The latest edition of the In the Field vLog is now on line. This edition has me located at the mouth of Ireland's River Boyne photographing the navigation beacons that can be found at the mouth of the river against the most colourful dawn sky I have ever seen.
The latest edition of my "In the Field" series is now live on youtube. This episode takes me to the shoreline of Carlingford Lough in County Louth Ireland. The location, overlooked by the Mourne mountains is beautiful, and one I will return to frequently in the coming months.
Irish Landscape photography vLog, with Landscape photographer Peter McCabe. In this edition of In the Field, I make an early morning trek to the shores of the beautiful Carlingford lough, on Irelands East Coast. Nestled between the Cooley Hills and Mourne mountains, it is a place of beauty.
I recently spent two days exploring the backroads and headlands around Irelands Dingle Peninsula. With its dramatic coastline and wonderful views out towards the Blaskett Islands the location is a landscape photographers dream.
The results can be viewed on my latest In the Field vLog below.
I have been back in County Donegal Ireland, perhaps my favourite Irish County to get lost with a camera in.
On one evening I spent a wonderful two hours photographing the beautiful Trá Mór beach near the village Carrigart. That adventure has been captured in the blog below.
Last weekend saw me back on the Cooley Hills, scrambling through dew soaked grass to catch the sunrise over Carlingford Lough and the Mourne mountains. This part of Ireland is beautiful and I really need to get up here more. The results of the excursion can be seen on my "In the Field" report video log below.
"In the Field" Carlingford Lough and The Cooley hills at dawn. Capturing sunrise over the Cooley Mountains and Carlingford Lough County Louth Ireland. Camera Gear: Canon 5DMK11 16-35 - F4L Lee Filters Manfrotto Tripod Video shot on an iPhone 6
Last Friday, I returned to a location that photographically speaking has proven a happy hunting ground. This trip was no different, with mist creeping up the River Boyne and the sun popping through conditions were ideal. The video log can be viewed below.
Continuing my close to home theme, I paid a visit to the coastal village of Clogherhead, purely to get out and get the creative juices flowing. Conditions, weren't ideal, everything was to calm!! The sea thrift I hoped to capture amongst the rocky shoreline were about two weeks away from blooming. Still I made the most of it, the vblog and some of the images I captured can be viewed below.
Photographing the Irish coastline around Clogherhead County Louth Ireland.
I have been staying a little closer to home in recent weeks, which has taken me to some old and new locations that I haven't been to in years. One such location is a stretch of coastline between Dunany and Togher County Louth, offering wonderful views across Dundalk Bay to the Cooley Peninsula.
Check out the YouTube video I made, some images are below.
Last week I spent a few hours in and around Clifden capturing some images for a client. In an effort to expand my knowledge of youtube & self produced video content I thought I'd use that visit to document my short visit. The results can be seen below. I have so much to learn!!
Oh God, apparently there is another social outlet I need to get involved in. That outlet, Youtube. I have been frequent visitor over the years, but now according to the people in the know I need to be there. With that in mind, my first youtube offering can be found below;
In the meantime I need to go shopping for some Go-Pros for Youtube purposes :(
Michael Melford has long been a favourite photographer of mine, if you get a chance sit back and watch his wonderful insight into the world of Landscape photography - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5iLnn2VI2h4
At some stage every photographer experiments with presets and plugins, I am no different, though I have to admit I have something of a love hate relationship with them. Lately I have been experimenting with Lightroom Presets in an effort to speed up my workflow and to give me some ideas on how I could tweak images.
I am in the midst of creating my own set of landscape presets which I will share later this year. In order to give a taste of what they will look like I thought I’d share one presets titled " Donegal Summer" which can be downloaded by clicking the link.
Below is a before and after example. The after example has also been enhanced further by using the curves tool.
