Things have been a little crazy lately….

Liked the lines of this old tractor. It was hard to get a nice shot of it givent he way it was presented in a line with others of similar ages.

I was really happy with this but for one thing bugging me. I just could not work out what it was.

Only when I finished processing it, did I notice that it’s not properly centred and sits slightly to oneside.

So, todays lesson – get it right in frame before you press the shutter…

These are the evenings I love. Photography is about taking pictures and June is the time when our club starts its summer season of outings. The nice thing about a club is they can get you places that are otherwise impossible. A kind word and 20 photographers will get you to things that a kind word never will.

Tuesday night had us in Victoria Square in Belfast, which because of its private nature is notoriously hard to get permission to photograph in (we’re talking tripods here, not compact cameras). Not only was permission granted, but we also got up into the dome in the dark for a great end to a fantastic night.

(and yes I know there is a lift up as well as the stairs, but I liked the word play and it reminded me of a book called “Above us only stars”)

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make life interesting…

I’m still dredging my Berlin photographs. Other projects and priorities have got in the way and photography has been a bit of a second class citizen of late (as my blog posts will evidence).

This probably counts as more of a travel commentary on Berlin than a photography post, but…

I’ve mentioned my preconceptions about Berlin before. I’ve also mentioned how Berlin and Berliners took delight in breaking them for me.

One such place that amazed me was Mauerpark.

As well as being a flea market, it was also a place people seemed to go to play football/Frisbee/basketball/circus games….

Oh and were hundreds of people gathered to watch the free Karaoke…

Worth a visit.

I’m a big fan of putting things to one side of the frame. Maybe too much so.

One of those things you pick up when learning photography is that objects in the centre of the frame look static and that pushing them a little to the side can give a slight more dynamic look.

Now, I’m not suggesting you push everything to the left or the right, but sometimes I think it can add a lot to a picture.

OK, maybe not to a picture you’ll frame and mount, but still…

When in Donegal, I always seem to end up walking the same route if the weather is good. I’ve taken loads of pictures along the way, always finding something new or a different angle. It’s a good thing to do – it keeps me trying new things.

And of course, the fact there is a pub at the end of the route is a happy coincidence…