New Pics

Been running some star trails through Picasa - it's impressive how many more show up when you tweak the settings, though the image is a little more noisy. These I took last week, when skies were clear.

Photographer's tip: I used Bulb mode to control the exposure time. Using a Pentax k-x for any long exposure work is a little bit of a disadvantage, and I must qualify that because it's a great camera anyway. The Noise Reduction feature on it, if left active, will take an equal exposure against a black screen, i.e. with mirror down. This second exposure is the same length as the one you've taken and is used for the software algorithm to take out any "noise" in the image. So you're left with doubling your time outdoors or halving the work you get done on long exposure stuff. Just a note!

Star Trails:


And with wonderful lens flare from a nearby streetlight...


Otherhow, I've been out to Dun Laoghaire last weekend and during a quick walk out the pier snapped these. A bit underwhelming maybe, but I think the Black and White treatment of the city skyline is interesting.





That's all for now! Comments box is open down below. Etsy prints, as ever, out here.

Brian.

Things you find out or remember at the weekend...

Had a busy weekend, just gone. Car maintenance, visiting friends, cinema premiere, afternoon moseys in Dublin.....forgetting about The Match...

So, here's a brief extract from the list:

1. The new Muppets film is brilliant. Uproariously funny, universally appealing, unpretentious, and did I mention uproariously funny? Great to see the gang (+1 new muppet) back in action. And we saw a brilliant Pixar/Toy Story short too! A film for all ages.

2. The Queen of Tarts coffee/cake shop is still amazing. Yes, we've been in there before, but it's still refreshingly yummy in there. This weekend's conquests - Apple Crumble (and how did it crumble, perfect crunch, perfect apple), Victoria Sponge (a triple decker, bursting with berry goodness), Lavazza coffee and wonderful hot chocolate. Don't pass it, unless you're going to their other branch.

3. The Elephant and Castle is great for lunch. We'll have to go back to try the wings (everyone was having wings!), but our lamb pitta and elephantburger lunch was tasty, succulent, well presented and well priced. Again, we say.

4. It might be time to get some different shoes. In my rush to leave the house, I had a left and right from different pairs. Not dramatically different, but enough. Lesson learned.

Small few photographs taken, for a later time.

Till then!

DIT Graduate Photography Show 2011

http://www.ditgraduatephotography.com/

Just in from the official opening of this exhibition in the National Photography Archive and the Gallery of Photography in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin. It's the annual final year/graduate showcase of the photography students at DIT, and I happen to know one of the photographers in this years class.

So, vested interest mentioned, I just had to give these guys a wee plug - if you are in the city, and have a passing interest in photography, it's worth a view. The photos are amazing, if you're like me you mightn't like them all but they are all high quality and evidence of a huge amount of work. Some are documentary, some are constructed images, some projects use double exposures, others use slides - the variety and imagination alone are impressive!

To reiterate, it's well worth a view - it's on in Temple Bar till June 26th. More details here, on their facebook page, and on their twitter feed, @ditphoto2011.  Enjoy! And best of luck to the 23 exhibitors.

Bloom in the Park 2011

Today we took the train (early, 07:45!) to see Bloom in the Phoenix Park. Bloom's an annual festival/event organised by Bord Bia, to showcase (from what I saw today) the best of Irish food, drink, plants, wildlife and garden design. As well as the usual retail sales areas that you find at (and that probably pay for) these events everywhere, there's a garden show area with about 8-10 gardens competing for prizes; an Irish food area; an Irish micro/independent brewer/distillers area (yum); information on wildlife organisations and activities for kids - a well-rounded family day out I suppose, even if there's only yourself and herself.... :P

There was lots of relaxing things to do....



I took a few photos, needless to say. I should preface them by saying that either I was confused or the camera was, as many of these pics weren't exposed great....so what you see is a result of a harsher than usual cull.



My personal favourite was a garden on the theme of "Alice in Wonderland," which was built/formed/made from synthetic grass and some plants. Lovely and bright and colourful, perhaps I should have taken more photos here!



My next favourite was the Chinese Garden, which had dancing and music. We arrived just after the dancing though, and didn't hang around till the next one. Mostly because it didn't occur to us to.





And another very enjoyable area....



The Bloom Inn was great - half-pint glasses at €2.50 being very reasonable, and excellent beers from craft breweries around the country. I particularly enjoyed my first taste of Galway Hooker and also of Trouble Brewing's Ór (up Kildare!), both very very tasty beverages indeed. I must also beseech the guys in Dungarvan to brew more of their coffee and oatmeal stout for bottling! My first taste too of Metalman's beer (I had the Windjammer), White Gypsy's and of 8 Degrees, all very enjoyable.

May they all bottle and distribute widely. Or to Kildare at any rate.

There is of course plenty of food to peruse and purchase for soakage. Sorry, I mean, of course, enjoyment. Lots of nice meat providers (can think of 2 sausage stands, and one beef stand in particular), bakeries, jams, preserves, you name it, and many providing a sample or 2 to tempt you!



Not to mention you never know who you'll bump into (or see other people bumping into)



If you go, I hope you enjoy it and that the weather suits you. If you don't have time and remain curious, get thee to pix.ie and have a look at either my few pics, or the pictures of other photographers that have submitted their work!

Another day in Dublin...a lovely afternoon

I had to snap this photo - "no right turn" sign with an election poster for a strong left alternative beneath it!

