At our professional studio at Dundonald, we have a variety of posing aids and props to suit all ages, including Sydney – the Studio Snake. Snakes are well known for mesmerising their victims, until they are under their influence. So when baby George came in for his second ‘Baby’s First Year’ portrait appontment, he fell under Sydney’s charm and soon was totally spellbound! Here they are together…
I’m getting desperate. Now I really can say I’d photograph anything! Literally. I know this to be true because I stood in the rain at Portstewart, just to see if I could get a photograph of Hugo Duncan* of BBC Radio Ulster fame as he did a live broadcast. Don’t ask me why. I don’t even like C&W music.
Yee-haaaa – probably better just to pack up your melodion, and get off home. Continue reading Hugo Duncan in Portstewart
The famous ‘Frosses Trees’ (original spelling ‘Frocess’) on the road between Ballymena and Ballymoney. The road runs through boggy ground,
and the Pine trees were planted in 1840 on the instructions of Sir Charles Lanyon (architect and civil engineer) so that their roots would join under the road to provide support… Continue reading The Frocess
Love it or hate it, the Twelth of July celebrations are a huge part of the culture in Northern Ireland, and by and large they are synonymous with marching bands. Flute Bands in particular!
Over the next couple of weeks there’s plenty of opportunities for some really good photography outings.
Most obvious of course is the annual ‘OrangeFest’ (as they now call it) on July 12th. Whether you like it or loathe it, there’ll be parades and celebrations right across the province. Where there’s people there’s photographs just waiting to be made. Don’t do the obvious. It’s easy to photograph bands. Instead find a street or a town centre and make it your studio for the day. Watch the street life. Look for interesting happenstances, quirky moments. What’s happening around you on the streets that’s not in the parade? Continue reading What’s to see? w/c 8th July 2018
Friday, 6th July 2018 – and a business trip to Coleraine became a good excuse for a walk around the town of Bushmills. Although I can’t quite put my finger in it, here’s something I really like about Bushmills.
Bushmills is, of course, famous for its Whisky, but the town has a lot of history forby. Continue reading Bushmills, Co.Antrim
Ballygowan Presbyterian Church Hall.
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
