Join the Largest Social Photography Event in the World!
http://youtu.be/ZxZw7MI6GUg
On Saturday, October 11, 2014, East Cork Camera Group will join similar groups around the world in Scott Kelby’s 7th Annual Worldwide Photowalk. Taking place in cities and towns around the world, photographers of all walks of life and skill levels gather together to socialise, share and inspire during this one-day, worldwide event.
The ECCG walk will take place in Midleton. We will meet and begin our walk at the car park of the Midleton Park Hotel at 11am and finish back at the Hotel again at 2pm for some refreshments. Anyone can take part but participants must be over 18 years and must register online before hand.
It’s completely free to participate in the walk, but this year participants are encouraged to donate as little as $1 to the Springs of Hope Orphanage in Kenya. You can make that $1 back and more by entering your favorite shot from your walk into a competition, with a chance to win amazing prizes from our sponsors.
So what are you waiting for? Click here to register for our walk, lace up your walking shoes, grab a camera and get ready to make history once again!
Our first port of call was the Carrigabrick viaduct on the, now closed, Waterford to Mallow railway line. Situated just downriver from the new motorway bridge on the M8, the last train to cross the viaduct was in March 1967 but not before it got its own starring role in the 1965 war film ‘The Blue Max’ when stunt pilot Derek Piggott flew a Fokker Dr I triplane under the viaduct with barely enough clearance on either side. The scene was the dramatic climax to the film, which saw two German WWI pilots (played by George Peppard and Jeremy Kemp) go head to head in a death defying duel of nerves to see which one would emerge as master of the skies.
In the afternoon we headed to another viaduct on the same abandoned railway line at Kilcummer between Ballyhooly and Castletownroche. Spanning the Awbeg river near where it joins the Blackwater, the structure is another triumph of engineering which opened in June 1860 .
The nearby Agustinian Priory of St. Mary at Bridgetown, founded between 1202 and 1216 and dissolved in 1541 was also worth a visit. The site, which was made accessible to the public by Cork County Council in the 1970s, is substantially 13th century, and is among the most extensive of any religious house established in Ireland in that period. There are also structures and details from the late medieval (15th to 16th century), early modern (17th century) and recent (19th and 20th century) periods.
Thinking that our shoot was over for the day, we came across a small crowd gathered at the bridge over the Awbeg at Kilcummer on our way back to Fermoy. On enquiry, we found out that about 150 horses and riders on the Avondhu Hunt fun ride were expected at the spot in a few minutes. Enough said! Cameras were back out again and right on cue, the horses appeared ambling lazily down the road towards us and then turning left into the river creating a wonderful scene for which we were totally in the wrong position!! Nevertheless, the sight and sound of so many horses in one place was worth witnessing and, as it is an annual event, maybe we’ll get it next time ’round.
With balloon activities very much weather-dependent, decisions on flights and launch sites were, typically, last-minute so getting to photograph an actual flight was always going to be difficult for anyone travelling a distance. However, the Night Glow was a more promising prospect as that would be held on the quayside in Waterford. The initial Glow, planned for Tuesday night, was cancelled due to gusting winds but was rescheduled for Friday night at 8.30pm and, following confirmation at the afternoon briefing on the same day that the event would go ahead, we decided to head to Waterford to capture the event.
Arriving at around 7.30pm, we took up a spot on the quayside across the river Suir from where the Glow would take place. A large crowd started to gather in anticipation and at around 9pm the Glow began, providing a visual fest as gas burners were turned on and off, lighting up the balloons in sync with music. With reflections coming off the river, and the Glow taking place in extremely low light, the scene was beautiful but definitely a photographic challenge. High ISO and the fastest aperture were the way to go and, since there was not a puff of air, there was little or no movement in the balloons which, thankfully, was one less dynamic to have to think about.
The annual Jailbreak Triathlon hosted by the local Cobh Triathlon club took place on Saturday September 6th 2014 in Cobh. This is the third consecutive year that this national sporting event was held with sponsorship from the Port of Cork and local businesses. The ECCG group was on hand to take some memorable photographs of the extraordinary events of the day. Sunny skies and calm waters greeted competitors in their escape bid as well as photographers capturing the event on camera. The event also attracted huge crowds who lined the streets in their droves to cheer on the race participants.
The multi-stage competition involved the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines – swimming, cycling and running in immediate succession over various distances. The levels catered for in this flagship event were Olympic and Sprint triathlon distances. The Olympic distance consisted of a 1,500m swim from Spike Island to Cobh followed by a 40km flat fast cycle race finishing with a 10km run along the Cobh waterfront and promenade and back to the heart of the Cobh town centre. A shorter distance was available for the Sprint option consisting of a 750km swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. Relay teams consisting of 3 individuals also participated on the day – one completing the swim, one the cycle leg and the remaining person doing the run.
Shortly after 2pm competitors in the Olympic event, who had already been transported across to Spike, gathered for the start of their race, which commenced at around 2.15pm. Meanwhile, competitors in the Sprint event made their way to Whitepoint for their 3pm start. Both events commenced with a swim in open water without stopping, the Olympic competitors swimming from Spike Island to Cobh while the Sprint competitors swam along the shorefront from Whitepoint to the town centre. On completion of the swim competitors made their way to the transition area where they changed gear to begin the cycle segment through the main street of Cobh town and out the coast road.
The bright coloured outfits of the cyclists, together with their athletic prowess were admirable as they were cheered on by the clapping spectators. We availed of the opportunity to capture the participant’s facial expressions of intense determination, hard hitting motivation and undefeatable attitude on camera.
Of course we were present at the finishing line to capture the emotion and delight of those who had completed the triathlon reaping the rewards of their strict and challenging training regimen, many of which participated in support of various charities such as animal welfare groups and cancer societies.