photo blog

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.

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…

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

May 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:)

May 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.

May 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:)

May 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…

May 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).

May 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.

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

May 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.

May 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.

Have a great day!

Rapeseed field pictures

Yellow rapeseed flower field always attracts photographers. This one was a real magnet. With Slievenamon mountain in background and the birch tree alley framing it was a huge treat… locked behind a high gate… no way to get closer.

This evening on my way home I thought I might just stop and peek over the wall. What a beautiful view! A farmer truck turned to the gate right behind me and the driver rolled down the window. It was his farm, and his field, and he said i could go and take as many pictures as i wish! Happy day, lucky me! I didn’t want to take an advantage, so i just made a few shots, and left beeping the car horn with gratitude. Did he realize that he made my day?

Photography tip of the day: To reduce camera motion inhale deeply, then exhale and hold your breath while pressing the shutter release button.

Have a great day!

Saint Patrick’s Day is near!

This is one of my favorite holidays! First, because I am very grateful that Saint Patrick took care of them snakes. And second, because I love the parades!

Every town is getting ready. I took this shot another night sneaking around the Old Friary in Carrick on Suir. The green light changed all the usual night colors, and coupled with the fog it made the streets look dreamy and mysterious.

Also, I have made a Patrick’s Day card.

Tip of the day: Name your photos meaningfully and store them by years. Don’t clutter your computer, don’t keep all those flowers and waves and sunsets. Keep one of each that you like the most.

Have a great day!

The weather for the soul

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.

Have 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.