Black & White Wednesday

Going for gunpowder, another photograph from Castle Espie. On the way through the woods we passed the old gunpowder store. nothing would do but a look insider. Not sure if he found any and there was nothing on the evening news. So all good.

The gunpowder store Castle Espie.

I normally post one photograph each week on B & W Wednesday but this week I am posting another from Castle Espie. A view across Strangford lough to Scrabo Tower. I meant to post this with another view across Strangford lough I posted a few weeks back.

Looking across Strangford lough to Scrabo Hill.

Some info below:

https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie

http://celtandkiwi.com/scrabo/

Thank you for dropping by.

George.

Black & White Wednesday

Another photograph from Castle Espie this week. The photograph is of the Wishing tree at the start/finish of the Secret Swamp. The young man running towards it is my grandson, I had asked him to sit at the bottom of the tree. But running was his option not sitting, way to much energy.

The Wishing tree at Castle Espie, County Down, Northern Ireland.

In the photograph he is slightly blurred due to a low shutter speed I had set for him sitting. But I still like the effect, his wish was to run fast. I think he was granted it.

Camera: nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens.

Data: ISO 320 : f3.5 @ 1/30 second : lens focal length 39mm.

Thank you for visiting.

George McNeill.

Black & White Wednesday

Welcome to another B&W Wednesday, the photograph this week of a Cabbage White butterfly. It was taken with a 150-600 mm telephoto lens. Using a telephoto lens allows you to stand well back from your subject, less chance of spooking them.

Shot in raw format and edited in LR with the final edit in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Photographed using a Nikon D7200,

Sigma 150-600 mm lens.

ISO: 400, f8 , 1/800 sec. Lens focal length 550 mm.

Thank you for visiting and stay safe.

George.

Black & White Wednesday.

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.

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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.

 

 

Early Mornings

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.

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This shot is across County Down with the Mourne mountains in the back ground.

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The remains of a small hill farm for days long gone.

 

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Next a few of the wild life I have managed to photograph on my walks.

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A one legged Mistle Thrush. Link : Mistle Thrush

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Dunnock: Dunnock

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Chaffinch: Link Chaffinch

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A young buck and doe deer.

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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.

 

Water babies.

While photographing birds around the coast I noticed birds washing in the incoming tide. So here are some images taken around the County Down coast.

All photograph’s taken with a Nikon D7200  plus a Sigma 150 – 600 lens with a Sigma 1.4 converter and edited in Lightroom.

 

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Time to dry out.

 

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Next up is a Hooded Crow or a Grey Backs has they are locally known.

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Deep dive.

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Next two photographs of a Common Crow.

 

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He looked like he was enjoying that..

Next the gull that thought he could stop the waves.

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First a warm up.

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Command the wave to stop.

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STOP.

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More practice required.

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Hope you all enjoyed bath time.

Thank you all for stopping, feel free to comment you likes or dislikes.

George

Black and White Wednesday

This week’s photo was taken last summer on a beach on the County Down coast. It is a Grey Wagtail sitting on a litchen covered rock.

IMG_20180127_201912_183Enjoy your day and thank you for visiting.

Black and White Wednesday

Has with last weeks photo this weeks follows a similar train of thought. With little detail and blur in the image. A couple of years back I read a book that looked at how a photograph does not always have to be in focus. While unpacking some boxes from storage I came across this book and decided to explore this idea. While not being an award winning image, it is fun to step outside the box or should that be my box.

The Magpie.

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Thank you for visiting.

George.

 

Hillsborough Forest Park.

On my way back home from picking up some decorating supplies I stopped of at Hillsborough forest park. Well I needed to get some air and a break from working. With the fine weather the park was busy and a parking spot was hard to find. I was in the park around 2.30 pm. This time of year the sun starts to set around 3.30 / 4 pm.  So time to find a few shots on my walk around the lake. The low winter sun was throwing a warm light onto the lake and trees and I wasn’t the only photographer out and about.

Right lets get started.

 

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Holly and cobwebs, the low sun back lighting and adding a rim light to the leaves and stems.

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Blue skies and reflections.

 

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The light breaking through the trees spot lighted these young ferns.

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Sycamore leaf in its winter wardrobe.

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I don’t know the name off this fungus , but if you were ever a Star Trex fan it might be call the Enterprise. Google it if you never saw it.

 

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Mute swan Cygnet

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Mute Swan.

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A Cormorant taking off, it uses it feet to help it get airborne by pushing them against the water surface.

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A more peaceful image of a duck silhouetted against the brightly light  water.

Thank you for joining me,

George.

Black and White Wednesday

Hello, this week we are off to the Mourne Mountains, well Dundrum bay to photograph the mountains. With the moving cloud cover and the brighter highlights it gives a nice distinction to the landscape.

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Thank you for viewing.

George.