Templepatrick

I took a quick early morning run out to Templepatrick to add some spring images to my portfolio of Paradise walk. The Beech tree lines are still holding out with minimal new growth but the lone Tree behind is bursting out in new bright green goodness, so I guess I will need to return again next week!

Glistening Spring Light Templepatrick

Moody April Skies Across Belfast Lough

Frustrated with not having been out with my camera for a while I decided to go down to the shoreline near my home one evening last week. There were some incredible April Skies.

When I was taking my photos I was planning on them being black and white but on reflection they are not too bad in colour either..

Mourne Inversion in Black and White

When I originally processed my image’s from this cloud inversion (I think my third summit camp on Slieve Binnian ) I had already one in black and white. It Dawned upon me the other day to do the same with a few more of them as a collection to display together..

Walk above the clouds at the Douglas Crag ( This was the first image I had in Monochrome )

Picking out distant details of Distant buttress with light and shade in the cloud inversion…

Making the most of the hard angular shapes of the Mountains contrasting the soft waves of cloud..

Sharks Tooth in a sea of Clouds in the Kingdom of Mourne……

Broken Erratic silhouette

“while all below carried on in mirk and mire I climbed higher for mirth and the sun's fire.."

The Annalong valley in the mists..

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I am contemplating running these as a print collection let me know if you are interested..

The Holestone and the no eclipse for me..

The Doagh Holestone still used by lovers to consecrate vows. This stone shark’s tooth with a vagina tracks the moon. Is on a stones outcrop on top a hill near Doagh. I figured it would make an interesting place to photograph the partial eclipse at sunset but our weather was 100% clouds and rain, megalithic gods said no.. here it is earlier in the day.

Drenched wild Garlic

A recent trip up the East Coast as far as Glenarm during heavy rain I noticed the Wild Garlic leaves were emerging through the downpour on the I shall return for the full bloom soon… The photo isn’t perfect I am hoping when the Ramsen (wild garlic) flowers bloom it will bring more balance to the image which looks a bit bare and dark perhaps, this is still in the ‘working out phase’ it may work or it may not….

STOP! THIEF!

I recently had an image stolen from Twitter or X and it was put up on a Facebook group by an unscrupulous fellow who I won't name it got 17K likes and countless comments and praise, he had been doing this for a while and I wasn't the only victim there was several. I have re-added the image to that group and he has had his images removed.. Thanks go to Anne Kelly who noticed it (and was also a victim).I have since put the image back up on the group they have removed all his images he stole from all over. you can see it here if want to try to get back to 17K!

The Dark Hedges in the Snow..The Kings Road (watch out for villains and thieves)

how did it go? Well the groups Admins were good they removed the images, Meta on the other hand were harder to get hold of there was a form to fill out which I did they asked for links to the original online(X) and website which I provided. they wrote back to say they couldn’t deal with me only the original artist which I am! I wrote back to to-tell there must be a mistake because I am! and received a case-closed letter.. The group has taken the offending image down but I am not the only victim and I feel Meta should have done something with the person stealing multiple images removing from the platform entirely ban for set time…

Print winner

Torr print winner was Joanne from Antrim, (she didn’t believe me at first lol!) Enjoy your print Joanne it’s winging its way in the post already!

What Papers Do I Use?

I Mainly use two papers both from Fotospeed who make and distribute fine art papers they have been around for over 35 years providing darkroom chemistry and specialised fine art printmaking needs.
I use Fotospeed Platinum Etching 285 on the majority of my prints it is 100% acid free, fine art Matt paper with a slightly velvety, textured surface. The 285 is grams per square meter( I looked it up) which means it is a nice thick paper with a good feel anything around the 300 gsm is good in my opinion. The paper shows a wide colour with deep blacks (for a Matt Paper).

The other paper I often use is Fotospeed Platinum Baryta 300 which is 100% acid-free, Fine Art paper with a smooth unglazed gloss surface. I use it more for black and white images although it is great for some colour images as it does have a far wider gamut ( more colours) than matt papers the high contrast is what it is really good for though and that is the Baryta it is more like the old traditional darkroom print papers..

