Street Photography – In Photos dot Org

ÉALÚ emergency exit

An emergency exit sign spotted in the first floor window of a building in Kinsale, Co Cork. Despite the shadows, the sign gives a clue to the internal floor plan of the building. It looks a bit out of place, but it has to be there.

Georgian sash windows like this one were originally designed as a fire safety feature themselves. The large panes and sliding mechanism made them easy escape routes during emergencies, which is why many Georgian buildings have windows that open directly onto the street rather than requiring ladders to reach. The modern exit sign is actually continuing a 300-year-old tradition of prioritising safe evacuation!

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	132mm
ISO	4000
Shutter speed	1/640s

Dingle’s Dykegate Street Mural

Large-scale street mural on blue wall showing portrait of woman with flowing blonde hair and blue eyes with a bow and arrow made with a sycamore-seed tip. A red car parked in the foreground on Dykegate Street, Dingle, Co Kerry

On Dykegate Street in Dingle you’ll find a spectacular mural.

The mural was painted by artist, Ciara McKenna. You can find out more about it in this Irish Independent article.

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/500s

love sweet love

A doorway in Kinsale saying what we all hope for in this crazy, violent world. Free Palestine.

Videos I watched recently:

Aperture	ƒ/7.1
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	3200
Shutter speed	1/125s

Shadows of North Main Street

A month ago, Cork City Council acquired 4 eyesore buildings at the top of North Main Street in Cork. They are in a prominent location and not used for much over the years – I remember a shoe store in one, a clothes store in the place next to it and a retro goods store too. They’ve been mostly derelict for a long time.

Hopefully they’ll be demolished and we’ll see something decent done with the location.

North Main Street sits on one of Cork’s oldest thoroughfares and was actually built on reclaimed marshland. The street runs parallel to what was once the original course of the River Lee before extensive land reclamation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the Georgian buildings here were constructed using limestone quarried from local Cork quarries, which is why they’ve developed that distinctive weathered patina that photographs so beautifully in black and white.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	12800
Shutter speed	1/500s

Ghosts on the Millennium Bridge

The Millennium Bridge has always been a bit of a drama queen – first it wobbled so much they had to shut it down, and now it’s serving up some of the most atmospheric shots in London.

This long exposure captures something almost supernatural about the daily pilgrimage across the Thames, with ghostly figures drifting like spirits between the sleek modernity of Norman Foster’s steel and glass creation and the timeless majesty of Wren’s baroque masterpiece. The blurred pedestrians become streams of human consciousness, each person’s journey reduced to ethereal wisps against the solid certainty of St. Paul’s dome.

The Millennium Bridge earned the nickname “Wobbly Bridge” because it swayed so dramatically when it first opened in 2000 that it had to be closed after just three days. The problem was “synchronous lateral excitation” – when large crowds walked in step, their footfalls created a resonance that made the bridge sway side to side by up to 7 centimetres, causing people to walk in sync to compensate, which only made the wobbling worse.

Photography videos I’ve watched recently:

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	41mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	5s

Father Mathew Quay Torn Up

Father Mathew Quay is a road that is definitely closed. The tarmac has been torn up to be remade into something better, hopefully.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	25mm
ISO	1000
Shutter speed	1/500s

Black and Blue

A striking blue wall on Dykegate Street caught my eye, especially in the bright sunlight that cast a stark shadow across it.

Dingle is located in the heart of the Kerry Gaeltacht, one of Ireland’s officially designated Irish-speaking regions where Irish is the community language. The bilingual street signs throughout the town reflect this status, with the Irish name “Sráid an Daighide” appearing first, followed by the English “Dykegate Street.” The tradition of painting houses in bright colours in Dingle dates back centuries and was originally practical – helping fishermen identify their homes from the sea. Today, these colourful buildings have become one of Dingle’s most distinctive features, with strict planning guidelines ensuring that the tradition continues while maintaining the town’s unique character.

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/2500s

Castle Street Reflections

When I was out with Blarney Photography Club during the summer, we headed into town one evening. Love the reflection. Thanks Rodney for the idea!

Castle Street in Cork gets its name from the medieval Cork Castle that once stood nearby, though no trace of the original Norman fortification remains today. The street has been a commercial thoroughfare for centuries and is now part of Cork’s main shopping area. The Mannix name has deep roots in Cork, with the family having been involved in various businesses in the city for generations. Mannix & Culhane closed their doors earlier this year for the last time. I don’t think I ever went into either of their shops.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	12800
Shutter speed	1/60s

It’s a bird city

Seagull with open beak standing over a discarded sandwich on asphalt pavement in Cork City

Adult seagull and juvenile gull sharing a dropped sandwich on a city street in Cork, with the younger bird showing mottled brown plumage

Cork City, where birds have become incredibly adept at turning human carelessness into dining opportunities.

Urban-adapted birds like the seagulls and crows photographed here have developed significantly different behaviours compared to their rural counterparts. City-dwelling seagulls often show reduced fear responses to humans and have learned to time their foraging around peak human activity periods, such as lunch hours when dropped food is most available.

Crows, meanwhile, have demonstrated remarkable problem-solving abilities in urban environments and can even learn to associate specific locations with regular food sources. Studies have shown that urban bird populations often have different dietary compositions, stress hormone levels, and even song patterns compared to rural birds, reflecting their adaptation to city life and the constant presence of human activity.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	150mm
ISO	400
Shutter speed	1/320s

The Global Warning Guy

If you wander down St. Patrick Street in Cork on a Saturday you’re sure to bump into this gentleman who is there in front of Murray’s with his global warning sign. He’s been there most Saturdays since at least 2016.

It turns out he has nothing to do with global warming, the very real danger all of humanity faces. He’s part of an evangelical Christian movement warning about the end times and judgment coming to the Earth.

Aperture	ƒ/2.8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/500s

Bantry Market’s Most Diverse Stall

Traditional Catholic culture meets modern Irish culture in this stall. A statue of Mary holds a Cork flag, the red and white instantly recognisable by anyone in the County.

There’s something for everyone at this stall.

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/1600s

A Bantry Market Character

People of all ages come to the market in Bantry, Co Cork, looking for bargains.

Aperture	ƒ/4
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/500s