Rock Art near Coomasaharn Lake

I was looking for samples of rock art in South Kerry during my walks for years. Thankfully due to the great knowledge of a member of the South Kerry Camera Club, Denis Kavanagh, I saw one very good sample this month. Denis was our guide at the last meeting of the club and showed us this wonderful piece.
There are different theories about the meaning of the circles on rocks. They are fascinating in any sense and without the shadow of a doubt absolutely magic. If you come around to see one sample take great care and  pay respect. The second part of the evening brought us to Coomasaharn Lake to take some photos of the lake and the late light on the mountain. A magic place any time.

Polarizer Filter and Clouds

I looked through one of our Velux windows the other day and saw those beautiful clouds on the Kerry sky. A good reason for a photo and some practical advice. Clouds are a great subject and can be useful if you need something for your next Photoshop exercise.

 If you like to keep in control of things ( I do) and you like to have a certain look of your sky use a polarizer filter. It will allow you to set the saturation and contrast to a particular level and boosts the look of the clouds. The whole technical aspect of polarizer filters can be read on this wikipedia article: Polarizer Filter in big detail.
As usual, it is a matter of taste how much polarizing effect you apply or for instance if you are converting your colour photos in to black and white later on the computer a sky with a bit more power may work better.

Here are some samples: 

Polarizer Filter fully applied

Polarizer Filter half closed

No Filter

Polarizer Filter fully applied

Polarizer half closed

No Filter

Today with Claudes 24-105mm, no filter

Today with Claudes 24-105mm, no filter

Today with Claudes 24-105mm, no filter

Today with Claudes 24-105mm, no filter , 1/3 overexposed.

Thank you Claude for the lens and the coffee in Barbara´s Beach Café. The 24-105 is a great lens with a very good range for the full frame photographer and could be the "always on the camera " lens" for landscape photos and all other purposes like portrait and wedding.
 If you are investing in a Polarizer Filter keep in mind that a low quality filter in front of your expensive lens and camera body does no good to your image quality. For wideangle lenses go for bigger sizes as your filter thread and use adapter rings to prevent vignetting. Use circular polarizer filter only.
Give it a try. You will be surprised.

Beara Peninsula

Gleninchaquin Park

Adrigole

Near Dunboy Castle, shipwreck

Caha Pass view

Healy Pass

Glenmore Lake from Healy Pass

Gleninchaquin Park

Petrol pump, Lauragh

Peg´s grocery store, Adrigole

Castletown Bearhaven

Castletown Bearhaven, Sean Scully`s trailer

Gleninchaquin Park

Gleninchaquin Park

Gleninchaquin Park

Gleninchaquin Park, stone circle

I spend a good few days on Beara and I have to say I was impressed. Great mountain landscapes with waterfalls, lakes and rivers everywhere. Roads with spectacular views and sheep all over the place. I drove for hours without meeting a car and did the Gleninchaquin Park loop walk all on my own. This is a particular special place and I have been there twice, just to see it in different light. The waterfall is stunning.
 Kenmare one the way to Beara is most certainly the best place for food and shopping, highly recommended.