Can a Sycamore tree live 450 years ?

I ask this question, not that I'm interested if a sycamore can or not live 450 yrs. I am interested, just not right now. What I am interested in is the man who told of this particular tree, and how we started talking.
Meet Johnny, an old soldier. In the UN memorial park at the rear of Arbour hill cemetary, Johnny was minding his own buisness this Sunday morning last. I happened into the park as a curios photographer does, always looking about, seeing what captures the eye or imagination, and Yes - I did have the camera.
Johnnys attire was not the best presented, shoes were ragged and open, wearing raintrousers and an old coat. He is probably in his 70's but his eyes don't show that - they still sparkle. He was freshly shaven - not sure if that meant anything, sure it did - why else would such detail be out of step with his clothes ??

"That Gun is 1935" he called. I had noticed him sitting in the corner amongst the leaves, playing with a stray dog. First impressions were typical, down+out, drunk, homeless. That wouldn't bother me, live and let live.
But Johnny was above that. He had interest and knowledge in the area and was willing to pass it on if anyone was interested in listening. I had time,  I listened.  

When Time came to part, Johnny had grown on me. I have a spate of knowledge on Irish history and military. Not extensive by any means I might add. But Johhny - he was living military history. Probably only a private, I don't know. But he spent his life in uniform. A marksman he says - could hit a fly at a hundred yards. Couldn't go to the Congo because of it. He loves Ireland. His talking of the graveyard - "see those trees, there's 19 of them there, and look - there's 16 of them there. 19+16 ...1916 - there should also be symbols like that, makes you look, makes you think"

The graveyard - Arbour hill is the resting place of the leaders from the 1916 uprising.

And the sycamore tree - it stands tall and wide looking over the graves. Its roots stretching wide, and it's where Johnny hangs out.

Blue Sky Blue

Summers over, Autumn is upon us and after 16years of waiting, Dublin win the All Ireland Senior football championship. And against Kerry, sublime champions of last year and many others.
This is Gaelic football. Along with its sister code of Hurling - they form the heart and soul of the Irish psyche.
To understand us as a nation, just look into the games we play. The passion, the determination and physicality. Frienships forged in contest, loyalty to the club which is invariably where you live or were born... And this not forgetting to mention the Irish rugby team the day before ...but I digress.

The game over, I'm driving home. Totally euphoric, but having to remain calm due to the fact I'm driving. I do what I do. I stop to take photographs.
After the images are taken, I'm back in the car and on the radio is an interview with a former member of the band 'Hothouse Flowers'.
Eventually the song 'I can see clearly now' comes on. (Full lyrics at end of Blog.)
Sometimes things just match, 16 years waiting. The song starts off, piano giving a slow almost meloncholic air. Then the lyrics - I can see clearly now the clouds have gone.... I'm taking pictures of the landscape with blue sky starting to break through.  Look all around, there’s nothin? but blue skies.
The tempo in the song builds and Liam O'Maonlai gives it his all.
Ireland gave it all on Saturday
Dublin gave it their all  on Sunday
Dublin: All Ireland champions 2011 !

The picture by the way - is from Skerries Co Dublin. Home of Bryan Cullen, Captain of the All Ireland champions 2011 !


Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

 
 
Full lyrics.;
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,

I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.


I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin?for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.


Look all around, there’s nothin?but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin?but blue skies


I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Last week - this week 2

Do professional photographers take photographs whilst on vacation ? Now there's an interesting question !
So, to the next installment;
Have any images come my way, yes hundreds, thousands even.
Any good ones ? Hmmm, always a hope of a few in there.
But first what has been going on.

The last 3 weeks has seen me taking holidays 'en France' with the family. So 3 weeks in picturesque towns, vineyards, the occasional Chateau - of course something will come of it, in fact lots of great shots of ...my kids.
 In fairness, I do not work as a professional photographer, nor do I claim to ( but I do in truth aspire to it...that's a different blog topic). So if on holidays, I take loads of the kids, the Mrs and the occasional vineyard - then I'm happy. Now if the balance was loads of 'art' and only some of the others...then I'm in trouble.

Sunflowers were but one of a theme I went away to capture, but the little yellow beasties kept turning their backs on me, I got some to play with, eventually liking the burnt out sad looking ones more than the bright yellows. Maybe it was reflection on how they and the weather treated me. Good, kind, bright sunshine even...but not always when I needed it.

