Daily Blog

I spent most of today in North Mayo with my friend, photographer, Monica Flannigan. Monica had kindly invited me up to visit a number of her favourite locations. The weather was exactly as forecast, wet and windy. We travelled anyway as the plan was to find places that could always be revisited. I travelled 200miles today, parts of North Mayo are just so expansive that you seemed to be travelling all day just to get to different locations. There were not many pictures taken due to the weather and some were taken as an aid memoir for future visits. I also made a number of entries into the Sat Nav so that I will find my way back. I am not a great map reader, and I discovered today that Monica isn’t either! At one point today we parked the car and tried to get our bearings using an Ordnance survey Map. After about 10 minutes we were fairly sure we had found ourselves on the map, but decided to ask a man we met on the roadside building a fence, if he could confirm where we were. Pat Mullarkey was his name and he was a font of knowledge giving us a potted history of the area and was able to give us very detailed history of the Big House and the Lords and ladies who had lived there. Anyway after our history lesson Pat took our map and attempted to show us our position. After a few moments pondering the map Pat looked up and declared “ you’ve got the wrong map”!!!
We had thought that the Ordnance survey people had just neglected to draw the bridge we were looking at !!
Anyway we went on and visited a number of fantastic locations all of which were noted for return on a better day.



This Beetle was one of the first things I saw today, I had to take shelter from the rain behind my own car to get the photograph, but I could not pass it by as I once owned a beetle the same colour as this one, and not too dissimilar a condition!!.


You can see some of Monica's photgraphy at http://www.flickr.com/photos/omnishots.
Thanks Monica for a great day!

I was in the Gallery all day today so took no photographs.
This evening it was very dark, very early with heavy black clouds and rain. So I am posting a picture taken in similar circumstances earlier in April, me and the camera are under an umbrella !. Even though it was very dark the small break in the clouds created some magical light.




Tomorrow I am meeting my friend Monica for a tour of North Mayo. The forecast is not good , similar to today but you never know we might get the odd break in the clouds, lets hope so.

Often when taking photographs it can be difficult to record details that we can see with our eyes. This is due to the limitations of the electronic sensor . One way around this issue is to double process the picture. Waterfalls would be typical of the kind of photograph where this technique is most useful .
This evening I led a night class , we looked at double processing digital files in photoshop to get as much detail as possible from an image. By taking the original photograph in RAW we can open it twice.

Firstly we opened the file and processed it once for the highlight detail and ignoring the shadows allowing them to go completely dark


In this picture the water is good but the shadow areas are too dark.


Then we process the file a second tile for the shadow detail.


In thios picture the water is completely burnt out, but the shadow detail is good.


We then placed one image on top of the other and by erasing different parts of the top image we end up with an image that has detail in both the shadow and highlights.


this is the final image, a combination of the two previous images, there is detail in both the shadow and highlight areas of the photograph.

Photography is about making images, as a Landscape photographer I often use long shutter speeds to show movement in water and skies.
I have recently begun experimenting with some abstract images of the mayo coastline, these two pictures were made on Carronisky Beach on two different occasions. Using a slow shutter speed to show movement in the water but also moving the camera during the exposure results in an abstract image.




I had great fun doing it and enjoyed the fact that I never knew for sure exactly how the picture would turn out.



What do you think... is it landscape?

Well the rain finally arrived today ! It seems like ages since it rained, we quickly forget when we get a dry patch that rain is so frequent here. Any way I did not go out with the camera but I have a couple of photographs from earlier in the week.
As a landscape photographer I am always trying to “construct” my photographs. I would carefully place items in the picture, using the rule of thirds, looking for forground interest, leading lines etc. I will often walk around a scene several times to find the best viewpoint before considering exposure etc.
This week I took a couple of Photographs which could not be more different in terms of content and composition and still I think both work.
The first of Croagh Patrick was taken from the side of the Leenane Road, I was parked in an awkward spot and went to grab my picture. As I composed I removed most of the field in the foreground as it had nothing in it, but just as I turned away the farmer herded his sheep and lambs across the field.



I was delighted and grabbed another few frames, the sheep complete the picture, providing the foreground interest .

Yesterday as you know I was out on the bike at Clogher lough, as I turned to go back to my bike I looked at the empty field behind me, and was struck by the scene. I still don’t know why, I think it reminded me of the Windows desktop background!! .
Anyway I took the picture. There is no forground interest, the picture is cut in two across the middle, no rule of thirds , and yet I still like it, I have tried cropping to create thirds but it just seems well balanced.



So much for the rules!

Another good day in Mayo, very overcast today but pleasent all the same. I had one hour free this afternoon for photography, but I also needed to take some exercise so I strapped my compact Panasonic camera to the handlebar of my bike and set off. I decided to have a look at Clogher lake, between Westport and Fahy. As I said already it was very overcast and there was very little colour in the lake so I looked around for other things to photograph.



