SOFT FOCUS AT DOOKS MOUNTAIN

Today 27-02-2012, I decided for a change, to walk the dog at Dooks Mountain bog, Co Kerry. The morning was very overcast with dark clouds, so to take some of the following photos, I had to set the ISO to 400 to expose for some of the foliage that was in the shade. I also decided to try to give the foliage shots a dreamy look, so I set the camera to manual focus, then when correct focus was indicated, I shifted the focus slightly to give the photos a dreamy soft focus look, these photos are not intended to be sharp focus macro shots.  It may not be to everyone's taste, but I love to experiment to see what results I can get. As you will see, I didn't do the same with the landscape shots.

A Willow bud opening

Willow buds, not yet opened.

A Willow bud open.

Another Willow open.

One bud open, the others to follow, maybe tomorrow!

The Gorse flower!

Dooks bog looking towards MacGillycuddy's Reeks.

A wet area at Dooks bog.

One of Dooks bog roads, as can be seen still very wet.

No turf to be cut here!

Towards the Reeks.

The Reeks again.

Dooks bog looking towards Slieve Mish Mountains.

Vinca, by the roadside"

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All photos Pentax K5 Pentax 28-200mm ISO 400

Inny Strand Waterville -19.02.2012

 Today we walked the dogs at lovely Inny Strand, a long stretched sandy beach near Waterville. Co. Kerry. Walking along this beautiful stretch of sand one has a magnificent view of Waterville, the Iveragh mountain chain and of course of the mighty Atlantic Ocean - sometimes calm and glittering in the sunshine and sometimes roaring and frightful. And most times you have the place nearly to yourself.

 Algae in Inny river estuary

 Backwater at Inny River estuary

 Crows above Inny Strand

 Dog on the beach

 Algae and foam at Inny Strand

 Gorse in bloom

 Iveragh mountains over Inny estuary

 Gorse burning season in the hills above Inny Strand

 

 Inny Strand

 Person on the banks of Inny River opening to the sea

 Sun reflection on the beach

Wave lines in the sand

all pictures © Franz Schenk. Camera used Olympus E520 with Zuiko Digital 14-54 and 50 - 200

Loop Walk from Cooncrome Harbour

Like Dave we used the bright and chilly day to walk the dogs. We choose a loop walk, commencing at Coonccrome Harbour, Over the Water, about 10 min drive from Caherciveen. The walk leads from the pier through coastal bog areas and woodland with excellent views of Dingle Bay, Valentia Harbour, Knocknadobar and surrounding Hills. Small streams and puddles display a plenty of animals and vegetation.
It was a good opportunity to try out a newly bought 14-54 mm Zuiko Digital glass on my Olympus E520.

 Pebbles at Cooncrome Harbour

 Steps at Cooncrome Harbour

 Ruins (church?) in the woods of kimego, S of Canglass Point

 Metal fixtures on the tower ruin

 The Bell (?)  tower

 View of Killelan Mountain, near Doulus Head

 Knocknadobar rises over the bog

 Dingle Bay with tree skeletons remaining after forestry harvest

 Frog spawn in a puddle next to the walk

 Different type of spawn

 Spawn and polliwogs

 

 The proud parents

 Must be cold in there

Logs

Lower Cromane Skies 18-02-2012

On my dog walk today in Lower Cromane, County Kerry, the vivid blues within the sky caught my attention, so the following photos, are mainly intended to reflect the beauty of the skies on my morning walk, although as will be seen, a few featureless skies in some directions were also present. The morning was mainly bright and sunny, but the wind off the sea was actually bitter cold, and I was constantly warming my hands to hold the camera steady!

A view towards Glenbeigh and inch strand from Lower Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

A view towards Dingle and the Slieve Mish mountains, Co Kerry.

Zoomed in on the Slieve Mish mountains, from Lower Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

Sun on the Slieve Mish, from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

Nice cloud formation over the Slieve Mish, from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

MacGillycuddy Reeks, towards Glenbeigh, from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

Zoomed in on Slieve Mish from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

Slieve Mish in the sun, From Cromane point, Co Kerry.

A dramatic looking sky over Castlemain Harbour, Co Kerry.

Just the beauty of the sky! Photo from Cromane point, Co Kerry.

Clouds over Slieve Mish, from Cromane point, Co Kerry.

Slieve Mish again, Looking towards Dingle, from Cromane Point,Co Kerry.

Nice cloud formation, good for a backdrop use in Photoshop, from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

This and the next photo are two more useful backdrop photos, from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.

A view towards Castlemain, from Cromane point, Co Kerry.

Tide out, Lower Cromane, Co Kerry.

Another nice cloud over Castlemain harbour, from Cromane Point, Co Kerry.


All photos Pentax K5 with Pentax 28-200mm at F11 ISO 80