Lightroom presets are pretty easy to install. If you are unfamiliar with the process then check out this You tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0eAUSooBk (not mine)
Nature is inspiring, the little moments of joy it provides are magical. So this morning on a very wet International Dawn Chorus day 2015, I recorded this Blackbird singing. Uplifting :)
SOUND REQUIRED (turn up the speakers)
Issue 26 of Extraordinary Vision Outdoor Photography magazine, The number 1 photography magazine for tablets and smartphones - features an article by myself entitled "Ireland's Wild West", along with a selection of my own Irish landscape photographs.
The magazine is available on iOS and Android from the following urls:
The January 15 edition on the online photography mag - Landscape Photography magazine published an article Behind the scene" and features images from County Mayo and Connemara County Galway. The magazine is subscription based, but its well worth checking out.
One of the problems with supplying image for stock is that you never really know where the image ends up getting used. So its always a suprise when you come across your images when flicking through books or magazines.
The seascape to the right (no 1) was taken in Clogherhead Co Louth and was used in the 2014 Lonely Planet Ireland guide.
Tramore, Co Donegal
Early October 2014 saw me back in my home from home "Donegal" leading the second of my photo landscape photography workshops. Mother nature put on a spectacular display of beauty, some of the images from the tour can be viewed on Storehouse.co at the following URL Donegal Autumnal Photo Tour. Well worth checking out.
Increasingly it seems I take more and more images with an iPhone. The freedom it gives to sketch / experiment at a location is perhaps why I find myself leaving the DSLR in the camera bag and enjoying the creative freedom these small camera phones bring.
Granted, they have a long way to go in terms of resolution, which falls apart the moment you zoom. But it has me wondering, will the day come when I can leave the DSLR permanently in the camera bag, and rely solely on a smartphone?
iPhone Panoramic; Loughcrew Rainbow
Loughcrew Cairns - Co Meath
There are some locations I associate with sunrise more than sunset, and this evenings location, The Cairns at Loughcrew, or Sliabh na Cailli (Hills of the Witch) in Gaelic, in Co Meath is definitely one of them.
On top of Loughcrew, the wind is warm but strong enough to cause camera shake, especially with a 70-200mm lens in place. To overcome those concerns, the shutter speed is increased by bumping up the ISO, and as ever the camera is tripod mounted.
Below, evening light rakes the landscape, and as I peer through the viewfinder the challenge is a composition that excludes the foreground clutter and the dwelling of to the right.
Waiting to trip the shutter, part of me is torn. Shouldn't I really be photographing the 3500yr old passage tomb that aligns with the Spring and Autumnal equinox that this location is famous for?
County Meath, Ireland
With the sun sinking, and the shadows creeping across the landscape, the shutter is tripped. A quick check of the histogram and everything looks good. No blocked shadows, no blown highlights, and no foreground clutter.
Now back to the Cairn, to see if I can get a picture of what I really came here for!!.
Anyone who has ever heard me talk or rant, knows I have somewhat of a love hate relationship with the Lee Big Stopper. Its purpose, to drastically reduce the amount of light hitting the camera's sensor (by up to 10 stops), is something that camera manufacturers could implement as a "feature" on modern SLRs. Until they do, Lee are filling that gap with a piece of glass that transforms day into night.
Using the filter is tricky, but what is undeniable is its ability to transform something into nothing. Seconds become minutes, and minutes become hours. Leaving the user with a set of moody ghostly images.
( L) 1/3sec @F11, (R) 121 sec @ (F8)
Above, this image taken at the base of Howth Head in County Dublin shows were I am coming from. Taken at practically the same location, the rather dull image on the left taken at 1/3rd of a sec @F11 is transformed by the use of the "Big Stopper". A third of a second becomes two minutes, and that rather dull snapshot morphs into something a little more interesting.
The example, below shows its capability again.
Here perched on the edge of the rocky Inis Oirr coastline, seconds become minutes and a rather dull image is transformed into something a little more.
(L) 1/30th @F11 (R) 15sec @ F11
If you are thinking of buying one, or its new cousin The "little stopper" then have a look at the exposure card from Lee below. Be prepared for lots of standing around waiting. Not for the light but the camera this time :)
Lee Big Stopper Exposure Guide
