Daily Blog

I was out early this morning between Claremorris and Kiltimagh there was a heavy shower and the whole sky turned black, about ten minutes after the shower it started to brighten up when all of a sudden the sun began to breakthrough!!

I am always fascinated by this small group of hawthorn trees located on the main road between Kiltimagh and Castlebar. Tradition has it that these hawthorn trees are "fairy trees" and it is unlucky to destroy them , so they often survive in the middle of fields because farmers are afraid to cut them down. This particular group look very ancient and are growing around a small hump , I wonder is it a prehistoric tomb or somthing of that nature. I often stop to photograph them and have not yet got the picture I want, nor have I today, but I did think the rainbow added to the "magical mystery"

Well the exhibition opening finally happened. All day you frett, will anybody turn up , and will they like the work . well thankyou to everybody who came, the place was almost overcrowded !! And everybody was very complinentary! Many of the people who came were themselves photographers so you worry all the more about their reaction. Anyway the whole thing went great and I am now heading home to an indien takeaway and a bottle of wine with Patricia, who once again played a stormer, getting the place ready, she hung the exhibition, entertaining the guests, and keeping me calm all day as i fretted away!

Tomorrow we open our Exhibition as part of the Westport Arts Festival. So if your in the area please call in . the opening is at 6.30pm and I am delighted that Harry Feeney the watercolour artist has agreed to open the exhibition.

The photographs are a collection of abstract images created by using slow shutter speeds and deliberate camera movement.

Here is an example of an image made on bertra beach.

I spent the day on the road today, up at 4am to get to Dublin for 8. I was collecting a camera I bought second hand. I got a new 50mm 1.4 lens a few days ago so on the way home I tried a few shots of my daughter Grainne who I collected while in Dublin. This one was taken in a cafe when we stopped for a cuppa.
I hope to get out over the next couple of days to really test the camera out.

Another busy day being a photographer but taking no pictures!! I have had a number of people come and ask me recently for work experience as they are doing photography courses in college and work experience is required. They have all been disapointed when I point out that very little time is taken taking p[ictures ! the last few days have really proved that.
So its back to the very recent archive for a picture for today, this picture of Mulranny was taken last week.

I awoke this morning to fog with the sun beginning to break through. Typical, I thought ,I have left the camera in Westport. So instead of rushing out as I normally would , I stayed and had breakfast, then I drove the 45 minutes to Westport. The fog was lifting and I could see pictures everywhere!!. I got to Westport and went to the studio to do some copying, What a fright I got, no camera, no tripod, no camera bag !! I searched high and low and with a feeling of real desperation I checked the car, there it all was in the boot!! I had it all the time ! Worryingly though, I still don’t remember putting it there!
This evening I was teaching a night class in Kiltimagh so I had to keep ignoring the sunset that was developing in my rear view mirror!!.

So todays picture of Crough Patrick was actually taken a couple of days ago.

I awoke this morning to fog, with the sun just breaking through,looked lovely but I could do nothing about it because I had left the camera in the Gallery in Westport. So instead of rushing out I stopped and had breakfast.Then I drove to Westport, its about a 45minute drive from Kiltimagh, The fog was beginning to lift and everywhere I looked I could see pictures, I kept cursing myself for leaving the camera behind last night. Anyway I got to Westport and went into the Studio to do some copying for someone. I got into a real panic when I discovered there was no camera present, no tripod either, I searched high and low and in a real panic went out to the car and would you believe I had it in the boot the whole time!!
I was in the Gallery for the rest of the day and had to return to Kiltimagh to teach a night class this evening, I had to ignore the sunset developing in my rear mirror !! So I am photographically frustrated this evening, but you never know what tomorrow might bring.

This picture of Croagh Patrick was taken a couple of days ago.

I was in the Gallery all day today mainly computer work, spent quite a bit of time chasing a computer virus that appeared on a memory card yesterday. There are a number of computers because we use them for teaching so I had to check them all, also people often bring me pictures to print on memory cards , anyway the anti-virus software was updated on them all and complete scans carried out, the little demon was captured and put in a vault!
this picture was taken on Bertra beach. I thought the sky was lovely ,don't the islands of Clew Bay look tiny under a huge sky!

