Daily Blog

Had a busy day today but got a few minutes this evening to get out for the sunrise. I was tired having spent the afternoon taking photographs for the shrine in Knock at a National Pilgrimage, but just as I settled down for the evening I spotted the sun setting out our kitchen window, so made the short journey to the top of Slieve Cairn to see the sun disappear behind Nephin. This picture was taken apron half an hour ago!

Another flower picture today. This is a Fly Orchid the tiny flowers mimic insects causing a male wasp to try and mate with it so causing the wasp to carry the pollen from plant to plant! Once again this was photographed in the Burren and are quite difficult to find, though a little like the Bee Orchid, once you find one it becomes easier to find others.

Very late posting this evening but we have just arrived back from a long day out in the Burren, Co Clare. The purpose of our trip was to visit the Caher Bridge Garden, Fanore and then to go and try and find and photograph the Bee Orchid.
The Bee Orchid has a fond place in the McCarthy family memories. I first saw a Bee Orchid over 30 years ago, the following year I got married and we moved to live in Scotland . Children followed and before long there were four of them. Every year we would come for a family holiday back to Ireland and would usually spend a week in fan ore Co Clare. Every year the whole family would go on several Bee Orchid hunts! Of course our holiday was in July every year so we were actually a couple of weeks late for Bee Orchids . The children had never seen a Bee Orchid and so they would spread out across the fields looking for a" Bee's Bottom" as this was the only way I could describe a Bee Orchid to them, A pink flower with a Bee's bottom sticking out. every year I promised a Mars Bar to the child who would find the Bee's Bottom, in all the years I never had to pay out!!

If they had been with me today I would have lost a whole bag of Mars Bars !! We had been told that if we visited a certain field there were so many that if we threw a stone in the field we would surely hit one! It still took us ten minutes to find one, they are so small. But of course once you find one then suddenly you see another and then another!

Its almost the longest day of the year and its amazing how long the days have got especially when there are no clouds in the sky. We are just home after a visit to Achill island. This image was made on the way home at about 10.30pm at Bellacragher Bay, near Mulranny.

Its a long 30second exposure using a Fuji XE1 camera and a Lee big stopper ND filter.

Went for a walk with Patricia this morning. Patricia was walking for exercise so it was a fairly brisk walk. But now that I have the small fuji xe1 camera I can always have a camera with me! So when we passed this wild rose bush I just had to stop. Of course I had some serious catching up to do then!!!

For the last three years I have participated in the Race2Glory race here in Kiltimagh. It is an adventure race that involves a 10k run over Slieve Cairn Mountain followed by a 23k cycle over the same mountain and a 7k run that includes a short distance through the Glore River. It is a great event and a great community event also. Anyway on the RacetoGlory Facebook page it was suggested that people should post a "selfie" of themselves training this weekend. So this morning I thought it would be an interesting challenge to do a selfie while actually cycling the bike!

Click here to see the race to glory websiteRace2Glory

This picture was taken last week in Moyne Abbey. The widest lens in my camera bag is a 24mm. I am sure you will be aware that a wide angle lens distorts building terrible. To get this picture I am standing in a corner of the abbey unable to go back any further, in order to get the tower into the picture I had no option but to tilt the camera up, that just makes the distortion worse. So I decided to try raising the camera as high as I could. So I put it on a tripod extend to 6feet and then using the self timer to fire the camera I raised the camera over my head, so the camera is now about 12 feet off the floor. Of course this took several attempts some pictures included the tower and some did not! But after about half a dozen attempts I landed one! The distortion is still present but is not so pronounced, and I think the image does have an interesting perspective.

Great weather here in Mayo. Another picture from the FUJI XE 1. This is Lough Nambrackragh on the road between Kilkelly and Swinford.

Thanks everybody for the good wishes, I am back in my own bed tonight and feeling fine.
This image of Croagh Patrick was taken last Saturday evening, again with the little Fuji XE1.

I told you yesterday that I was putting my new Fuji XE1 through its paces. Well we stopped at Doolough and ate our picnic in the car. One disadvantage of leaving my Nikon at home, is that I carry a bottle of anti midge spray in my big camera bag and without it it was difficult to spend even a few minutes out of the car. I watched as the sky darkened over the lough and wondered how the camera would cope with such a huge dynamic range, of course I did use a graduated neutral density filter but was still delighted with the result! Tricia was not impressed however when I sat back into the car with a cloud of midges around me!

Just back from an afternoon "touring" between Westport and Doolough. I left the Nikon at home and only brought the little Fuji XE 1, just to put it through its paces. It takes a little getting used to but it does produce nice pictures and its SO light to carry ! This was one of the last pictures I took today at Doolough.

I was at the duck pond in Beleek Woods Balina at lunch time yesterday . This particular duck was sitting on a log and I could see that if I could get to the other side of her, the light would be right for her portrait! So I walked around the pond and got a couple of pictures, which I needed, to get the exposure right in the tricky lighting conditions, but she lost patience with me and decided to take off, and I only had time for the one shot!!

Something a little different today! Many of you will know that I run photography courses here in Mayo. I run courses for all levels of photographers from complete beginners through to advanced photographers, sometimes on a one to one basis and sometimes to small groups. This short video filmed and edited by my son Darragh McCarthy gives a little flavour of a group course. Click on the word Video to view....Video

Rain and wind all day today, but we can't complain its been a great week. Once again i did not get out so opened an old hard drive to find a picture. this detail of Cong Abbey was taken in May 2008!!

Did not get out today. This image is of Killala round tower was made two weeks ago. IThe tower is very impressive as it stretches skywards, and I always marvel at the skill of the builders who could make them so round and so strong and straight, and of course they are distinctly Irish. I always find it difficult to find a good position to photographic this one from,to get a pleasing composition , as it is surrounded by buildings and I am standing in a car park, so I was delighted that the branches of this tree formed just the right shape to frame the tower!

Life on the edge, Dunbriste, Downpatrick Head co Mayo!

Here is an image from a recent trip to Downpatrick head, the sea stack is called Dunbriste, it is one of my favourite wild places, as you can see on this occasion the sea was exceptionally calm.

There are many times when I go out to get photographs that I am disappointed. This was one of those occasions. I left the house on a lovely sunny evening and a glorious sunset was already forming in my brain, I was imagining lovely golden colours. I had driven around for some time trying to find other pictures but just could not see any! When I finally got to this location the weather had turned cold and windy and it was clear I would not see the sun set. I nearly turned and drove home , but decided that I just had to "work it" a thirty second exposure shows the movement in the clouds, I can't show you the cold however! Reviewing the image a few days later I decided it was not as bad as I thought!

Here is another image from Sundays trip to Carramore strand, Louisburg. As you can see the sky was very overcast but I wondered looking at this can we blame Clare Island for our cloudy weather?
Its also just worth noting that a few minutes before taking this picture I was stood on the spit of sand you see . I was fully aware that the tide was coming in around me but ignored it , I got a big surprise when I turned to come back up the shore, because the channel I had walked across only minutes earlier was now about two feet deep! I had to walk quit a distance to find a part I could cross without the water coming over my boots!

I have over the years visited Carramore Strand near Louisburgh on many occasions, of course i am always attracted by the water and the views across the bay. Yesterday was the first time I walked the full length of the beach and was rewarded with an unusual view of Croagh Patrick. if you look very carefully you can just see the church on the summit.