My Blog

When Irish Eyes are Smilin’

Life, Photography, Travel

This is the third entry in my series on my recent trip to Scotland and Ireland. As mentioned, this was a bus tour for senior travelers. We drove a lot, saw a lot and experienced a lot over 16 days. This entry is focused on Ireland, that beautiful green gem that has seen so much turmoil and strife in its time.

We took the ferry from Scotland to Ireland, waving a sad goodbye to Scotland but looking forward to the new adventure. With the change in venue and in our main tour guide, this segment of the trip was decidedly different than what we experienced in Scotland. Scotland was all about the moody charm of landscapes and citiscapes, with a lot of clan history thrown in. Ireland, for me, was about its people and culture, and focused more on lived experiences than on land, brick and mortar. There is lots of ancient history here to, of course, but this segment of our trip seemed confined to the more recent past.

That said, I have to say it was very cool to see the towers of a 13th century castle through my hotel room window in Kilkenny.

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I’ll Be in Scotland ‘Afore Ye

Life, Photography, Travel

Moody, wild, variable, cold, then hot, then cold. You might think I’m talking about someone I know. But no. I’m talking about the wonder that is Scotland. I’ve been a lifelong fan, stemming from PBS specials, historical drama and yes, Outlander – books and TV series. I also follow a number of UK photographers that showcase the landscapes of Scotland and I knew I had to get there some day.

That day came in June, as part of the guided tour I spoke about in my last post. Although there were elements of the tour that didn’t fully appeal to me, none of that applies to the country, the people, the culture and the history of Scotland. I loved every minute of my time there.

This post is about what I saw, along with photographs. I hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did. A couple disclaimers: I don’t typically photograph people, so you won’t see many here. You also need permission to post their image if you feature individuals, although some of my relatives just might appear here regardless. And I did alter some photographs to remove the massive crowds and other distractions at some of these venues. And I don’t really talk about or showcase the shows that we attended. Just so you know…

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Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round…

Photography, Travel

I’ve just returned from a whirlwind tour of Scotland and Ireland, arranged through a tour company, and executed as a bus tour. It lasted 16 days, including a day each to fly over and back. There were a number of firsts here for me and I thought as I work on the photos from the trip, I would share some impressions of travelling this way.

Bus tours are very popular for seniors, providing a way to see large swaths of the world without the need to hike, climb, paddle, run, bike or any of the physical effort needed in more traditional multi-country tours. They are second for seniors only to cruises, both of which are now in my travel playbook at this stage of my life.

Find out what I loved, what I didn’t love and what you might want to consider if looking at this travel option.

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Ethics and Images and the Messiness of AI

Artistic Ideas, Expertise, Landscapes, Laws, Photography

You might be aware of the raging controversy of the use of an Ansel Adams photograph as the source material for an AI generated “colorized” version of the photograph.

That isn’t the problem – the copyright expired on this particular photograph and was not renewed, so the photograph was “in the public domain” and could be used in any way by any artist for any purpose.

The issue is how the gallery that recreated the image then marketed it with Ansel Adams name and reference to the original photograph. Why is that a problem?

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not a legal case or legal advice.

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Getting Rid of Gear You No Longer Use

Gear, Photography

Most hobbyist or pro photographers eventually run into “Gear Acquisition Syndrome”, also known as GAS. This is the stage of their activities where moving up or out on gear finally peaks and you finally land the kit that you have always wanted. Along the way though, you may have tried other options, and you suddenly find yourself with previously loved equipment that you have no intention of ever using again.

Sometimes you do these upgrades and switch-outs deliberately, as life priorities change, as health changes or as you land on the final set of interests that you want to pursue. Sometimes you make a legitimate upgrade decision to newer or more capable kit. But I know of no one, hobbyist or pro, who despite the most deliberate planning, doesn’t end up with at least a random collection of stuff they no longer need.

What to do with it then? Turns out that there are some options.

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What Does It Mean When a Photograph is “Stunning”?