I have used a few other of their papers the Fotospeed Art Smooth DUO 210 Short Grain 210 a double sided smooth matt which I produced a couple of books on and plan a zine soon. It is a wonderful paper not quite as wide a gamut as the platinum but I do love it it just takes a little finesse when printing, but that is what Photoshop is for. I have Fotospeed Natural texture bright white 315 in my arsenal too, it has a much more pronounced texture and narrower gamut great on the right image but terrible on the wrong one. I have an icey image of Rannoch More on my wall at home the texture just fits perfectly with the frosted locken this isn’t usual I wouldn’t normally pair this paper with snow but it does work on this one!

I can’t recommend Fotospeed enough I have used them for years, and they provide printer colour profiles so you can print accurately with confidence. website is https://fotospeed.com/ and also available all the other usual places too..

Why Thought Memory?

An explanation to my logo

Why Thought Memory? A couple of reasons came together for this. Quite a while ago I suffered a bleed on the brain only a small one from what turned out to be a brain riddled with odd blood vessels in the brain that look somewhat like a raspberry. A cavernous malformation of the Brain ( actually a multiple cavernous malformation. It left me with epilepsy but nationally as the bleed was in a part of the brain associated with language gave me a bit of bother. I remember having a fit at work probably the first I can remember. I was a chef at the time the world went fuzzy and I couldn’t understand people talking, and I couldn’t speak, It passed and English came back to me (somewhat) these episodes carried on till I ended up in the hospital having bitten the end of my tongue having had a full-blown fit sometimes called a grande-mal which is where I discover what had been going on. It has taken many years of taking different pills at different strengths before settling on my now quite a low dose, fortunately not had a fit for many years now back full driving license, etc. The one thing I still lose words all the time, it isn’t as bad as before but I do struggle with words sometimes I know the word but can I find it! Basic words it is very frustrating..

The view from An icy hill Doan across the valley towards Ben Crom, Slieve Lamagan and the Blue Lough

  Hillwalking. As I have said I haven’t had a fit for many years now and since this time I have been taking up photography and I was spending a lot of time hillwalking esp in the Kingdom of the Mournes, and also elsewhere where at the summits I would often find my only companion would be ravens who soar over the hills. I was reminded of Oden’s Ravens Hugin and Munin which translates as thought and memory. These birds would talk in Oden’s ear giving him his wisdom.

  I could do with a bit of wisdom especially when out in the hills, I also realised memory and thought were something I have both struggled with in the past and employed in making images/photographs An image is also a pictorial piece of thought and memory. I sketched out a raven from one of my images and traced a mountain shape, I was going to have two ravens in the logo but thought a less cluttered design looked better just having one..

  The hills are a constant love of mine,( although I have had to take a bit of time off them with a wonky foot, but that’s another storey) and I am looking forward to getting back more this year

A Return To Giants Causeway

I too have returned to the North Coast for the first time this year along with the sun’s realignment for sunset at The Giant’s Causeway. The Forecast was for some high and medium clouds with a gap in the low area which should have given glorious coloured skies, but as usual, these things aren’t so accurate.

Nevertheless, It was good to be out and by the sea again and at a time of year that’s not too overly crowded.

As the blue hour was settling in and the ocean churned near against the iconic hexagonal basalt shore I thought of an image I had made in a storm at Ballantoy where the sea crashed and churned pouring down the rocks into the center again. It was a much rougher water but I wondered if by taking a much closer shot I could get an image that might pair with that one at least..

 Here is the Ballintoy image I was thinking of creating a paired image for. They are both on the North Coast just a few Miles from each other iconic in their way although this image is quite abstract I think powerful. It is quite a large area and I am above it on a Rock high enough to be out of the path of the waters..

Now I will need to keep an eye out for something to fit with these images in the future. In the meantime perhaps go and see some of my other coastal images on the gallery page..