From Madison to Sears

I worked in the heart of the financial district of Chicago in the summer of 2003. Each morning I took the brown line of the L to Washington/Wells and walked the two blocks to the building where I worked.
This is the view only a few blocks away. You can see the Sears Tower near the end of this street!

In other news, this blog has been shortlisted in the best photoblog category. I have been shortlisted in the “Best Contribution to the Irish Bloggersphere” category too! Thank you all who voted. It’s up to the judges now. See you at the awards on March 11th!

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/125s

Feed The Birds!

This was taken yesterday in my back garden. We had some beautiful light after a very dull start to the day and I took advantage of it.
I used the Canon 75-300 IS lens but the bird feeder is about 3m away from my backdoor so I can’t get as close as I’d like. This is a very close crop of a much larger image. The original crop is 1188×1188 pixels but I really like how this came out.
There is purple fringing on the highlight around his mouth, and in his eye but it’s not too bad thankfully!

Aperture ƒ/7.1
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 300mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/400s

Bent

Walk by the River Lee in Cork City and you’ll come across vertical bars embedded in the river wall. Here’s one that was bent out of shape by some force, possibly a long time ago. In the background is the Cork Opera House.
The texture and grain of the bar appeals to me. It’s not new and shiny and polished. It’s old and worn and has a history.

Aperture ƒ/5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 40mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/60s

Get There, Go Anywhere

Bicycle locked up and bus arriving on the Grand Parade a few nights ago.
It’s been quite a while since I used either forms of transport.
What caught your eye first about this image? The poster, the foreground or the bus?

Aperture ƒ/3.5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 1600
Shutter speed 1/40s

On the beach at Youghal

Last weekend we visited Youghal in Co. Cork. I haven’t been on the beach there for years and I had quite forgotten how big it is! It was nice for a walk, but we were frozen from the cold wind.
I was just in town. Big Brother were supposed to hold auditions from 9am on the Grand Parade but there was no sign of them. Still, I used the opportunity to buy flowers and they went down very well with Jacinta! 🙂

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 88mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/200s

Ladies free all night

Mangans nightclub on Carey’s Lane has been a regular haunt of nightclubbers in Cork for many years. I haven’t frequented this establishment in a long time but I bet it’s exactly the same inside! Is it called Vibes now? I saw that logo above this sign.
Ladies are free in on Sunday nights!

Aperture ƒ/3.5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 800
Shutter speed 1/50s

Queen’s Old Castle

After yesterday’s shot I decided to take a photo of the Virgin Megastore which now occupies the site of the old Queen’s Old Castle Shopping Center. Off to the left is the entrance to Argos. No misleading titles today!
Shot was taken with the camera lying on the ground and I can tell you I got some funny stares from people.

Aperture ƒ/18
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 2s

A Virgin in Cork

Taken outside the Virgin Megastore on the Grand Parade Cork.
People use this area to meet all the time so there’s always a good crowd. The building behind me was the location of the Queen’s Old Castle shopping center which was named for Queen Victoria.

Aperture ƒ/16
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 800
Shutter speed 1/80s

Ladder to nowhere

Castle Street, Cork on Saturday. Workmen went off to lunch and left their ladder.
Thanks for the positive feedback yesterday. It was great to see so much interest in a photo!

Aperture ƒ/6.3
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 800
Shutter speed 1/80s