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Ireland isn't
particularly noted for it's thatches in the manner that England
is, but Adare in County
Limerick does boast a classic collection in the heart of the
village.
Thatched roofs generally last 80 years. The Irish love their
coloured window frames, and the red flowers are Geraniums.
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To the
west of Killarney, County Kerry,
as one sets off on the famed 'Ring of Kerry',
the first stop of interest is the old multi-spanned Beaufort
Bridge over the River Laune.
Oxeye Daisies add some depth and foreground interest which is best
captured with wide-angle and an aperture of around f.16.
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A
somewhat typical Irish scene regularly photographed in
County Kerry. |
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Early light on the
Sky road is the place to be when we stay near Clifden in
mountainous Connemara. This unpretentious thatched home has
appeared on several postcards and one can see why. The dark mound
to the left is Peat which is cut from boggy moorland, and burnt
for warmth.
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Northern Ireland's Antrim coastline one will find the
moody Dunluce castle perched on a cliff-edge under a moody sky,
and a graduated gray filter will add to the drama under all but
blue skies. The castle' s torrid history came to a close
one stormy night in 1639 when the kitchen and staff fell into the
raging ocean during a banquet. |
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A County
Kerry still-life number #. These shots can be seen just about anywhere, but
you have to 'see' them first. As a photo-trip leader it is my job
to find these shots and make it happen. You'll never hear me say
"there is nowhere to stop"! |
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flower grows along rugged coasts over most of the British Isles,
and is my favourite. The Brits call it Sea Thrift, but it is also
known as Sea Pink and California Thrift. The technique is a
favourite of mine too, i.e. selective focus. It almost doesn't
matter if your subject is moving in the wind as a wide aperture
will give you a fast shutter speed. Simple and very effective I
think you'll agree. |
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While traversing the
narrow and spectacular Torr Head road, again on the Antrim coast,
we happened upon farmer Paul McCormick inoculating lambs.
Such 'happenstance' is part of any trip, and the group took a series of pictures to record events and then Paul also
afforded us some great portraits of himself.
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Dawn on the first full day of all my
Irish trips finds
my groups at Malahide Harbour
north of Dublin.
One never knows what the light might do, but in the British Isles one can count
on clouds to make things interesting.
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My
group of 4 had taken the healthy walk out
to the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge under sunny skies, but then the
clouds gathered as we returned.
A short, sharp shower was followed by this rainbow which we shot
in earnest. The body of water is Rathlin Sound off the Antrim
coast.
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The Giant's Causeway
is another Antrim coast attraction with it's 5-sided rock pillars
tightly knit together in a mosaic of granite. There is a similar
strata to the north at Fingal's Cave in the Scottish
Hebridean islands, and legend has it that a giant laid down the
rock on the sea floor as a method of commuting between the two
places. My method for close-ups on the ground that 'face up' is to
use a tripod and 200mm lens to frame the subject.
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Hidden
among the deciduous forests of western County Galway is Kylemore
Abbey which is Tudor-Gothic in style and dating to a 'young' 130 years old. The building has been occupied by Benedictine Nuns
since 1920 who operate an international girls school there.
Wide-angle, about f11-f16 and then wait for the light to hit just
where you'd like it to hit.
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Janet Wright of
Vashon Island, Washington, points her camera at some sheep's wool
during the 2001 Travel Images photo trip to Ireland. Such
stops on narrow, winding but quiet lanes are typical on all my trips.
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Out on
County Clare's rock-scape known as the Burren one can find the
Poulnabrone Dolmen. It is a portal tomb sitting upon a
limestone plateau and
dates to around 2,000 years BC. It is now exposed after the
earth in and around the tomb was washed away over a period of many
centuries. I love nothing more than getting down low and shooting
such subjects against a cloudy sky with a grad gray attached.
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Northern Ireland's
Mourne Mountains in County Down were immortalized in song, and in
this image the dark peak of Slieve Muck dominates at 2,700'.
The mountain slopes are a patchwork of dry-stone walls, whitewashed
farmhouses and yellow Gorse. There was no foreground included here
so it's a simple matter to use a fast shutter speed and an
aperture of around f5.6.
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1
of 2: Somewhat
in the middle of nowhere in County Sligo one can find post boxes
such as this built into barn walls. Rural life in the
British Isles has resisted many of the changes that have afflicted
many other cultures in recent decades.
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2 of
2: Another variation on the postal theme with this one being
spotted in a remote village in County Donegal.
Get a 'square on' as you can with these type of shots.
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Celtic design on a cape worn by a young Irish dancer. The 'C' in
Celtic is 'hard' and pronounced Keltic. |
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The
Connemara town of Clifden on the west coast, and well worth the
small hike up a nearby hill at the end of the day.
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juxtaposition of a Celtic standing stone, and village church in
Glencolumbkille, County Donegal. The name derives from St. Columba whose influence
stretched from Ireland to the Isle of Iona in the Scottish
Hebrides. |
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The town of Galway,
today with it's chronic traffic problems, has long been a center
of Irish grass-roots culture but in recent years a new Galway icon
has developed. It is the myriad of Mute Swans that linger in
the harbour year-round and provide many photo opportunities for
photographers!
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Out on
the Dingle peninsula on Ireland's rugged west coast one is likely
to find folk vacationing in these 'Gypsy caravans'. They are
a throwback to the days of old, and finding them in County Kerry
reflects the slower pace of a region noted for a simpler way of
life. This was shot with a 200mm lens to 'compress' the
perspective.
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The setting sun out
on the Atlantic ocean illuminates wildflowers, and makes a stark silhouette of O'Brien's Tower that sits atop the Cliffs of Moher
in County Clare. The tower was constructed in 1835 as a
viewing point for Victorian tourists. Can you spot the
'face' on the steep cliff? When one has foreground detail so
close, it is prudent to expose at an aperture of around f16-f22
for sharpness front to back
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