Clew Bay Sunset

Here is your Scenic Sunday image.

Well this will be my last post for a few day as I'm off to Westport today to try and capture even more wonderful sunsets. The above image was taken on my last trip to Westport. This was taken at the Bartraw, White Strand Beach looking out over Clew Bay.

I was shooting straight into the setting sun at this location. However, waiting for the sun to set below the distant mountains, I was able to capture the above image with not too much difficulty.
Only one 3 stop ND Grad filter was used to balance the sky and the reflections in the foreground water. You can add this one to "My Classic Sunset" series, but maybe not that interesting?
What do you think?

I will have access to the Internet etc... (God Bless the iPhone), but as I already said no posts. Oh ye, just in case you are wondering, I will have photo's of the Tiger Cubs next week for you after the Zoo go public with the news story and images. You know the proverb " don't count your chickens before they hatch".

See you all next week and have a good one.

Your Classic Sunset II

Here is your Skywatch Friday image.

OMG only one post since last friday.

I have being very busy with commercial work and the Zoo this week. Next week will be the same amount of posts as I will be away over in the West of Ireland until Thursday. I hope to get at least one image up of the Tiger cubs for sunday/monday.

Here is another one of "My Classic Sunsets". It's again from Oldhead , Westport. The location is the same as the last post with only a move to the right by a few feet.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and talk to you all again soon.

Oh yes, lets hope this wonderful weather we are having here in Ireland lasts another week.

Mr Daddy Kepala

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

I have being very busy of late and so no posts for the past couple of days.

If you have being following my blog lately you will have seen image of this fellow before. Well now we have to call him Mr Daddy Kepala as he is the proud daddy of two cubs.

I was down in the Zoo at the weekend to get photos of all the new babies and also the world record attempt for the biggest Teddy Bears Picnic with stands at over 34,000. Dublin Zoo hold that record already but the Teddy Bear Picnic was held in Zoo's all over the world on Sunday last.

The Tiger cubs are too small and I would not disturb mother or the cubs with flash photography as they are still indoors. So you will have to wait until next week to see them. I will be taking the photos at the weekend and then they will be released to the public.

Your Classic Sunset

Here is your SkyWatch image.

Well Ok not your normal classic sunset image, but it's one of my sunset images in good old black and white. ( what else is there ? )

This shows Clew Bay and the Nephin Beg Range across the bay. It was taken from the beach at Old Head in Westport during a wonderful sunset.

I believe that Westport is my next trip away at the end of the month. I will be looking for a few more different locations along the wonderful coastline of Co Mayo to add to my collection. Sunsets like this one will not be available as its a different time of the year and the sun will be setting in a different position.

Mist on Lough Cullin

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

The above image was taken a good while ago when the Viewpoints team, Peter Cox, Carsten Krieger and myself get together for a few days. This time we were in Co Mayo. After a really early start to the day to catch sunrise, we decided that breakfast was in order. However, never one to miss a photo, we spotted this view above. Breakfast will just have to wait a bit longer today.

The fun we had trying to get into position. We had to walk through some bog land and we sank up to our knees. We also could not find solid ground to put the camera and tripods down. We were wet and the smell. Who cares a quick drive back to the B&B, shower and breakfast. Nice.

Deleted Comments

SORRY fellow Bloggers as I Rejected some comments by mistake.

I have turned off comment moderation so that this will not happen again.

Clogherhead Beach

Here is your My World Image.

I wish this was my world as I am in the middle of a couple of commercial shoots and if I see another cushion I will go mad.

This is Clogherhead Beach from Sunday. It was taken a few just before the Clogherhead Storm image below. You can just about see the start of the dark clouds in the top right of this image.

However I had a bit of good news today, I think Mr Kepala is a daddy. For those who don't understand this just click and the link and you will understand who Mr Kepala is. I will keep you posted on this later during the week.

Clogherhead Storm

Here is your Monochrome Maniacs image.

Well talk about 4 seasons in one day, how about over a couple of hours. I was over at Clogherhead, Co Louth on the east coast today and in the short time I was there we had clear blue skies, wonderful clouds, wind and rain, and to top things off thunder.

You can see from the above image, that Clogherhead was in beautiful sunshine which a storm was coming. You could here the thunder which would be over 20km's away. Well at least we got our walk, some photos and lunch just before the rain started again.

Trim Sunset

Here is your Sky Watch Friday image.

Well another week is over and I will leave you with a sunset form the Newtown Abbey trip.

I have to tell you the story behind this image as it nearly had a tragic ending.

I had picked up my new Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod that morning and just had to go out and test it. The result of the test? The Newtown Abbey images in the previous posts. I was on my way home when I spotted this location and a possible silhouette could be had. I pulled over and go the tripod and camera out. I was not able to get the sun behind the trees for where i was standing. Now I don't know about you but a locked gate does not stand in my way in the hunt for that perfect photo.

