Final update

I've started to go around again: another 365 photos in 365 days. The only thing is though, I've decided to move my blog to a new platform. It's now on http://500px.com/eoinmcdon I hope you'll join me there.

Portugal part 2

My last evening in Cascais, and it's getting a bit cloudy, but as we all know that makes for a more dramatic sky. This is the sun setting behind the house of Jorge O'Neill.

Morning in Cascais

A cloudy morning this morning as we walked to the station, but the sun was still there, forcing its way through and making its presence felt on the beach. Taken on my +Leica Camera X1

Portugal part 1

A few days away in Portugal: Lisbon first, then Cascais further along the coast. It's nice to be on holiday and not be awestruck by the presence of the sun.

So, here are some images from the holiday so far

The tomb of the poet

Sunlight on the floor of the Belem tower

Graffiti, but the cheerful kind.

View on a rather grey morning looking south on the Atlantic

Fresh fish (it's luvverly!!). I was admonished for taking this by the fishmonger

The Tate Modern

Seems like so long ago, but it's still not a fortnight since I was in London. I love this building: not sure how you'd describe it architecturally, but it's high on powerstation-chic.

Highgate Cemetery

My interest and affection for Victorian Gothic cemeteries is well documented by now, and last Sunday I had the chance to visit Highgate in North London. It really is the ultimate Gothic cemetery. I took most of these shots with a view to making them monochrome, but some worked best in colour.

Pancake Tuesday

Trying out my new 40mm pancake lens yesterday. I bought it so that my SLR would fit snugly in my day bag, and thus I'd not need to carry a camera bag as well as everything else. I'm off to London at the weekend, and I don't want to be without a camera, so this is the perfect lens (my Leica has gone to Germany for a little holiday to get some dust off its sensor). As always I had a less than willing subject to practice on.

Year One - Epilogue

Success!
A year has passed since I set myself my photoblog challenge: one photo every day. When I first thought of the idea I thought it would be an easy way to revitalise my creativity, and to breathe new life in to my photography. I was right, and I was wrong. It was rarely easy, but it was always rewarding. I learned a lot, and I like to think that my photography has improved. I also noticed a lot of trends emerge along the way, namely:

-I like macro, a lot!
-I like shallow depth of field, a lot!
-Macro shots with a narrow depth of field are possibly my favorite thing.
-I got tired of big wide landscapes with dramatic clouds quite quickly: after two or three they start to look very similar.
-I don't like to photograph people.
-I do like to photograph flowers and plants, especially  after the rain.
-It rains a lot in Ireland (this may not be news)

It was difficult to get variety in to the shots: a lot of weeks had similar patterns of work and weather, so not posting a similar image on successive days was a huge challenge. It was also difficult when work stretched out over the whole day, so the hours of darkness were my only opportunity to take photos. This was where my tripod came in to its own. I quickly became frustrated by the limitations of my Leica X1: I wanted to focus closer, or expose for longer, or use a longer lens. My purchase of a 7D with a macro lens answered all these issues, and with only the occasional exception, I was not left wanting equipment wise.
It was an odd feeling to reach Day 365: on the one hand I wanted to finish on a high, on the other hand it was a relief to have reached the end. Not posting yesterday actually felt good, but today I felt that there was something missing.

Thanks to everyone that looked at my pics, to everyone that left a comment, or liked a post, or retweeted a link. It was never about viewers, but it made it all the more easy to persevere knowing people were clicking on the links.

I was asked yesterday if I'd continue for another year, and my response was a resounding NO!!! I need to see if the whole process has been successful; will I take my camera with me when I leave the house, will I keep taking photos of things that interest me, will I continue to exercise my creative muscles? I hope so, and to that end I'll continue to post, but sporadically, and hopefully to good effect.

My new Lensbaby arrived today: that should help!

Day 365

I've been wanting to get a shot of sand dunes for a long time, so when I arrived in Brittas Bay today I was delighted to see that it was nothing but dunes as far as the eye can see. It's an image I've wanted to catch for a while, so it seems an appropriate way to round out this project.

