I’m back at it again. Skulking round the wee dark alleys and passages of Belfast, waiting for an unsuspecting suspect to make a silhouette.
This was November 1st, a cold wet day in the city, and this passageway leads up to a carefully tended and maintained courtyard at the front of a restaurant and bar.
Silhouette- Church Lane, Belfast.
Fujifilm X-T30 F=18mm, f/2.8 @ 1/125th sec on ISO800. Shot using Acros Film Simulation
I found these two memorials in Ballintoy.
A very traditional way to mark a life…
And a more humorous take on memory and commemoration…
Which would YOU prefer?
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 (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.
Look what I photographed today! Classic Aston Martin. So it’s not just James Bond who owns one!
St Macartin’s Anglican Cathedral in Enniskillen
During a visit to Enniskillen I found the Church of Ireland Cathedral in the town open, and I wandered in to make some photographs.
A visit to the Mausoleum at Templepatrick (Co.Antrim) requires some diligence and persistence – just to find it! It is signposted from the road opposite the Templeton Hotel, and the passage to the site lies within the historic Castle Upton Estate. Nowadays the monument is owned by the National Trust. A visit is rewarding though, for the site is historic, including not only the Templetown Family mausoleum, but also the grave of the first Presbyterian Minister of Templepatrick, Rev John Welsh, the grandson of John Knox.
The approach to the graveyard is by way of a tree lined pathway, which lends itself to the ‘spooky fog’ treatment in photoshop! (Don’t worry, you can see the ‘untreated’ image in the next montage. Images were made with the Fujifilm X-T30 and a standard zoom, 18-55mm lens.
The Mausoleum was built by the Scottish architect Robert Adam for the Upton family in 1789. It contains memorials to some of the family members. On the day I visited the monument was open and access to the inside was certainly interesting.
The best shot of the Mausoleum is from the far side of the graveyard. Although the ground is uneven and the graves squashed close together, the graveyard can be crossed with care for a rewarding photograph.
Fujifilm X-T30, 18th August 2019, 6pm, overcast/patchy clouds – daylight. Average reading was f/5.6 @ 1/250th sec on ISO200,
I had a few minutes to kill today before an appointment, so I had a short stroll around Holywood Priory, an old church and graveyard in Holywood, a medium sized town between Belfast and Bangor, and part of the Ards and North Down District Council area.
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.
This old Mill Gate on the Crumlin Road Belfast is a remnant of Belfast’s industrial past, when the flax harvested in the fertile Lagan Valley was woven into the ‘Irish Linen’ cloth so valued by discerning (and wealthy) clients all over the world.
An interesting blend of the old and modern – a derelict factory chimney on the site, with mobile communications equipment attached!
The mountain area protruding to the right of the chimney is known locally as ‘Napoleon’s Nose’ – part of Cave Hill Country Park.
The BBC’s ‘Line of Duty’ police drama is a powerful, compelling drama, watched by (series 5) by over 8 million viewers across the UK, – and shot in and around Belfast. Today, with a few minutes to spare I stopped at one of its favourite locations, TATE’S AVENUE, to make some images of the area.
