Entries by Robert

In every town we visited or passed through we found a grotto with an effigy of the biblical Mary.

While traveling through the town of Charlieville I noticed something different, this single statue in the courtyard of an old church. In it I saw a small child playing and leaning over the edge of a stream or river, its guardian angel ever present.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 541, Guardian Angel' 1/2000s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

Down the tower steps, on to the plush red carpeted guests landing and finally those grand banistered red stairs down to a kingly Irish breakfast.

We have brought back many wonderful memories of Dromoland Castle but by the way this image brought those memories flooding in I'd say red carpeted stairs will will always be special to us now.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 540, Red Carpet Stairs' 8s f/11 ISO100 15mm

If this were a Grimm fairy tale I could imagine myself calling up to my beloved Rapunzel to let down her golden hair so that we might be together.

But this is not a story book tale. It is my gorgeous bride standing watch for my return from the the old tower of Dromoland Castle. The call would not be a whispered shout from the garden below but a text message on a mobile phone announcing I would be climbing turret stairs back to our room for the night.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 539, My Rapunzel' 6s f/9.0 ISO640 25mm

Walking through the main doors of the Great Northern Hotel is like stepping back in time.

62 years ago Jennifer's newly wed parents Gerard and Nuala stepped through these very same doors on their honeymoon. I wonder if they thought the very same thing conjuring up images of the late 1900s. Years even before then it was here that Jennifer's grandmother was proposed to and accepted.

Now all these years later it still feels like the grand old hotel it always was. I am proud we also honeymooned here and made the Great Northern Hotel part of our history as well.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 538, The Great Northern Hotel' 1/1600s f/3.5 ISO100 110mm

Jennifer first brought me to the bustling seaside town of Bundoran 11 years ago.

Then as now we experienced blue skies and sunshine. This time we got to linger a few days and explore and even take one or two photos.

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 537, Bundoran' 8s f/10 ISO100 15mm

In quite a dramatic departure from the beautiful Irish landscapes I simply had to capture a scene from the bar.

Some might call this landscape equally as beautiful except for the odd one out! Despite the offerings on tap (pun unintended) we chose to round off the evening with hot Irish whiskeys instead.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 536, Odd One Out' 1/10s f/8.0 ISO320 15mm

Just a few kilometers east of the popular northern seaside town of Budoran a very special meeting is taking place.

When this swimmer emerged from his evening dip in the the cold North Atlantic sea he looked up at me and yelled, 'how did you find me?'. He could very well have been having a short respite from the tensions of the G8 meeting just up the road. I suspect though he was just having a bit of craic!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 535, North Atlantic Swimmer' 1/160s f/8.0 ISO160 15mm

An old castle had to turn up sooner or later.

It seems almost every large Irish town has a castle of note and Mallow is no different. I'm not sure how old the ruins of this old castle are but at least they are maintain well enough to create a safe environment to walk through and pond waring clans of another time.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 534, Inside The Old Walls' 1/100s f/9.0 ISO160 15mm

I feel a certain reluctance to post my day's next image when the last was especially dear to me.

This time, especially hard but of course the next day comes and the one after that and so on and so on.

This image captured some of the incredibly beautiful roadside flowers in full sun in the outskirts of Mallow. Aside from our wedding day which rained we were blessed with sunny days and blue skys much to the delight of the locals and visitors alike.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 533, Roadside Blooms' 1/400s f/11 ISO160 40mm

Our gorgeous wedding bands were hand made by Benjamin Manning for our special day, the 14th June 2013.

Mine is white gold formed over my late father's gold wedding ring while Jennifer's is white gold formed over her grandmother's rose gold wedding ring.
From the outside they are simple, beautiful and uniquely ours, while inside, the original hallmarking reminds us of our loved ones.

Thank you Ben for re-creating these treasured heirlooms for us.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 532, Our Promise' 8s f/22 ISO320 100mm

The Hibernian Hotel in the main street of Mallow was where I stayed the night before the big day.