It's great, how simple a day can be so enjoyable. We ordered rings for the wedding last week. They rang us this week, to say that they'd arrived, so onward we went. (hoping that we could meet some friends to watch the unfortunate rugby game, but one's foot, having been injected recently, was not up to the walking that would have required).

So, yeah. Parked. (BTW, the car park near Jurys' Christchurch has a €10 parking deal between 11am and 6pm, if anyone's interested). A bit peckish, so we found ourselves in the Porterhouse, having seen a menu (and don't tell anyone, but they advertised the Dungarvan Brew Co. Copper Coast Ale......). Interesting soup and a phenomenal all-day breakfast were enjoyed in the company of that Ale and a Kriek (cherry beer - try it!). The breakfast in there comprises ginormous sausages, yummy pudding, great scrambled egg, and lovely rashers, served with tomato, mushrooms and toast, in a frying pan. On a plate. Can't be beaten.

We soon ran out of brackets (only joking) and went to collect our rings (via some shoe shops. That was unsuccessful) - unfortunately, only one was available due to a miscommunication. Anyway. It fits, and is shiny. That is all that's required. :P



A quick wander around adjoining shoe shops, an unexpected bumping into with an aunt, and some coffee later, as well as some photo opportunity in TCD, brought another couple of hours to a close, though my foot was getting tired at this stage.





And the weather wasn't even great! Still, it was a mucho enjoyable afternoon.

By the way, there are still some great sales on....



Oh, and the Copper Coast? Another lovely beer from Waterford, you'd almost say it was a chocolatey and malty ale. Yummy, and moreish, and a definite recommendation, though maybe a step or 2 down in this blogger's list from the Helvick.

As for the Kriek. Who'd have thought cherry flavoured beer would work? Yet it does, it's light, drinkable and refreshing. Reminiscent of Belgian holidays, which helps!

This post should have been before the earlier post....

On Friday I had some time off work, so I took myself to Dublin for a bit of shopping and moseying. There was jewellery to buy, and I got that done. I had some nice lunch too, in Bewleys, and I also took some pictures, as you do.

Once I got rid of the rubbish, I was left with these....

Light Rail (not light-trail, though there's a pun there waiting for a photo at night)


A busker - who had made (or bought, I suppose) a guitar from an oil-can - made a good noise!



On the other side of the city, sometimes motorbikes don't have anywhere to put your purchases, so you have to sit on them....


More at the album (here)

I am downloading and choosing some more photos that I took while on an anti-hen exhibition yesterday with a friend. May get them uploaded later on. No doubt you can wait.

New Bridge

Nah, not that Kildare place, but the new bridge in Dublin city has been finished, and has been tugged over from where they built it in Holland. Looks spectacular, pictures here!

Seanad Elections, crunch time

I am lucky enough (over-privileged, some would say) to have a say in who makes up the Seanad this year. Trinity college / Dublin University graduates have a vote for three of the seats in the Seanad, and voting cards are probably with most of them by now. There are 11 candidates for 3 seats.

I have found certain websites for the candidates, and I've listed them below with 2 others that may or may not be of some help if you haven't made your mind up.

Voting closes on Tuesday next, the 24th July, at 11:00 am, which effectively means Monday's post to be sure.


http://www.electionsireland.org/biographies.cfm?election=2007S&cons=225&sort=alpha (A List)
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82996


As many of the individual websites that I could find...
www.ivanabacik.com
http://www.shayconway.org/index.php?pr=Seanad_Election
http://www.stephendouglas.org/
http://www.dhedgar.ie/biography.html(David Hutchinson Edgar)
http://rosaleen.wordpress.com/(Rosaleen McDonagh)
http://www.senatordavidnorris.ie/
www.vote4reform.com (Seán O'Connor)
www.shane-ross.ie

The best bookshop....ever.

If a certain brewer made bookshops, then this would be theirs. Of course, that brewer doesn't make the best beer in the world according to the taste buds attached to the tongue of your intrepid reviewer, but assume they actually do. The bookshop of which I speak is Chapters which has recently moved to Parnell Street, Dublin 1. And it's heeeee-youdge. Massive. Lots and lots and lots and lots of books. With second hand ones upstairs. And books on fire engines, cars, puppies, classics, new fiction, old fiction, science fiction, science, everything, and somehow more. I could spend the day in it. Naturally, I was very careful not to pick up a book, as I knew that if I did, I'd be snared, and would end up buying lots of books. Luckily, I only bought one. M bought 2. It'd nearly be worth going in for Chapters alone. Top work - chaps and chappettes of Chapters. May I wish you ongoing success. Take it to the multiples.

Books and nice dinners.

I finished Tim Moore's "Spanish Steps" recently. A travelogue about one man and a donkey, travelling the Camino de Santiago, one of the oldest pilgrim routes, in Spain. Quite entertaining in a light hearted way though I had 2 or three laugh out louds, I'm not sure it'll convince you one way or the other about the route (that's a good thing, cos its not its job).

Naturally, (and you've noticed this occurs with most books) he discusses the adventures and madcap happenings along the way. The donkey falls over. People ask the donkey questions. Germans call it a monkey for some reason. Nah, it's an endearing story. Not sure he discovered anything, except that he loves the donkey. Spiritual enlightenment, 0, donkeykind, 1. Ach, it's good - 7.5/9.2.

Had a nice relaxing weekend, spent today in Dublin browsing and shopping. U2 bless Hodges Figgis and their sale - 7 books bought and queued behind the Christmas stash. Then we came home and M made a yummy roast chicken dinner with stuffing and roasted shpuds and croquettes. (10/10!) Good stuff!