Tag Archives: Phoenix Park

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.

The Less Friendly Trees.

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I promise I will eventually make it as far as the Pope’s Cross to photograph it, but every time I head in that direction something catches my eye and that’s me done for another hour or two.

At least this time I actually managed to capture the cross, somewhat in the background but at least it’s actually there.
There are hundreds of these wild gnarly looking trees all over the park, I simply can’t resist photographing them to be honest. I love the fact that they always seem to be just sitting in a wide open space all on their own, for some reason they never seem to grow in groups. This makes me think of them as some kind of grumpy loner that doesn’t enjoy the company of other trees, you can almost imagine them shuffling along in their early years until they find a spot in the park where they won’t be disturbed by the other trees. It may seem like a crazy idea but part of me does believe that trees can communicate with each other in some way or other, don’t ask me to explain it, you either believe or you don’t.

I tend to approach these angry-looking lads with plenty of caution, it’s best not to get too close, you can never be too sure. They may be small but I have yet to see anybody brave enough to try to climb one of these little fellas, they are covered in prickly spines, even the squirrels dare not attempt.

You need to be very quiet when near one of these trees and don’t ever turn your back on them.

The Visitor Centre in Infra-Red

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Phoenix Park Visitor CentreThe visitor centre in the Phoenix Park has some of the most stunning trees to be found anywhere in the park. I think a lot of people visit this area of the park on a daily basis and simply don’t even think about looking up.

There are some of the finest and probably oldest trees to be found right in front of you but most people visit this area to have a look at the visitor centre and maybe a picnic in the summer. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with that, in fact I think the visitor centre and cafe are two of my favourite things to do on a rainy day.

If you ever find yourself in the visitor centre then I recommend you walk out past the beautiful little mini-maze and just stand in the middle of the grass by all the picnic benches, then slowly raise your head and take in some of the tallest and most beautiful trees to be found in this wide expanse of woodland. The gardens and general area around the visitor centre and superbly maintained, credit must be given to the staff for the job they do around here.

There was something very striking about this tree and I have gone back to it on many occasions, I have never been happy with any of my photographs though. There are so many other trees close to it that it’s always been really hard to isolate it in a photo, I think it deserves a photo all to itself. I just happened to chance a visit a few weeks back with some infra-red equipment, it was one of those bitterly cold but sunny mornings and I thought it was worth trying out in infra-red. Finally,  I got a shot that I was more than happy with, I think the infra-red really does it justice and seems to remove anything else from the shot altogether.

Just because I finally got a shot of this tree that I am happy with doesn’t mean I won’t be visiting again, and again and again and again. Trees are so dependable, they are always in the same place you left them regardless of how long you leave them til your next visit.

This particular tree should think about getting an equity card, its only a matter of time before the producers of the Hobbit movie come looking for its like.

A Small Duck Pond Saves My Day.

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This shot was taken at a very small little duck pond just off the main road as you approach the Phoenix Monument. It is almost directly opposite Aras An Uachtarain [where the president lives]. It’s not something you would really notice that easily, very cleverly hidden by a circle of rather beautiful trees. To be honest I have seen it many times and have walked by on many occasions too. I was in the park on this particular day in September 2010, one of my first days out in the park in several months and at this stage I had taken about 60 shots but really didn’t feel I had anything really worth printing. I decided on a whim to have a stroll around this little pond and immediately noticed the perfect Autumn light just peeking through the trees where I was standing. The reflections in the water were truly stunning but still I was desperate to capture something of any value. As I walked around the pond this scene just opened up for me. I set up the tripod really quickly and snapped as soon as I could get the lens focused. Literally 30 seconds later the clouds had covered the sun and the entire scene changed again into some altogether rather dull. This is something I really love about this park, you find something new every time you visit and in the space of just a few minutes appearances can change from simply breath-taking to walk on by bland. I am so glad I took the time out to stroll in here, I have been back to the exact same spot twice since this photo was taken and neither occasion would have produced anything like this.

This little pond really feels very private at times, you can still hear the traffic going by on the road but with the trees providing protection all round it can feel like you are just all alone hidden away. It’s almost like the trees don’t want you to know whats in here, or even happening in here. Sometimes I feel like trees have their own little way of trying to keep certain things to themselves, it may seem a bit mad to say but you really do feel like they are trying to protect this little pond and all that goes on within. You are allowed to come in but you must stick to their rules. I must remember to back and visit this spot during the summer, I can imagine a very different scene, I would imagine the trees in full bloom would block out all the summer sunshine to create something very haunting indeed.