Long Exposure

Since my first visit to Cork as a photographer some years ago, I've had it in mind to photograph Toe Head, an imposing headland to the west of Galley Head on the south coast of Cork.
I hadn't found a vantage point I was happy with on the few occasions I'd been around when good light was threatening. However, serendipity paid a visit when I was out with Roger Overall, a commercial photographer and friend of mine.
We met up, I stabbed my finger at a spot on the OS map that looked promising and we arrived at the location in this photograph.
Made looking to the west as the sun was getting low in the sky, it shows the headland's most imposing aspect with the rocks in the foreground leading the viewer up to it.
Made using a filter which forces a long exposure, the water and waves take on a misty character which adds to the character of the scene.

The constellation of the Plough hangs above the mountains of Allihies on the Beara Peninsula in this image, made under moonlight.

This image was made on a beautiful still evening - one of a very few we got in the late summer of 2008!
It captures the peace and serenity of this wonderful location - St. Finbar's Oratory on the island in Lough Gougane Barra. About an hour after sunset, night was closing in. There had been a wedding in the oratory earlier, and so the door was open and the lights on. Ribbons and other decoration can be clearly made out through the door in a large print.

This image of Ballycotton Island and lighthouse was made late at night. Two exposures were necessary to make it - one to capture the lighthouse, island and water, and the other to capture the starfield and sky.
The result is an image that is a true representation of what it was like to stand on the cliffs looking out on this fantastic scene.

Made during my trip to visit the Bull Rock Lighthouse in early Summer, 2010. This image was made on the way down from the old fog signal station and shows the illuminated lighthouse against the empty sea beyond.
As this is a night image, the exposure was long and thus the waves and clouds are completely smoothed out, creating a timeless look.

This photograph was made in the evening after the lantern had come on in the lighthouse. The open door is very inviting - lighthouses were always very hospitable places. Unfortunately, since automation more often than not the doors are barred as there's no one present. When work is ongoing, for a brief time some of that old hospitality comes back to life.

I spent the first few days of May 2009 looking for an excellent image of a bluebell wood. These wonderful flowers appear in the spring and, when conditions are right, form a rich carpet on the floor of ancient woodlands.
I made many images which I was happy with, but nothing really stood out. I needed something different.
I'd seen images by one or two other photographers where they had achieved interesting results by intentionally moving the camera during the exposure. I tried this on my last visit to Courtmacsherry Woods, in Cork.
After quite a bit of experimentation, I got the hang of including the right elements in the frame and moving the camera so as to create a blur which complemented the forms in the image, rather than detract from them.
I'm pleased with the result. I hope you are too!

A long exposure shows the waves pounding against the rocks near the lighthouse on the Old Head at dusk. The lantern is shining.

The moon rises above the flooded Gearagh near Macroom in Cork.

A tree root emerges from the submerged forest of the Gearagh, Co. Cork.

Made on my visit to the Bull Rock lighthouse, the largest of the three offshore islands the Bull, the Cow and the Calf.
In this image, looking back to the mainland you can see the Cow (the largish island in the center of the frame), the Calf (to the right with the broken-off lighthouse) and Dursey Island (the largest island in the center of the frame).
Made with a long exposure, the sea and the clouds have smoothed out completely. I very much like the quiet moodiness of this image.

A short pier extends into the bay in this long exposure as the sun sets behind heavy cloud.

A lonely tree stump protrudes above the water in the Gearagh, Co. Cork

Baltimore, Co. Cork is a popular sailing destination, and perhaps more so than most Irish coastal towns has a strong maritime tradition.
One piece of evidence for this is the beacon rising on a point above the town, at the entrance to the harbour. Known as "Lot's Wife" due to its resemblance to that unfortunate Biblical character who was turned into a pillar of salt, it was built by order of the British Government after the 1798 rebellion.
Across the channel, you can see Sherkin Island, one of the many islands in Roaringwater Bay. The Sherkin Lighthouse winks red across the water, marking the other side of the narrow entry to Baltimore Harbour.
This image was made about 45 minutes after sunset, which accounts for the rather blue/magenta colour and the movement in the clouds.

Made from the balcony of the lighthouse, the view is back towards Cape Clear Island with the base of the old lighthouse and the helipad in the foreground as the pink light of dawn grows.