There are definitely some advantages to viewing the country side from a bike, for a start you can see over all the ditches , you can also see things in the ditches, like these violets


, and its easier to stop and chat, like when I met this donkey.


The poor thing ran away when I approached the gate first, but I can imagine I probably looked just a little strange in my shorts, high viz vest and blue cycle helmet!
Anyway he eventually came around .
There are also some disadvantages to biking for photography, firstly there is the whole issue of what gear to bring, I normally carry a bag with SLR Camera three or four lenses, filters , filters holders etc etc and of course a heavy tripod. I could not carry all that on the bike so limited myself to the compact camera, I bought this camera four years ago so as I would always have a camera with me, but I must admit I don’t use it very often. Being a stickler for quality I find there is too much noise in the photographs and so don’t use it that often. However I did enjoy using it today. The camera has all the controls that are available on my SLR so I am still able to make adjustments for exposure etc. The one thing this camera ,and indeed many compact cameras, lack, is an an eyepiece viewfinder. I find this really irritating, putting a camera to my eye seems such a vital part of the whole process of engaging with the scene in front of me. Holding the camera at arms length to compose through the viewer on the back is just awkward .
There are two other disadvantage of biking for photography ? ...................Hills, and arriving at a lakeside sweating, the midges were thrilled, its like I was cooked to perfection.

The good weather continues and the landscape is changing rapidly. Suddenly the trees appear dressed! There seem to be flowers everywhere. So this morning I decided to take a walk in the local woods to photograph the white wood anenomes.



The first picture shows a single flower, it is really delicate and beautiful.




The second picture with the key is just to show scale because it can be hard to judge from the close up picture.

I decided I should show the carpet these flowers form on the woodland floor, but I needed some balance on the right side of the picture,



Lady (my daughter Grainne's dog )was happy to fill the space for me.

Another lovely day in Mayo and for a second day I was unable to get out with the camera. Its terrible when life gets in the way of Photography! I was driving away from a developing sunset this evening all the time wishing I could turn the car around but I just had no time to stop. I always feel in these situations that I might be missing the big one! Anyway the sunset did not develop and it actually got dark quickly, so I felt almost relieved!! Very sad I know! Anyway I am posting a picture taken just after sunset on Sunday night over clew bay. What you can’t see in the picture is the wind, which was coming straight off the sea and was really cold. This panoramic view consists of six individual photographs “stitched together on the computer”

I did not get out with the camera today but I took these few pictures yesterday morning.
The first is taken at Carrowkennedy I was attracted by the small group of trees that seemed to reflect the mountain behind.



I then went a little further down the road to the Errif woods. I took a couple of pictures here but was running late and needed to head back to open the gallery. I must plan an early morning trip to errif in the very near future.

I was out early this morning and went to Carrowkennedy and Errif woods, I returned to open the Gallery at 10am and was in the Gallery when my friend Michael , also a keen photographer ,phoned me to say the view across Bertra was lovely and I should get out for a photograph. Patricia covered for me so I nipped out to Berta and Michael was right, the visibility across clew bay from Bertra was as clear as I have ever seen. There was certainly no sign of any Icelandic ash in the air.!!



I was sure at 2pm when these pictures were taken that it was so clear that the sunset would be spectacular however low heavy cloud came in from the west around 8pm and the sun set early with no colour.



I am delighted that from today it is now possible for readers of the blog to leave comments, a number of people have complained about the lack of a feedback option, well here it is! I look forward to the feedback. Please be aware however that I have to approve the feedback before it will appear, this is to avoid spam, so there could be a time delay between you leaving a comment and it appearing on the blog.
Thanks!

I went out to Murrisk early this morning to photograph the famine Memorial. The light was just right and being early on a Sunday morning there was very little traffic. I did have a frustrating few minutes when a couple of people stood " in my shot" taking their own pictures, the sun kept going in and out behind clouds and I was afraid it would not return, but it did.

I spent the day in the Gallery today . Apart from s short gap in the morning when I visited a customers home to take family photographs for a childs confirmation.
When I did get out this evening the light was very poor, so I decided I would post a photograph from yesterday. I photographed this bathtub several years ago and called the picture Bath with a view. Yesterday the light was much better than the previous time I had photographed so I thought I might replace the earlier image.
Last year there was some controversy about this bath when a visitor from Dublin contacted Mid West Radio to complain about how the people of Mayo disrespect the countryside and just through their old baths away in fields, where tourists can see them!!!




This bathtub is in fact a water trough for cattle.

I spent the day in the Gallery today, and just made it down to the quay in Westport to see the sun set.

What a day I’ve had today!
I started early, having taken my photographs on Bertra beach last night, I went to “Old Head” another beach to see where the sunrise would be this morning. My wife Patricia recently bought me a sun compass. Its an amazing little device which allows to to predict very accurately where the sun will rise and fall in any location at any time of the year. I have referred recently on earlier posts to the movement of the sunset and sunrise, you really would be surprised by how much it moves. Anyway I decided I would get to Old Head before sunrise and the sun came up in exactly the position the sun compass had predicted. As sunrises go it wasn’t the best due to low cloud, but as the sun lifted I got a couple of good pictures.



