This old meeting hall has been abandoned for quite a few years now, and has been on the market for sale. Driving past it I noticed that it has begun to deteriorate in condition. I stopped to make some photographs. The old sign board is still standing…
Keeping it in Perspective.
This church at Hillsborough is popular with photographers. And why not? Look at the image!
There’s a pretty scene in there, with lots of the elements of design. There’s colour and shape, there’s lines drawing the eyes into the church, the central focus of the image. But there’s one problem. In many photographs of the church the trees are seemingly angled inwards, a distortion of perspective. It’s a natural lens effect, because the lens is low (usually at eye level) and the trees are high… Continue reading Keeping It In Perspective
On the way to Banbridge, Janette and I stopped in Dromore, primarily for an ice-cream in Graham’s, but who coud resist making a few images of the historic town while we’re in the area. Dromore’s history as a town goes back at least to the times of John deCourcy in the early 13th century, when a Motte and Bailey was built. The town was captured by Robert the Bruce (he of spider fame) in 1315, and sacked. Before this there was an abbey of monks (Canons Regular) dating back to the sixth century. Continue reading Dromore, Co.Down
Killynether Country Park is situated outside Newtownards, on the slopes of Scrabo. We walked through the wood on a sunny evening in May, just around an hour before sunset, looking for the strong low sunlight making paths through the leaves.
The Irish poet and songwriter, Percy French immortalised Newcastle, Co.Down in his famous song…
Oh, Mary, this London’s a wonderful sight
With people here working by day and by night
They don’t sow potatoes, nor barley nor wheat
But there’ gangs of them digging for gold in the streets
At least when I asked them that’s what I was told
So I just took a hand at this diggin’ for gold
But for all that I found there I might as well be
Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.
Tonight, on the hottest day of the year in Northern Ireland, I visited Newcastle, and made some images around the town… Continue reading Percy French Country
I like the city’s skyline, and I’m ashamed at how many time I admire it from the comfort of a car! Today however, due to a convergence of coincidences, I happened to be in the front passenger seat of a car, with a camera in my hand, – so I wound down the window and took a few shots. Not easy, for there were quite a few other vehicles on the road at the same time. Continue reading Moving Experiences in Belfast!
I’ve recently aquired a LENSBABY! It’s the LensBaby Composer Pro 2 lens with Sweet 50 optic. Basically a LensBaby is just a lens with a ball-joint, so that the lens can be bent! Attached to the front of the lens is a removable optic, in my case a 50mm attachment, with a sweet-spot. That’s an area that is in focus, while the rest of the image is blurred. (Bokeh) Ok, it’s easier to show you than explain in words…
Lots of lovely babies in the studio this week. I run a ‘KidsClub’ offer, with (usually) three studio visits over the first year, at 4 months, when they are able to lift their head, at 8 months when they can sit up, and at 12 months when they can stand.
Not everyone want to have their kids featured on a website or social media of course, but thankfully, these two lovelies had no such reservations.
Baby Daisy, celebrating her 1st Birthday with a special cake. 
Baby Edison, at his eight month session.
Photographing cats in the studio is never easy. The sudden flash of the lights seems to hurt their sensitive eyes, and after one shot they flee, terrified into some nook or cranny, in the hope of hiding away. Sometimes, even when they are being held by their owner, they will become so agitated that they will claw and bite their way to freedom.
Casper the English Long Hair Cat arrived at the studio yesterday with his human servant, and like any aristocratic cat would do, calmly settled down to pose for the camera, simoly aware that a celebrity cat of his position in life must sometimes nod at the paperazzi, and yield to the demand for publicity. Here’s a shot of him on his servant’s shoulder…
Moira, historically in the County of Down, is served by NIR (Northern Ireland Railways), via a station around 1 mile outside the town, and actually situated in Co Antrim. The line is the Belfast to Portadown line, and Moira lies between Lisburn and Lurgan.
The station boasts a rather fine (although now disused) signal box and is the oldest station still in use on the NIR network, opened on 18 November 1841. Its hard to believer now that just as recently as 1945 the station was manned by a staff of 15 men, including the stationmaster, porters, signalmen etc. Now no-one works here at all.
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