Photos By Kim

I'm Moving Home

2007-12-11T23:03:00.000Z

Hello everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've thought a lot about the future of this blog in my absence and have come to the decision that I need a fresh start. After looking around both here and on other blog sites, I've decided to move to Word Press. My new blog, which contains all of my old posts from here, is Kim's Photo Blog. I hope to see you there. Oh, the reason why I chose to move should not reflect badly upon Blogger. I have no problem or complaints about the services offered here. I just find Word Press to be more suitable to my needs at the moment.

Update

2007-11-07T22:37:00.001Z

I'm currently in the process of creating an online photo gallery where I will post more of my photos similar to those in this blog. When completed, I'll let you know where to find it, so if you like the photos that you find here, please check it out!

Green Castle Ruins

2007-11-07T22:05:00.000Z

A view from below Green Castle showing two of the corner towers.

Green Castle Ruins

2007-10-30T20:46:00.000Z

The ruins of Green Castle (aka Northburg Castle) lie on the side of the main road running through Greencastle, Co. Donegal, and next to a new housing estate currently under construction. But while this doesn't provide the most romantic environment to view these wonderful ruins from afar, it is easy to walk into and explore the remains of the castle itself. Getting close up and even inside some of the towers it is easy to see just how large and important this castle was to the region.

Green Castle was originally built by Richard de Burgh (The Red Earl of Ulster) in 1305 as part of his efforts to counter the influences of the O'Dohertys and O'Donnells in the Northwest of Ulster as well as to provide protection from Scottish attacks.

This photo is just one of a series I will be posting of the Green Castle Ruins.

Forgotten Tack

2007-10-25T18:58:00.001+01:00

Wandering around a derelict farm in Co. Donegal, something hanging up in an outbuilding caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was an old saddle and tack left behind when the building was abandoned.

Recent Interruptions

2007-10-25T18:50:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry for the interruptions in posts. I started off wanting to post a photo a day, but a little too late I have realised how much of a commitment that requires. My hat is off to those blogs have have managed to do this over the years! Anyways, I've had a re-think of my plans and have decided, at least for the short-term, to posting three or four times a week. That way I can focus more on my photography to get it up to the standard that a post-a-day site deserves (who, after all, wants to look at a photo that was posted just for the hell of it?) and also give me the time to edit my photos (I shoot in RAW, some editing is required). I hope, however, that this change in plan doesn't put anyone off from visiting my blog!

Green Door

2007-10-17T21:41:00.001+01:00

While searching for some standing stones in Donegal, I ran across a derelict farmhouse dating from the 17th century. This door caught my eye almost immediately because it was the most colourful part of the house.

I have a sort of attraction to ruins, both ancient and modern. There's just something about them that makes them stand out to me as excellent subjects for photography.

Ireland's New Forests

2007-10-15T14:42:00.000+01:00

As part of Blog Action Day, I thought I would post one of the sights I love to see most of all in my travels around Ireland. This is the growth of new forests on agricultural land as a result of the government and EU policy of afforestation. Under the EU's CAP policy, farmers are allowed to apply for grants to plant and maintain forests on their land. This is enabling Ireland to regain much of its forested past (it has one of the lowest portion of forested land in the EU), providing what to me at least are the beautiful scenes above, as well as increasing the biodiversity of the region, as well as providing a sustainable source of wood.

Take A Walk

2007-10-13T16:06:00.001+01:00

Take a walk along the upper tiers of Grianan Ailigh and view the wonderful landscape of three Irish counties (Derry, Donegal, and Tyrone). You can really see the importance of this site in ancient times and how it dominates the surrounding landscapes.

Walk On In

2007-10-09T18:44:00.000+01:00

I'm going to post a few more photos of Grianan Ailigh, I really like the imagery conjured up at this site. The entrance to the site on this somewhat wet day provides the first glimpse of the green expanse within and the three-terraced walls encircling the enclosure.

Grianan Ailigh

2007-10-04T21:16:00.000+01:00

Grianan Ailigh is a ringfort in Co. Donegal dating back to 1700 BC.

Ringfort

2007-10-02T18:41:00.000+01:00

This image might look like a clump of bushes, but it is actually a very ancient ringfort (rath) in Co. Derry. It's surprising what you can find on along the side of the road if you look close enough!