Day 364

Just over a year ago I dug and planted the grim and mouldy piece of wasteland beside our apartment building. Now it's grown and matured, and it's a wilderness for the adventurous stormtrooper. I must admit to a feeling of pride each time I pass it.

Day 363

I love my macro lens. I'm not ashamed of that: I think it's the greatest thing I've ever bought. A smattering of wild flowers has appearded on the grass I sowed beside our building, and thanks to said macro lens I can get right inside this buttercup.

Day 362

A half hour to spare in the city today, so I went to the Dead Zoo. I love the atmosphere of the place: Victorian cabinets and somewhat tatty exhibits, and the feeling that it's unchanged for a century, but only in a good way.

Day 361

Another unscheduled day off today, so I took advantage of the beautiful weather and drove down to Wicklow to see the lighthouse. It was built in 1781 and it's no longer a functioning lighthouse: in fact it's available to rent for holidaymakers, and you have to ignore a lot of "private property" signs to reach it, but it is spectacular.

Day 360

I'm very happy with this shot: I knew as soon as I took it that I liked it, and that it would make a good blog pic. And that's just as well, because the shot I took half an hour later was much better, but when I got home I realised it had been ruined by three drops of rain on the lens. So, ferns it is, and a valuable lesson about lens cleaning

Day 359

The weather has lost its mind! Blue skies in the west but I took this in the pouring rain. The dome of the St Stephen's Green centre looks good in silhouette.

Day 358

I read during the week that there's a German military cemetery about ten miles from my home, so I thought I'd go and have a look. Turns out I've ridden past it hundreds of times in the last eight years. It's a small cemetery: inconspicuous, easily missed, and silent but for the sounds of the wind and the stream that runs past it; a very peaceful resting place for the hundred and thirty four Germans buried there.

Day 357

There really is only one contender for today's photo: Leinster winning the Rabodirect Pro 12. Oh happy day!!!

Day 356

Last day in Dun Laoghaire for a while, so last chance to take pictures of rusty iron fixed to walls. It's all about the texture.

Day 355

Delicious dinner this evening, made with beautiful fresh tomatoes and basil. I wish I could do scrach'n'sniff on the internet.

Day 354

An unscheduled day off today, so into the city for lunch and subtitled films and record stores and finally bookshops.

Day 353

Sometimes when faced with a mediocre image one needs to consider the ground below.

Day 352

I passed a scrapyard this evening, and although it was closed I did manage to get this shot before the hounds could be released. I took it in colour, but it really works better in monochrome, as there wasn't really any colour in it, and the flat light didn't help.

Day 351

Working on a Sunday is bad enough, but working on a gloriously sunny Sunday is just cruel.

Day 350

Oh Clermont, you could have have, nay should have, won the Heineken Cup today. But Toulon took it and your fans are very very dejected this evening.

Day 349

To the RDS tonight, and the Amlin Cup Final. Leinster beat Stade Francais, and after the presentation and the champagne, Jamie Hagan came over to his people at the barrier and was duly engulfed.

Day 348

Brass handrail at the National Library

Day 347

There is a pretty cool sculpture at the Bank of Ireland on Baggot Street. It turned out to be quite difficult to get the DNG file to look the right colour red. I wasn't expecting that

Day 346

I saw this tree before, but it was only today that I realised it was a shrine to a girl that was (presumably) killed nearby. Now I find it a sad mix of poignancy and delight.

Day 345

Shadows and sunlight on the wet tarmac on Baggot St

Day 344

Is there anything happier than dogs running around in the sea?

Day 343

Any day that has more sunshine than rain should be considered a springtime victory. About time too seeing as it's nearly June.

Day 342

Let us go then you and I, now the evening is spread out against the sky.........

Day 341

A different version of dark skies over the power station, and the addition of a lomo filter in post.

Day 340

To the National Concert Hall for the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. Again, no photography allowed during the performance, so it's cellos at the break

Day 339

To be honest, this shot was affected quite heavily in post with some Lomo style plug-ins, but that was only because the sun was long gone by the time I left work.

Day 338

Spring is in the air, birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them, and above all the sun is shining and the weather is sweet.