Protestors In Dublin City

There was a big protest in the centre of Dublin City on Saturday against the Government's austerity programmes and their handling of the bank debt. I won't comment on the politics on play but there were a lot of people from lots of different groups all trying to get their own messages heard. I wandered into it somewhat by accident, but, seen as I had my camera with me, I figured, why not shoot away...

One of the slogan chanters with a bullhorn leading the troops!

Discussing tactics as the protest momentarily stopped.Or maybe it was the weather.

I'm pretty sure this guy was getting a picture of the Gardaí (police). Not a great place to stop and check your photos mind you.

A man handing out leaflets amid the fray

Just like the protests of years ago. Only with professionally printed signs and facebook pages. 

Ah the inevitable nazi comparison. No good protest should be without it. Not offensive at all. Nope. Way to be taken seriously.

Oh my god it's Pam from the office! Maybe Dunder Mifflin supplied the paper for all the banners and leaflets

It's bring your kid to protest day!

That woman looks cold. 

Bored man alert. 

Ok now this is just getting silly. Didn't anyone explain the concept of "talking points" to these people? And seriously, an oil rig in Dublin Bay? Stay on message dammit!

I'm betting she's really listening to the rugby match. 

That trench coat really does complete the ensemble really, doesn't it.

I can't believe I'm missing the rugby for this.

I had lots more of them but these were about the best. You can see the full set over on my facebook page.

As you can see I was pretty close for most of these. I had only brought my 50mm lens (and 30mm on my Nex-7) so it wasn't really by choice. But it worked out pretty well. I would have liked to get a bit more isolation on certain subjects, but limitations are good sometimes too.

Wordpress vs Squarespace for Photoblogging

It's been about a month now since I switched from Wordpress to Squarespace for my photography website. In that time I've gained a good insight into the system and how it performs. I've also been wondering if switching was a good idea or not. Squarespace definitely has its advantages but there are also some disadvantages too. If you're planning to make your own photography website and are wondering which system to use, hopefully this article will help you decide, or at the very least give you some food for thought Read More

Sunrise Snow

It was snowing this morning and there was a beautiful sunrise which was shining in trough my office window so I couldn't resist. Just a little light (ha, get it) distraction to get your day started!

Shot with a Sony Nex-7 and 30mm and 18-55mm Lens

The Birds

A scary scene as seagulls circle menacingly over the lake in Stephen's Green. Perfect weather for such a scene too. 

Taken with a D700, 50mm 1.4. Processed in Lightroom and Nik Color Efex 4

Sigma Launches Tasty New E-Mount Lenses

If there's one complaint that is frequently levelled at Sony's Nex (e-mount) system is the lack of available high quality lenses available for the system. Luckily over the last year that's been changing, with Sony and Zeiss both announcing more high quality lenses for the system. Yesterday Sigma announced some new high quality E-Mount lenses of their own.

Two were new versions of the existing 30mm and 19mm lenses. The new versions are in Sigma's new "Art" range and feature higher quality optics as well as an all new metal design, which it has to be said looks very slick. Full details on the 30mm version here and the 19mm here.


The other new lens announced was a brand new 60mm E-Mount. This is very interesting because there is a dearth of longer prime lenses for the e-mount system, the only one really being Sony's 50mm 1.8 which is ok, but not great.

The Sigma is a f/2.8 so it's not the fastest, but if it's as good optically as the 35mm full frame "Art" series lens they put out least year, this could be a great addition to the format. I for one am excited. Full details on the Sigma 60mm from Sigma's website.

Random Acts of Photography: People Edition

It's the return of the ever elusive "Random Acts of Photography" series. This time I present to you some random people from the wintery cold streets of Ireland's capital city. These were taken on a rather bleak saturday in Dublin and even in the cold it always amazes me the warmth of some people's expressions...

Grappling with a multicoloured umbrella in trinity college

People in a bleak trinity college

Discussions!

Walking with a purpose

Are you lookin' at me?

Faces in the crowd

Here's an example of making good use of the NEX-7's very useful tilting screen. I pointed the screen down for this shot and held the camera over my head. 

Most of these were taken with the Sony Nex-7 and a combination of Sony 50mm and Sigma 30mm lenses. There was some Nikon D700 / 50mm 1.4 in there too (can you tell which shot?

The funny thing about the NEx-7 is that I constantly find myself shooting with it Hasselblad style. That is, with the screen flipped up and me looking down into it at waist level, a la medium format cameras of old (and present). You actually get a unique and different perspective like this, and it's quite an enjoyable break from the routine

The RX1 Files

I came across this superb tumblr yesterday which, as the owner puts it showcases...

the finest photography, shot with Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 compact full frame camera

It's a great collection of images curated from around the web, taken with Sony's little full frame marvel and they're really impressive.

Some Inspiration For Monday Morning

Here are a few interesting photography related links to fire up your inspiration for this somewhat dull (in Dublin, anyway) monday morning!

Check out this very interesting surreal photography by Joel Roinson. This is a very clever series of photos based on the theme of a good book. Also, check out his own site.

Also, check out this great Australian photographer and filmmaker Jack Toohey. I've been following him on Facebook for a while and he does a lot of candid GQ/Vogue style  people photography  (Jack, if you're reading this, sorry if I've massacred the description of what you do!) and a lot is shot on film. His work is well worth a visit.

If you're looking for a good read check out this great book by Julieanne Kost (of Adobe fame). It's been out a while and I've had it for ages, but someone was talking about it recently and I was looking at it again this weekend. It's a great series of photos of landscapes taken from the window seat of a commercial aeroplane

A Bleak Day in Dublin City

I have been so busy over the last few weeks that I haven't had as much time to spend walking around the city looking for photo opportunities as I would like. I managed to get out on Saturday morning though, and while it wasn't the nicest day weather wise, there was a certain beauty in its starkness. Here are a few of the shots I got while wandering around the Georgian quarter of town.

These were all taken on a Sony Nex7 and processed using Lightroom with a little help from the wonderful VScO presets.