In this case I had to climb over a 15 foot long gate. What I normally do is climb onto the gate and then lift the camera and tripod over and continue on myself. This time I climbed over the gate. While I was getting down from the gate, the gate and the pillars fell down. They clipped the back of my leg but all I could do was stand there in fits of laughter. Then it just hit me. If I had done what I normally do I would be looking at one smashed up camera and tripod. However I did manage to get the image, put the gate back up and get out of there fast.

Dingle Bay from a boat

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

I have gone back to the Dingle Bay images for Watery Wednesday as no water in the Newtown Abbey sequence. There is a stream beside the abbey but nothing of interest to photograph.

So this image was taken when the boat was at full speed heading back into the harbour after our trip out to see Fungie the Dolphin. Again I was amazed at how sharp the image was when it was taken hand held on a bobbing boat ( and here's me going out and buying a carbon fiber tripod ).

I would like to thank all you fellow bloggers for your comments about my images and to the recent followers to my blog. Thank You.

If any of you have questions you would like to ask, please either email them to me or leave a comment and I will return the answer via email.

Newtown Abbey 3

Here is your My World image.

And the sequence continues from Newtown Abbey, Trim, Co Meath with the image above.
What we have here is the entrance to the abbey through the gates. I am inside the grounds of the abbey looking out not outside looking in. Confused ? I am.

You walk along the path by the wall and the grave yard in too your left in the image.
I used this composition for a numbers of reasons mainly to block all the European and Local election poster all over the place. The two head stones on the left are blocking some posters as are the trees.

You will have a break from the Abbey tomorrow for Watery Wednesday and a b&w sunset for Sky Watch Friday with a funny story behind that one. So see you then.

Newtown Abbey 2

Here is your Monochrome Maniacs image.

It's been a while since my last post with Aileni over at Monochrome Maniacs. The way things have worked out I was always traveling back from somewhere and did not get a chance, but that has change now.

So Monochrome Maniacs, here is the second image in a sequence from last friday at Newtown Abbey, Trim, Co Meath. This time I moved a little more to the right and lower down in the tall grass to change the angle of view.

Again we have wonderful side lighting coming in from the setting sun on the right. It has made the tops of the grass stand out nicely.

So stay tuned to this weeks post to see more from this shoot.

Newtown Abbey

Here is your Scenic Sunday image.

After a week of wonderful blue skies and sunshine, we are now back in winter, as it did not stop raining all day Saturday with strong winds. However I did manage to get out for a couple of hours on Friday evening. Nothing like a new piece of equipment to get you motivated. In this case a new tripod.

The image above is of Newtown Abbey, Trim, Co Meath.

After dinner I travelled the short distance to Trim, about 10k, to get some images of the Castle and Abbey. Just as I arrived the clouds arrived and put an end to the wonderful side lighting I was looking for. I got a couple of images and will post during the week. I drove to another location but decided to go back to the Abbey. The sun was setting now and the light was starting to glow. Well, all I can say was that I had some of the most beautiful golden side lighting in a long time with lit up the surface of the rocks in the foreground.

So in the end I got the image I was after, but the moral of this story is "Don't have that extra potato".

Inch Beach

Here is your Sky Watch Friday image.

Well it's Friday again. With the bank holiday on Monday the week flew by and we still have this wonderful blue sky and plenty of sunshine. There are lots of people going around the sun burn marks all over their bodies as we pale skin Irish are not use to the sun.

The above image is Inch Beach, Co Kerry from a while back. We have the Dingle Peninsula on the right and Iveragh Peninsula on the left and looking out towards Dingle Bay. I was surprised to find we had the beach to ourselves. With the tide out and very shallow water it made for a great reflection of the clouds in the sky. No imported clouds here as with all my images, I don't add or take away anything form the photo just dust spots with the clone brush.

Your comments please on what you add or take away ?

Skerries Harbour

Here is your Watery Wednesday image.

Is this Skerries Harbour shooting into the sun or a well know Irish Icon ( hint you can drink it ) ?

I have not being able to get out much the past few months for some serious landscape photography due to the fact I have being away shooting marathons. I think next trip away is at the end of June. So until then I will be posting a few from the archives.

Stormy Days

Here is your My World Image.

The funny thing is that we are have one of the best bank holidays weather wise for the number of years. Clear blue sky's and sunny days with highs of 26 degrees which can't be said for the weather in the image above.

I got back from Stockholm on Sunday to this wonderful weather. I don't know about you, but I don't like taking photos in this sort of weather. So I looked back and found this image I took a while back of a stormy day over on Achill Island. Driving rain and wind, a bit of a difference.

I think that's it for a while now with the weekends away shooting marathons so normal posting routine will continue from today.