Time to Bale out
I closed up the summer home in Clogherhead last saturday. Bummer. Where did the summer go? Personally, I’d have liked a bit more sun and a lot less rain, but summer’s still my favourite season, and this is my favourite place to spend it. Here’s a couple of shots I took in the field that’s facing the beach. There’s a sombre, some might even say ‘baleful’ tone that seemed to suit the day.
Croker
On a recce for a shoot next week, it’s a nice day for a stroll around Croke Park. In fact, it’s a nice day for a stroll around anything.
An Irish Summer
Here’s a few shots taken this summer on the Costa DeLouth. When the sun shone, it was glorious, but when it rained, or was dull, it was even more glorious. There’s only a few more days left of the season and I’m going to really miss this place during the winter.
Wrecked colours
Paid a visit to my favorite wreck again on monday. One of my shots got picked up on broadsheet.ie and consequently, I found out a bit about the ship and it’s history.
This is the wreck of the Irish Trader, of Hartlepool, grounded in 1974 on way to Drogheda.The notorious Littlejohn brothers, Keith and Kenneth who claimed to be British agents, hid out on the wreck while on the run here in the 70s.
Urban sparkle
I took a couple of shots of the H&M store on the corner Clarendon Row and King street, alongside the Stephen’s Green shopping centre. There’s lots of interesting shapes around town and you can get some very interesting things happening when you look closely at the reflections on the surfaces.
Up-time
Popped up to Baggot Street at lunchtime to grab a few bits of junk food – there’s plenty to choose from around there. Even in places you’re very familiar with, it’s surprising how you can always notice something new, if you look around – or more often, up.
Aviva Stadium
I took a quick walk this morning, around the back of the Aviva stadium. The light was catching it nicely for a few minutes, but was gone, even by the time I was walking back to the car.
Faded glory
There are lots of these places around Dublin. I don’t know anything about this one, on Dublin’s Richmond Road, but I imagine it was once a family business. Possibly for several generations. Now there’s not much clues as to what they did when they were open for business, but even in its decrepitude, there’s still more charm here than in most modern shopfronts. If the recession hadn’t kicked in, most of these places would have been torn down and replaced by now, so I guess that’s one reason to be thankful for the recession…
Cold bottoms and night lights
‘Crisp and bright’. That’s how you might describe this morning. I wouldn’t quite go as far as to say  it was ‘fecken freezin’, where I was standing, but I’d be pretty sure that would be how the bottom of those boats felt. I kinda liked the faint glow from the lights on deck – they remind me of the night-light we have on our landing so the kids can find their way to the bathroom at night.
Lighthouse
I got a bit ahead of myself this morning, somehow and had time to stop on the way to work. Just outside the O2, things looked quite nice in the morning light. One day, I’ll catch this lighthouse ship at just the right time of day to get the sun blasting through the lightbulb, but for now, this will have to do.
Lighthouse ship moored outside the O2
That bench again
Popped across to the seafront again this morning. The bench was still where I left it, as expected. No bike this week though.
Lonely bike
I arrived in work a bit early this morning, but not early enough to catch the sunrise. It was nice out though, so I decided to pop over to the seafront. The sky was kinda nice, but I din’t think it was interesting enough to make a good picture. I spotted this bike, locked to a bench and it seemed to be just enough to give the picture a focus. The Sandymount seafront is a pretty peaceful spot at quiet times like these and a little blurring in the foreground helped to emphasise the moodiness.
Consolation prize
I was on the bus this morning. The view was incredible. Meath looked gorgeous – thick mist hanging over the fields with beams of golden sunlight burning through. Trees, hedges, farm buildings fading out to white nothing. Lovely. But. Between the movement of the bus and the slimy dirt of the windows, it wasn’t worth taking a shot. So instead, I took a few on the liffey boardwalk when I got into Dublin. Not as good, but kinda nice all the same.
Deepest darkest Meath
I’ve taken these shots over the last few days, walking the dogs around Ratoath in the mornings before heading off to work. I’ve tweaked, sharpened, pushed and desaturated them so that they’re more a reflection of the autumn/winter mood than photos of Ratoath. One day, when I grow up, I might have an iPhone 4S and take photos with less grain, but for now, my 3Gs is all I’ve got.
