My image this week is part of a Hawthorn tree. It was growing near the top of a hill and the rising sun was back lighting the young leaves. It makes a good colour image but my thoughts were the tones it would show in B&W. I’ll leave you to judge the image for yourself.
Nikon D7200 with a Sigma C 150-600 mm lens.
Shot at f5 using the 150mm setting on the lens and ISO 800.
Feedback always welcome.
Stay safe.
George
Welcome to B & W Wednesday where I post a B&W photograph taken some time in the last month. This weeks image was picked because I loved the texture of the hair and the light reflecting in the eye.
It is the face of a cow, we came face to face at the top of a hill. Well not this close, She started to approach me and I shot a few images. This was edited in Lightroom and finished in Nik Silver Efex Pro, my favorite for black and white finishing.
Camera Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 150-600 lens. Shot at f5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO400 at 185mm focal length.
Feel free to comment, like or dislike.
Thank you for visiting. Stay safe.
George.
This photograph was taken on one off my early morning walks in the Dromara hills. Shot using a Nikon D7200 with a Tamron SP 70 – 200mm len. Raw file edited in Lightroom and finished in Nik Silver Efex Pro.
Looking across the Dromara hills to the Mourne mountains in the background.
Thank you for visiting.
George..
Been a while since I posted a Black and white photo on B&W Wednesday. So time to get started again.
A Hover fly shot in the evening light with a Nikon D7200 and a Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Thank you for visiting
George.
My how life has changed for most of us, restrictions, work closures and social distancing to name a few. So for the last six weeks I’ve been at home, fuel prices are down the weather is great but I can’t go anywhere. Travel restrictions are in force so traveling to the coast is not going to happen. I have been walking in my local area and get out for sunrise most morning. I walk in a local wood for a few hours and explore trails that take me away from the beaten path. I don’t carry my camera every morning but will use my mobile/cell to photograph sunrise’s and landscapes in the woods. I post to Instagram most days, link at the bottom of the page. So any photos on this blog are taken with my Nikon DSLR. The following where taken over a period of time.
This shot is across County Down with the Mourne mountains in the back ground.
The remains of a small hill farm for days long gone.
Been trying to find out more about this Cross on a distance hill. (most of this photos are shot with a telephoto lens which creates a compressed perspective). I have been told it was a site of a Mass rock. Link: Mass rock
Will be finding out more about this cross and I have to find if there is public access to it.
A cool frosty morning in this shot with frost lying on the fields in the foreground and the hills on the other side of Belfast in the background. A view around 25 miles away. The next shot is to the west and is of Scrabo Tower above the town of Newtownards in County Down. Again this would be around 25 mile away. Link: Scrabo
Given the warm weather we have been having and the cold nights we get the valley’s full with mist early morning and late evening.
Where I grew up in Ireland these mists were known has ghost mists due to the distortion effect on objects around you. If you saw somebody walk into the mist you would understand why….
Going to finish the landscape side with another old hill farm shot, this you can just see through a gap in the trees.
Next a few of the wild life I have managed to photograph on my walks.
A one legged Mistle Thrush. Link : Mistle Thrush
Dunnock: Dunnock
Chaffinch: Link Chaffinch
A young buck and doe deer.
These photographs are of Roe deer. I was lucky to get these shots has the first sight or smell of humans and they disappear . I still had my camera in hand has I make my out of the woods, just rounding a bend I spotted them feeding. I slowly pushed into the foliage beside me and stood still. Having a 150 – 600mm lens on the camera helped me get these shots.
I have a list of the birds and animals still to photograph, so my early morning walks will continue while work is suspended.
Thank you for joining me on my walk.
Stay safe and well.
George.
It was high tide on the County Down coast and I knew then would be little happening concerning wildlife. But also knowing high tide brings the seals to Cloghy rocks. It was a high tide has it covered the rock but the seals were there.
Heads and tails has they lay on the rocks below.
Next a couple of gull shots.
Blackheaded gull still in winter plumage.
Herring gulls.
The old windmill overlooking Portaferry.
And the final image a monochrome shot of a Mute swan taken on the Qouile River, Downpatrick.