The buildings in France, rural or urban, if over a certain age, just ooze character. Just walking and looking is worth it. Bringing the camera and walking slower than the rest of the family... well we can't always be leading the way. Mind you, carrying the youngest on the shoulders, while trying to fire of a quick shot of something you just caught a glimpse of... lets say that not images worked as well as they possibly could have.

It is amazing though, how, often when out on a short errand, I could find myself taking the wrong turn - quite by accident you understand ! Actually one of the best fun images came from such an occasion - so good - I had to bring the family to show them the follwing day. The fact I hadn't got the camera with me on the first day ..well that was An accident really !

If that was the last 3 weeks, the next 3+ will be the hardship end - sorting them out, processing, picking the favourites...and hopefully printing some to frame around the house too.

I'll insert a few images soon.
Let me know - was it family or art which won out.

James

Last Week - This week

In an effort to keep the modern world tapping at the door, and the habit of procrastinating at arms reach, I've decided to start a new blog.
Last week - This week , a semi-regular note as to what I got up to photographically over the last week or 2. Similar to twitter but without the restriction of characters and with the inclusion of images.
In fact the more one thinks about it, the more it sounds like, well, a blog ! Interesting that ?

So as an inaugural This-week-last-week Blog. Here's a flavour of what I've been up to.
Hope it works.
J..

Last week: Lunar eclipse 16-19 June.
Managed to try some moon rise shots, have been contemplating this one a while, so as soon as I heard from both the news and a phone call from John, the procrastinating bit got a kick and I managed in the space of 3 seperate nights, to take some what I hope are decent images.
But, true to form, the images are taken - just not yet available...... I will, I will, get them processed....soon. (old film habits of anticipation definitely still in there) When I do - I'll insert some here.

This week: School fundraising. Again, as last week, 3 seperate outtings with camera
My kids go to the local Gaelscoill (School through the medium of the Irish language). Their 6th class (final year) students raised almost 1000 Euro toward the Irish Special Olympics team. Bravo and well done them. By 6th class is primary school... 6th year is secondary.
I was asked to take photo's for the school website of the presenting of the cheque. Happy to oblige.

Current school fundraising is toward the building of a new playground facility. To this end, a benefit concert was held, supported by the school band (An Banna Ceoil), An internationally acclaimed Irish band 'Kila' joined the kids on stage and then took the main stage to perform themselves. Kilas' music if you haven't heard of them, is excellent. Traditional Irish, with a modern rock yet hippy flavour (my words not theirs) Speaking of words, their lyrics are all through Irish also.
Anyway to cut the story, I was also asked to take the photographs at both the Banna ceoils rehersal, and then the main event. Happy out.
Images;



I'll come back to this post soon. I want to insert some more bookmarks in case you want to listen to Kila, buy their music (after all they gave of their time for free..) or feel inclined to help out with the school fundraising, or know more about the special Olympics

So that was the 2 weeks that were. Promise I'll insert the images soon.

Busy weeks

It's been a hectic time this last week or 2. Hectic, frantic, all consuming even - but very, very fulfilling.
Amongst things was the chance to press the trigger on the new camera in a way I haven't done in many years.
2 occasions prompted its use for charity, fundraisers for schools. A cake sale for my own kids school and a 10km road race for my friends kids school. Hopefully they raise the funds they wanted.
The 10K race - that's still so fresh in the mind, I haven't quite calmed down from it. over 200 people runnning, jogging or walking. My brother and I and a third photographer we met there doing our best to capture the event in a way I hope the runners might like, documenting their efforts. The fun bit for me was doing fast action street photography. The adrenelin rush as through the viewfinder, an image was presenting and had to be captured instantly or it was gone. Such a difference from trying to compose a landscape image ! Over a thousand images between my Brother and I - online here if you have time: www.ShelleyPhotography.com/summerhill2011


And then to best it all, the fastest game in the world today - Dublin the winners for the first time since 1939 in a hurling league final. Don't know what hurling is? check it out here and enjoy: www.gaa.ie There were tears in the eyes - but I'm sure that was just the wind blowing - right ?

