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A stag in the rain

A stag in the rain in a field. Drops of rain fall around him as he stands alone.

A stag in the field opposite Muckross House in Killarney on a very wet October afternoon this year.

I was there with Blarney Photography Club and after a not so successful morning we retreated to the café in Muckross Garden Restaurant for lunch.

It was still raining afterwards, but some of us stopped outside to photograph this stag. In a lull in the rain I stupidly ran out with only a light jacket and took cover under a tree that was still heavy with leaves. Got a few shots and then the heavens opened. Got a bit soaked!

Totally worth it. Great day out with great people.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length600mm
ISO2000
Shutter speed1/1000s

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Photos

The Devil’s Coach Horse

The Devil's Coach Horse

I spotted this nasty looking fella on a trail in Killarney last weekend. We hoped to catch the rutting but the weather was terrible, and stags were shy. No fights but a few photos to post later..

Anyway, this guy was huge! This page says they’re about 2.8 cm, but I swear he was bigger. His tail comes up like a scorpion, and he scampered quickly across the ground, making him hard to photograph.

A ferocious and fast predator, the Devil’s coach horse beetle hunts invertebrates after dark in gardens and on grasslands. It is well-known for curling up its abdomen like the tail of a scorpion when defending itself.

wildlifetrusts.org

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beetle like this before, but apparently they’re common!


Apertureƒ/5
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length150mm
ISO1250
Shutter speed1/500s

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Photos

Red and White Mushroom in the grass

Red and White Mushroom in the grass

An Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita [*] in the grounds of Blarney Castle yesterday. It’s a poisonous mushroom found throughout temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, according to Wikipedia.

It’s also poisonous, but these days death from ingestion is rare. It has psychoactive uses too, and it’s eaten in various places.

Thanks Catherine for letting me know where these mushrooms were. She posted a nice photo of a mushroom from there recently! The nice thing about these mushrooms is that they are quite large, so you don’t really need a macro lens to get a photo like this of them.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length194mm
ISO500
Shutter speed1/200s

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Photos

The Clougheenmillcon Deer

The Clougheenmillcon Deer

I was out with members of Blarney Photography Club last night at Clougheenmillcon near Blarney. Deer have been spotted in the area but I’d only glimpsed one while driving past some months ago.

A runner approached me with a big smile asking if I’d seen the deer. It was about 300m further on down the path towards Killeens. I was tired already but decided I needed to see it with my own eyes.

Sure enough, it was calmly eating grass by the side of the path. I had my long telephoto lens but there was really no need for it as the animal was so close!

After a few minutes of eating, looking around warily and walking to find the best grass he suddenly galloped off and disappeared into the brush.


Apertureƒ/5.6
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length233.30000305176mm
ISO25600
Shutter speed1/1000s

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Photos

Mushrooms on a Tree

Mushrooms on a Tree

Mushrooms growing in the wilds of the Galtee Mountains.


Apertureƒ/20
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length55mm
ISO100
Shutter speed6s

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Photos

The Golden Fields of Ballycotton

The Golden Fields of Ballycotton

At certain times of the year the Ballycotton cliff walk allows you to walk next to rich golden fields under blue skies.

Not at this time of year obviously. This was in July 2011!


Apertureƒ/10
CameraCanon EOS 40D
Focal length18mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/250s

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Autumn Colours in Blarney Castle Gardens

We’ve been lucky this year that the autumn and early winter has been so mild. It was 15C today! I think of this display as one last hurrah before the cold and rain and wind really sets in.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length16mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/50s

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Photos

Bunches of Mushrooms

Bunches of Mushrooms

Clusters of mushrooms growing out of an old tree trunk by a small river.


Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length50mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/8s

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Photos

Tiny Mushroom

Tiny Mushroom

Here’s one of my attempts at a mushroom photo, focus stacked from 4 roughly the same images.

This sort of photography is really hard isn’t it? You have to get down really low which is a problem itself if you don’t have a tripod to suit. An extension tube is a requirement as I don’t have a macro lens, and then trying to manually focus on the different parts of the mushroom is a challenge.

The focus assist in my camera really helped there. It shows dancing dots where the image is focused but even at f/14 it wasn’t enough to encompass the entire mushroom from front to back. Tap to zoom paid off a few times as it blows up the image to help focusing.

It was fascinating to see the focus dots move like a wave through the scene as I zoomed in and out. Yes, zooming in and out moved the focus point significantly! Significantly here means a few centimetres. Everything is small scale here.


Apertureƒ/14
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length105mm
ISO100
Shutter speed2.5s

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Cork Ireland Photos

Down and down the hill

Down and down the hill

Walking down the hill in Knockomagh Wood, Co Cork in March 2015.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 6D
Focal length 17mm
ISO 3200
Shutter speed 1/125s
Categories
Cork Ireland Photos

The Pink Butterfly Bush

The Pink Butterfly Bush

A butterfly bush in Fitzgerald Park, July 2016.

Aperture ƒ/6.3
Camera Canon EOS 6D
Focal length 300mm
ISO 1600
Shutter speed 1/250s
Categories
Cork Ireland Photos

The Cat in the Ditch

The Cat in the Ditch

Spotted this little guy in the ditch behind my home a few days ago. Handsome fella but nervous of humans. He hid when my neighbour walked past!

Aperture ƒ/6.3
Camera ILCE-7M3
Focal length 600mm
ISO 640
Shutter speed 1/500s