Monthly Archives: February 2011

If This Park Bench Could Talk !

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I must say I have always loved the square shape of medium format photography and I try to replicate that from time to time when the scene suits. This one was just perfect in my opinion. It’s got to be said the majority of the park benches in the park are extremely well cared for and its rare to find one like this. I love the texture in the wood.

I often think about the different people who have used these benches over the years, they have obviously been in the park for quite a long time, if only they could talk eh !

This particular series of benches are up on a small hill and overlook one of the other favourite places in Dublin, The War Memorial Gardens in Kilmainham / Inchicore. It’s a really lovely calming place to sit and look out over a busy road below, so close but still the traffic seems so distant at the same time.

A Dreamlike Vision In The Trees

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Anytime I look at this photo I always think how soft everything looks in it. It’s a wonderful side effect of infra-red, particularly on grassy areas, it almost makes it look like snow. Believe me it couldn’t be further from snow if I tried, this was in fact a beautiful summers day, this entire area just happened to be under the shade of the trees. I love stumbling upon this little used walkways through some of the thicker forested areas, I am sure there are plenty of other people who use them but I always get this feeling that I am the only one around, very pleasant indeed.

I wasn’t sure at first about the two main trees in the shot, both look like they are falling over but I find you tend to lean your head whilst looking at the picture and I love watching people doing exactly the same thing as me when they view it.

I find this quite a lonely almost cold feeling photograph but there is something about the trail of the pathway that always makes me wonder what is around that corner.

The Common Beech

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Common BeechI think one of the reasons I like this photo so much is simply because I am in it myself.

Normally when I start processing a photo like this I would instantly dismiss it because of my own shadow, photographers can be fussy people when it comes to something like this. A lot of people would deem this to be a mistake on behalf of the photographer, you will very rarely see a photographers shadow in a picture. On this occasion I tried to include myself as I like the contrast between the shadow from the trees and my extra long looking legs, trust me, I am not that tall in real life.

This photo was taken on a bitterly cold winters morning, it’s hard to believe that from the gorgeous sunshine but trust me, this was one of those mornings when you don’t stand still for too long.

I am guessing this area of the park features some of the oldest trees, judging by the amount of old stones placed in the ground anyway.

I could do some research on the origins of the headstone like markers in the ground but unfortunately I am a photographer and not a historian.

Fagus sylvatica is better known to us as the European Beech or Common Beech, normally quite a tall straight tree, hence the beautiful long shadows they cast.

I love this area of the park in the winter, it is a bit of a trek to get there but oh so wonderful to just ramble around in the crisp leaves, the only other company being the odd squirrel. The trees are all beautifully spread out, you almost get the feeling that this is some kind of peaceful retirement home for some of the older trees, there is very little new growth going on around here and I think that is exactly the way these old boys want it. They don’t want to be disturbed by young upstarts making their life difficult by encroaching on their space or even engaging in conversation with them.

The Magazine Fort Death Mask

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Probably one of my favourite places to photograph in the Phoenix Park.
This is an old derelict magazine fort situated quite near the football pitches, for those who never veer off the main road in the park, you need to turn left at the first roundabout after coming in through the main gates. Then you follow the road around until you see a right hand turn, just look up from there and you can’t miss it. Maybe I shouldn’t be giving away all my favourite secret locations, but sure it’s all about sharing isn’t it.
I love this shot because it kind of looks like the building is actually looking at me in the photo, it looks like some medieval battle mask, you can almost sense the dark eyes hidden behind the rectangular slot.
The ivy and moss growing on the wall showed up really well under infra-red light and the sky was just amazing on this particular day. I have to say I just love the anticipation with infra-red photography, you sometimes have no idea what a photo is going to look like until the shutter has been pressed. I love the darkness of the sky too, it just makes the shot that extra bit haunting (or evil).
I find something very haunting about this particular place, I have found lots of shots from inside the building but somehow I prefer not to know what it looks like inside, it kind of adds a certain mystique to the place. I love walking around the perimeter of the building up on the hill and making up all manner of scenarios as to what life was like inside when it was inhabited.
I have an entire series of photos from this area posted up on my Flickr page and you can click here to check them out if you want.

You can purchase prints or postcards of his photo from as little as €2.50 by clicking this link.

The First Ever Deer-Bird.

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What do you get when you cross a deer with a blackbird ?
Can’t say I know the answer to that but these two lads are definitely working on it for me.
Animal researchers of the world take note, there could very easily be some flying deer hovering around the Phoenix Park in the next couple of years.
Every time the blackbird sat on the deers back I would obviously have the camera pointing in the wrong direction. There were literally hundreds of deer sitting around this area at the time, I spent at least an hour sitting patiently for something interesting to happen. The deer are very much happy with a bit of human attention, so long as you don’t go running and shouting at them, they will sit perfectly still and allow you to get quite close to them. Sometimes I like to simply sit and watch them go about their business in the park, leave the camera in the bag and just enjoy this amazing piece of nature so close to the city centre. It’s hard to believe you are literally only a couple of miles away from a busy metropolis.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Phoenix Park these lads just wander around freely in large herds, along with the trees, they pretty much own the place. They are never that hard to find, just drive up through the main road and keep your eyes peeled for them.
So now you know, it’s not only trees that catch my attention !

You can now purchase this print by clicking here

This Wee Bridge Saved My Life

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I spent ages trying to decide if I actually liked this photo or did it just look too unreal not to be faked.
Basically, the sky is exactly as it came out in the camera, I did slightly adjust the contrast but apart from that it’s simply down to pure luck and a very large dose of patience.
I think I spent over an hour hovering over the camera waiting on some kind of decent cloud cover to appear, at the same time as the sun. They say you need patience to photograph animals in the wild, well let me tell you, just because trees don’t move around you still have to do a lot of waiting / stalking.
I have always loved this particular collection of trees, I have visited them many many times during the course of many different seasons and lighting situations. I have never really been happy with the photos I have taken and it was on this cold september day that I finally approached them from a different angle and found this cute little bridge just begging me to include it in the shot. I duly obliged and I should really go back to that wee bridge and thank it for all the help.
Well worth a walk through some very soggy ground.
I love this particular spot during the summer, it’s just a perfect place to hide away from the world.

I spent ages trying to decide if I actually liked this photo or did it just look to unreal not to be faked.
Basically, the sky is exactly as it came out in the camera, I did slightly adjust the contrast but apart from that it’s simply down to pure luck and a very 

large dose of patience.
I think I spent over an hour hovering over the camera waiting on some kind of decent cloud cover to appear, at the same time as the sun. They say you need

patience to photograph animals in the wild, well let me tell you, just because trees don’t move around you still have to do a lot of waiting / stalking.
I have always loved this particular collection of trees, I have visited them many many times during the course of many different seasons and lighting

situations. I have never really been happy with the photos I have taken and it was on this cold september day that I finally approached them from a different

angle and found this cute little bridge just begging me to include it in the shot. I duly obliged and I should really go back to that wee bridge and thank

her for all the help.
Well worth a walk through some very soggy ground.
I love this particular spot during the summer, it’s just a perfect place to hide away from the world.