I’ve had quite a few conversations about weeds over the years. Not just the complaints at home about the weeds that grow in the lawn, and seem to be indestructible. A few weeks ago I was complaining about those garden weeds, and the persistent clover in particular, and the other party to the conversation implored, “Let the weeds alone… they’re part of nature…” Another joined in with the perceived wisdom that weeds are just flowers in the wrong place! Anyway I’ve just discovered why weeds exist. To relieve boredom! On Saturday 6th June 2026, I was standing on the edge of Portglenone Forest in Co.Antrim, waiting for an athletics event to finish, and I was in a lull in the action, I was bored. Then I saw some WEEDS and I lifted the camera. Here’s one of the shots…
Common Nettles
So, I have been enlightened. Weeds exist to relieve the boredom of a photographer, in athletic action lulls. This photograph was made using the Fujifilm X-T5 with a 70-300mm lens, and the aperture was open wide, because I was shooting athletics, so I needed a fast shutter speed and reasonably high ISO.
This project was about evangelicalism in Northern Ireland. Up to this point, I had been looking at how the secularisation of society had impacted on evangelical beliefs, practices and worship styles, in the evident decline of the mission-hall culture in the province. But how are the evangelicals striking back? There are a number of different answers to that question, but at least in Northern Ireland, one of the most visible ‘attacks’ on secularism, historically and consistently used by evangelicals and fundamentalists is the strange practice of nailing messages to trees throughout the countryside. A number of these placards had been erected around the Ards Peninsula.
This wily old bird sits on the barrier at Tannaghmore Service area, on the A26 road between Antrim and Ballymena, and stares at motorists eating in their cars, knowing that eventually someone will cave in and give it a morsel or two.
(Ok, I’m not an ornithologist, so I don’t know if it’s a crow, or a Jackdaw, or a Rook, or whatever!)
But I do know it was photographed with the Fujifilm X-T5, F=300mm, f/5 @ 1/500th sec on ISO400
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