2012 May | April Book Photography

Beautiful Northern Ireland

By abook on May 29, 2012

What a beautiful place Northern Ireland is! I thought the Irish Sea and its coastal villages were breathtaking. While we were staying in the town of Newcastle, I attended a photography workshop with a local photographer, Martin Spence, whose landscapes are just gorgeous (you can google him and see his work). He took us to 2 beautiful spots and gave us tips on shooting landscapes, helped us set up our shots, showed us some filters, lots of great information. It was a wonderful morning to walk around, take in the beautiful surroundings and photograph them as well. And after our photography lesson, we went back to the spa at our hotel, which was totally awesome as well. All around a great day. I just loved it there and would definitely go back. Since we were mostly on the coast and in 2 cities I would love to get out to the countryside and photograph some fields and sheep!

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Ancient Irish Castle

By abook on May 24, 2012

Last week I was fortunate enough to travel to the beautiful countries of Ireland and Northern Ireland, neither of which I had visited previously. We started out in Belfast, and stayed in Newcastle at a beautiful old Hotel overlooking the Irish Sea. After 2 days there, we were to drive from Northern Ireland to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. We asked our driver if we could see a castle during the trip. He was willing, he said, but there weren’t any real castles on the way. However, he did take us to see the ruins of a castle, which was beautiful. The Dundrum Castle was built (according to an engraved stone on the site) in 1180. It was wonderful to walk the grounds, take in all the gorgeous surroundings and imagine what life was like when the royal families lived there. Not only were the remaining sections of the former castle interesting, the view of the ocean and mountains was exquisite. What a beautiful place!

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A First Swim

By abook on May 21, 2012

What fun to spend a gorgeous day having fun in the pool! We did just this yesterday, the first time we have been in our pool this season. What made it even more special was that it was my great niece’s first time in a pool. She was more than adorable in her hat and long-sleeved sun-protection swimsuit. Everyone was having fun playing with her and watching her splash, which she loved. These are a few shots of her, most in the water. For some reason, the light in the black and white images appealed to me more than in the color images. She has a lot of hair for a 7 month old baby. I think she’s just gorgeous! 🙂

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Something from nothing?

By abook on May 10, 2012

Have you ever tried to get something from nothing? Or something from very little? That’s what I tried today. I was in the mood to take pictures, but I wasn’t sure of what. My go-to place is always the nearby beach or river, but still I was having trouble being inspired. I need to venture to some new locations, but that wasn’t happening today. So I headed to a small beach close by which has a stream as you approach it. It wasn’t a great time of day, nor is it the most beautiful scenery at this time of year. It’s doubtful that anyone would stop and photograph this place just now, it just doesn’t look great. But I knew I could work on the images when I got home. That’s where the something from nothing comes in. I shot a lot of images, and if I were braver or thought anyone really would care, I’d post an original shot here. But through the magic of Photoshop, I was able to turn those not-so-good-looking raw files into images that I actually like. The first one is my favorite. So yes, I think I got something from very little today!!

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Raindrops can be pretty

By abook on May 9, 2012

More rain in New England this morning, so I had to go with pictures of raindrops! I do love pictures of raindrops up close, when they’re focused well, which can be challenging. To get the best focus, a tripod is really necessary when you’re up close. However, between the rain and everything else, I was too lazy to get the tripod out. But I was able to get a few shots of drops on flowers and buds in my yard. Sorry for the repeat of the hearts, but they were too pretty to pass up! Enjoy your day!

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Spring Hearts

By abook on May 7, 2012

Some more flower images to share for the spring, no surprise here! These are some type of bleeding heart perennials, but I’m not sure exactly what they are. What I know of as bleeding hearts are slightly different than these and they bloom even earlier. I saw one reference to these as Pacific Bleeding Hearts. Anyway, they are really pretty and in bloom right now, so I was having fun photographing them. Finally a sunny and warm day here today, so I need to get out and take some more photos, especially since it’s supposed to start raining again. Enjoy the spring hearts… I hope they brighten your day!

Soft Pink Roses on a Gloomy Day

By abook on May 4, 2012

It’s been a week of dreary weather here in the northeast. However, we were seriously in need of rain, so there really isn’t any complaining, just a little desire to see the sun! I thought some soft pink roses might provide some cheer amidst the gloomy skies. I love the feel of images of flowers that are soft, which is what I tried to do with these. I did add some filters to add additional softness and texture. Let me know how you like them!