Last night, suffering from a little “I spend too much time inside in front of my computer”, [...]]]> I live in North Dublin. Apparently it’s the sticks but frankly, it has a postcode, the buses are pretty frequent and on average take around 15 minutes to get to town so it qualifies as the city for me.

Last night, suffering from a little “I spend too much time inside in front of my computer”, I decided to go and shoot the sunset. The fact that the sun was around to set was an added incentive, but I’ve done Clontarf to death, done Portmarnock to death, done Skerries to death and done Balbriggan to death. I wanted to go somewhere new seascapy, and the choice was north or south.

As it happens, a few weeks/months ago (time goes by so fast), one of my friends had taken me around parts of Dalkey because I was interested in where you might go climbing in Dublin, and amongst the places I was taken that day was Bullock Harbour. I can’t ever remember being there before although I know I attempted to explore Dalkey before many years ago. Anyway, absent any better offers, last night I went to back to Bullock Harbour having not found anything to attract me in Blackrock or Dun Laoghaire, and much standing around ensued. There was a gorgeous sunset. I am a lousy sunset photographer.

I’m starting to think I should perhaps learn more about enhancing these things with flashes rather than filters.

Unfortunately, yon towers are a bit too far away to light up with a Speedlite.

I’m a little bit lost photography wise, and for some reason I find Dublin very limiting when it comes to photography, don’t know why. I’m looking for ideas for different things to do which currently do not include HDR (doesn’t really hugely talk to me) but I haven’t found yet what I want to try.

Of the two places I have been lately – Bullock Harbour and White Rock Beach, I would be more inclined to go back to White Rock Beach despite it being too much like hard work – there are lots of steps. It is, however, beautiful.

I’m toying with another dawn raid in the morning; just haven’t decided if I can manage a second 5am start in a row, and, more importantly, where to go. Very hard.

Useful links are thin on the ground today but there’s just this

50 actions some of which I might actually use at some point in the future.

Late last night, Darragh Sherwin contacted me and suggested I join him and Paula Banks for a sunrise shoot in Killiney. Despite the fact that it was around 11pm when [...]]]> I’ve come to the conclusion that Dalkey is a vortex out of which it’s hard to find your way, particularly if you are looking for Killiney.

Late last night, Darragh Sherwin contacted me and suggested I join him and Paula Banks for a sunrise shoot in Killiney. Despite the fact that it was around 11pm when I found out, and that I’d have to be in Killiney by 6, I somehow said yes, because it’s fun to go taking photographs with other photographers, even if you don’t talk to them while they, like you, are waiting out 30 second exposures.

I was there armed with “too many” filters. I have a problem with filter addiction and may need to learn to leave tobacco grad at home in a box. I don’t know if I really need it.

Here is the sunrise. I was shooting off wide angle lenses, switching variously between the 10-20mm Sigma and the 17-85mm Canon which came with my last 40D.

I’ve mixed feelings about this morning’s lot of photographs. I had never been to White Rock Beach before, and got lost looking for it – in fact, was lucky to turn up in the right place.

Mostly when I wind up with rocky beaches and a tide, I tend to want to play with long exposures and see what happens.

One of my favourite photographers is David Baker who does quite a lot of this stuff although I envy him because I think he probably lives somewhere a bit more scenic than Dublin. He’s also much better at this lark than I am although that might be because I was just too tired.

Anyway, Darragh has one of his here already and I think you’ll agree it’s gorgeous.

I think I’m going to do a large print of this for myself.

Declan drove me to Garretstown, Co Cork, where I had some fun playing with the filters and the waves while he and Anne went walking on the beach in the twilight.

The tide was high, but there were a few waves so I had a go at creating stuff. I was not, I think, altogether successful, [...]]]>

Declan drove me to Garretstown, Co Cork, where I had some fun playing with the filters and the waves while he and Anne went walking on the beach in the twilight.

The tide was high, but there were a few waves so I had a go at creating stuff. I was not, I think, altogether successful, but this is possibly my favourite. I tend to like debris. The filters were a tobacco and a blue along with an ND grad. I then undid the effects by messing with the white balance later on leading me to suspect that perhaps a pile of NDs would be more than adequate to my needs.

One of the things that Declan mentioned is that it would be very easy to get a name as someone who just uses the filters and pulls the same shots all the time. I get what he is saying, but then I already have a rep as someone who just shoots goodlooking men on the beach I mean kitesurfers so what’s new there? I’m looking for something in my mind, some scene. I don’t know yet where it is, or even if it exists in this country. Maybe I need to give a trip to Clare soon…or Kerry. Rocky places anyway.

I shot with the 50mm and the 10-20mm. Possibly because it was getting dark, the output from the wide angle wasn’t what I’d call spectacular.

but it wasn’t terrible either.

This was from the first filter session way back. It’s still one of my favourite photographs.

The photograph consists of three stacked filters, two ND grads and a tobacco grad which is a worrying fetish which I developed overtime. It was, at the time, an impulse purchase so really I am surprised that I got stuff [...]]]>

This was from the first filter session way back. It’s still one of my favourite photographs.

The photograph consists of three stacked filters, two ND grads and a tobacco grad which is a worrying fetish which I developed overtime. It was, at the time, an impulse purchase so really I am surprised that I got stuff I liked as soon as I did.

I’ve a feeling the jpg convert has murdered this a little.

I owe thanks to Richard for lending me the filters. I was on the beach to take action shots, not moon shots. This is from a fullmoon night….beautiful evening on Dollymount.

This is my new home. I hope it’s a happier place for me than the old site was before it started to die under the weight of Gumblar attacks.

This photograph was taken in Malahide, Dublin, Ireland. The effect was achieved by using [...]]]> I used to have a site called Dancing Shades of Light. It has died.

This is my new home. I hope it’s a happier place for me than the old site was before it started to die under the weight of Gumblar attacks.

This photograph was taken in Malahide, Dublin, Ireland. The effect was achieved by using a collection of filters, long exposures and and pure chance that I accidentally picked up and moved the camera while it was still open. I think the exposure was around 30 seconds – must have been since I had time to get the line of trees exposed anyway.

A lot of people really liked this photograph, and given its popularity, I thought it was a fitting opener for the new site.