The Landscape Tutorial and Me

2007-10-01T15:52:00.000+01:00

This has been an interesting and worthwhile tutorial for me. The purpose of the tutorial was to better equip the beginning landscape photographer with the basic skills necessary to improve their technique in the field. As such, the tutorial began with the basics of learning how to critically evaluate your own photographs, through the basic mechanics of your camera, to capturing images in the field using the creative techniques of standard SLRs and prosumer cameras.

I learned some valuable lessons about my photogarphy. These might seem obvious to the more experienced out there, especially because they come top of the list of advice given to landscape photographers. These would be the invaluable nature of the tripod and ND grad. To tell the truth, I had always put off buying a tripod because I didn't believe it would make that much of a difference. I can hold a camera pretty still and if there is camera shake, I can always increase the ISO. However, after examining some of the photos I took for Day 1 of the turorial and seeing a loss of detail in the image, I finally bit the bullet and bought a monopod (for convenience, especially as a walking stick!). I think that the photos I took in the following days are a bit sharper as a result of using a monopod.

I've also learned the benefits of the ND grad. I never really bothered to use mine (I don't even have a holder for it yet) because I figured that any adjustments needed to the sky could be achieved in Photoshop. Well, when I finally did break out the ND grad, I was surprised at the detail I was able to capture in the sky while still doing a decent job of exposing the land. So, needless to say, along with my polariser and monopod, my ND grad will be going with me when I take my photos.

The other lesson I've learned is how to critically evaluate my photos. Before I would just look at an image and use my gut reaction to determine whether or not it "worked." Now that I know more of what to look for, I can see my photos improving, especially in terms of composition. One thing I have to keep reminding myself, though, is that I can change my angle of shooting, that I don't have to always stand up!

This tutorial has also highlighted some of my shortcomings. I had a great deal of difficulty dealing with natural light and shutter speeds. Well, to tell the truth, it was very overcast when it came to shooting the natural light tutorial, but I still had trouble determining the effects of light at different stages of sunset and the effects that more or less sky in the photo has on exposure. I've also really got to get the hang of shutter speeds and how they relate to aperture if I'm ever to totally wean myself off of the automatic/scenic modes of my camera.

So, what is my verdict of the 7 day tutorial? I think that it was a very valuable exercise for me. I learned a lot of the features of my camera that I've ignored as being too advanced and I've learned the difference small changes to the way you take photos can make to your photography. Most importantly, though, I've learned that patience is a necessity for landscape photographers. You won't always get the conditions you want to shoot in because, while you can control your camera and pick your subjects, you cannot control the lighting and weather!

Project Day 7

2007-09-29T21:53:00.001+01:00

This is the final project for the Better Landscapes in Just 7 Days tutorial in Practical Photography I am attempting to complete. This project calls for you to make a purchase, if you haven't already done so, of an OS map (or any other topographical map) of your local area. You are to "use its information to find a new location. Visit this location to try out all of your new landscape skills."

Here are my results:

This is the remains of Elagh Castle (the underground chambers remain intact) in a field on the outskirts of Derry. I never knew about this site, although I knew it once existed, and would have never found it without looking at an OS map (OS Northern Ireland C 41062204). It turned out to be less than a 10 minute drive!

One note of caution to those using OS maps, they do contain mistakes. This site is an example. It is labeled as Doherty Tower on the map, but Doherty Tower is actually the Tower Museum within the City Walls of Derry. A few questions about "what's that castle here (pointing at map)?" gave me the correct name for the ruin.

Blogged with Flock

Day 7: Learn All About Locations

2007-09-29T21:52:00.001+01:00

Day 7of the Better Landscapes in Just 7 Days tutorial of Practical Photography is concerned with finding the best locations using Ordinance Survey maps. This tutorial is more about map reading and applying topographical features to your photographic adventures than the mechanics of photography.

