Photography

Photography: May 2003-2014

A challenge for the readers: Go through your photographs and choose one that was taken in May and has a story.

There are my pictures.

2003 the ring of kerry  May 2003. Waterville, The Ring of Kerry. Two friends and I went for a drive, and it was a very fun trip, great seafood and stunning scenery. Almost all my pictures from this trip are gone. My friends are gone too… It seems like it was a thousand years ago…

2004 lisdowney May 2004. Lisdowney, Co Kilkenny. The story behind this picture is so sad that I won’t write it. Not now.

2005 waterfordMay 2005. Waterford, Old bridge. I used to hike two hours every day, and very often I discovered something stunning. The middle part of this old bridge was dismounted, but it still looked magnificent. I took many pictures, and was about to get off the bridge when I heard voices beneath. It is a remote place, and I didn’t feel safe, plus it was actually prohibited to walk on the bridge… So I just sat there and waited. It came out that two guys were looking for a place to drink their beer and have a chat. When they settled, I sneaked off the bridge and quietly left. Got some adrenalin:)

2006 waterfordMay 2006. Waterford. Stoney Steps. This was my favorite place when living in Waterford, and I took a lot of pictures here. I got a hard drive crash in May 2006, it is why I have just a few pictures left from this months, mostly  streets and buildings.

2007 delicate archMay 2007. Moab, Delicate Arch. Thanks to my daughter and son-in-law I finally visited this beauty. Moab is a marvelous place, and I have hundreds of photographs, but if I have to choose one, let it be the Delicate Arch:)

2008 lake powellMay 2008. Lake Powell, AZ. Rainbow bridge. This was my daughter’s graduation trip. We traveled five days and covered a large area with the most beautiful scenery ever. Why I have chosen this particular picture? When we hiked to the Rainbow bridge my daughter made us stop and said that now she’s going to sing Somewhere Over The Rainbow. And she sang…

comeraghsMay 2009. Comeragh Mountains, Clonmel. This is my favorite spot. Every time I hike I stop here to have a lunch and rest my feet. There is actually a bog all around, but this place is unusually dry and quiet. I have discovered the shortest way how to get there, and I have never run into anybody on my path hidden in rhododendron growth (people usually struggle their way up to the Holy Cross).

filipMay 2010. I have many pictures taken that May, but I want to share this one of the most beautiful creature, Filip, my sweetheart whom I knew since he was as big as a pencil. Last time I saw him in Reptile Village, Co Kilkenny, but he might be already in Dublin Zoo.

infantMay 2011. That May my daughter gave  birth to a beautiful girl. Love my sunshine!

st patricks wellMay 2012. It was a very exciting month, my kids came over and we did some traveling together. In this picture my big girl is exploring the old church at St Patrick’s Well, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

inistiogeMay 2013. Inistioge bridge, Co Kilkenny. This is a classic image. Everybody who has been to the Woodstock Gardens in Inistioge has this image. When you drive up the hill it is easy to see the spot even if nobody is parked there: all the grass is gone on this side of the road. It is the only sign, otherwise you can miss the spot easy, it is not marked. I looked forward to visiting the famous Monkey Puzzle alley, but unfortunately since my last visit in 2005 half of the trees had fallen, probably because of their old age…

 May 2014. Next week:)

Photography tip of the day: don’t be afraid to crop your pictures for different effects, but always retain your original.

inesemj_photographyHave a great day!

Kindness

I have visited with a special man, Co Kilkenny resident Pat “Patsy” Gibbons and his sweet pet foxes Grainne, Minnie and Henry. You can find their story in this article. I am going to see them again in summer.

Kindness in his eyes is flowing over straight to your heart. Every creature would feel safe in his protection.

It is OK to visit, but keep your numbers  small (2-3 people), and bring a couple of chicken legs with you:)

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Tip of the day: Taking pictures of your pets focus on the eye.  Long hair sticking around the eyes can catch the focus and make the picture blurred, so make sure you try different angles.

inesemj_photographyHave a great day!

The weather for the soul

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This beautiful fog was the reason I jumped out of my bed and run outside.  Brought home a few good shots, including this taken using a slow shutter speed technique.

Tip of the day:  Don’t focus on the darkest or the lightest areas of your composition.

inesemj_photographyHave a great day!

Everyone likes a good quote.

I have many favorite quotes, but speaking of photography I love the one from  Herman Melville whose books I read as a young girl.  “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation” he says. He doesn’t mean we don’t have to learn from the others. We do have to learn a lot if we don’t want to keep reinventing  the wheel. What we don’t have to do is compromising our vision.

If you have time, please watch this loving tribute to a great master. RIP Marvell Smith.

Please share your favorite quote with me, and tell why it touched your heart.

Tip of the day: Study your camera manual.

inesemj_photographyHave a great day!