Night photography at Loop Head Lighthouse in Ireland
At the tail end of our journey around Ireland, we spent a mystical evening on the southern tip of the Clare County of Ireland's west coast. The location is called Loop Head, a mispronunciation of "Leap Head" from Irish folklore where certain gentlemen escaped a witch by leaping out to the island featured above, and then back. They escaped because the witch did not make the leap back, and legend says her head was found 3 days later at Hags Head up the coast along the Cliffs of Moher. The story illustrates why it's important to not stand too close to the edge, as what my look like solid ground, may have naught underneath it and can fall into the sea.
We scouted earlier in the day, having a wonderful afternoon walking around the lighthouse grounds on the peninsula. Here are a few daylight photos from that jaunt.
Breathtaking views, seals, birds, sea, air... it all adds up to an ideal location for night photography... one would think! But when the night comes, all that sea air and ocean makes for a quick dew/mist. As we approached midnight, it became unbearable - one swipe of my lens to clear it and not three seconds later it was covered in nature's soft focus filter ;-) If you also choose to go here after dark, it's easy to park (and free). But please do be extra careful near the cliffs. Here are my best from the evening:
Photographing the Giants Causeway in Ireland at Night
I must say that I was very lucky. The weather at the Giants Causeway is reportedly very uncooperative on a regular basis. We chose, totally at random, a near-perfect evening. Am I am very grateful, as this location was of singular importance photographically during a vacation with my wife.
But I must stress that daytime scouting is integral to a successful night photo shoot. We visited in the late afternoon and that experience gave us a footprint and game plan for later that evening. Here are some shots of what it looks like during daytime from my phone:
While daytime scouting, I used a combination of apps to determine the moon's position and time, including Photographer's Ephemeris, Starmap2, Tides, LightTrac, MoonPhase and WeatherUnderground (the latter is fantastic for both weather and sunrise/sunset in on place).
It was only one day after the popular Blood Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse, so we had a daylight-bright moon coming over the south rim of the cliffs ahead of us. And partly cloudy, but very high, slow-moving clouds. All in all, it was a stupendous setup for night photography. But it had its challenges.
The rocks are study, but uneven. Dangerous if you like to move too quickly - care is paramount. And the ascent to the main part of the causeway is a little steep. but manageable. And since the moon was due south, it was also a challenge to find angle where the moon was not totally flaring the lens or flat lighting the unique geology. I think we did pretty good.
I also would like to add one important thing about being a night photographer - the community is outstanding. We met another fellow long exposure devotee there named John, who lives only 30 minutes away. Not only was he extremely friendly, but he was also helpful. A young couple was camping and attempting their first NPy, and he generously provided tips and instruction to them, as well as some insights and encouragement to us. Well met, John! I hope to shoot with you again. And now, the photos:
Clonmacnoise Monastery in Ireland at Night
My wife and I had the an amazing evening photographing the ruins of Clonmacnoise Monastery in Ireland while on vacation last week. The ruins were rumored to have banshees coming from the moors and ghosts from the ruins. We only encountered a group of fellow photographers from nearly camera club (very friendly!) and some noisy swans down by the water where they nest.
Enjoy the photo gallery:
High Plains Drifting in Colorado
Here are some photos made while out scouting locations near the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
Mojave Desert
I re-processed another film shot I took in 2007 while road-tripping through the Mojave Desert. Love the new look.
Bannerman Island on Film
Sometime I take a while to get to my film rolls processed. It's always a delight to see real film grain and gradations I just don't get from digital. Enjoy the silver haldies :)
Best of friends, best of times in the Valley of Fire - part 3
Fireworks. 8-minute exposures. Need I say more? Click and enjoy,
And time for one non-explosive photo prior to leaving to drive back to Vegas.
Best of friends, best of times in the Valley of Fire - part 2
The feast is on.
This is our campground while we were cooking. OK, 20 minutes of that time.
Over the ridge in front of us.
Sylvester standing still for five minutes.
I am grateful that some talented and interesting people who mostly did not know each other prior to this day made an positive, indelible experience. Gabe, Nancy, Zoo, Sylvester, you're just plain awesome. Now, on to the fireworks...
Best of friends, best of times in the Valley of Fire - part 1
There is nothing like having your creative passions fueled by other similarly-minded people. And I mean friends who are simply awesome. In this case, I was planning a desert night shoot with my buddy Zoo (yes, Zoo) then Gabe told me that he and Nancy were planning a night shoot at the Valley of Fire - a destination I definitely wanted to hit. Done. So we hopped in the minivan yesterday around noon, picked up Sylvester on the opposite corner and headed north! After stopping for a mad shopping dash so that Zoo coudl cook insanely-delicious food that evening, we zoomed into the park right at sunset. We had called ahead to make sure there was camping available - it was imperative that our bellies be happy in addition to our eyes.
Gracious hosts and minivan transportation into the wild - NanGabe
IR/G9 photo at sunset.
We drove around, getting used to the sights, chasing light and hoping to meet up with the Zisers. Success!
Dusk approached...
She-nanigans
More She-nanigans. Photographers are insanely funny. Seriously. We are.
And then we drove on to chase the dusk...
These were some of the most delicate dusk shots I've ever recorded. The colors are subtle and amazing.
And then it was night and we wanted to hit a campsite so Zoo could cook an INSANELY delicious meal via the headlights of the minivan.
... to be continued.