Stepping out of the crowd A girl steps away from the maddening crowd on a busy street. This was a bit of an experiment for me. I blurred the background by making a duplicate layer, blurring, adding a layer mask and then revealing the girl through the layer mask. It’s not perfect, and in fact,…

Solitary figure A man bends over and adjusts his shopping bag outside Tesco shopping center on Paul St. I was waiting outside the shopping center and this scene enfolded in front of me. On a busy street people studiously ignore each other. Strangers pass by without a glance, busy with their own lives, friends gather…

Mushrooms in the roots Mushrooms grow from the roots of a tree in Fitzgerald’s Park, Cork. I just loved the colour and texture of the fungus, especially in the light of the sunset behind me.

Your mom knows kung fuu I’ve been bursting to tell everyone for the last few months that in 2007 I will become a father! Jacinta, my wife, is pregnant and she’s due in the middle of April! We’re very excited about it but also nervous. We don’t want to know or care if the baby…

City Hall at night Cork City Hall at night as viewed from across the river. It was all lit up for the Modern Homes Exhibition and as it was such a calm night the reflection on the River Lee was beautiful. If you watch the RTE news at 6pm or 9pm tonight, watch out for…

Standing in the gutter It’s pouring rain, I’m just after eating a delicious meal with family and what do I do? Go shoot the leaves in the drain across the road. I can tell you it was difficult enough holding the umbrella in one hand, camera in the other, thinking about composition and keeping my…

Brooding sky at sunset A brooding, dark sky threatens to swallow the setting sun over Drake’s Pool near Crosshaven in Co. Cork.

Dog in a lampshade Poor Oscar. It’s not bad enough that he got the snip but he had to wear what looks to all the world like a lampshade for two weeks. This was only a week after he moved in with us last Summer and the poor fella was not impressed. Thankfully he got…

The River, The Brewery and the Cathedral The River Lee rushes by the Beamish and Crawford Brewery on one side, and O’Sullivan Electrical on the other with St. Finbarre’s Cathedral in the background. I have discovered there’s a dead pixel on my camera’s sensor. Fortunately it doesn’t seem to show itself much but when I…

Last minute shopping Today many major cities and towns around the world are going to be thronged with shoppers doing last minute shopping before Christmas Day. Traffic is going to crawl and frustrate and the crowds will be suffocating. I’m glad I’m staying at home. We may head out to the Lough later for a…

Fun at the crib Fr James McSweeney’s live crib in Ballyvolane was busy with animals and human visitors all through last week but I managed to get some shots the night when we visited. As I mentioned already, there were all sorts of animals there, from sheep and donkeys to chickens, calves and puppies. Donations…

An Fear Marbh An Fear Marbh, an island off the coast of Co. Kerry, Ireland, with the setting sun lighting up the cloud over the Atlantic. “An Fear Marbh” translates as “the dead man” and is so named because of the obvious shape of the island – that of a man lying on his back….