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Ballintoy Sunsets
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Peter Cox and I were up at ballintoy last night to shoot a few sunsets.
Great to meet you Peter, and I’m pleased you were able to see this location in some splendid light. I’m looking forward to seeing your shots from your visit. I’d say you must have managed some good light at Murlough Bay this morning too.
Very nice set Andy. Great range of colours and compositions within the set. Very good mix.
The last one works best for me.
deeThanks Deebo,
It was hard to believe that we got so lucky with the lighting. As I was driving over the Causeway Headlands, it was like driving through pea soup.
Stunning colours Andy
My self and PDBARBS were to meet up yesterday but the weather was so bad we didn’t bother
It was pissing the rain all evening and then about 8.30 it cleared up but to late to sort anything outI hope you didn’t drag Peter down into any of your caves
Cathal
Not mad about the first one Andy, but 2 n’ 3 are lovely. I wonder maybe the 2nd one is a little dark, it could do with a little levels adjust. But then again it could be my works monitor.
I too was thinking of heading out last night, but the weather round Antrim was piss poor.
Cheers Cathal, Brian,
No caves this time, although we did shelter from the rain in the rather grotty little cave next to the Ballintoy carpark.
…plus des memes choses (excuse my French if it’s wrong).
Andy
You’ll think me very critical, but I just looked back through some
of your posts and found this one from 2006 that you had shot a few
years beforehttps://www.photographyireland.net/viewtopic.php?t=1299
And it set me wondering: where will you take your photography
next? The addition of a hint of woolly water is just about the only
difference I can see. It might sound brutal but is this landscape’s
apogee? I’ve been thinking this for a long time, but I know I can
voice my thoughts in your thread without puncturing your frail ego.
You’ve been quite an influence in this forum and I have been one
of your disciples in the past, but I really believe that the rock/sea/sun
genre has just about been explored.Tell me what you think. Is it time to do “views”? Maybe learn all those
PS skills that others here exploit so cleverly? Or must we find some
new way of looking at the everyday? Something’s gotta change. Otherwise
it’ll be time to stop taking pics and start recycling last year’s.Hehe, interesting questions Pete. I see you’ve been digging through my archive again.
That one was taken on Velvia slide film so maybe I have at least kept a consistent style with my transition to digital. Perhaps that is no bad thing?
You have raised a lot of interesting points and I would be delighted to discuss them here.
Peter Cox and I were talking about this a little last night. We were both very much in agreement that we photograph what we enjoy. If someone else likes it then too that’s a bonus, but if they don’t then that is fine. I love rocks and I love the sea and I love sunsets. Don’t be surprised then if they keep on coming. I would argue that every one of these shots is subtly different in its own way. Different locations, different times of year, different lighting, different shutter speeds. For example if you look through the EXIFs on many of my coastal shots you will see long exposure shutter speeds from 1/30th of a second to 60 seconds and even beyond. You’ll also see fast shutter shots of stormy seas. Plenty of variety there for the connoisseurs of landscape.
You ask me ‘what’s next?’. Well, as you know, the cave project is still in progress. Again, I shot this for my own satisfaction, but no doubt I was also spurred on by comments like yours Pete which challenge me to think outside the box. Hopefully the huge interest that it has generated has gone way to proving that I can and am doing that. But that’s not to say that I’ll not continue with my rocks and sunsets when time and tide allow. I like them too much to abandon them.
I’m not interested in PS skills to be honest. If I can’t do it in 2 mins then I’m not interested. I would rather spend 100x more time in the outdoors than I want to be spending at the computer doing processing. The cave project was a bit different because the processing took some time. But, to be honest, I found it laborious and not a direction where I want to be headed.
So to your final question, I would argue that nothing has to change. That’s not to say that I can’t get better at these type of shots. Change has happened and I am a little surprised that you think that way given that I have the Antrim Caves, Dunree Hill Fort and Inishowen Granite portfolios under my belt. I’m going to stick doing what I enjoy and that will hopefully include portfolios that will continue to develop my skills.
However, get used my boulders in the sea Pete. Those shots are here to stay. Unless you want one of them tosed through your living room window.
I agree Andy..nothing has to change…we all shoot what we like to shoot
and if people think you should change for change sake…well I do’nt believe
in that…tell Joe Cornish or Charlie Waite that they should change and I know
the answer you would get !!By the way, the 3 shots are really beautiful and keep them coming.
Noel Browne.
Well, I like them too.
As for changing a ‘winner’ — it’s OK to keep producing things in your style
but there is also the school of thought that says you run the danger of
going stale, so that ‘forcing’ yourself out of the comfort zone can also
be creative.andy mcinroy wrote:
I’m not interested in PS skills to be honest. If I can’t do it in 2 mins then I’m not interested.
A man after my own heart.
Fair enough too. All your arguments are valid – I knew you’d rather have a
reasonable conversation than a dummy-spitting contest.
I ended up quite liking some of the cave stuff and I certainly admired
the way you generated interest from outside the photography community.Most of all, I’m impressed that you still keep going out to do this stuff. My
photos recently have mostly been of flowers in the wild – of limited interest
to non-botanists (but if I get a beauty I’ll post it on PI).I know that some of the most striking landscapes appearing these days are
heavily photoshopped and this is something you’d rather avoid, but I reckon
you have the skills, talent and dedication to challenge the PS brigade provided
you don’t try to do it by reprising your portfolio of 2004.I’m not interested in PS skills to be honest. If I can’t do it in 2 mins then I’m not interested. I would rather spend 100x more time in the outdoors than I want to be spending at the computer doing processing.
YAY!!!~~~
andy mcinroy wrote:
I’m not interested in PS skills to be honest. If I can’t do it in 2 mins then I’m not interested.
What takes you so long? :)
Thanks Noel, it is true that the well establish landscape photographers seem to get locked into their own style. Have you ever read Joe Cornish’s ‘Scotland’s Coast’? This book is interesting because Joe was working to a deadline and he was often forced to shoot in overcast light to get the book done. In fact, I think that has added balance to the book which probably would never have happened if he had a free reign on that project. It does have his own style about it, yet it is still refreshing. That is what I’d like to aim towards.
Robert, my problem is that I like to feel comfortable. Its not a physical comfort as I’m happy to sit out all day in a winter storm waiting for one minute of good light. But I like to be places that are familiar and to work on subjects that are natural rather than man-made.
Pete, there will be no boulders through your living window tonight then?. I will always try and chase the light rather than create it in photoshop (which I don’t even use since PSP8 does all I need). It personally gives me much more satisfaction to make a connection between a real view that I have seen and the photograph I take of it.
Denverdoll, glad to see you approve. You can’t beat a long walk along the strand, even if not one single photo is taken.
rc53 wrote:
andy mcinroy wrote:
I’m not interested in PS skills to be honest. If I can’t do it in 2 mins then I’m not interested.
What takes you so long? :)
Getting my horizon into shape so I don’t get battered with my own truncheon.
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