The tutorial points out 10 features to look for on an OS map:

Rock Features: cliffs can be used for great viewpoints, rocky ground for foreground interest.
Coastal Features: rocky, shingle or sand-covered beaches?
Lighthouses: excellent focal features for seascapes.
Water Features: Rivers and waterfalls, bridges and weirs.
Woodland: coniferous woodlands stay green all year long while non-coniferous woodlands provide spectacular autumn colours.
Rights of Way: show whether you have access.
Other Public Areas: public access routes not easily seen on the ground.
Contours: indicate height every 10 metres above sealevel, the closer together, the steeper the terrain.
Parking: self-explanatory for the car owners among us (sadly not me).
Castles: "romantic" or just interesting, a nice way to spice up your landscape photos.

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Project Day 6

2007-09-27T21:06:00.001+01:00

The project for Day 6 of the Better Landscapes in Just 7 Days tutorial in Practical Photography is to "Take a series of pictures of either wind-blown foliage or flowing water at a range of different shutter speeds. Then study the effect each shutter speed has had on the area that's moving during the exposure."

This tutorial has got to be the hardest so far. Shutter speeds are a difficult concept to get my head around and I am having a hard time getting the desired results.

These are my results:

ISO 100 f/7.1 1/8

ISO 100 f/6.4 1/18

In the first photo, there is no blur, while on the second photo there is some blur in the lower left-hand corner. This was not a very windy day, just a slight breeze was blowing.

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Day 6: Take More Control of Your Camera

2007-09-27T21:04:00.001+01:00

Day 6 of the Better Landscapes in Just 7 Days tutorial in Practical Photography focuses on mastering shutter speed and aperture.

"Once you've got to know the basic settings on your camera it's time to start using them more creatively. Essentially, you need to understand how different settings affect the final look of your picture because this will allow you to manipulate the natural elements for the best result....

Two of themost powerful tools in your photo armoury are shutter speed and aperture. In any scene where there is movement such as flowing water or wind-blown plants you can use the shutter speed to blur or freeze these elements, while the amount of the scene that is sharp can be altered by using different apertures.... Mastering these two settings will make your landscape shots stand out from the crowd."

Shutter Speeds
"The shutter speeds available will depend on the amount of light, the aperture you choose and the ISO settings on your camera. You can't change the amount of light, so you'll need to use a small aperture such as f/16 or f/22 and use the lowest ISO settingto achieve longer shutter speeds. Although you can't change the light, you can use a plain ND or polarising filter to reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor. The other way of getting long shutter speed effects is to shoot at dawn and dusk."

Blogged with Flock

Shutter Speeds and Me

2007-09-25T22:00:00.000+01:00

Day 6 of this tutorial is causing me a lot of trouble. I've always avoided dealing with shutter speeds, preferring either the automatic or scene modes and lately the aperture priority mode of my camera. I can get to grips with aperture, there really isn't a lot to understand. The bigger the f/number the smaller the aperture, the less light gets through to the lense and the more sharp the background is. The reverse is true for smaller f/numbers. My camera only goes from f/3.2 to f/8. I can deal with that.

Shutter speeds elude me though. I understand that the faster the shutter speed the more frozen the subject is, the slower the more blurred. But there is so many shutter speeds guessing the right one is difficult. So this day, I have a feeling, is going to last a couple. I hope to crack it and post some of my results tomorrow. This is a whole new world of photography to me.

Sometimes I Surprise Myself

2007-09-24T16:06:00.000+01:00

ISO 100 f/3.20 1/40 sec

While trying to figure out how to use the shutter priority mode on my camera, I captured this interesting image of the underside of a tree. The colour of the sky on the day was a greying blue, overcast, yet it turned dark blue in the photo. I rather like this mistake, the image has an atmosphere, especially since I know it was taken just outside an old cemetery.

Project Day 5

2007-09-23T19:02:00.001+01:00

The project for Day 5 is to "practise using ND grad filters at sunrise or sunset. Shoot the scene with and without them and study how this affects your results."

The results of my shoots are below:

without ND grad

with ND grad 3

I think of all the tutorials so far, this is the one that shows the most dramatic results. This is the first time I've used an ND grad, I've never even got around to buying a holder for it! I really like the results though, so will be using one more often. You can really see the detail of the clouds in this shot while the foreground stays in good exposure. Not only that, but you can actually see the sunset (this is the same series of shots I took for the last tutorial), so I am quite pleased I did actually record a sunset. Normally to get this level of detail in the sky I would have to select the sky in Photoshop and adjust the levels independent of the rest of the image. In this case, however, I just tweaked the exposure (a bit underexposed) in Camera Raw and that was it. I'm now a fan of ND grads!

