All posts by Bob McEvoy

Freelance Photographer.
Beautiful Ulster, Belfast, Black & White, Photo-Essay, Travel

Queen’s University, Belfast.

Rarely is there anywhere to park a car in the vicinity of Queen’s University, – parking spaces are few and hotly contested, but on 27th December 2023, I was driving through the area on return from an appointment in South Belfast, when to my surprise, I found an empty space, right beside the Students’ Union. I quickly parked, and stepped out with the Fujifilm X-T30 fitted with an 18-135mm zoom lens.

The Queen’s University, Belfast.

Photographed with a Fujifilm X-T30, F=18mm, f/5.6 @1/125th sec on ISO250.

Because it was still student holidays, traffic around the university was light, and that helped quite a lot with the photography. I stood outside the Student’s Union to capture the main image, but it wasn’t long before some human interest occurred.

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Beautiful Ulster, Black & White, Co. Antrim

Lislea Mission Hall

Lislea Mission Hall, in the townland of Lislea, between Portglenone and Kilrea. Now long abandoned and disused, it has been boarded up, and become overgrown and is slowly crumbling away. Once would have been a meeting place for worship to groups of local resident, farmers and their friends, and their children.

Lislea Mission Hall
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Beautiful Ulster, Co. Antrim, Photo-Essay, Photo-Technique, Streetscapes, Travel

Feehogue Terrace, Randalstown

In September, 2023 I visited the Belfast Book Fair, held this year in Methodist College (Methody) at Stranmillis. There was little in interest this year, by way of books, (mostly Irish history etc), but there were a couple of dealers selling antique postcards, and I spent quite a time trawling through them – with no intention of buying, of course, (some of these antique postcards can be rather expensive), despite the enthusiastic sales techniques of one of the vendors, who mistook my prolonged browsing for a potential sale. I was looking for photographic inspiration! Actually, I was sorry I hadn’t taken a notebook and pen! 

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Belfast, Documentary

Forgotten Memories

I was in Belfast today, and driving slowly past this litter bin, I caught a glimpse of the poppy wreath on top of the bin. A poignant reminder perhaps tat nothing in this life lasts forever, not even our acts of remembrance. 

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5

I stopped the car, and photographed it with the Fujifilm X-T5 camera. 

Belfast, Black & White, Photo-Technique

Which camera is best…

There’s a common question asked, “Which camera is best for…” Add your own circumstances! Yesterday I was faced with a stark choice. I was at a country churchyard around dusk, and there was a magnificent sky behind the silhouetted church building and trees. I wanted that image! So here it is:-

So, what’s the answer to the conundrum? Which camera is best for a shot like this? The answer is…

Whatever camera you have with you!

In this case, just an iPhone 12!

Beautiful Ulster, Belfast, Photo-Technique, Travel

CAVE HILL, BELFAST

CAVE HILL, BELFAST, from Hightown Road.

Image made with a Nikon FG20 using Ilford Delta 3200, pulled to ISO1600. f=34mm, f/16 @ 1/500th sec.

A good film choice for a wintery day, although this image was made during weak sunshine.

This is a fast (by film standards) film, which accounts for its grainy appearance. In the developing tank, I split the processing time between 1600ISO and 3200ISO, giving it 10 mins 30 secs in Fotospeed FD10, mixed at 1/9 at 20deg, then 1 minute stop bath in 20 deg. water, 2 mins in hypo-clear and 10 mins wash.

It’s the first time I’ve used this film, and I must admit I expected more contrast in the scanned image, but, there’s another film loaded, and I’ll try again.