Thank you for visiting and wherever you are stay safe.
George.
Here we are in March 2020 and I’m writing the first blog post of the year. It’s been a busy couple of years here in my world. Had and have some plans for the site for the start of the year but I’m a little behind, now we have the Coronavirus ( COIID-19) spreading across the world. With every aspect of life effected some of my projects might have to be sidelined for awhile depending on travel restrictions.
So I have been out a few times with the camera around the coast here in Northern Ireland, so below are some for the birds wintering here.
Ringed plover.
Black headed Gull
Barred tailed Godwits
Little Egret
Brent Geese
These were all taken at Strangford lough. Here
Thank you for visiting and hope you enjoyed my images, please comment on this post.
George
Hello my friends, well the rain stopped and the sun make a weak showing. So nipped down to the County down coast which is a half hour drive from home. The tide was out and there where plenty on bird life around. but it was to far out on the mudflats for photography. Would have waited for the incoming tide to push them back to the shore but the light drops here around 3.30pm (2.45pm when I got there) and will be dark an hour later.
There were just a few Redshank’s close to the shore, feeding on whatever lives under this liquid mud. So without boring you I’ll post a few photos of these small waders.
Grabbed a few shots of Rooks flying from the tree behind me.
The next shots were me just playing around with a redshank photo in B&W.
I hope you enjoyed this quick trip to the coast with me.
Before I go I want to wish you all Season’s Greeting, and THANK YOU all for your support over the year.
May all your wishes be granted in 2020.
Happy new year.
George..
With many changes in my life over the last two and a half years my blog has fell by the wayside. Slowly getting the time to get back out with the camera, so hopefully I’ll get posting a few more posts here.
A quick check on the tide tables I knew I could get to Dundrum inner bay for the incoming tide. This means the wildlife feeding on the mudflats gets pushed closer to me and my camera. So getting in to a good hiding spot that gives a clear view I await the tide and hope the dog walkers don’t come near me. Has the birds come closer to shore they are not coming my way. This is a waiting game and one I don’t mine. More time to watch nature and enjoy the breeze thats picking up. At least its blowing inland.
A Grey Heron feeding in a fresh water river that runs onto the coastal mudflats. Shot this short video on the spur of the moment and has you can see I was not set up for video. This is something I have been thinking about doing more off, so watch this space.
Black tailed Goodwit, this is a first for me. I have never seen these birds in this area before so was lucky to get a few shots.
Not the greatest photo but you see where it got it’s name.
With the tide filling this small bay I move a halfmile down into the main bay. Shot these next couple of photo while on the move.
R.im lighting
And a Rook with a shell silhouette.
This were my last shots before high tide. T.he beautiful Little Egert.
Thank you for joining me here at Dundrum. It’s in Co.Down Northern Ireland, just a few miles from the Mourne mountains. The Bay is a protected nature reserve with a walk on the old railway enbankment running the length of the bay.
Stay safe,
George..
It’s been a few years since i stood on the top of Slieve Croob, so with a warm dry evening I packed the camera and drove to the car park at the foot of the service road. This gives a short walk up a steep tarmac private road to the top just over a mile away. Some things never change has the winds increase and the temperature drops on the climb upward. With the evening still bright I took my first photographs near the top with views across the Dromara hills with the Mourne mountains in the background.
In the photograph above you can see the coastal town of Newcastle in County Down nested at the foot of the Mournes.
With the evening rolling in you can see the start of an evening mist forming in the valley’s.
After a short climb up pass the communication masts you reach the top of Croob with it’s stone cairn and trig point.
The remains of the Cairn on the right and the trig point on the left being lit with the warn light of a setting sun.
I sat for a while in the lee of the cairn and enjoyed the silence and beauty has the sun set lower in the sky. Starting the walk back down I took a few more shots.
Some more has I and the sun got lower..
In this shot the dark line in the middle of the photo is the source of the River Lagan has it starts it’s journey to meet the sea at Belfast.
My last shot of the evening has I was shooting hand held.
Thank you for joining me on my evening on Slieve Croob.
George McNeill Photography 
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