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Ban Embryo Research

At the end of August last year these signs popped up around Cork City urging people to attend meetings against embryo research. In one fell swoop they reduced a very complex issue to the simple image of a smiling baby. The poster itself does have impact however.

They needn’t worry too much in Ireland. During our tour of Cork University Maternity Hospital someone asked about freezing stem cells. If the cells could be collected and stored properly then who knows? In 50 years time when a baby born today needs a heart transplant, could a new heart be grown from their own stem cells?
It doesn’t matter, under current EU law, a hospital must reach a certain standard to be legally allowed collect the cells and store them. Unfortunately the CUMH isn’t up to that standard, and this is a brand new 75m Euro facility.

Aperture	ƒ/10
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/320s

The Collins Bookshop

The Collins Bookshop

If you walk past this area now, the Amacas Restaurant is in this building on Paul Street, Cork. At the time the building was empty, having been vacated by the Gingerbread House a few weeks previously.
This sign is now gone too, but Collins Bookshop on Carey’s Lane is still there, I think. There’s a fancy glass partition in front of the building now where smokers can sup their coffee and eat their food. A far cry from the previous occupant’s dining arrangements.

I’m a sucker for old and weather beaten signs, street furniture and general rusted implements so I had to get a shot of this while walking past.

Aperture	ƒ/5
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/200s

San Francisco Tram

San Francisco Tram

A tram waits for tourists a few blocks from Union Square in San Francisco. It’s a popular attraction. There was a long line of people waiting to board just behind me!

Technique – I used a blurred layer with a layer mask and circular gradients to create the blurred background. Black and white conversion with colour mixer.

Aperture	ƒ/5.6
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/60s

Stop for four

Stop for four

The light says stop so we stop. A junction in downtown San Francisco as we walked about town. I just realised the vehicle in the picture is parked awfully close to the corner. There isn’t any driver staring madly at the camera. Hope he didn’t get a ticket. That’s Banana Republic across the street and what looks like Rinelli?

Off to the hospital again in a short while. Unlike the beautiful blue sky in this photo it’s overcast outside, but I’ll be in a hospital room for most of the day so it doesn’t matter..

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/640s

The most sent around duck photo

I would love to know who made an email attachment of my thieving duck and thank them. The Aflac Duck seems to be a well known part of American insurance marketing and people got a kick out of these ducks stealing money from a lady on the street!

Apparently my thieving duck has become “the most sent-around-ha-ha-look-at-the-duck photo evar” but I wish I had watermarked the image with my blog url. It has appeared on:

To those that linked back here, thank you. To the rest, shame on you, why didn’t you use Google and find my blog?

I’m still chuffed that an image of mine is now an “urban legand” of sorts. Not many can say that! More comments on flickr but please link here if you’re going to link anywhere!

Update – welcome visitors from the Zefrank forum!

Update on June 14th. It appears the News of the World newspaper used the Thieving Duck last Sunday. I sent them off an email this afternoon so hopefully I will hear from them within a day or two.

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	55mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/80s

Ireland V England at Croke Park

Ireland V England at Croke Park

Ireland played England in rugby at Croke Park yesterday, and Ireland won, 43 points to 13!

This was an historic occasion. Landsowne Road, where rugby and soccer matches are normally played is being renovated. Croke Park is the headquarters of the GAA, the native Irish sports of football and hurling. Playing “foreign sports” there was like someone desecrating holy ground. Not that that stopped American football being played there a few years ago. I guess some sports are more foreign than others. It literally took years for this to happen. I kid you not. Year after year, the issue of “foreign sports” came up at GAA meetings and it was only recently they allowed them in. Bravo!

Anyway, to pile insult upon injury, the ~~first~~ second rugby game there would be Ireland vs England. Republican supporters were up in arms during the week. “800 years!” “Bloody Sunday!” “1916!” “Black and Tans!” Imagine, “God Save The Queen” would be played in Croke Park? It’s hard to fathom but it’s all over now.

This is the closest I got to the match. We were in town, I wandered around a bit with my camera before heading home and watched a DVD, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. What a wacky film. I loved it! Yes, I don’t have much of an interest in sport.

Aperture	ƒ/4.5
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	400
Shutter speed	1/250s

Never mind the bollocks

Never mind the bollocks

A Sex Pistols fan on his bike last April. This was taken on Washington Street, Cork while waiting for the street lights to change. I was walking, not in a car!

PS. Mallow Camera Club did really well yesterday at the SACC competition!

