Category Ireland

Back to film

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Sometimes it’s good to go back. Let go of all the modern technology and return to the basics. I started shooting pictures using film (well, it was 1995…) and I have kept using film well into the first decade of 2000. I only switched to digital 7-8 years ago, but every now and then I like to back to film. That’s what I have mostrly been doing for the past few weeks and I forgot how fun it can be 🙂

Slowing down, thinking more about the composition, metering to get a good exposure, waiting for the right moment and *click*.

The quays. Canon FTb, HP5+.
Walking the dog. Canon FTb, HP5+.
Connolly station. Canon FTb, HP5+.
Connolly station 2. Canon FTb, HP5+.
Gotcha back. Canon FTb, HP5+.

No spray and pray, no do-overs… Ok, some film can be quite forgiving, but you can’t get it too far off the target or you lose everything.

I have also got my hands on an old MF Zenza Bronica and I really like shooting with it 🙂

Poolbeg chimneys from Clontarf. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Poolbeg chimneys from Clontarf 2. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Dublin bay. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Dublin bay, Bull Island. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Men’s shelter, Bull Island. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Wooden bridge at dawn, Bull Island. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
St. Patrick’s cathedral. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Bell tower, Trinity college. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Three girls, O’Connell street. Zenza Bronica SQ-A
Ha’penny bridge. Zenza Bronica SQ-A

Besides, I love the square format 😀

 

A sleepless night

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What can you do when you wake up at 3 am and you’re hopelessly wide awake?

Realizing that getting any sleep was hopeless, I headed out into the night to get some night pics of Dublin. It was, obviously, raining :/ …

Four Courts
Ha’penny bridge
First opening

All in all, I can think of worse ways of starting a day. I got to the office at 6.30, but at least I got this:

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Love Dublin

Westward Ho! – Travelling light

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When your folks decide to visit you, you don’t really have a say in what happens when they are with you…

Three days in the west of Ireland, so I was – obviously – expecting rain, lots of it and I didn’t want to expose a lot of photographic equipment to the elements. That’s why I decided to travel as light as possible, but I didn’t want to sacrifice too much quality either.

Enter Fujifilm…

To be honest, I got tired of lugging around over 3 Kg of camera+lenses and I will probably sell most of my heavy stuff soon. For this trip I went fully mirrorless: Fujifilm X-Pro1 + 18mm f/2 and the magnificent Fujifilm x100T…

Clonmacnoise
Shannon river
Clonmacnoise
On the road: Athlone
Peace
If this isn’t Ireland, I don’t know what is…

I admit I was a bit anxious at first, being used to the IQ of my Canon 5DMkII, but after seeing the results, I don’t think I’ll ever consider my D-SLR for another trip…

Some of the results follow: Ceide fields, Downpatrick head, Sligo and strandhill. I think I might be selling my canon gear soon 🙂

Old church
Near Sligo airport
Low flight
Prohibition
Surfing
Playing golf in Sligo
Downpatrick head
Ceide Fields
Risky
Surf

 

And I have to admit the ocean was beautiful to admire:

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Vastness of the ocean

A castle and a pint of Smithwick’s

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Autumn has officially started: sunny and cold (cold for me, at least).

A great day to travel and to go see new places. This week: Kilkenny. Ok, it’s not really a new pllace for me: but it’s been so long!

No trip to Kilkenny can ignore the castle:

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Kilkenny castle

Built between 1195 and 1213, the castle is an iconic view of the town of Kilkenny. It was recently renovated and it’s a very popular attraction for tourists.

It’s a very well kept and organized attraction and it’s possible to have a self-guided tour of the castle and grounds:

Kilkenny castle: Picture Gallery
Picture gallery
Moorish stairway – Kilkenny castle
A view from the castle
Tapestry room
Piano
Dining room

As marvelous as it is, Kilkenny castle is far from being the only thing to see in town:

St. Canice’s cathedral
The rosary mysteries – Dominican Black Abbey: I’m told this is the only such window in the world (I haven’t checked, though)
Kilkenny design centre
A quiet pond

Those visiting the town may also see the beautiful cathedrals and churches as well as the old medieval town.

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River Nore

Another thing that cannot be missed in Kilkenny is, obviously, Smithwick’s brewery 🙂

Smithwick’s gate
A tasty afternoon

The oldest beer in Ireland!

A fine ale you should taste every day until the world’s end!

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The world is coming to an end, all right…

A day at the park: of horses and men

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Okay, okay… I know: it’s been a while…

This summer has been quite uneventful (at least for me): no real holidays, all the time spent working and so on…

Today I finalyy got some photography done 🙂

Photowalk in Phoenix Park! Ok, I know: been there, done that; but still…

Big bunch of guys, fighters, horses and games 🙂

 

Polo
Stop!!!
Off the ground
Watching the game
Pregnant kick
Hit
Cartwheel
Capoeira
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Referee

Not many keepers, but lots of fun 🙂

Photo trip to the Saltee islands

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We left Dublin early on Saturday to get to the Saltee islands:

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Saltee islands

The weather wasn’t great: fog and clouds and we weren’t particularly optimistic for the day.

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Kilmore Quay, not a great morning as far as weather goes…

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Land ho!

The clouds covered the sky almost all morning, until we got onto the islands.

Once we arrive though, the sun decided to show up and we had a beautiful (mostly) sunny day.

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A beautiful sunny day

I admit I was afraid I couldn’t do much to get the birds and that they’d be too far away for my lenses… It turns out we could get within a few metres from them, we could almost touch them!

And there were so many…

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So many birds… at least the story was different from the movie…

Good day, a few good photos 🙂

Nests… To give you an idea of how close we were, I shot this with a 35mm equivalent…
Blue skies
Youth
So. Many. Birds.
The group
Watching the nests
Gannet
That eye… We almost walked into this guy’s nest… ^_^;
The walk
Field of dreams
On the high rock
Watching the sea
The sentinel
So cute…
A little rest befor going back
Ready to go back
Goodbye birdies!
On the way back
Back on the mainland, harbour

Still, there is something I don’t understand:

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Why do puffins look so sad? 😦