Even at nearly 11 o'clock in the evening the sky seemed surreal with the brilliant royal blue of maritime twilight.

I love the old world feels of buildings like this one with their colored panels, dark frames and hundreds of layers of built up paint from a lifetime of maintaining. It seemed a fitting place to stay for the night before.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 531, The Night Before' 1.3s f/11 ISO320 15mm

I did not get to explore this building any more than wander past the outside and capture some images.

I can however imaging how once these stables on the Longueville House property held beautiful horses which would have been used both for recreation and for hunting.

Looking up I can't help but wonder the last time the stable bell was rung. At least sometime has maintained the clock!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 530, The Stables' 1/50s f/8 ISO100 15mm

Auntie Nellie's Sweet Shop in the main street of Mallow reminded me of old period movies where children would frequent candy shops transforming a few pennies into yummy morsels of candy, liquorice, and jelly beans in big brown paper bags.

For my own memory 'Willy Wonka' comes to mind but sadly I am not old enough to have experienced such childhood delights myself.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 529, Auntie Nellie's Sweet Shop' 1.3s f/11 ISO320 15mm

The courtyard of Longueville House is a beautiful place in its own right.

As both the service entrance and guest access to the grounds it is a lovely place to linger in the grounds and watch the comings and goings of the property operations.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 528, The Courtyard' 1/50s f/11 ISO100 15mm

My first really nice sunset in Ireland was simply amazing.

Not only was it a novelty for me to see the sun set over a grassy green landscape, but the colour was amazing and refraction minimal compared to our coastal sunsets at home.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 527, An Irish Sunset' 1/40s f/20 ISO100 200mm

Richard Turner was a true innovator of the 18th century. The Dublin born iron-founder and manufacturer of glasshouses was the first to introduce curved structures into the construction of glass houses and conservatories.

The Turner Conservatory (part of the Longueville House estate in Mallow, Ireland) is one of the few examples of the best of his work still in original condition complete with its wrought and cast iron framework and both curved and flat glass panels. The roof of the conservatory has been covered in an awning material to protect the irreplaceable curved glass panels and to soften the lighting inside.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 526, The Turner Conservatory' 1/400s f/8.0 ISO100 15mm

Preparations in order in the Turner Conservatory at Longueville House.

This beautiful, light and airy space is also steeped in history creating an ambiance all of its own.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 525, Preparations' 1/60s f/7.1 ISO160 15mm

Once I could not have passed by a dandelion without picking it and blowing its seeds into the breeze.

Now I feel no compelling need to interfere with these beautiful flowers other than to find creative ways to capture their image.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 524, Dandelion Sunset' 1/1000s f/14 ISO640 40mm

This stone sentinel keeping a watchful eye over the Lavally countryside was not so watchful when I discovered him face down in the water of the bird-bath.

After restoring him to his rightful position I was advised it would not be long before the magpies would knock him back into the water again. Oh well, at least he will enjoy the the scenery and the magnificent sunshine for a while.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 523, Stone Sentinel' 1/640s f/2.8 ISO320 200mm

This beautiful home atop an emerald green Irish country hillside would be our home away from home for a few days.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 522, Susan and Daragh's Home' 1/20s f/16 ISO320 15mm

The view from aircraft windows varies from amazing to non-existent.

This is my very favorite view, a good strong wing doing the job it was designed for!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 521, Winging It' 1/250s f/10 ISO100 29mm

Transits give a captured audience to the pizazz and glitz of the the airport terminal retail world.

Despite our best efforts to find a bargain here we came through empty handed and all the better for it.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 520, Airport Glitz' 1s f/18 ISO160 15mm

The challenge might have been how to capture an image like this without a tripod. In fact the the really hard part was deciding where to sit!