The club won the event outright and also took first place in each of the three sections, Colour Prints, Monochrome Prints, and Slides. In the individual category club members Morgan O’Neill and John Hooton won first prize in Colour Prints and Slides sections respectively.

Well done everyone! Sorry I couldn’t make it up for the day. In case you’re interested, here’s another reminder that Des Clinton will be talking at the club tonight.

Aperture	ƒ/5.6
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	106mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/400s

SF Weekly

SF Weekly

San Francisco Weekly is only one of a number of free publications available in that city. Not sure what day it’s out though. Doh!

My photos went down reasonably well at Photography Ireland yesterday. There’s a good street photography forum there. It’s worth a visit if you’re looking for inspiration or critiques or simply want to talk to like-minded people!

4 Easy Photoshop Techniques to Make Your Pictures Pop! has a few techniques I’ve used myself in the past. I meant to blog about those techniques, but hey, they’ve done the hard work now, including screenshots and everything. Good post!

Aperture	ƒ/11
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/250s

Enjoy diet Coke

Enjoy diet Coke

A sign blazes it’s message above our heads in San Francisco. The Diet Coke logo could be seen from the end of the street so I had to snap it as we got closer!

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/40s

Parking for the Guinness

Parking for the Guinness

Look up for unusual perspectives on ordinary scenes. I was quite happy with this image of a lamppost in Parnell Place, Cork when I took it. The signs are clearly visible and the upside-down Guinness logo catches the eye!

You have to wonder, what’s more important, Guinness or parking?

Aperture	ƒ/10
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	10mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/200s

The Ryder Cup – Eye on the prize

The Ryder Cup – Eye on the prize

Golf’s “biggest competition”, The 2006 Ryder Cup will begin this weekend with an influx of thousands of people to the K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Games between Team Europe and Team USA begin on September 22 and continue until the 24th.

I have to admit I have next to no interest in golf but the media here have been going crazy over it for the last three weeks. The one report about the Ryder Cup which I do recall is a correspondent from the US reporting that interest over there is non-existent. People will be watching football, baseball or basketball. He continued by saying that the people who might be interested won’t be watching either because they’re not going to spend the weekend stuck indoors watching a golf tournament thousands of miles away when they can go out and play a few holes themselves in the sunshine. I’m sure that won’t stop rich business men and politicians flying in via helicopter and spending lavish amounts of money at the K Club.

For a little light hearted entertainment you should listen to the Gift Grub report (.wma file) from the Ryder Cup. It’ll make you smile.

It’s all a little silly.

Later .. Liam Morrison asks “Who cares about the Ryder cup?” and uses Google Trends to find out just who cares. The results aren’t surprising given what I said above but it’s nice to have some solid proof.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	Canon EOS 20D
Focal length	20mm
ISO	200
Shutter speed	1/60s

The Thieving Duck

A duck robs a poor innocent woman as she’s distracted by the cute ducklings. Moments later they all rush off with their ill-gotten gains!

What you don’t see is the camera crew, make-up and lighting people and a small crowd watching from behind them. This was for some advert and of course the woman in question is a model.
I shot this on State Street, Chicago after stumbling upon the shoot by accident. They didn’t seem to mind, and I even got a dazzling smile from the model!

I like this: xtreme (login may be required)

2006-10-03 – Welcome visitors from snopes.com, thanks Kathy B for linking here, I appreciate it. Please feel free to leave a comment!

Snopes.com have now published this picture and the joke description on a separate page linking to this blog. Thank you!

2006-10-07 – John Marguess pointed me at Organized Crime which uses the same image in another joke email! Thanks John!

Here’s the text of the joke email (via snopes) for those of you who go searching for the origins of it. I’d love to know who concocted it in the first place!

Seems the Better Business Bureau got a complaint the other day about a scam in which AFLAC allegedly was taking advantage of women on the street and stealing their money.
Now we all at one time or another have thought that INSURANCE Companies have stolen from us; however, this scam is netting COLD HARD CASH from unsuspecting individuals.
The way it works is the thief uses children to distract the target. While admiring the cuteness of the kids the target is robbed of her cash and never knows what hit her.
I’m sending this out for all to be aware that this is happening and it’s right out on the streets in front of the general public.
A passer-by with a digital camera phone happened to capture the photo attached.
Review it carefully and use caution when distractions like this come along.
Good Luck, and don’t say you weren’t warned.

According to Snopes, it was an advert showing how safe Western Union money transfer system was. I really should have asked someone..