, over the mosque? I certainly didn’t see it while I was taking this photo.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/3s

Where Cathedrals and Carnivals Collide

St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork can be seen in the background behind the big wheel on The Grand Parade, in Cork, tonight. I didn’t expect any sunset because there would be so much low cloud, but there was a tiny spec of colour on the horizon. At times, the underside of the cloud was faintly lit up in pink by the setting sun.

Thanks Finbarr for reporting from the car park that there was some light. I had written it off entirely, so it was nice to see!


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length66mm
ISO100
Shutter speed4s

The Panoramic Wheel Spectacle

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

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

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