Originally known as ‘The Olivet Home’ it was built to be an orphanage in 1886 by Alexander Orr Reid as a memorial to his only son who was killed in a shooting accident. It was purchased by Ballygowan Presbyterian Church in 1918 and used as a school and church hall. The inscription on the building is ‘The Time is Short’ – thought to be a reference to the death of one of the construction workers, who fell to his death from the roof. A white stone on the top of the tower marks the event.
Why did the Mushroom go to the party? Because he’s a FUNGHI! This little toadstool is called Gus, (Because he’s really such a fun Gus!). Gus, or Gussy as he is known to his friends, has bravely beaten the odds and grown up to daylight between two heavy railway sleepers that form steps in our garden. Image made with the Fujifilm X-T2, with 200 mm lens.
Sadly his party-going days are numbered, for he’ll be uprooted in case one of our grandchildren thinks he might be edible! Continue reading The Fun Guy!→
A wee evening walk with the wife and the Fujifilm X-T2 along the pier at Donaghadee, Co.Down, and some photos with the Lensbaby.
Here’s our most famous and most photographed lighthouse, given the Lensbaby treatment, with the Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet Optic 50. Continue reading Donaghadee and RNLI→
On Monday 18th June 2018, the cruise ship ‘Oriana’ – a P&O Cruises ship, visited Belfast as part of a ‘British Isles’ cruise. Janette and I have a particular fondness for this ship, we’ve been on holiday aboard Oriana, – we’d first encountered the Oriana when we were on a cruise on the MV Canberra in 1994, and the then brand new Oriana, on her second voyage passed us at sea. There was much enthusiasm on board both ships as they passed within a few hundred yards of each other, blowing their horns; Canberra releasing hundreds of red white and blue balloons, and loud strains of ‘Rule Britannia’ wafting across the sea. P&O turned it into a patriotic occasion that no doubt also did the company’s image much good. Continue reading MV Oriana→
The Titanic Quarter in Belfast has many attractions, including of course, the two famous cranes that tower over the Belfast landscape, Samson and Goliath. Recenty though, a funfair has arrived on the waste ground beside the cranes. A few shots…
Hillsborough is one of the trendy, affluent areas of Northern Ireland. Situated on the A1 between Dromore and Lisburn, Hillsborough boasts a fine park with a lake, historic buildings, a fort, and even a Royal Residence (Hillsborough Castle).
I visited the town for a ‘walk with a camera’ one morning recently, when the sun was shining and it was around 24 degress celsius. Here’s a few of the images…
Progressing and Sustaining Your Photography Practice – a Strategy for Personal Progress
I’m starting to panic! In another six months or so, I’ll be an OAP! A ’Senior Citizen!’ Now, I’m not in any way thinking that on my 65th birthday I’ll be locking the studio door and throwing away the key! That’s not going to happen – not in this day and age, – but I’m curious as to how I’m going to practice photography with the same drive and enthusiasm when it’s no longer my source of income! A recent read through a photography degree course curriculum confirmed my own thoughts. One of the modules was ‘Developing a Strategy for Personal Progress’ So what’s MY strategy – for when retirement finally kicks in?
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…
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→
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