Jesus, Maria and Jose feast

The Varzea village church facade decorated with lamps on the occasion of titular feast and the mirror image reflection in the roof of the nearby car.

A story behind: I was completely taken by surprise. I spotted this beautifully decorated church when I was going back from my sunset-photo session. I stopped the car and went straight to the small shop on the corner of the main street to ask questions. I bought a bottle of water and asked the lady at the counter what was going on. As I was her only customer, she started to talk. This was the beginning of the one-week long Jesus, Maria and Jose ( the holy family ) ones per year village celebration feast. I stayed there a while talking to some people on the street and heaving a good time.
I don´t know if I had mentioned it before but you can not have a bad time among Portuguese people.

Location: Varzea village, São Miguel island, Azores, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D80, Tamron 28-75 mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter speed: 1 sec

Focal Length: 30 mm

ISO: 700

Date Taken: July 21th, 2010, 22:07


Maciek.

Ireland: summing the things up.

The photo was honored a front page of Onephoto.net, olhares.com and plfoto.com

Killarney National Park.

To close our one week long Irish experience in a nutshell:

Pros:

1. Wonderful, friendly Irish people
2. Fantastic and not too expensive luxury hotels
3. Good restaurants ( excellent fish, nice bread, good meat )
4. Very friendly Polish people we met that live in Ireland
5. Irish weather: a photographer´s dream
7. Beautiful landscapes
8. Tons of hidden "of-the-beaten-track" historic wonders

Cons:

1. Irish weather: not too good for a sight-seeing


Conclusion:

So Ireland ! Be prepared ! We will be back !

Maciek.

Azores Islands - July 2010 ( day 3 )

Mosteiros beach. São Miguel Island.

Location: One more sunset. This time summer-time on the beach: low and quite waves, warm and pleasant water, almost no wind.
Photographed at the sunset on the beach of Mosteiros, Westernmost part of the São Miguel island, Azores, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D80, Tamron 28-75 mm, ND hard 0.6

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 2 sec

Focal Length: 28 mm

ISO: 100

Date Taken: July 24th, 2010, 21:15


Maciek.

Lombadas protected area

A huge over 55 meters high waterfall on the Northern slopes of the São Miguel island´s post-volcanic mountains and a narrow road from Ribeira to Lombadas valley.

Location: Photographed from the road from village of Ribeira to the volcano peak called Monte Escuro, Azores Islands, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D80, Tamron 28-75 mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter speed: 1/100 sec

Focal Length: 60 mm

ISO: 100

Date Taken: July 23th, 2010, 10:15


Maciek.

São Miguel Island - July 2010 ( day 1)

A story behind: Last week while visiting again the island I learned how highly unpredictable the weather can be on the Azores Islands in late June. It was cold and gloomy and wet and windy. So I stood there with a camera hidden under the anti-moisture cap waiting for the right moment. But it wasn´t a waste of time. The scenery over the Fire Lake was constantly changing. To have more fun I observed the poor tourists who were getting out of their cars in Bermuda shorts and T-shirts to take a picture of the lake and after a second they were back in their cars shaking and trembling with cold.
So I stood there almost an hour waiting and waiting....but not in vein. Finally the light concert has begun.

Location: The Fire Lake, Azores Islands, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D80, Sigma 17/70 mm, ND 0.6 hard, tripod.

Aperture: f/13

Shutter speed: 1/30 sec

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 300

Date Taken: July 22th, 2010, 12:27

Maciek.

Day 7 - Dublin

The spire of Dublin

The Dubin spire, a fantastic over 120 m high monument, was concluded in 2003. It replaces the Nelson´s pillar, a column that was the most famous Dublin monument for 150 years until blown by the IRA bomb in 1966.
So we spent 1 day in Dublin, just meandering through its busy streets, looking for Polish food shops, moving about its famous Temple bar pub district, visiting Trinity College, ( we loved that Sphere in Sphere sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro ), looking at the Dublin Castle, rambling the narrow passages around O´Connell street ... just being the ordinary tourists.


Maciek.

Day 6: Hill of Slane

Saint Patrick Cross, Hill of Slane, Ireland.

A story behind: In the morning we crossed the flat Irish central plane driving west-east. The rain and dense fog was back again. Later we pulled off the M4 highway and headed north to see a castle of Trim. Afterwards we drove to a small village of Slane surrounded by rolling hills, meadows and rivers.

There we found a narrow street that finally led us to the Hill of Slane - one of the mythical Celtic and Christian places in Ireland, rich in history.
The weather didn´t improve. We were standing there alone. Somehow the bad weather synchronized ideally with the the Irish landscape and history.

Location: Hill of Slane, Ireland.

Date Taken: July 15th, 2009, 16:12


Maciek.

Day 5 ( evening )

Connemara sunset. Ireland.

A story behind: We had lunch at our hotel´s pub. After lunch we hit the roads of Connemara again. For a couple of hours we were wandering through the every-minute changing immensely beautiful scenery of valleys of Connemara. Later we arrived at a small town of Clifden. Bought fish 'n' chips and went to one of the lonely beaches close to a village of Derrygimla to watch the sunset. Every second a light got softer and softer. Not a sound was heard. Serene landscape and the dying sun...Carpe diem.

Location: Derrygimla, Ireland.

Gear: Nikon D80, Sigma 10-20 mm, ND 0.6 hard, ND 0.3 soft

Aperture: f/14

Shutter speed: 1/2 sec

Focal Length: 14 mm

ISO: 300

Date Taken: July 14th, 2009, 21:15

Maciek.

Day 5 ( mid-day )

A midday image of the Killary Harbor and the Leenane village old cemetery.
Connemara. Ireland.

A story behind: Welcome to the unspoiled splendor of the Killary Harbour ( Coláire Rua in Irish ) , Ireland's only fjord. It is 16 kilometers long and and 45 meters deep.

Location: Leenane, Ireland.

Gear: Nikon D80, Sigma 10/20 mm

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 1/250 sec

Focal Length: 15 mm

ISO: 100

Date Taken: July 14th, 2009, 12:15

Maciek.

Day 5 ( the morning )

A small forgotten boat at the beach close to Ballyconnelly village, western Connemara.

A story behind: After breakfast we hit the road. Drove south, crossed the Roundstone bog plane ( Roundstone bog is a unique low-lying flat blanket grass, streams, marshlands and lake complex, rich in plants, but with no trees ).
Soon we arrived at a small picturesque village of Roundstone. The main street was lined with bars, pubs, cafes. Very few tourists. A small port with fishermen´s boats and famous hookers.

From Rounstone we turned west along the narrow sea-side road. From time to time we were able to catch a glimpse of strips of small sandy beaches with a Greece-like turquoise color water.