This post is late going up because iIhad a technical hitch with the internet last night!! Any way the picture was taken early yesterday morning. I went to Bertra Beach, I was hoping to add one more pictures to the exhibition which starts on Sunday. I got this picture which I am calling Dreaming of Bertra, I am really pleased with it but I am not sure if it will hang with the other pictures which are all taken in evening light. The picture is made by using a long exposure and moving the camera during the exposure, what do you think ?

A very grey day today, I was out for a little while with the camera, but if Im honest the creative juices just weren't flowing so I am posting a panorama taken last week but only processed today.

The television weather forecasters had predicted a sunny day for us in Mayo today, so I was disapointed this morning to find grey cloud. The sun never really came out and I must confess that at no point did I feel inspired to rush out with the camera!! Todays picture was taken during those few magic moments I had in Mulranny a couple of days ago when every direction I looked in there was something exciting happening. This picture of cattle grazing has fantastic light and the dark sky makes the light on the forground all the more pronounced.

I had no time with the camera today, spent most of the day preparing pictures for printing, printing and mounting pictures getting ready for the Exhibition which opens next week.
I am posting another picture from yesterdays trip to Mulranny. The picture shows the view directly out from Mulranny, its tiny harbour and Croagh patrick covered in low cloud.

I went to Mulranny today to deliver some framed photographs to the Mulranny Park Hotel who are going to display them in the hotel. The weather was fantastic, bright, with at times threatening skies and sudden showers, accompanied by rainbows. Rainbows are great but they dont always appear just where you want them. This one looked lovely but it was difficult to frame it into a good picture, so I took a quick detour off the road and up this mountain track to get to a position to photograph it. And then I climbed up onto style beside a gate wall to get a better view, I had to take several photographs to get one with no rain on the lens , then the rainbow just vanished !

The day started very dull with rain.I was in the Gallery early to print and frame a couple of new pictures. We are getting ready for an exhibition for the arts festival, and are part of the mayo culuture night which happens on Friday, so I need a few new pictures up for that, and the exhibition itself starts the following week. I returned to Kiltimagh at lunch time by which time the skies had begun to clear and I took this picture near Turlough. I left the lights on the car all day and discovered when I went to leave the house this evening to teach a beginners night class! Luckily the class venue is only a quick walk ( jog) from my home.

I had a relaxing day today and with the weather turning wet I did not get out so I am posting a picture taken yesterday.

This evening I had an digital photography evening class in Kiltimagh we had lots of fun practising simple portrait techniques.

True to their word Mallory and Bruce arrived at the gallery at 6.30 am to go and photograph the sunrise. We went to old head and spent over two hours on the beach, no sign of a sunrise and plenty of rain. Cameras , camera bags and photographers all took a soaking but the enthusiasm never waned. When the sun tried to appear from behind the clouds it did so for only a few moments but that moment was enough for Mallory to make this great picture.

The sun disappeared again and we said we would go and photograph some waterfalls as they are great with no sun. as soon as Mallory had her camera on the tripod the sun came out and ruined the planned slow shutter pictures! We then did a panoramic picture of Croagh Patrick but the sun was a bit high . We then returned to the studio to process the pictures. So after two whole days it all came down to that fleeting moment on Old head beach, but you know, thats what photography is all about, capturing the moment !



Old Head beach by Mallory Richardson

There are a couple of places left on the beginners course in Westport, it starts this friday 24th sept for 6 weeks 6.30pm to 8pm cost €120

Today I had a great day teaching a two day photography workshop to just a couple of people. The weather was not great and we only got out for a short time but did alot of work in the studio. we are starting again at 6.30 in the morning! The forcast does not look great so i hope we see the sun, if only for a fwe minutes at sunrise.

Tonight I am posting a picture of the mud flats in clew bay with the tide out. this photo was taken an hour after sunset hence the blue colour, what I really like though is the water that looks like Quick silver!

Well this morning saw a big change in the weather, it was very dark and drizzled rain most of the day. Not that it mattered because I was indoors all day. I had a one to one training day . Frank wanted to work on his pictures in photo shop, we had a great day , its always great when someone really gets it!! I am hoping the weather will improve a bit tomorrow as I am starting a two day training session on Landscape photography ,and we will have to get out whatever the weather!

Today I am posting another picture from last nights sunset.

Busy day in the gallery today,I had to make a big effort to get out this evening, but I was glad I did!!!