Poyntzpass is a small village sitting on the border between Co.Armagh and Co.Down, Northern Ireland. More importantly, it straddles two lines of transport, the old Newry Canal, now defunct, and the main Northern Ireland Railways line between Belfast and Dublin. A level crossing unites the two parts of the village, and there is a small unmanned station.
But it was the historic signal box, now out of use of course, which attracted my attention as I drove through the village. I couldn’t resist stopping for a couple of quick shots – time was pressing, so it was literally, just a few minutes…
I’ve photographed the Dolmen at Loughinisland before, including around a decade ago, when I shot a wedding scene there, but when passing by from a nearby job, I couldn’t resist stopping for a quick snap or two. It was 17th January, temperature was just above freezing, and bright winter light from a low sun was casting long dark shadows and frost still on the ground, at 11am, in the shadow areas.
I took the Fujifilm X-T4 up to the dolmen with me, and three lenses, a standard zoom, a 300mm zoom and a Lensbaby.
Saturday 9th October was the date for the Bob and Bert’s 10K and 5K race in North Down, or more specifically in Groomsport and Bangor. Here’s a few shots.
IF YOU WERE TAKING PART – CHECK THE ON-LINE GALLERY TO SEE IF YOUR PHOTO IS THERE – HERE’S THE LINK! You’ll need to enter your email address for entry.
And…. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD YOUR PHOTO AT FULL RES WITH NO WATERMARK FREE OF CHARGE!
IF YOU WERE TAKING PART – CHECK THE ON-LINE GALLERY TO SEE IF YOUR PHOTO IS THERE – HERE’S THE LINK!
This week in Northern Ireland saw yet another political agenda being promoted and furthered by the skilful use of photography. To say that ‘the camera never lies‘ is no longer true in the age of digital manipulation, but was it ever? The simple shifting of the photographer’s position can change the perspective of the viewer, flatten distance, and be used to make a political point.
In Northern Ireland, the building of a bonfire, and the lighting of the fire on the 11th July is a tradition, long held among certain sections of the Unionist or Loyalist community. It is an expression of loyalist culture. When I was a boy, back the 60s and 70s, little bonfires were made in each street, no more than little piles of planks and scrap. But the local authorities tried to regulate the tradition. The street bonfires left a mess that needed to be cleaned up, and sometimes caused damage to properties. Often the materials that were burned were far from helpful in controlling pollution; tyres were often burned, pouring out toxic smoke into the air. To solve these problems, some councils began to offer grants to buy pallets, which would burn more cleanly, on condition that the street bonfires were replaced with centralised pyres, and pollutants excluded. This led to pyres like this one in Newtownards:
Fujifilm X-T4, F=25mm, f/14 @ 1/125th Sec on ISO250
It was this massive bonfire that became the subject of a media scam, fuelled by deceptive photography. Apparently this bonfire in Newtownards was built RIGHT BESIDE THE LOCAL FIRE STATION! An image was produced to prove the point, The media picked up on the story immediately, – radio programmes, a Twitter storm, newspaper articles, with the collective might of the left lining up to demand that the bonfire be dismantled and removed.
On 9th July 2021 I reproduced the photograph which caused the ‘offence’ – an image showing the ‘alleged’ juxtaposition of the pyre and the fire station.
Fujifilm X-T4, F=33mm, f/13 @ 1/125th sec, on ISO250
It looks authentic. There’s no Photoshop manipulation, the image is ‘as shot.’ But what has happened is that camera position is flattening the distance between the bonfire and the Fire Station. It is deliberately deceptive, and it set the local news agenda for a whole morning, before some locals pointed out that the distance between the fire and the station is considerable, with a stretch of waste ground and a four lane road between! Still, the Left got a whole morning of free publicity and a chance to pour more odium on the working class loyalist community of the town.
Shooting seagulls at Islandhill, near Comber today, using the Fujifilm X-T4 and a 55-200mm lens. The tide was fully in when I was there, so there was no chance of getting along the Causeway to the island itself. Still, there were a few photo opportunities.
When it come to scenery, there’s few places better than Strangford and Lecale, – an area of outstanding natural beauty, and of great scientific interest.
On Thursday 7th January I crossed the straits between Portaferry and Strangford on the ferry, with my Fujifilm X-T4. It was a cold, bright winter day, and Strangford village was sparkling in the winter sunlight.
Fujifilm X-T4, F=95mm, f/6.4 @ 1/250th sec on ISO 400
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.
Shooting into the midday sun is never a great idea but the waves and the dark Mournes were irresistible today.
The image was captured today on Murlough Beach, a National Trust property, between Dundrum and Newcastle, Co.Down. The tallest peak is Slieve Donard, part of the Mourne Mountains range.
Shot on the Fujifilm X-T4, F=30mm f/20 @ 1/125th sec on ISO160.
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