There was more to fill the weeks, Family, Work, Plumbing, Glendalough, Dublin night photoshoot... but really this weekend just blew it all for adrenelin.
Busy weeks !

Film V's Digital

The question surely to divide every photographer and camera club member at this stage. Not because of the Question itself - as there are merits to discuss, but more because people are probably sick and tired of hearing it being asked again and again and again ....


So why ask it here...?



Some time ago, reading the letters page of a photo magazine, a paper based product, the entire page was given to this topic. The penny dropped with me that every letter printed, either pro or anti film/digital, was sent to the magazine via email ! Not one letter handwritten and posted in the old-fashioned sense.

All letters in the magazine were e-mailed in.
Why not posted?

The art of writing is a superb analogy to Photography. Years ago, inks were sourced from natural ingredients. Clays, flowers, herbs, vegetables etc. were pounded into dust, mixed with oils to produce colours that were applied to papyrus, vellum and eventually parchment and paper. Scripts were drawn, expressed and eventually condensed into modern alphabets. Lettering became calligraphic - beautiful writing. Decrees, pamphlets, books and verse were made permanent. Copies were transcribed. Letters were delivered.
Calligraphers then, were thought of in the highest of esteem, quite often trusted with royal secrets as they put forward words onto paper. Artists used the inks to produce images. Portraits, landscapes, great mosaics and ceilings. The printing press was invented. Suddenly the written word could be produced en mass. Books were produced. More books produced than people could read. Education started to enable access to the populations who were schooled. Eventually the population not only started to read and write the books they were given, they started to write their own. Fiction was born. Mass fiction, mass publication. Technology produced typewriters, but people were still schooled in the art of handwriting. Technology continued its own evolution and along came the computer. Big computers at first, only the state or big corporations could afford them. But like the book, originally for the few, computers eventually became powerful enough and small enough to become personal. This evolution continues right up to today, in some schools kids are learning the letters on keyboards before they write them with pencils. The art of handwriting is starting to decrease in much the same way as the art of oral history, story telling and collective remembrance has faded. Only a few now practice the old arts, Poetry, calligraphy, storytelling. Art, the picture drawing art that is, for its own and our sake is still thriving.

And back to photography, now in it's second century of existence, is going through its own revolution. Digital.
The analogy is striking. What was once the preserve of the rich, was opened to mass public by the invention of the Kodak Brownie. The rise of 'popular photography' was here, but was it ever accepted fully by high-art establishments? To be a serious photographer, accepted as an Artist, boundaries of technical competence had to be set, while populist photography came to settle down to 35mm, artistic levels start at medium and larger formats.
Then came digital. Not serious, surely quality is poorer ! Not anymore.
Today's technology is changing so rapidly, image transfers worldwide so instant, that a child with a toy camera or phone can send a quality image to the Internet and have it published worldwide.
It's not anymore if digital or film is better - it's which fulfills a particular need.
We will still have a want and need for the artistic film based darkroom. it's holding onto the skills that becomes the challenge.
Analogue photography: Just like good handwriting - beautiful to look at - but when did you last handwrite a letter ?

When halfway out is 3/4 ways back

There comes a point in every walk when you start for home. It's not necessarily the midway, but it is a feeling that comes over and says - enough ! Back now.
Where on the way out, you're watching, learning, absorbing and enjoying. You're busy, you're active. The return point is marked therefore not so much by a point or place, but by a change in attitude.

Every walk has it's own place, the 'highlight' ! The best will have this point somewhere out past midpoint - the further along the route the better. Some may go so far as to have a different highlight each time on the same route. Was it the weather or the company? Perhaps ones own mood set the highlight.

This isn't necessarily a metaphor for life, though the closer I look, maybe it is. How getting older is a frame of mind. How constantly exploring things and learning keeps you on the outward journey and younger. Old age only arriving after you've accepted 'enough now' home !

I'll keep my thoughts away from the metaphor for a while. I'm too busy enjoying life learning, walking, watching and raising the kids ever to think I've started the return journey. I use physical walks to enjoy nature, take photo's and explore ideas and places.

My favourite is Glendalough, Wicklow. Every trip brings back a different memory. Some scenic, some spiritual. And it's ancient - but nowhere is it or I over halfway out - yet !