In the end I chose the ceiling; ... for the shot, not our seating position!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 519, Where To Sit' 1/6s f/13 ISO1600 15mm

While waiting in Adelaide International Airport's gate lounge I was struck by the way the blues and purples from the outside contrasted with the oranges and yellows in the domestic departure lounge.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 518, Gate Lounge' 1/30s f/4 ISO1000 15mm

I love watching a happy dog play in the water as their owner strolls along side.

Can you imagine the opposite? While pondering this question I remember a scene back in summer here where a couple of small children played in much the same way in the tiny surf while a great German Shepard stood by keeping a watchful eye. I am sure there would have been been a parent somewhere nearby but somehow it seemed their faithful friend would not allow anything untoward happen just like 'Nana' in the story of Peter Pan.

Either way 'best friend' seem appropriate.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 517, Best Friend' 1/50s f/18 ISO100 15mm

This view of the The Lamson Rapid Wire System shows both its simplicity and complexity.

To send the cart the clerk would pull down slowly on the pull-chord until the the launching frame was held under stretched elastic against a stop. On release the the launcher would send the cart flying along the wire to its receiving station where a similar mechanism was ready to initiate the return journey.

I have not seen how the packages would have been attached or removed from the carts but can imagine something equally as imaginative.

Next time you are strolling down Rundle Street and have a moment to spare, come up to The Writer's Centre in the Malcolm Reid building, take your mind back 100 years and imagine would it would have been like.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 516, The Lamson Rapid Wire System II' 1/160s f/2.8 ISO1600 70mm

The beautiful zebra plant would have you believe it boasts beautiful bright yellow flowers which last all through the winter. You'd be mistaken.

Now a common indoor plant, Aphelandra squarrosa is native of Brazil. It gets its common name from its striking striped foliage which gives no clues at all to those wonderful non-flowers.

The non-flowers are actually called 'bracts' and are a special king of leaf associated with the flowers. The flowers themselves appear only briefly and have since gone.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 515, Zebra Plant' 1/1250s f/2.8 ISO640 100mm

I have read that the ideal 'landscape' has three key elements; the foreground, the middle ground and background.

With that in mind I decided to look for something washed ashore. These two washed up lumps of sea weed may not be the most exotic foregrounds imaginable but at short notice and without a lot of options I decided to make them my feature. I think it works though this kind of depth of field can be quite challenging and even at f/22 it is a compromise.

One thing I recently came to realise is how important hyper-focal calculations are in getting this kind of depth. Simply focusing on getting the foreground tack sharp at wide open aperture and then stopping does not work and would have resulted in an out of focus background.

An alternative to using hyper-focal calculations to get the focus right is to use the live preview, stop down to your target aperture and pick two points, one in the extreme foreground and the other in the background. Using live preview zoomed in to the maximum magnification, manually find the best focus for each of the two chosen points in the frame set the focus about halfway between. It's always best to use the largest aperture you can get away for the depth you need as very small apertures will make the entire image soft due to diffraction.

So does the combination make for an ideal landscape? Your thoughts are welcome.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 514, Washed Up' 20s f/22 ISO200 15mm

What caught my eye in this image was the way the reflections of the sky, the beach, the jetty and the sunset seems to perfectly balance the the light coming from within the Thai Orchid restaurant.

Like a perfect fusion of two worlds, beautifully set dining tables seem to float over and through the outside world of the the jetty and the sunset beyond.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 513, Fusion' 15s f/8.0 ISO100 15mm

Emily Davis had the crowd in the palm of her hands as she wooed them with her bluesy tones at the Wheatsheaf the other night.

This was my first time at the Wheatsheaf on Goeorge Street and it will certainly not be my last. We listened a bit, chatted some, drank a little, solved some global problems in our conversations and I even got to take a few photos.

I have to say I loved the lighting on the stage with the artist being well lit while the background remained subdued. I have blown out the highlights just a little on this image so I am feeling the need to return soon for a bit more practice. Oh and for a bit more of that Yeasty Boys, Hud-a-wa' Strong!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 512, Emily Davis' 1/20s f/2.8 ISO2000 200mm