TBL8 Brass Perform in Cork

TBL8 Brass Band playing in Cork earlier this evening. They were so good. Blasting out the hits!


Apertureƒ/4
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length16mm
ISO250
Shutter speed1/500s

The Forest Guardian

Early Saturday morning a few weeks ago we gathered to photograph deer as the sun rose. Walking through the forest in Killarney National Park we spotted a group of deer. The light was terrible. I’m sure this was shot at ISO 12800 to get a crisp image and I’m really happy with it.

This group of deer stayed in the forest away from curious humans for the rest of the morning, though we could hear this stag bellowing several times off in the distance.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length600mm
ISO12800
Shutter speed1/50s

Santiago Calatrava’s Sunrise Masterpiece

The Pont de l’Assut de l’Or in Valencia, near the City of Science and Art is a striking piece of architecture, so when this sunrise turned purple just before the sun rose over the horizon I had to make sure to get a photo of this stunning bridge.

The Pont de l’Assut de l’Or was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and completed in 2008. Its distinctive single pylon stands 125 metres tall, making it the highest point in Valencia and a defining feature of the city’s skyline. The bridge’s name translates to “Bridge of the Assut de l’Or Dam,” referencing a historic dam that once stood nearby. What’s particularly impressive about this cable-stayed design is that the asymmetric pylon (leaning at an angle rather than standing vertical) creates enormous engineering challenges. All the weight and tension from the bridge deck must be balanced through that single angled support point. Calatrava, who trained as both an architect and an engineer, is famous for these gravity-defying designs that blend structural innovation with sculptural beauty. The bridge is part of Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences complex, which Calatrava also designed, transforming a former riverbed into one of Europe’s most striking examples of contemporary architecture. The entire complex cost over €1 billion to build and has become Valencia’s most iconic modern landmark.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length16mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/10s

The Eiffel at Dusk

This was originally going to be a portrait shot of the Eiffel Tower but I quite like this one too, especially with the lovely colour of the sky in the background.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length16mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/6s

When the Lee Became a Mirror

The Banks of the Lee were quite different by the Peace Park in 2004. Trees and shrubs obscured the river from the small park. It looks so different now.


Apertureƒ/4.5
CameraCYBERSHOT
Focal length11mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/500s

Reality Meets Advertisement

People walking along a corridor in a shopping mall in Birmingham, England. 2022.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length23mm
ISO640
Shutter speed1/500s

Cork in Miniature

I love this mural showing various sights around Cork City. It’s just off Paul Street and well worth a look. The artist, Garreth Joyce, painted it in 2023.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/125s

What is Home?

The mural, “What is Home?” by the artist Asbestos, at the end of South Main Street, in Cork. As seen through the ring of a nearby life buoy hanging on a pole.


Apertureƒ/1.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length75mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/640s

Ancient Athens Meets Modern Tourism

When the sun is shining, it’s nice to have portable shade in the form of an umbrella. In Athens on the day this photo was taken it was a hot day!

The Basilica of Megali Panagia (which translates to “Great Virgin Mary”) was an early Christian basilica built in Athens during the 5th century AD. What makes this site particularly fascinating is that it represents the transition period when Athens was shifting from its ancient pagan identity to becoming a Christian Byzantine city. The basilica was constructed using materials salvaged from older classical buildings, a common practice called “spolia”, meaning those stone blocks you see in the photograph might originally have been part of temples or structures from Athens’ classical golden age, essentially recycled into a Christian church. The site reveals multiple layers of Athenian history literally built on top of each other. Athens during summer regularly reaches temperatures of 35-40°C (95-104°F), which explains why that blue umbrella is essential equipment for archaeological site visits. Many ancient sites in Greece now restrict visiting hours during the hottest parts of the day to protect both visitors and the monuments themselves from heat damage!


Apertureƒ/4.9
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length27.2mm
ISO50
Shutter speed1/380s

The Capital of Culchies

Twenty years ago Emmett Place in Cork was full of skateboarders jumping over ramps and very very close to a couple of photographers like me. I got some nice shots of them that have appeared here over the years but I missed this one, somehow!

Twenty years ago. Cork in 2005. I wonder where they are now?


Apertureƒ/5.6
CameraCanon EOS 20D
Focal length18mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/80s

Kinsale in Full Bloom

Kinsale’s tidy towns group must work overtime and they do a fantastic job of keeping the town tidy and colourful. These flowers were in a small boat at the end of the quay and make the area look so pretty.


Apertureƒ/3.5
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO500
Shutter speed1/125s

When Stags Find Their Voice

A red deer stag with large antlers decorated with vegetation stands in a grassy field with his mouth wide open mid-bellow, displaying typical rutting season vocal behaviour.
A red deer stag with impressive antlers decorated with grass and vegetation stands in a grassy field, having just tossed plant material into the air which is suspended mid-flight above its head during rutting season behaviour.

I travelled to Kerry this morning to photograph the rutting in Killarney National Park there. There weren’t many stags to be seen but this fellow was lying in the middle of a field I suspected would have a stag or two. After a few moments he stood up, digging his antlers in the grass and tossed his head from side to side with grass flying everywhere.

Despite the dramatic behaviour, he looked over at the human photographers again and lay down, chewing some grass and ignored us once more.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length387.6mm
ISO12800
Shutter speed1/640s