Category Archives: Beautiful Ulster

Beautiful Ulster, Co. Down

Stormy Newcastle, Co.Down

What a wind!

Newcastle Co.Down is a favourite of mine, with it’s beautiful setting; the scenery that inspired Percy French to write his famous song, “Where the Mountains of Mourne Sweep Down to the Sea.”  He might not have found it just so inspiring today, for the wind was blowing a gale, and the seas were rough – the mountains overcast and dark.

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In this image I was trying to show the darkness of the mountains against the stormy sea.  Shot in Acros Black and White, F=18mm, f/16 @ 1/40th sec ISO400

I had the Fujifilm X-T30, with a standard zoom, the 18-55mm f/2.8-4.  I love using this camera, for it’s small, but with a powerful processing engine.  For this walk I kept the camera on ISO400, with the film simulation mode set to Acros Black and White and shooting simultaneous Jpegs and RAW.

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

Kilwarlin and the Battle of Thermopylae

Kilwarlin Moravian Church and Thermopylae in Co. Down!

Kilwarlin Moravian Church was founded by John Cennick (He of Gracehill, Ballymena fame) in 1755. 

Click to see post about Gracehill

Kilwarlin is described on some internet sites as a ‘small village near Hillsborough, Co.Down’. The truth is that it is scarcely that, rather a ribbon development of homes along a very narrow country road, not wide enough for two vehicles to pass, and accessible only with great care.

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Beautiful Ulster, Co. Antrim, Ireland, Landscapes, Travel

Ballintoy and White Park Bay

It’s back to the North Coast, one of my favourite parts of Northern Ireland!  This time to spend an October day around Ballintoy, a picturesque harbour between the Giant’s Causeway and Ballycastle, Co. Antrim.  I took the Fujifilm X-T30 and the Nikon F100.

Ballintoy Harbour
Ballintoy Harbour

Ballintoy (Baile an Tuaigh – the northern townland) village is less than a mile from the harbour, which is accessed by a narrow winding road.  Even the journey to the harbour is visually rewarding.

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Beautiful Ulster, Co. Down, Uncategorized

Mountains and Sea, Castles and Forests.

South Down – Mountains and Sea, Castles and Forests.

Nestling in the shadow of Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the Mountains of Mourne, is one of the most beautiful areas of Northern Ireland.  Driving towards Newcastle, whether through Ballynahinch or Downpatrick, one will pass through Clough, where on the left hand side of the road is Clough Castle, an ancient Motte, probably dating back to Norman times.

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Dundrum Castle

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Beautiful Ulster, Black & White, Co.Londonderry, Photo-Technique, Streetscapes, Training, Uncategorized

Coleraine Street-Monochrome

Spending a windy afternoon in Coleraine, and trying to find something to occupy the time, I decided to do some simple street shots, around The Diamond – the main shopping area of the town.  Despite the cold weather, the car-parks were full, and I left the car in a side street, returning to find an enthusiastic traffic warden had ticketed my car!  So, I’m posting a photo of him (or one of his mates) below…

 

Processed with Focos

I took the Fujifilm X-T30 and a 100-200mm lens up the street, with the ‘film simulation mode’ on the camera set to ACROS.  Film simulation mode is unique to Fujifilm (I think) – for the Fujifilm people have been renowned for their range of films, each with distinctive characteristics.  Acros film is a black and white film with unique grain and mid-range contrasts. Continue reading Coleraine Street-Monochrome →

Beautiful Ulster, Co. Down

Comber Cabbage Crop…

Some time ago I made images of a field of barley at Comber, and I uploaded two of them to Pixabay, the photo-sharing website.

They’ve been downloaded 91 times, so far, – which is quite nice.  But just down the road from the now-harvested barley field, there are acres upon acres of cabbages, and since I now consider myself an expert vegetable – (photographer!) – I couldn’t resist stopping to get a few photos.  Of cabbages…  Er, yes.  Cabbages.

 

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Beautiful Ulster, Co. Armagh, Co. Down, History

Gilford, Tullylish and Moyallen.

With a couple of hours to kill in Craigavon, I decided to make a photograph of each of the Craigavon Roundabouts – but then I’d second thoughts.  After all, I’d only a couple of hours, not all day!  So instead, I took a drive out to Gilford and Tullylish, and on the way back to Portadown, went to look at the Moyallen Quaker Meeting House.  Here’s a few images…

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Gilford Mill

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Beautiful Ulster, Co.Londonderry

Londonderry on 28th August 2019

Derry’s Walls

A wee trip by train up to the so-called ‘Maiden City’ and a dander round the famous and historic city walls, with granddaughter Chloe and the Fujifilm X-T30 camera.  Here’s some of the images…

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NIR – Northern Ireland Railways

A train leaves the city en-route to Belfast, a journey that will take it almost 2 hours, travelling along the north coast to Coleraine, and through some of the most beautiful coastal scenery anywhere.  The trains in NI are safe, clean, comfortable and modern, and they run on time, (unlike their English counterparts!) and the fares are reasonable.  I like to think this is because the trains here are still run by the government, – Translink is a government owned company, so profits are used to improve services, instead of to reward shareholders and fat-cat bosses. Continue reading Londonderry on 28th August 2019 →