Gateway to old homes

If you walk along the Mardyke in Cork you’re sure to have spotted this green area nestled in off the main road. Does anyone know anything about it?

PS. Here is where this is. Google Maps don’t have it on their map, but you can make out the green area in the center of the map above. The Flickr/Yahoo map does better, naming this green area Alverna. Cool

Aperture ƒ/10
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/200s

Inside the Cork University Maternity Hospital

The (still) new Cork University Maternity Hospital or CUMH is shaped like a triangle with a central area that will eventually be planted with grass, flowers and vegetation. For now it’s boring bland grey.

To the right and left you can see balconies. The one of the right adjoins the hospital cafe. Unfortunately it’s so expensive it’s better to make the journey across to Wilton Shopping Center or to one of the many restaurants in the area. The other balcony is unused but I’m sure the hospital bosses will figure out some way of using it. The tower in the center is the stairwell and elevator shafts for the building and they lead onto the main concourse and entrance.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 5s

The Bike at the Library

Cork City Library on the Grand Parade used to have railings in front for locking up your bike. Those railings disappeared a few months ago but people still leave their bikes there.

The library itself will soon be the subject of a major facelift as a developer expands it into a new block of retail units and apartments as well as library.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/80s

Killarney’s main street

This one’s for John. He should be able to see his surname on the far right of this picture.

Way back in February this year Killarney was going through it’s own turmoil with road works that pretty much did for traffic along this particular street. I’d like to see any SUV traverse that lot!

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/100s

Sky High Cork City

Cork City as seen from the top of the carpark on the Grand Parade. The big ugly white building is the tax office on O’Sullivan’s Quay, the church is a disused one nearby. I’m not sure of the name off the top of my head, anyone?

Technique:
1. Use two layers, one over and the other underexposed and join at the horizon using a gradient layer mask. Erase and fill in where necessary using the mask.
2. Use an overlay layer to create the nice vignette effect at the top of the image.

The image needs to be slightly rotated I think, I spent so much time getting the horizon correct I didn’t notice how crooked things were!

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/3200s

Pedestrians this way

Walking through a building site can be a hazardous task, especially when it’s one of the main streets of a city. Thankfully there are signs to lead the way through the maze of construction equipment, pot holes, broken paving and pipes. And then you get to the construction site.

Image made in February this year on the Grand Parade, Cork. Things have improved since.

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

Grand Parade on the Lee

This is the Grand Parade in Cork, from across the River Lee on Sullivan’s Quay. It was the graffiti on the river wall, “Tek”, that prompted me to shoot this image and I like how it came out.

It does lose something in this resized version because of the distant detail but it’s going to be a while before everyone has 20″ monitors and even longer before I put full size images on display for public consumption.

Aperture ƒ/13
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 20mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/160s

Light trails on Oliver Plunkett Street

Light trails from a passing car leave their mark on this long exposure shot of Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork.

Can you see pink lights on the vertical poles standing at the edge of the pavement? On my Linux box they’re clear as day but I can’t see them at all in Preview on the Macbook.

The lights were designed and made by MAAS here in Cork and the colour changes slowly from blues to purples to pinks to yellow and to any other colour. It’s quite a sight to see the colour change when standing at one end of this long straight street!

Aperture ƒ/11
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 8s

Which way to Radio Kerry?

A wall in Killarney, Co. Kerry in February this year. I love the red brick and the assortment of colours – blue, red, gold, black and the creeping green at the end of the wall.

Aperture ƒ/5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/50s

Royal purple cider

After a particularly grueling few hours traipsing around the shops in Cork I was on my way to Vibes and Scribes in Bridge Street when I spotted an empty can of Bulmers in front of the purple doors of an old building on Camden Place. In fact it’s the front door of the Cork Rape Crisis Centre. Obviously a drunk had taken shelter in the doorway the previous night.

Yes, that’s my shadow in the door!
PS. thank you so much for the comments yesterday. Rest assured, the donkey will be returning to a screen near you!

Aperture ƒ/14
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/15s

Pedestrian Zone

Many of the side streets off St. Patrick’s Street in Cork are now pedestrian zones. In fact, Oliver Plunkett Street is closed off to traffic on Saturdays too which is great for shoppers.

Check out Donal’s latest photos from his trip to Lesotho. The second group portrait is particularly good!

Aperture ƒ/4.5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 11mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/400s

Pathway to Gallarus

If you visit the Dingle Peninsula you must visit the Gallarus Oratory. It’s an early Christian church, possibly built in the 6th century. There is a visitor centre but don’t be fooled into paying the entrance fee. The building is a national monument and the public have a right to see it. Your entrance fee does pay for a crummy video in a dark and musty room but to be honest it’s not worth it! Continue up the road and you’ll find a path leading directly to the church.
Your taxes pay for the upkeep of the building so why pay another charge to see it?

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