Fountainstown Cloudscape

Clouds gather over Fountainstown in Co. Cork. The setting sun provided a nice backlight for the clouds on the horizon.

Aperture ƒ/11
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/250s

Fountainstown Sunset

The sun sets over a small inlet in Fountainstown. The tide is out and boats are stranded in the mud.

One thing that bothers me about this photo is the large black bit on the left. I think I overdid the lomo a little although I’m quite happy with the burned in clouds. What do you think?

I’ve ordered another 200 moo mini cards. 100 images duplicated. Should do me for several months I think!

Aperture ƒ/14
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/400s

The black and white boat

A small boat lies upside down on the grass. Isn’t black and white great?

Aperture ƒ/10
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/200s

Abandoned and rusting

Old and rusty machinery lies neglected outside a small shed in Fountainstown, Co. Cork. I love the texture of rust and wood!

I like this: Philip Pankov

Aperture ƒ/6.3
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/100s

The road beyond Fountainstown

Have you ever gone beyond the beach at Fountainstown in Co. Cork? I’ve been visiting that beach all my life but I had never walked up the road until a week ago. I’m glad I did because it’s very nice up there, and coupled with a setting sun I went a little mad with the camera! Expect a few more shots from here over the week.

I like these: New terminal at Cork Airport and great child portraits.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/250s

Lady at the lights

If looks could kill! I don’t know who she was looking at but she doesn’t look happy!

Pictured on the corner of Washington Street and Grand Parade a few days ago while we waited for the traffic lights to change. Finn’s Corner, a sports clothes shop, has been on that corner for years and St. Augustine’s Catholic Church is visible just down the road. I’ve never been in that church despite it’s central location. It’s so well integrated into the street scape that it’s easy to forget it’s there.

Aperture ƒ/10
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/200s

Is it Bank of Scotland(Ireland) or Halifax?

Bank of Scotland(Ireland) are changing their unwieldy name to the much shorter “Halifax”. The bank is a major player in the UK market, but the name change could yet backfire because Halifax isn’t very well known in Ireland. I presume a slick marketing campaign will take care of that.

The building across the river is the Cork branch of the bank on the Grand Parade. I love how the sun picked out the bright white of it’s walls and the bike in the foreground was in shadow beneath a tree.

Aperture ƒ/16
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/500s

Pog Mo Thoin san Daingean

“Kiss my ass!” That’s what “póg mo thóin” means. This is from a shop display in Dingle, Co. Kerry. The town, also known by it’s Irish name, An Daingean, is in an Irish speaking part of the country collectively known as An Gaeltacht.

If you’re interested, you’d probably pronounce “póg mo thóin” in English as “pogue mahone”.

Interesting trivia – The Pogues got their name from this short phrase.

Both Ryan and Daragh got their free mini cards from moo.com but I’m still waiting on mine. They have been shipped so they’ll arrive soon I hope. Check out Daragh’s shot of his cards for an imaginative way of photographing them!

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/60s

Points to relief

A sign points the way to the public toilets, or restroom, at Inch Strand, Co. Kerry.
This sign can be a much sought after sight on a long journey!
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
“Mom! I need to go!”
“I can’t hold it any more!”

Everyone rushes to the public convenience when they hit the beach.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 48mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/125s

The Fish Box

An abandoned fish box on Inch Strand, Co. Kerry. Clouds and a storm loom over the mountains across the bay but it was a bright blue sky that greeted us with only fluffy white clouds. I expect this box either fell overboard off a trawler or may have been used by a fisherman on the beach but left behind.

Technique: Split into two layers, darkened the top one to bring out the sky and cloud, used a gradient to make a smooth transition. Merge layers, burned the whole image, then created a new layer, set the mode to overlay and used another gradient to darken the sky further.

I like this: Oh oh, I’m caught!!

Aperture ƒ/10
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 18mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/250s

40th birthday party

Last night after attending BarCamp Ireland I went to a surprise 40th birthday party with Jacinta. It was a blast, great fun and I was able to have a few drinks because I wasn’t driving! (Thanks Sheila for taking care of that!)

There are lots more photos from the night but they’re going up somewhere private for the birthday girl and any of our friends who want to view them. Happy birthday Bobbi!

I just loved the way the shadows fell on the blind behind the hanging birthday decorations. This is a bit of an experiment for me because I added a thick black border around the image. Do you like it?

Aperture ƒ/4
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 800
Shutter speed 1/40s

The Mills Inn

The Mills Inn, just outside Baile Bhuirne in the Gaeltacht of Mhúscraí, Co. Cork.
We stopped here for a meal on the way to Dingle and I must say, it was great! Their website has a lot more to say about what they offer and information about the beautiful surrounding countryside.
Baile Bhuirne is translated as Ballyvourney in English, but I think the Irish rolls off the tongue better. Many place names in Irish speaking areas had their names translated to the same sounding word in English but it’s never as nice.
How do you pronounce it? Bah-ill-ya Vurna is fairly close.

Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/125s