Deer Rut Shoot, Killarney – 16/10/2016

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ECCG members had a wet drive down to Killarney early Sunday morning for the annual deer rut,arriving before 8 to be met on the bridge by about 30 other photographers awaiting for their chance to capture the deer in the rain.

Rain indeed was the main feature of the day but we managed to get a wide variety of shots despite the conditions and, surprisingly, managed to stay dry. We walked around the domain first and found deer in the field above the trees and then backtracked to where we could see the stags and hinds below us where we had a couple of good vantage points from around the road network.

We then decided to go down to Muckross Park, mainly for breakfast and then hopefully find deer across the road in the field by the entrance but they too must have been sheltering from the rain in the woods so we carried on up to the Jersey boat on the Upper Lake. The boat was not in an ideal position so, after a few brief shots, we returned back into Killarney and captured the deer in the field across the road from the entrance to Muckross as they had, by then, decided to come out of hiding. We then visited Ross Castle but the rain continued so we took refuge in Peter Cox’s gallery in Killarney and had a good look at his pictures.

Then, after a quick cup of tea in “Noelle’s” tea shop, as the rain had more or less stopped, we decided to go back to the Domain for one last look as it was after 3pm and thought we might catch some action late in the day. We were lucky as the rain stopped and the light improved which allowed us get some good pictures for the last couple of hours. We left the Domain around 6pm.

So we had a very long but enjoyable day and, looking at the pictures, we all managed to get some good shots despite the conditions.

Thanks to everyone that made the trip. Same again next year ???

Click here to see the gallery of images from the shoot. Enjoy!

 – Keith Johnson

 

Spike Island Shoot – 09/10/2016

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Spike Island an Island fortress has a rich and varied history. It started life as a Military Base protecting the ships of the Royal Navy for over 100 years and then used by the Naval Service for many years. It was also used in many guises as a prison, from a holding prison for prisoners being sent to the penal colonies and al prison during the war of independence to finally as a detention facility for convicted joy riders.

As a venue for a photo shoot it offers a wide range of subject material. You have fantastic views of Cobh and the outer harbour. The fort itself is an interesting subject with its high walls, bastions and artillery positions. Then you have the old cells coupled with the modern detention centre. There is the contemporary architecture married with the old drill Hall which makes an interesting subject along with the clock tower building which houses a very interesting history of the fort, a history of the navy and an impressive collection of Irish militaria Then there is the Gun Hall which houses an impressive array of varied artillery with lots of brass parts ideal for a bit of macro photography. Finally, outside the fort there is the dereliction of the old accommodation quarters and the village area of the island.

ECCG enjoyed a great day on the island and the only issue is how quickly our time passed on the day. It is definitely one I would recommend (a tripod recommended as there are lot of low light opportunities) and it is one I will be revisiting

See a full gallery of images from the shoot here. Enjoy!

 – Andrew Foley

RNLI Shoot, Ballycotton – 07/09/2016

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On 7/9/16, ECCG members visited Ballycotton Lifeboat Station in the East Cork harbour town. The wet weather quickly put paid to our grand plans for a shoot however so, after a tour of the lifeboat itself, RNLB Austin Lidbury, we adjourned to the station for a welcome cuppa.

During our visit we were delighted to present the Lifeboat Crew with a cheque for €1,000.00 for the RNLI which was generated through our Cruise Liner / Lusitania exhibitions in Cobh and Aghada earlier this year.

Thanks to the crew for a wonderful visit and great tour.

See some images from the visit here. Enjoy!

Ballindenisk International Horse Trials – 17/09/2016

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ECCG members attended Ballindenisk International Horse Trials, Watergrasshill, Co. Cork on the weekend of 17 Sept. 2016. The course was well laid out as always with some new obstacles to be tackled. There were different grades of competitions over the weekend: 1 star, 2 star and 3 star in dressage, cross-country and showjumping with cumulative scores to count. There were five prominent countries competing:  Australia, France, Great Britain, U.S.A. and Ireland. The team results were Great Britian, first, Ireland, second and France, third. The jumping was exciting with the occasional horse running loose.

Camera settings were mostly TV at 1/250 with 70 – 300 lens and some on AV at 5.6 using the same lens.

Note: number’s of horse’s  in some photos :

65     Irl       Silken Scully,  Mary Smiddy
90     Irl       Drumaknockan Easter Charm, Louise Nicholson
100   Aus    Right to Play Jack Sparrow,  Andrew Hoy
105   USA   Back to Business II,  Katherine Coleman
115   Irl        Sorbet, Melanie Young
117   Irl        Tullabeg Flamengo, Sam Watson

See a gallery of images from this shoot here. Enjoy!

 – Jim Curtin

 

Robert’s Cove Hill Climb – 25/09/16

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Robert’s Cove a small picturesque seaside village outside Carrigaline was the venue for the annual Motorcylcle Hill Climb organised by the CorkMotorcycle racing and vintage club. The event brought a flurry of activity and the sound of motorbike engines to the area from a field of riders from all over the country competing for the fastest time to win the coveted title of King of the Hill. Various classes of bikes competed on the day ranging from Super bikes to Quad bikes. Motorcylce racing enthusiasts were treated to a feast of motorcycling talent competing in the event some defending their titles in the respective classes and also saw previous winners of the King of the Hill title compete on the day.

The hill course was fast with an up hill climb with all riders returning down the hill to compete for each respective race. There were many vantage points along the race course to get the best views of the high action of the motorcycle action. Blessed with great weather on the day both the event organisers and ECCG were in luck, with the event being able to go ahead and ECCG members being facilitated the opportunity to capture some high speed motorcycle action as riders demonstrated their talents against the hill and clock. An event to remember.

Click here to see a gallery of images from this shoot. Enjoy!

 – Noelle Lowney