Morning Shoot at Guileen – 19/1/2014

_DSC5768thIt was a hardy crew that turned up early at the slip at Guileen on Sunday 19/1/2014. Having been already cancelled one week previously due to bad weather, the members were keen for this shoot to yield even one decent image.

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The morning began with the remnants of a hard frost but by 7.45am clouds had already filled the sky giving a sign that perhaps, before long, rain would make its presence felt. High tide was just after 7am and, in the absence of a sunrise, the swell presented the best photo opportunity as the waves broke on the rocks. Given the overcast conditions, slow shutter speeds could be achieved without the need for ND filters.

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As expected, a light squall greeted the group at around 9am but it was short-lived and, following a valiant but failed attempt by the sun to break through the cloud, it was time to wrap up and move on to Day’s shop in Whitegate for a welcome brew. A return visit to Guileen is a must however.

Group photo by Mervyn Daly. Other images above by Anthony O’Connor.

 

Sensor Cleaning with Finbarr O’Shea

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Finbarr O’Shea demonstrates Camera Sensor Cleaning

The very thought of personally cleaning the sensor of a digital camera is enough to send some camera owners into a state of shock and physical sickness such is the fear of causing lasting damage to this delicate and vital part of the photographic process. Not so for ECCG member, Finbarr O’Shea, who always cleans his own cameras’ sensors using both wet and dry methods.

Finbarr tried to dispel the fear by giving a demonstration of how he goes about the process at the first Group meeting of 2014 at the Midleton Park Hotel on Tuesday 7/1/14.

Using surprisingly little kit, Finbarr went through the various steps of the process from using a blower brush to dislodge dust and free debris from the mirror box and sensor to using swabs, perfectly matched to the size of the camera’s sensor, along with a few drops of cleaning fluid to perform a wet clean for more stubborn dirt.

It was indeed a revelation as to how simple an operation it can be. However, a word of warning: this is not for the faint-hearted and should not be attempted by those unsure or not proficient in the process as lasting damage could be caused to the camera which could require a costly repair.

Members click here for more details.

 

Lisgoold Point to Point – 5/1/14

While the ECCG shoot at Lisgoold Point to Point on Sunday 5/1/14 was cancelled due to the atrocious weather conditions, one member of the group wasn’t as easily deterred.

Denis O’Flynn, never one to let a sporting occasion pass without aiming his cameras at it, braved the elements and came away with some images. Check them out below:

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Mouse over the image above to see the slide show controls.

See more of Denis’s images here.

Gregory Heisler ILFORD Lecture

greg_heisler-50_portraits‘Start as you mean to go on’ is a piece of advice often offered to people entering new relationships. With the same intention for the activities of ECCG in 2014, the first blog post of 2014 features the Ilford Lecture by renowned American portrait photographer, Gregory Heisler, whose book, “50 Portraits: Stories and Techniques from a Photographer’s Photographer”, was published in 2013 to critical acclaim.

The blurb on the book on Amazon says:

“In this first-ever showcase of his work, Gregory Heisler, one of professional photography’s most respected practitioners, shares 50 iconic portraits of celebrities, athletes, and world leaders, along with fascinating, thoughtful, often humorous stories about how the images were made. From his famously controversial portrait of President George H.W. Bush (which led to the revocation of Heisler’s White House clearance) to his evocative post-9/11 Time magazine cover of Rudolph Giuliani, to stunning portraits of Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Hillary Clinton, Michael Phelps, Muhammad Ali, and many more, Heisler reveals the creative and technical processes that led to each frame. For Heisler’s fans and all lovers of photography,Gregory Heisler: 50 Portraits offers not only a gorgeous collection of both black-and-white and color portraits, but an engrossing look at the rarely seen art of a master photographer at work. With a foreword by New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg”.

The following is a full-length video from the Ilford Blog of a lecture held in February, 2013 in New York in which Greg appeared and spoke at a special one-day exhibition of forty-three large prints from his new book. Enjoy..

See Greg’s website here.