Good photo locations in Dublin

Elessar

Can anyone recommend any?

I recently bought a car which allows me freedom to go anywhere I want and I'd like to take up my photography again which has been sadly lacking the last few months.

I'm looking for good landscape areas in Dublin, north county preferably but I welcome suggestions for anywhere in the capital.

digitalbeginner

We've been in the city centre all week shooting night scenes. The ha'penny bridge was stunning just before nightfall each night. Get on the O'Connell St end either northside or southside between 8.30 and 9.30 for some memorable shots, even if it's overcast. Tripod is an absolute must and be aware of vibrations on the boardwalk as people walk by. Mess around with your Exposure Compensation though, the bright lights of the bridge can fool your meter.

Shrimp

Howth could be nice. Bull-island area. Phoenix Park.

Maybe? I don't know too many places for photography on the northside.

Actually, the airport?

Calina

in North Dublin, depending on what you want to do.

I take or have taken a lot of photographs in Howth, Skerries, Portmarnock and Balbriggan. You also have Ardguillan Castle. I occasionally nip into Malahide as well, but it's usually just good for boats in the Marina and the odd stunning sunset at Malahide Estuary. Handy for swans there as well.

Mostly on Bull Island I take pictures of the kitesurfers or the Pigeonhouse. I haven't looked at them yet, but I have some pictures of the Baily lighting last night. Hope they are okay. At the northern end there's a colony of seals whom I have my eye on for a photographic some day.

There are some stunning views from Howth Summit but I've not yet photographed them.

You're not really a long way distant from places like Mellifont and Trim too, if you're driving, and I reckon parts of Wicklow are an easy enough trip as well. I recommend Glendalough - unless the weather is truly woeful you need to have an exception talent to get no photos at all there.

JMcL

Shrimp wrote:

Actually, the airport?

In the current climate, I'd say you'd stand a good chance of becoming very well acquainted with a bunch of humourless people with short haircuts if you were to produce a camera and start shooting things at the airport!

The war memorial park in Kilmainham, and the Royal Hospital are good. And the Phoenix park is great too

311

I've been wanting to take a look around guinesses ,both on the cobble streets near it and in the visitor centre ,maybe try and take a shot from the 360 degree bar at the top (panoramic shot ).
Have never been with a camera before.

joe_elway

The Zoo. Great for wildlife practice, especially the Tigers, Snow Leopards and Wolves. I hapilly spend most of the day in front of those exhibits. Plenty of wild birds in the lakes too.

Elessar

I was at the airport there yesterday evening with my 300D and big white 70-200L lens and got a good few weird looks from people! I was thinking that it would be a bad idea but then again I see plenty of people with SLRs taking pics there all the time, so I guess it wouldn't be as suspicious as in America or London.

Good suggestions here...keep them coming!

5uspect

JMcL wrote:

In the current climate, I'd say you'd stand a good chance of becoming very well acquainted with a bunch of humourless people with short haircuts if you were to produce a camera and start shooting things at the airport!

There's plenty of plane watchers who park outside the airport to watch and snap planes landing/taking off. You can get some seriously cool aerodynamic effects (wing tip vortices etc) when the weather suits for example: clicky and night time long exposures: clicky
I'd imagine inside the airport is a no go tho.

Dimy

Dublin Bay at low tide is always a nice location as well

Zillah

5uspect wrote:

There's plenty of plane watchers who park outside the airport to watch and snap planes landing/taking off. You can get some seriously cool aerodynamic effects (wing tip vortices etc) when the weather suits for example: clicky

No. Way.

311

for some reason I don't find taking pictures of airplanes interesting and I always see loads of people up there shooting away.
Am I missing something??

5uspect

Sorry I'm a recovering airplane nut. It took me four years of aeronautical engineering to get over it. I still have my relapses like the Ph.D in fluid dynamics that I'm stumbling thru.

311

that probably sounded smart ,but it wasn't meant to be ,If I'm going to take a shot of something moving I'll try and work from a backround.

How do you approach taking photos of a plane?

5uspect

_Brian_ wrote:

that probably sounded smart ,but it wasn't meant to be ,If I'm going to take a shot of something moving I'll try and work from a backround.

How do you approach taking photos of a plane?

Funnily enough planes (and more correctly parts of planes) were some of the first things I took pictures of. I did my college work experience in the Air Corps and decided to photograph everything for future reference. I started out with an old nikon 35mm p&s borrowed from the parents but it died after a few weeks. I then bought a 2MP samsung digimax p&s which although slow served me well for a couple of years.