After Old head I visited another couple of locations on my back to Westport and did not get back until 10.30 !




I had been out four and a half hours and only travelled about 12 miles.
Any way when I got back I framed a large panoramic photograph that I had printed yesterday, I was thrilled with how it had turned out and thought it looked great. So I really was on top of the world, photographed a sunrise, produced a lovely framed print, and I had great plans for the afternoon, Then I discovered I had lost the key of the car! Well actually my wife’s car!! And no we don’t have a spare!! So I spent much of the afternoon retracing my steps , emptying my pockets again and again, emptying the camera bag again and again , but all to no avail . No problem says I, we’ll call the Citroen Garage. They said “No problem we can have a new key for you on Tuesday. TUESDAY! !! Did I mention my tripod is in the car, as is my hardrive full of pictures as is the paper trimmer I use for finishing prints and making cards ! now its one thing to be without the car for a few days , its quite another to be without my tripod!!

Anyway I huffed and puffed for the rest of the day and to try and finish on a positive note I framed another large print. The print is 42 inches (107cm) long and took a long time to frame. Patricia finished off by taping up the back of the frame, this took about twenty minutes to do well and Patricia did it really well, turned the print over to admire the finished product, I cant say what she said, and then what I said when she pointed out that I had not signed the print ! We just went home...tomorrow is another day.






The day finished well however ,as I judged the Landscape competition in the Mayo Photographic Club there were some really good photographs.

Another lovely day in Mayo. I went out this evening to Berta beach just in time for the sunset. Once again though it was a little disappointing as there was a real lack of colour, still I got a few pictures that I liked. These photographs were taken approx 30 minutes after the sun had disappeared, it usually takes about half an hour for the colours to develop fully after a sunset.


Clew Bay from Bertra.



Grasses on Bertra's Dunes


Twilight over Bertra

Another sunny day in Mayo. Most people are very happy about the weather, but not me!! Too hazy, visability is limited and contrast levels are just too high! I’m a bit of an old scrooge really! I had a few minutes late in the afternoon to get my “ picture of the day” The high contrast levels suit Black and white

Another bright and hazy day here in Westport. This evening I was leading an evening class, we decided to go out with our cameras as it was such a lovely evening and photograph a sunset. We drove across a causeway onto one of the islands of Clew Bay. The wind was coming from the East and truthfully would cut you in two! Due to the haze the colours we hoped for did not materialize. But it was lovely to watch the sunset. We were on location about 40 minutes before the sun set so had plenty of time to experiment with composition and exposures, but it is incredible how quickly the sun actually sets and the last few minutes was a flourish of activity.





The twilight lacked colour but it was still pretty.

I have to begin with a correction from Yesterdays blog , I said the photographs were taken on Lough Carra, It was actually Lough Mask! So here is another picture from yesterday’s trip to Lough Mask.




The weather in Mayo was fantastic today, bright sun and blue skies. Not a great day for photography due to very high contrast levels and a haze that reduced visibility considerably. As it happened I was in the Gallery today and also busy in the evening. When I realized I was not going to get out in the evening I decided to get a picture in the town, so I took a few minutes to cross the river and take this picture of the Mall in Westport, you can see my gallery “Images of Mayo” in the bottom right hand corner of the picture with its blue shop front.

One of the most useful pieces of photographic equipment I have is the Sat Nav in the car. Firstly, because I can explore all kinds of backroads looking for photographic locations knowing I will always find my way home, and secondly because when I do find a good location I can store it in the Sat Nav memory, and return at a future date.
Today I was travelling back from Cork, it was a beautiful day and I wondered where I might get a picture this evening, I knew that if I drove straight home I would reach Westport just before sunset. As I drove through Headford in Galway I pressed the favourites button on the Sat Nav. Up came the nearest four favourite sites. One of them was an entrance “lake like burren” I had made that entry two years ealier when I had discovered this spot on one of my backroad explorations. I did not realize at the time that the lake was Lough Carra and my entry was simply a description to jog my memory.
So I pressed OK on the Sat Nav and arrived at Lough Carra near Ballinrobe about 30 minutes before sunset.
I took a number of photographs before, during, and after sunset. Remarkably all these photographs are taken within 100meters of each other. It was a fantastic evening and my passengers, Barry my son and Grainne my daughter showed remarkable patience as I ran around trying to capture as many views as I could.









This picture qwas taken half an hour after the sun went down.

It is hard to believe but it is exactly one month since my Dad, Eugene died. So I took no photographs today. I am in Cork for the “months mind” . We had Mass in the house with family and friends and remembered my Dad.



I am posting a photograph taken several months ago of a sunset on Carronisky Beach.