Blogged with Flock

Day 5: Add Filters For Effect

2007-09-23T19:01:00.001+01:00

Day 5 of the Better Landscapes in Just 7 Days tutorial in the current issue of Practical Photography focuses on the use of the polariser and ND grad filters in landscape photography.

"Every photographer needs a little help to capture the landscape on the sensor or film. This is because you won't be able to capture the massive range of brightness and colours in many landscapes without a little help. There are many different filters available, but you really only need to use two types for 90% of landscapes - the ND grad and polariser. Both of these filters allow ou to change the colours and tones so that the camera can capture them and give you better pictures....

Polariser
Blue skies and the saturated colours of the landscape can look muted and dull in your landscape shots without a polariser filter. Using a polariser you need to rotate the filter while looking through the viewfinder as the effect changes according to the position of the filter. ... The effect on the sky is most pronounced at right angles to the sun, so if the sun is directly behind you the changes can be quite minimal.

ND Grads
Keeping detail in both the land and the sky is almost impossible in a single image without the help of an ND grad. One half of this filter is a dark grey colour, which should be positioned over the sky, while the clear area should be over the landscape.

...Rememeber that the exposure for the foreground won't be affected by the filter, so expose for this and use the right strength filter to make sure the sky is correctly exposed."

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Project Day 4

2007-09-22T21:36:00.001+01:00

The project for Day 4 is to "Check the weather forecast and head out to a location close to home to shoot sunrise and sunset."

Here are my photos:

Taken clockwise, the time for the photos are 1) 19:25 2) 19:27 (sunset) 3) 19:29 and 4) 19:31.

So, what can we learn from this? Well, in theory there should be a noticeable change in the quality of light (it gets darker for example) and colour of the sky. While this did happen, it is not as noticeable in the photos as in real life. I think that this tutorial, given the circumstances of the shoot, shows more the effects of heavy cloud cover on sunsets than on the effects of sunsets on the landscape as a whole. Basically, there isn't much of a difference sunset or not, when the clouds are covering up the sky!

You might be asking yourself why I chose to take these photos on such a lousy day given that I was supposed to be photographing sunsets. Well, the reasoning is simple. After three days of waiting for a decent sunrise or sunset, I got fed up and took what I was given (a cloudy day). You see, Derry is experiencing some very bad weather photography-wise. Wet and cloudy or overcast. This is expected to continue for the next three days at least. So rather than put this tutorial off forever, I thought I would get moving even if the results were not as intended. I think that this is a very important lesson to learn when it comes to landscape photography: you are not always going to get the best conditions to work under just because you want them!

B logged with Flock

Day 4: Understand Natural Light

2007-09-22T21:35:00.001+01:00

I'm back to the tutorials today. I've been waiting rather impatiently for the weather to start to cooperate for the final days of the tutorial. It hasn't, and I've lost patience, so I will see what can be done regardless of the weather.

Day 4 of the Better Landscapes in Just 7 Days tutorial in the current issue of Practical Photography focuses on how natural light can affect your shots.

"Learning to read the weather and knowing when the best light will be are two of the keys to improving your landscapes.... The weather may be beyond your control, and often even beyond the abilities of the forecasters to predict, but there are still plenty of ways that you can increase the chances of getting the best conditions.

Generally the light during the middle of the day is the most difficult in which to get the stunning landscape photographs. The harsh light from the sun directly overhead makes the landscape appear flat and formless, and the light also appears bluer than earlier and later in the day, giving cold-looking results. Both of these effects can make your landscapes appear dull and lifeless. The answer to this is to shoot earlier and later in the day when the sun is lower in the sky, and slo gives a warmer, more flattering light..."

Blogged with Flock

Newcastle Harbour

2007-09-21T16:14:00.000+01:00

Newcastle harbour, Co. Down. This lovely seaside town is where I learned an important photography lesson. If you have to raise your ISO setting for a particular shot, make sure you always reset it before you take another! This photo was taken at ISO 1600.

Stoneface

2007-09-20T17:19:00.001+01:00

Today was another washout for the tutorial, so here is another of my favourite photos. This was taken at Magazine Gate on the Derry Walls.