Artistic Ideas, Expertise, Fine Art, Photography

We’ve all done it. Used words like “fabulous”, “incredible”, “stunning” to describe photographic works that we see posted online or hung in a gallery. Sometimes we actually mean it. Sometimes we say it to be nice. We hope those words will be applied to our work too. In this age of social media, praise is often a given and we think something is wrong if it doesn’t come.

But eventually, we all reach a point in our own personal journey where we become more selective. We don’t offer praise as readily. Perhaps your own work also becomes a bit monotonous. Perhaps you have seen too many of the same presentation of a piece, even if expertly done. I hear that often happens to those asked to judge competitions. They may rate an otherwise superb item very low just because they have seen something similar before, often many times before.

It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. Even in art. We are taught from an early age to strive for the next victory, to be the best and to not stop there. But because art is so subjective, how do you know when you are looking at something truly stunning?

For me, it’s all about the emotional reaction I have to a piece. Does it make me stop doing whatever other thing I was doing to admire it? Does it take my breath away? Do I linger watching it? Do I struggle to describe what I am feeling?

Take a walk with me. I’d like to explore just one photograph that I label as “stunning” and reveal why. This photograph was taken by a young insanely talented wildlife/bird photographer in the UK by the name of Rachel Bigsby.

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Being a Kid Again – The Magic of Spaceflight

Learning, Life, My Community, Photography

For the past two weeks, I’ve been enthralled with the broadcast of the flight of Artemis II, taking a crew of 4 astronauts for a “quick” trip out to the Moon and back over 10 days. At this time, they have safely returned to the Earth and the excitement has subsided. This crew travelled the furthest away from Earth of any humans, reaching 252,756 miles (as the crow flies). In doing so, they travelled a total of 700,237 miles around the Earth and the Moon and between them, again another record.

Over those 10 days, I relived the thrill I had as a kid when I watched the Apollo missions make their way to and onto the Moon. But there are so many differences in this half century since those flights, most of which relate to the experience we can share with the astronauts as they complete their mission.

Apollo 11 Launch
Artemis II Launch

I’m so grateful that I’ve been around to experience both sets of events. I thought it might be interesting to look at how different these two experiences were from an observer’s and photographer’s perspective.

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The Pros and Cons of Product Competition

Astrophotography, Gear, Photography, Tools

Hobbies are a great way to spend money. They are also a great way to spend TOO MUCH money. Just when you’ve bought the kit you need, you discover the one more thing that will make it perfect. That is certainly true in astrophotography, which is my latest creative focus.

I decided fairly early on that I would invest in only tried and true solutions, including techniques and gear that would fully support my enjoyment of the hobby without a lot of testing or tweaking. That strategy has paid off for the three plus years of effort. But just once, last fall, I decided that I would try another approach instead. I was looking for a way to control some equipment using a tablet or my phone, and there were several options, including one that had only recently been released a few months before. The appeal of that option was versatility: a claim that the device could handle so much more than any other available option for about the same price. I decided to give that a try. Find out how it went.

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Adobe’s Puzzling February Update

Expertise, Laws, Photography, Tools

Whenever Adobe releases a new version of its photography software package components (i.e. Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop), there are typically a multitude of videos that explain the new releases and, again typically, comment on how great the new features are.

Not this time.

The bulk of videos I have watched, mostly from long running pro photographers, have described and demonstrated the features, but also offered some very puzzling or at least unexpected commentary. Find out what.

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My First Cruise – Epilogue

Life, My Community, Photography, Travel

I mentioned in my last blog post that I was writing it from the middle of the Caribbean Sea, on my first ever cruise. That adventure is now complete, and I’ve returned to the cold of Toronto, Canada.

I come away from this experience with some truly delightful memories, and have also discovered some things about this option for travel that I really do not like. Some would say, just enjoy the journey. In fact, I really did. But I’m also one who watches the world around me, and there were some things that just did not sit well.

Normally, when someone says that they have things they didn’t like, these can end up being minor complaints, like my bed pillows were too hard or the air conditioning was too cold or the drinks too watered down. I’m hoping that you’ll find my list a bit more substantial, and that it reflects some unexpected surprises (at least they were surprises to me) about how these experiences are offered.

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