Northern Ireland is not the best place in the world to see the Northern Lights. That would be Norway, or Iceland, or Alaska perhaps. But under favourable conditions we can get good displays here, particularly around the time of Solar Maximum. Sadly Solar Cycle 24 has been and gone so there’s not much activity, but… Continue reading Aurora Borealis
Category: Galleries
Collections of miscellaneous photographs
Giant’s Causeway
Air Shows
Northern Ireland has two regular air shows. One in Portrush and one in Newcastle, Co Down. This is a selection of shots taken at both venues over the last few years.
Noctilucent Clouds
Noctilucent Clouds are very well observed from Northern Ireland during the season from the end of May to the beginning of August. Unlike the Aurora, going further north is not necessarily beneficial as the sky becomes lighter and contrast is lost. These pictures have been taken since I first saw these magnificent clouds back in… Continue reading Noctilucent Clouds
Atmospherics
Cloud formations, Lightning, Contrails, Halos, Rainbows. All are atmospheric phenomena that can be seen almost everyday and which can make pleasing photographs too. The place to go to identify all of these is Les Cowley’s excellent website Atmospheric Optics.
Marble Arch Caves
Situated in County Fermanagh, these caves are an absolute must see if you’re in the area. Carved out of limestone by three rivers this is the most magnificent cave system on the island of Ireland. More information about the Visitors Centre here….. And on Wikipedia here….. Google Maps here…..
Antrim Coast Road
Built in the 1820s using a lot of dynamite The Antrim Coast Road opened up the towns and villages along its 26 mile length which had previously been mostly accessible from the sea. It is a beautiful scenic drive with many attractions a short way off the road. The Antrim Coast Road forms part of… Continue reading Antrim Coast Road
Beaghmore Stone Circles
Here’s an interesting place! Beaghmore Stone Circles are up in the Sperrins above Cookstown. A collection of Circles, Cairns and possible Alignments that must have been pretty significant in prehistoric times, though now we can only make educated guesses as to their purposes. A fascinating place indeed! Wikipedia article here… Google Maps here……
Portglenone Sunflowers
Pictures from what has become the essential annual pilgrimage to Portglenone’s Sunflower field
The Painted Ladies Of Carnlough
This was just a simple afternoon walk up to Cranny Falls from Carnlough, only I happened upon this one bush which was inundated with dozens of Painted Ladies who were happy to keep on posing for me as I snapped away! I also shot some video and cut that into a short film shown below.
Astrophotography for Beginners
It is often assumed that because the stars only come out at night, taking photographs of them must be difficult and require very specialised and expensive equipment. In fact this is not the case and with advances in technology even relatively ordinary cameras can produce images that only a decade or two ago would have… Continue reading Astrophotography for Beginners
Micro Four-Thirds Photography
Back in 2012 my photography was at a crossroads. I was really using three sorts of camera. I had my full Sony DSLR-A700 system with a bag of lenses, mostly the Sony 16-105mm zoom and a collection of classic Minolta lenses made for film. Indeed I almost had the whole set of mainstream lenses as… Continue reading Micro Four-Thirds Photography
California 2010
In March 2010 we decided to do a bucket list trip, flying into LAX and out of SFO driving up the Pacific Coast Highway aka California 1 in between. Plan A was to do it in a Mustang Convertible, and we did indeed hire this car. After two days we decided it was awful –… Continue reading California 2010
Carnfunnock’s Butterflies
2019 has, for some reason, been a fantastic year for butterflies in Northern Ireland. They have appeared in large numbers in the most unexpected places, and surprisingly they’re still here at the end of September!
Landscapes of Ireland
Ballygally Stones
Las Vegas and Arizona 2018
This was a Road Trip across some of the most amazing parts of the South-Western United States flying in and out of McCarran International Airport, staying a few days in Las Vegas then driving down to Lake Havasu City, home of the old London Bridge, then travelling along many of the remaining parts of Route… Continue reading Las Vegas and Arizona 2018
Lunar Images
Tollymore Forest Park
Nestling in the shadows of the Mountains of Mourne, Tollymore is a true paradise with waterfalls on the fast-flowing Shimna River and many pathways to follow through the forest. Always at its best in Autumn, this collection consists of two walks through the forest in November 2019 and October 2020
Red Arrows Belfast Flypast
This was a very quick flypast of Belfast at 13:58 on Saturday 15th August as part of the 75th Anniversary of VJ Day. Belfast was privileged to be the only UK capital to get the flypast as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff all had bad weather! This was also the first flypast of Belfast since the… Continue reading Red Arrows Belfast Flypast
