Belfast, Documentary, Environmental Portraiture, History, Ireland, Reportage, Streetscapes, Travel

Inspirational…

Motivation and Inspiration

It’s encouraging to drive along a road and see some inspirational words on a wall. In Belfast, it makes a nice change from some of the darker, paramilitary or terrorist inspired murals. Ant when you are ‘getting on a bit’ like me, this wall on the Newtownards Road is particularly appropriate – a good incentive to keep going!

Fujifilm X-T2, Acros Film Simulation, F=18mm, f/6.4 @ 1/125th sec on ISO400

This area of Belfast is known as ‘Ballymacarrett’ – an ancient townland name, and the home of many of the old Belfast industries, most notably the famous Harland and Wolff Shipyard, Short Brothers aircraft factory, the Belfast Rope Works and the Scirocco Works.

The mural features everything that is good about East Belfast, its community and renown, including CS Lewis, born in East Belfast. Also included are a ballerina, Belfast City Hall, and a group of children playing in the street, a boy releasing a dove, symbolising peace.

The main text on the mural is:

You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream.

Inspirational indeed!

Beautiful Ulster, Co. Down, History, Ireland, Landscapes, Travel

Shrigley, Van Morrison and that Clock!

The Martin Memorial Clock Tower – beloved monument or ‘a decrepit eyesore?’

Back in September, 2020, Janette and I did a drive around the Lecale District, an area of outstanding natural beauty, not too far from where we live in Co.Down.  I did three blog posts about that area, and in the first of those pieces, https://bobmcevoy.co.uk/2020/09/01/the-lecale-district-1/ I mentioned Van Morrison’s song, “Coney Island.” (Is it really a song?), in which Mr Morrison, one of our native sons, mentions many of the local places of interest in this part of Northen Ireland.  But one of the lines of the song intrigued me.  For Mr Morrison writes of driving through Shrigley to take photographs before he travelled on down to Killyleagh.

Continue reading Shrigley, Van Morrison and that Clock! →
Belfast, Cars and Vehicles, Travel

NIR Engineering Car

Unplanned Trackside Serendipity

I was sitting in the passenger seat of Janette’s car, crossing the M3 bridge in Belfast, with the Fujifilm X-T4 in my lap, when this track maintenance vehicle crossed the railway bridge which runs parallel to the road. A quick adjustment or two, and thanks to the X-T4’s in-body image stabilisation and continual autofocus, and I got this shot from that rare angle, a shot that would be impossible on foot!

So the only thing planned about this shot was the readiness of the camera!

F=55mm, f/5.6 @ 1/150th sec on ISO800

Beautiful Ulster, Cars and Vehicles, Ireland, Travel

Slaght Crossing

Old Trackside Railway Hut

Around 2.30pm this afternoon, I was about to cross the Slaght Level Crossing, outside Ballymema, when this old trackside hut caught my eye, and I thought, “Ah ha! There’s an old trackside hut! Time to get the camera out.” I parked the car, and walked to a gate with a view of the track, and fitted a medium length zoom on the Fujifilm X-T4. (No, I wasn’t trespassing on the tracks.)

Fujifilm X-T4, F=200mm, f/4.8 @ 1/250th sec on ISO 1600.

I needed the faster shutter speed to steady the lens in the wind, – I should really have got the monopod out, lowered the shutter speed to 1/60th and the ISO to 400.

But then hindsight’s a wonderful thing!

Actually, a few days down the track (see what I did there) and I decided to take away that ugly sign in Photoshp. It probably improves the image significantly!

Cars and Vehicles, Travel

Car of the Week. W/c 16th Nov 20

Car of the Week.

So many nice cars to photograph last week that that it was hard to choose one for ‘Car of the Week.’ But for sheer class it had to be this beautiful Porsche 911 Speedster.

Photographed for a client using the Fujifilm X-T3.

Other contenders for the coveted award were:

Continue reading Car of the Week. W/c 16th Nov 20 →

Photo-Technique, Studio, Training

The Fujifilm X-T4 – Commendation & (Mild) Criticism

The Fujifilm X-T4 – A Lot of Praise but One Big Niggle.

I’ve been shooting with Fujifilm X-Series cameras since 2017 when I bought my first Fujifilm X-T2. I was immediately smitten.  I’d been a Nikon user all my photographic life, completely loyal to the products of the Japanese giant.  I’d begun in the ‘80’s with the FM2, and progressed through the Nikon D2x to the D750.  I thought it would ever be so.  But when I made my first few images with the Fuji X-T2 I was quickly convinced.  It was the photographic equivalent of a Damascus road conversion.  Since then I’ve been shooting (professionally and for fun) with the X-T2, X-T30 and X-T3.  Everyone of them has been great.  But when the X-T2 began to wobble a bit, I decided it was time for a change.  I kept the X-T3, sold the X-T2 and X-T30 and with the equity, invested in the new X-T4.

The Fujifilm X-T4, with leather half-case.

So, what’s special about the X-T4?  It’s just a little chunkier than its predecessors, and I’ve encased mine in a leather half-case, more for appearance than practicality, but it’s still an easy camera to hold, much more ‘grippable’ than the X-T2, and that’s important when you are clamouring in and out of vehicles.

Continue reading The Fujifilm X-T4 – Commendation & (Mild) Criticism →
Belfast, Cars and Vehicles

The ‘On The Move’ Project’

Adjusting to retirement, or just a new obsession?

‘The Car in Photography’

Mini One-d

I’ve this thing about cars. I’m not by any means a ‘petrolhead’ – after all, I drive a Skoda! But I’ve been photographing cars commercially for about 15 years, but I’ve always been glad to get those jobs done and get away home, or back to the studio for some real photography! But there is no studio anymore, and I’ve been reading a book called ‘Autofocus – The Car in Photography.’ It’s pretty inspiring! I’ve taken an interest in getting car images just for fun, my ‘On the Move Project.’ Ive been sitting in the passenger seat, with the camera, on continuous focus, and looking for interesting vehicles out and about. I’ll share more of these images from time to time.

Get it at Amazon:

Buy it at Amazon

Anyway, I found this Mini One sitting at traffic lights in Belfast. I underexposed by two stops, darkening the background significantly and keeping the brake lights looking realistic. Normal exposure would have rendered the red lights unrealistically bright. In photoshop I duplicated the layer and raised the exposure in the bottom layer by 2stops, added a layer mask to the upper layer and then painted the car in at normal exposure. Except the lights of course!

Cars and Vehicles, Co. Antrim, Travel

THe VW and the ibis…

In-Body Image Stabilisation on the Fujifilm X-T4

One of the great advantages of the Fujifilm X-T4, and the unique selling point, as far as I was concerned, was the IBIS feature. It works a treat! So, to combine it with the continuous focus mode, I sat in the passenger seat, with the camera, while Janette was driving.

Ok, so there’s some of our roads here that no amount of digital technology could cope with! Bumps, potholes, bends, (and sharp gear shifts… LOL) all take their toll on the image stability! So, when we got onto a reasonably straight road, I fixed the focus on a few other vehicles on the road, and made some images!

Fujifilm X-T4, F=78mm, f/6.4 @ 1/125th sec, on ISO200, Classic Chrome film simulation.
Continue reading THe VW and the ibis… →

Commercial and Family Photographer