So TBH everything I've learned about photography since with my 350D is post airplane nuttyness (P.A.N.? ). I guess seeing the aesthetic in shooting them requires a good bit of "in knowledge" about what type of aircraft you're shooting. People see beuaty (i guess I still do too) in the vortex that can sometimes become visible at the wing tip of the sight of a 747 with its wings straining under the load of takeoff. I'd say its safe to say that aircraft photographers are aviation enthusiasts first and photographers second.
I guess in general they just get a big telephoto lens and indulge themselves. Be careful tho, military and civil aviation enthusiasts are often different breeds!

311

Thanks for that run down ,never really understood the whole thing.

Cheers.
Brian.

5uspect

its like trainspotting, only cooler :cool:

Fajitas!

There're a good few locations in Dublin, landscape-wise, head for the hills, highways and (h)airports.

Some great shots to be got, night or day of the motorways crossing and what not. The hills around Dublin offer some good shots, again, night or day. The airport was already mentioned, but see if you can go for something different... IR (infra red) could look deadly there come to think of it.

If ye're still up for it in a while, I'm sure there'll be another meet-up in the Dublin area (Well there defo will as soon as I get back to college) so feel free to come along.

Zillah

5uspect wrote:

its like trainspotting, only cooler :cool:

If she looks beautiful, she'll fly beautiful.

elven

I've just been off down the Sally Gap (I know it isn't north but hey - what's the car for?) and it is absolutely fantastic. I followed the N81 to Blessington, and turn off at the sign for - well - the Sally Gap. Within an hour, too. Almost makes me not miss Loch Lomond

311

I was down there last week ,it can be scary driving along there ....:eek:

Placebo

any one suggest any broken down factories or industrial areas?
i dont wanna see o connel bridge for the 10000th time from a different angle.

311

Placebo wrote:

any one suggest any broken down factories or industrial areas?
i dont wanna see o connel bridge for the 10000th time from a different angle.

Poolbeg would be a good spot for a few shots ,theres a big derelict building there ,orange colour.
Around pearse street / irishtown I've seen a couple ,never had my eye out though,if I spot any on my travels I'll let you know.

Edit : theres also big fat round containers down there ,the ones with the ladders wrapped around them.
And the multi coloured containers ,with the big cranes etc etc

PaulieC

second that for Poolbeg. It's got everything!! nature reserve, Poolbeg generating station, derelict buildings, dockland cranes, great south wall and lighthouse and views over to Howth to the north and dublin bay/killiney/bray head to the south

B0rG

Interesting idea

I was talking to my friend the other day and he suggested theme-photo day:

1. pick a theme
2. wait for weather
3. go shooting

some of the themes I wanted to do:
* Doors of dublin (I know it's lame, but it's good to get the eye trained on street shooting)
* Beggars of Dublin (inconspicous telezoom required... something like 75-300)...
* Victorian Dublin
* greater Dublin (wide angle, early morning, early eve)

PM me if you don't mind the company

5uspect

B0rG wrote:

Interesting idea

I was talking to my friend the other day and he suggested theme-photo day:

1. pick a theme
2. wait for weather
3. go shooting

some of the themes I wanted to do:
* Doors of dublin (I know it's lame, but it's good to get the eye trained on street shooting)
* Beggars of Dublin (inconspicous telezoom required... something like 75-300)...
* Victorian Dublin
* greater Dublin (wide angle, early morning, early eve)

PM me if you don't mind the company

I like your idea of a theme based thread, but bear in mind we don't all live in Dublin, plus there's the photo challenge...

Calina

I did something like that one day - the general theme was Dublin Buildings above eye level.

The results (with a couple of other things which caught my eye) are here if you're interested.

B0rG

5uspect wrote:

I like your idea of a theme based thread, but bear in mind we don't all live in Dublin, plus there's the photo challenge...

That won't stop us won't it? :-)

2Calina

looked at your dublin photos - I think I'm gonna steal some interesting ideas - shooting from the bottom of the spire up for example

Calina

Yeah, someone else had a go off the reflections in the Spire as well. I'll be interested to see your results. I'm *still* getting to grips with the lightmeter in that camera, it doesn't speak the same lingo as my OM10 at all.

B0rG

Calina wrote:

I'll be interested to see your results. I'm *still* getting to grips with the lightmeter in that camera, it doesn't speak the same lingo as my OM10 at all.

Yeah, little left - good weather

as for light meter - shoot in raw