[Fergal1]

June 29, 2013 at 9:34 pm

Always looking for new members. We are going to run over the summer.
If you are interested in joining a club where you can learn and grow as a photographer in a supportive environment this is the club for you.
We are on http://www.blarneyphotographyclub.com and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blarney-Photography-Club/113969122003749″ onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;

[Fergal1]

April 26, 2013 at 11:32 pm

Has the Berlin Wall come down since the ad has gone up. I think I’ve been in a time warp.

[Fergal1]

February 16, 2013 at 11:21 pm

I was curious – how did you manage to get a bib and be on the sideline?
How does say an amateur become a sports photographer. Do you blag your way into it or is there a formal route of applying for something?
By the way your shots are very good (especially considering the lens being F4) .

[Fergal1]

December 5, 2012 at 11:17 am

fotographr3 is very pleasant to deal with and item was exactly as described.

[Fergal1]

November 24, 2012 at 1:10 am

It’s a great question. I am not very experienced in club competitions but I do have some.
At the moment if you want to win something you need to fly off to somewhere in deep eastern Europe and find a family who live in a house that also houses animals and ask them to look as miserable as possible then you are onto a winner. Alternatively get a daughter or niece to pose for you as a miserable Irish Orphan or stroll through a forest with a bunch of flowers in their hands. If you were thinking of old houses
that is so yesterday as is pictures of India.
I think the problem with club or interclub competitions is that the judges have seen it all. They are looking for something they can relate to as comfortable but different. There is a huge clique element. Certain photographers work is very well known and have a particular style which is judged highly no matter what. Many fine photographs are completely ignored as seen before – which isn’t fair on those photographs.
Other photos which I consider don’t have much merit score very highly until lots of others people copy it and then it becomes passe.
I must say the standard is very high in club competitions but the judging is very subjective.
It has really impressed me.
There are alot of excellent Polish and Russian photographers who are really breaking through by their technical skill and alternative vision.
They excel in high fashion shots.
I’d agree at times there is a fair amount of sneering at certain types of photographs. Often it’s very dismissive.
The judging of the L, A and F panels is relatively fair but it also has anomalies and you have an advantage if one of the judges is from your club as there can be “Group Think” which is influenced by your’s clubs judge.They also hang on “overexposure” or “lack of sharpness” as reasons to mark down even though alot of the most famous photos suffer from the same thing. I would think judging is quite difficult and it’s hard to get around your prejudice and you would tire of seeing the same sort of photo. What they would have thought of wonderful at the start they now find boring. This is especially the case with Landscapes. They could do with seeing photographs through eyes a newbie and rediscover what made them like photography again.

It’s not easy to ignore a bad mark from a judge in a competition but I think I have to keep it in perspective. What makes their judgement much better than yours. Better to enjoy your own work and strive to improve. A competition is not necessarily a measure of how good you are. I know a few professionals who scoff at the IPF and what they are up to. They think they do not really understand photography as an art.
In general people in the IPF are very helpful and free with sharing knowledge. There is great comradery but also fierce competition and jealousy. They all watch each others work and what’s trending in terms of winning.
They are also in a creative bubble and with a “Group Think” mentality.

[Fergal1]

November 23, 2012 at 8:47 am

PM Sent

[Fergal1]

November 21, 2012 at 12:22 pm

580offer the full 190euros but would need confirmation it’s in good working condition and in good shape.
I don’t know where you are based.

[Fergal1]

August 21, 2012 at 8:24 pm

Yep! I’ve done this myself with some important photos. The victim had large ears which made very large shadows. I had to do a lot of cloning to clean up. If it’s important do it slowly and with smaller brushes as you get closer to the heads. Zoom in at that point too. Masking is a realistic option. A bit more tricky but youll find YouTube videos

[Fergal1]

August 21, 2012 at 8:18 pm

5 is probably the best, I really like number 1. It was a good spot to use the window as a frame. 5 however is probably the way to go

[Fergal1]

August 21, 2012 at 8:12 pm

I like this, great symmetry and central character . I like the shadows

[Fergal1]

June 12, 2012 at 9:43 pm

3 great photos, all 3 are very strong. You should get rid of the halos on the right side of the cliffs then they would be perfect.
Fantastic location, brilliantly captured, you must have a head for heights. Hard to tell which I like best because I like all three

[Fergal1]

June 11, 2012 at 12:16 pm

……………

[Fergal1]

June 11, 2012 at 12:13 pm

Great Post Alan, It’s a real eye-opener to what’s out there. There is always an opportunist out there. How they live with the themselves I don’t know. I hope what goes around comes around.

[Fergal1]

May 18, 2012 at 12:57 pm

I’d give you 375€ for them.
Kind Regards
Fergal

[Fergal1]

May 8, 2012 at 1:37 pm

Who stole the car?
It’s a lovely capture. It does make the moon look huge. It probably would look ever better if the moon was a bit more to the left but it’s still a great shot. Not a bad job at moving the moon. I wouldn’t alter that if the moon wasn’t there originally. It is better without the car.
Well done for catching the shot.