A seagull on the pier in Santa Cruz, California.
This was taken early one morning on a sunrise photowalk with Marcus. It was so early I almost slept in and had to hurry to catch up with him!
Tag Archives: Nature
Blarney Castle in the Snow
Snow fell last night in Ireland and everything came to a halt as people all over the country gasped in wonder at the strange white stuff on the ground. Thankfully it looks like it won’t last. We’re not equipped to deal with this sort of weather at all!
Blarney Castle opened later than usual but the paths were all cleared so of course I had to go tramping away in the snow covered grass..
| Aperture | ƒ/11 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/50s |
Crows for the Snow
Crows sitting through the snow falling in Blarney a few minutes ago.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 8000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/160s |
Rijnvelds Early Sensation
If you go down to Blarney Castle now you’ll see 30,000 daffodils blooming in the beautiful gardens there. In my last post I joked that the daffodils were confused but it’s a plant that flowers early and tolerates the cold so it’s perfect for this time of year.
Be sure to check out Ferbal O’Callaghan’s beautiful photo of the daffodils too and check out the Friends of Blarney Castle Facebook group where there are more pictures and information.
There’s also the SodShow interview with Paul O’Sullivan and Adam Whitbourn of Blarney Gardens here and here if you want to know more about the gardens there.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 160 |
| Shutter speed | 1/160s |
Confused Daffodils in Blarney Castle
There are some confused daffodils in Blarney Castle this year, out in January! I hope the rest of January is mild enough for them.
I posted a similar photo on Instagram a few hours ago, just in case you’re getting a strange sense of déjà vu.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 45mm |
| ISO | 320 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Red Red Fruit
Red fruit from a tree in the grounds of Blarney Castle. I have no idea what tree they come from as the name plate on the trunk is far below the wall where I photographed them.
I’ll update the post when I find out!
I found out that they’re called “Cornus kousa” thanks to Adam Whitburn who works in the gardens.
It’s Cornus kousa. Some people call it the Szechuan strawberry although it certainly doesn’t taste like one!
| Aperture | ƒ/2.2 |
| Camera | SM-G900F |
| Focal length | 4.8mm |
| ISO | 40 |
| Shutter speed | 1/35s |
The Cows are Watching
Suspicious eyes watch us through a fence in the grounds of Blarney Castle about a month ago.
PS. No watermark. Photo is CC anyway.
| Aperture | ƒ/2.2 |
| Camera | SM-G900F |
| Focal length | 4.8mm |
| ISO | 40 |
| Shutter speed | 1/210s |
The Blarney Roses
Beautiful roses at the entrance to Blarney Castle in Co Cork, Ireland.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 17mm |
| ISO | 250 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
La Cueva de los Verdes
La Cueva de los Verdes is a seven kilometre long volcanic cave on the island of Lanzarote. One kilometre of it is open to the public and it’s amazing to visit. It was formed almost 5,000 years ago by lava that flowed from a volcano to the sea and it’s incredible to think of the forces and temperatures that formed the tunnel. This was my second visit to the cave. The first was with my wife, but this time my son went with me. He loved that he never had to duck down when walking through low passages! I looked forwards to taking this photo the whole day.
What’s really annoying however is tourists who don’t know how to use their cameras. A teenage girl with a DSLR stood next to me taking photos using the flash on her camera. I bet none of her photos captured the beautiful light show as the cavern was quite large and it was very dark. This photo was a 13 second exposure, at f/4.0, ISO 100. Luckily there was a particularly flat rock where I could rest my camera. Unfortunately for her she wasn’t speaking English but as I left I told another photographer to put his camera down in the same place and turn off the flash to get the best shot.
You can find more information on the cave here, here and of course on Wikipedia.
The Cueva de los Verdes stretches underground from the volcano known as “La Corona” through to the sea on the north east coast. The tunnel was blasted through the earth under the effect of exploding lava more than four millenia ago, rather like an enormous exhaust pipe.
Within recent years, the island government and the local authority of Haria have carried out extensive work on the cave, providing illumination, ambient music and safe pathways for the interested visitor. An hour–long guided tour covering more than two kilometres of underground exploration, includes an explanation of the legends of the cave, plus a sound and light show.
If you ever visit Lanzarote it’s definitely worth visiting!
PS. if you know the story behind this scene, keep it to yourself. Don’t spoil it for future visitors who might come by this post! 🙂
| Aperture | ƒ/4 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 17mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 13s |
The Curious Cow
One of the cows in a field on the grounds of Blarney Castle, Co Cork, Ireland. I’m not entirely happy with the cow in the background on the right but, meh. I love the texture of the cow’s hair on it’s face.
Day 4 of #FiveDayBlackAndWhiteChallenge?. Plenty more images to come!
| Aperture | ƒ/4.5 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 17mm |
| ISO | 250 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Blarney Tree in Fog
This is a tree that once stood in a large field near Blarney Castle, Co Cork, Ireland. It stood alone and was sometimes visible from the road but unfortunately it was chopped down a few weeks ago.
This was shot in February 2014 on a foggy, cold morning.
I was nominated on Facebook by two people (thanks Paul, thanks Claire) to post a monochrome image for five days so that’s what you can expect here this week! I’ll also be taking part in the photography 101 challenge on my WordPress.com blog at donncha.wordpress.com so make sure you subscribe, or follow me on Twitter/G+/FB where the usual notices are posted!
PS. I was reminded that this tree was known as the Fairy Tree by local people in Blarney. Thanks Mairéad!
| Aperture | ƒ/5 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/160s |
Yellow Flowers in Fitzgerald Park
Beautiful yellow flowers in Fitzgerald Park are one of the pleasures of the park in the summer. The garden in front of the museum always looks beautiful and well tended.
| Aperture | ƒ/18 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 40D |
| Focal length | 72mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/80s |