I was there too
Waves crash onto the beach and rocks of Couminole Beach, Co Kerry near full tide. A dangerous beach for swimming at the best of times, it would be foolhardy to go swimming there in conditions like this!
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 20mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/640s |
A small bench is nestled among the trees in Kenmare, on the shores of Kenmare Bay. What caught my eye immediately were the three trees surrounding it. They frame the bench in a pleasing way, the bare branches providing a skeletal, natural, surrounding to the man made bench.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 94mm |
| ISO | 200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/200s |
I spotted this little fella down in Kenmare, County Kerry the other day. A Robin, bold as brass, perched right there on a dead branch, posing like he owned the place.
He stayed there for a few minutes surveying the area, and let me get a little closer for a photo.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7RM5 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Guinea Fowl in a field on Sheep’s Head, Co Cork a few years ago on a bright, sunny October afternoon.
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 531.2mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/400s |
A few photos of the deer in Killarney National Park a year ago when I visited there with Blarney Photography Club. These have been sitting in my “Unpublished” collection since then, so I might as well make them public.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 600mm |
| ISO | 3200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
Amid the solemn remnants of a once-sturdy edifice, nature reclaims its dominion as elegant trees emerge from the heart of the ruins. Time has crumbled the walls and worn away the foundations, leaving behind a hauntingly beautiful tableau. The delicate yet resilient trunks of these trees writhe upwards like sinuous dancers, their journey culminating in a verdant embrace that forms a living canopy above.
This evocative scene unfolds within the historic locale of the Gunpowder Mills in Ballincollig. Here, the convergence of human ingenuity and nature’s inexorable advance creates a poignant contrast, as the tenacious growth of the trees emerges amidst the tangible echoes of a forgotten past. The rustle of leaves in the breeze and the interplay of sunlight and shadow across the time-worn stones stir the senses, transporting the observer to a realm where time’s tapestry weaves together the threads of creation and decay.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 16mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 6s |
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.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 600mm |
| ISO | 2000 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
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!
| Aperture | ƒ/5 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 150mm |
| ISO | 1250 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
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.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 194mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/200s |
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.
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 233.30000305176mm |
| ISO | 25600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1000s |
Mushrooms growing in the wilds of the Galtee Mountains.
| Aperture | ƒ/20 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 6s |
