Friday 31 May 2013

Smidgeshots - 10 - Evening Sun

Is there any time of day more pleasant than the hour leading up to, and the hour of, the sunset? Especially for photography. It gives everything a nice glow to it. If taken right you can backlight your subjects, making them  pop out from the photo and, of course, look marvelous. A simple walk to Mardyke House in the City of Cork produced these beauties. Hope you enjoy.


Tree Veins:

It might be a bit early for Autumn Leaves but this tree looks amazing intersected with the dark branches.

Flower, Pretty Flower.

Pity this bugger was in the shade, if it had been lit by the setting sun it could have been brilliant, instead it is refined to the not-so-great "decent" status. Just goes to remind how important light is...

Macro Flower, Pretty Macro Flower.

 This one's a bit better, though I don't have a proper Macro lens... Still, this is a decent job of it!

Mossy 

 I just love the contrast here. Finding these little details make the hayfever worth it.

Enter the Wind Tunnel:

I think this shot has a striking look about it. It's like the center is enticing me in... "Leading lines" are used in the profession to draw you in, I suppose here the outlines of the leaves has a similar effect.

Excelsior!

"I climbed a tree, to see the world..." so go the lyrics to a great song Home by the Cinematic Orchestra. Here, however, the world is dwarfed the the majesty of this trunk! Lead the way, tree!

On Trees...

While we're discussing trees... the outline of the tree here is brilliant, if I do say so myself. More of those Leading Lines created by the water and the riverbank to the right bringing up in towards the photo. If only the sun had been nestled by the far trees...

Shine Forth!


 And speaking of nestled suns... What a great shot! Ok, so I fiddled with photoshop to really bring out those colours a bit more but I mean come on, how worth it is it?









Tuesday 21 May 2013

Smidgeshots - 9 - Instrumental

Mandolin

A beautiful instrument  about the size of a ukulele but with eight strings and a unique sound. Often found on Mumford and Sons tracks.

Hammer Dulcimer

 An ancient instrument, the prototype piano, played since the days of the Sumerians. Mentioned in the Bible and now housed in an apartment in Cork.

Guitar

Nothing like a good old guitar, especially in the hands of the McClintocks.

A McClintock

For reference: this is a McClintock. After all, what goods a musical instrument without a musician?

Saturday 11 May 2013

Smidgeshots - 8 - A Night-time Adventure

Cork's Landscape


Quite a nice shot of Cork from above. It was quite the trek up Blarney Street to find this view. The long shutter speed gives the night sky that deep blue but it did make Finbar's church look a bit swamped in yellow... still, it's all about the learning curve.

Flower, Pretty Flower


It's amazing what happens to simple, everyday things, when the night falls. These leaves look great with just a few drops of rain and some streetlamp yellow bathing them.

City Hall


What a view! The home of the Mayor, the centre of municipal Cork, looks fantastic here, with a nice red car line to boot!

Rain Tracks


Another everyday object, this time a car, transformed by a few key changes. The lines of rain glisten while the DoF helps to focus the shot. Gotta say, I'm mighty proud of this one!

Follow the Rail


If you didn't know this was a bridge you almost wouldn't be able to figure it out! There's something about a straight line which really helps to make a good photo great!

Thursday 9 May 2013

Smidgeshots - 7 - Exposure

Time Lapse!

Thirty second long exposure on Shandon street captures this beauty. More will be coming, but for now this must suffice.