Red Sails Festival 2019

Portstewart’s annual ‘Red Sails Festival’ is held each year during the last week of July each year.  With entertainers, singers, children’s competitions and amusements, exhibitions and a fireworks display – the festival attracts great crowds into the seaside town each year, filling the cafes, coffee shops and restaurants, and giving plenty of opportunities to meet friends and enjoy the company.  this year it was a week of high temperatures, pleasant breezes, and beautiful sunsets, and great opportunities for photography.  Here’s a snapshot of the week…

MONDAY.

 

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Sunset over Portstewart Bay

 

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How to Make Silhouettes

How to Make Silhouettes.

There’s something really intriguing about human silhouettes, – they excite the mind.  Perhaps it’s the sense of mystery they evoke.  Who are these people?  What are they doing,  and why are they here?  In a moment of time, they have been captured forever against a background of light.  It’s evocative, – silhouettes make the brain work, trying to piece together the missing information, stimulating those little grey cells and producing the chemicals that trigger our emotions.   Continue reading How to Make Silhouettes

The Fujifilm X-T30

Ok – I’ve decided to become a trainee Vlogger.  Here’s my first effort.  If it’s successful I’m going to do some talks on image composition, gestalt theories in imaging etc, – stuff that will help beginner and novice photographers.  My plan is to post the videos on the Facebook group, Bob’s Photography Forum with links to this blog for images, text etc to accompany the lessons, and asking those who are in the group and who wish to participate, to post their images in the group.

We’ll see how it goes!  Here’s my test video…

Fo those who are unable to speak or comprehend Norn Iron, – here’s the (rough) English translation:-

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Fuchsia

Fuchsia

Who doesn’t like nice flowers – apparently this one’s a Fuchsia – although to be honest, I thought it was a honeysuckle – but then, what would I know?  But I do like bokeh – the creamier the better!  This shot was made with the Fujifilm X-T2, with a 55mm lens opened up to f/2.8.  I’ve brightened up the background a bit in post capture processing, and added a border.

 

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Fuchsia

Here’s the small print: Fujifilm X-T2. F= 55mm f/2.8 @ 1/250th sec on ISO200.

Eleventh July at Ballybeen.

Eleventh July at Ballybeen!

Ballybeen is a large housing development close to our studio location in Dundonald.  The majority of people who live there are the decent Protestant working class people of Ulster – my own background.  For centuries July has been a special month for them – the annual celebration of victory of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne, which ushered in the Glorious Revolution, enshrined the Constitutional Monarchy in the British Isles, dethroned the despotic Stuart kings, and guaranteed civil and religious liberty for all.

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William of Orange on a Banner

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Donaghcloney

DONAGHCLONEY

Donaghcloney, or Donacloney is a village in Co.Down, – or Co. Armagh (depending on who you ask!). I should know, for I used to live there – back in 1986, for around six months.  Situated between Banbridge and Lurgan, and along the bank of the Lagan River, the village was built around the Irish Linen industry.  The old linen mill was still working when I lived there, but it’s closed now, and its site is being redeveloped for housing.

In Donacloney to visit a home there, I took a few minutes to make some photographs.

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Slemish Mountain

Slemish Mountain is in Co.Antrim, to the east of the town of Ballymena.  Traditionally, it is said to be the first Irish home of St Patrick, who tended sheep as a slave boy on its slopes.Slemish (Slieve Mish)  is around 1500 feet above the surrounding plain, and is visible for many miles around.

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Fuji X-T2 f=25mm, f/16 @ 1/60th sec on ISO400

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Commercial and Family Photographer