My favs of 2019

View from the top of Geokaun Mountain, looking out to Bengish Island (Cromwell Point Lighthouse below). Co.Kerry, Ireland. I cooked dinner and camped (car camped, post on that soon!) here. Unfortunately the clouds closed in once it got dark and heavy rain followed!

O'Brien's Tower, Cliff of Moher, Co.Clare. I was doing a housesit about 40mins away so was great to be able to get over for some post sunset shots on a lovely calm and cloudless evening.

Another car campint trip, this time to Waterford. Some lovely skies just after sunset.

I was going to spend the night here, but the tide was getting close so I retreated to the car!

I love the Skellig Islands!

A couple of great shoots last year with Leah for Cotton Threadz clothing. This was in Ebony Rose Interiors, lost of great wallpapers and couches for shots.

Bull Island is my favourite spot in Dublin, and I think this was finally the day that our Summer started!

O'Brien's Tower again, with what star constellations I couldn't tell you!

Ballydowane again. Me thinking I'm out of shot doing some light painting.

Cliff's of Insanity

Ladies bike at the gents bathing shelter.

Winter sunsets at Bull Island can be the best there are, this was a couple weeks before the Winter Solstice.

The unpoluted night skies of The Burren.

Friday evening processing

Quick sample of portrait processing...

Straight off the camera

Lightroom tweaks

1. 5x4 crop

2. Some saturation, blacks, whites and exposure tweaks

3. Some vignetting

Photoshop tweaks

1. Content aware removal of picture frame

2. Cloning out light shade

Two years and a day since my last post!

Well lets kick off with something I got back into in 2018, fashion photography. Late 2017 I got a call from an Irish women's clothing manufacturer - Cotton Threadz Clothing - looking to get some shots done, and now four seasons shoots later here are some of the shots.



Each season Debbie & Paul design a fantastic range of blouses, amazing quality and great colours and designs. They've added a blouses and a trouser suit this year. Stocked in many Irish boutiques.

Cotton Threadz Clothing
Model: Leah Cooney
Make-Up: Lara Bell Makeup (Laura O'Neill)

So with the D700 being a bit temperamental at the moment its back to the D300 for a bit, that also means I can dust of the 10.5mm (that has been neglected for far too long, its a great little lens). Back working in city centre for next while means I can get some street stuff done with it.

Get used to being dragged around shops little fella!

  Matching shoes and earphones. Both have scarves and their jackets tied. I need to know if lefty has earrings and righty has necklace under her scarf.

  Is guy in background talking to guy in foreground. Why does it look like piss in that Sprite bottle? I didn’t know Sprite was even still a thing.

  99% this is a tourist! The runners, the turned up jeans, the "fanny pack", the umbrella. Does he know I’m taking the photo?

  Friday night, ties off. Are his runners new? Are his work shoes in the Elvery’s (sports) bag? Is dinner in the M&S bag? .

  Bane got a new job.

I don't shoot many weddings but Gav is a great old friend so of course I said yes to his and Nicola's wedding in a forest in Bristol. I brought the D700 with the 24-70 and the D300 with the 50 (travelling light I was thinking of leaving this at home).

Everything was going great, lots of pre-ceremony shots, but as Nicola walked down the aisle the D700 decided it wasn't going to fire, I don't know if it was because of the heat and humidity (the front rubber buckled and came away, and the back rubber melted off) or just stupid luck.

A moment of panic set in, but I switched to the D300 and of course becuase it had the 50mm as the back....had to back up as it was too close. I switched back forth between it and the D700 (which was firing maybe one every 10 tries) and did the best I could with the ceremony. After that I had a bit of time to calm the brain down and switch lenses and shoot mainly with the D300 for the official shots, managing a few backup shots here and there with the D700.

That is why I don't shoot weddings often, but it was pleasure to shoot for Nicola and Gav, and I wish them the best of luck in their future together.

Death Do Us Part Danger Show

The great Death Do Us Part Danger Show returned to last weekends Dublin Tattoo Convention.

https://www.facebook.com/deathdouspartdangershow

https://www.facebook.com/dublininternationaltattooconvention