Looking the wrong way? I don’t think so…

Sometimes nowadays we can get too caught up in the details, the minutiae of controls and settings. Did we set ISO correctly? What about white balance? Am I in the right position? What about over there? Is the foreground cluttered? Rule of Thirds?

Sometimes our favorite images are captured, not through technical excellence and precise adjustments of the camera controls, but by standing back and looking around.

Sometimes our best images are captured, not by focusing on what everyone else is looking at, but by looking the wrong way…

The image above is one of my favourite in my entire collection, even if for many it won’t have the same resonance. There are no people, no consideration of leading lines, rule of thirds, foreground interest… That doesn’t matter to me, for (to paraphrase Bill Clinton) “it’s the colours, stupid!”

The setting for this shot is at a famous landmark, a site steeped in cultural significance, instantly recognizable around the world, but you can’t see that here.

Why not?

Because I am looking the wrong way…

Me In Action @ Uluru

As you can see, it is of the sunrise at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), in Australia’s Northern Territory, taken during a backpacking adventure back in 2002. As a group we had risen well before dawn to wonder in the changing colours of Uluru as the sun rose, but I must admit I was a little underwhelmed.

Behind me though, was this amazing sunrise. I spun around and grabbed a couple of shots, completely forgetting to tinker with the settings in any way, and too this day I have no idea what they were, save for the fact that I used Kodak 100 speed slide film on a Canon EOS 30. After scanning, there is little post processing other than dust removal and some levels.

Would look great on a large canvas…

Most of my time in Australia has been in Sydney, and I never get tired of the Harbour, or it’s famous bridge. The two images here were both taken with Fujifilm Velvia at ISO 50, one at dusk, and the other at dawn. For me, they show how the mood of a place can change dramatically in the space of a few hours with the changing light.

Duke Special @ Dolans Warehouse

Duke Special wowed the midweek crowds at Dolans Warehouse in Limerick on Tuesday 9th of December. This time he had his band with him, and the percussionist, “Temperance Society”, entranced people with clattering, banging, shaking, twisting, roaring, scraping, and more. He was brilliant. It was a poignant night for Mary and I, as it will be our last concert in Dolans for some time…

No, nothing wrong with Dolans, rather the weather, and the self-imposed gloomy atmosphere that abounds. We are of to Oz! January 6th, we will be on an Etihad Airways flight to Sydney. Enough about that for now. Click more for shots from Duke Special @ Dolans…