Bleached Browns

Taken in the stormy weather in Galway and manipulating the camera settings to get a bleak but warmer shot. I like how the browns of the stones came out and even without the dark grey skies it looks bleak.

Pink Blush

ANother one taken from the garden - again it's the colour I am proud of :)

The Ferry Inn

The Ferry Inn, Portland, Lorrha, across from Portumna Bridge: last stop to or from Galway! The food is excellent - proper Sunday lunch pub grub and the service was excellent - we had a lovely stop there on the way home from Galway and considering the bleak and wooly day that was in it , The Ferry Inn took on all the appearance of an oasis in a desert of - and here's where the metaphor breaks down- freezing cold rain.....

In the Garden

The first of some shots I took on Monday practising with the camera - just mooching around the back garden, surprisingly there's a lot of beauty to be found in a very small space :)

I love this one, the colour came out extremely well, very faithfully and the composition was exactly as I wanted.

"Se Rime Ceald Sae"

Galway was under water on Sunday night; as we arrived, we navigated several small ponds especially outside the G hotel and by the docks. Early Sunday morning there was another storm and the sea scape was extremely bleak even by mid morning. Hard to believe this was our mid summer!

Religious Facade

The wonderful black and white facade that dominates Il Duomo square in Florence; it is a hallmark not just of Florence but is found on treasured Tuscan buildings from Pisa to Pistoia.

The black and white is offset but a pinkish streak - even on a dull April afternoon the overall effect is quite startling.

The Devil's in the Details

I love Gothic architecture and especially the neo-medieval confectionary of the the Brussels church facades; on this church, thousands of detailed statues boast individual expressions and poses, each one a mini work of art. I took a series of the various details, including this one over the main door.

Prayer and Practicality

A shop lantern against the backdrop of one of Brussels magnificent gothic churches (off Golden Sq)

Blooming Bloomsday

I was roped into attending Bloomsday yesterday. I'm no fan of Joyce (I love The Dead but Ulysses is appalling dross) but my friend is a devotee and she begged the other two of us to attend. I must say If I have to suffer Joyce, Davy Byrne's Bar off Grafton Street is the place to do it. The atmosphere was excellent, the enthusiasm of the patrons, many in costume dress and others dressed with more than a nod to the period was infectious. There were songs and recitations, and inevitably, the passage from the offending book regarding Mr Davy Byrne himself. All in all it was a good day out, and I imagine even more so should you happen to like Mr Joyce!

In the Park

A little "pastel" from the photoshop :) I liked the aspect of the shot, it actually reminds me of the Avondale parkland. We spent many a happy sunday in Avondale as a child, just as my mother and her brothers spent in Le Bois in Brussells. I really enjoyed being where they had been, and that it reminded me of being young, seemed very auspicious!

In the Forest

The forest park that is the remnant of the great forests that once surrounded the city; we went for a walk from the university side, in the near continuous drizzle on Saturday - enjoying the green, lush colours. Definitely one for the "Urban Beauty" category. It's a wonderful park, unfortunately ungoing a fair bit of work on pathways etc at the moment but still an oasis as long as the weather isn't good. Once the temperatures soar the citizens come out in droves to enjoy the forest.

Pompeii Plaza

Just love the angles on the "floor" of the square; this was taken in April on honeymoon in Italy. While visiting Pompeii, I loved the angles created by the ruined architecture - something new and beautiful out of something that once was whole, and beautiful.

Empty

In preparation - for what? a ceremony, an audience? - rows of seats fill the Square. The rain drenches them, the obilisk oversees them. Something is meant to happen, soon.

Another view from the Palatine

Another view from the Palatine gardens across Rome, on a sunny April day. I was pleased with the colours, the pink and hints of yellow and the green and terracotta.

I also was pleased that the Rome visible is timeless, the villas are not ostensibly modern, there is little to date the shot, and I avoided the bustle of the city centre.

Lord Vesuvius Sits Sullen

Lord Vesuvius sits sullen;

it's been a long time since

his last tantrum. We are still

counting the cost, we tell him

appeasing his mighty temper.

Lord Vesuvius sits shrouded

mysterious in the haze of

springs first sunshine; he will

not promise anything, he tells

us. He may yet have another.

geraldine moorkens byrne

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2198/2457308274_df06457f98_b.jpg

Interior thoughts

I have a series I took inside the Basilica, Vatican City, at low light without a flash, something that I struggle to do well. This is one of the better shots (newspublic.com asked to use it on an article) and I am pleased that I got a lot of detail, I like the angle, I like the roof and the way I got the dome. I need to practise more though, as I am too slow to get the right speed and light when strolling around.

Clouds over Capri

A beautifully sunny morning on the Isle of Capri, suddenly interrupted by a swell of dark clouds. The dullness was momentary, the day brightened almost immediately but there, between all my shots of impossibly blue sea and sky is this slightly darker, gloomier shot.