Cliffs of Moher - Ireland

After we trespassed on private land to shoot the Cliffs of Moher away from the mass of tourists and paid parkings, we arrived right at the edge and went all the way down to the ocean. It was a very windy and stormy weather, it felt quite creepy to be there, alone.

The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair in Irish) are located on the west coast of Ireland, south of the Burren and around the area of Doolin (which is a very charming little town).
These vertiginous cliffs have a maximum height of 214 meters (702 feet) above sea level. It is often a very  rainy area with strong winds coming from the Atlantic Ocean.
It is a very impressive place to visit but I'd suggest to avoid the touristic area and go wander around to find a spot to sneak in and really appreciate the power of Nature concentrated on that area.

Of course, be careful not to get too close!

Tiny Blue Mushroom

Imagine the scene:
You are walking on a forest path, you suddenly notice a guy wearing a straw hat embellished with feathers, a huge backpack on his shoulders, lying on his stomach in the grass and sticking his camera to the ground to take a photo... That's me.
People were curious and some stopped to ask what I was shooting. It was fun to see surprise in their eyes when I showed them to photo of this tiny mushroom I found.

I spent a good amount of time focusing on the ground, walking slowly to find those hidden tiny treasures to capture with my macro lens. This mushroom was about 2cm tall (less than an inch). Bugs, spiders, plants.. It was all worth rolling in the mud for these different shots.

And at least now my parents can't spank me for getting all dirty!

Do you mind getting all dirty to capture a beautiful shot?
And do you, by any chance, know what this type of mushroom is called? It was so small and fragile. Loved it!

Nature's awakening

There is a certain bliss in witnessing Nature waking up.

A chill autumn breeze was trying to scatter the thick morning mist. I had started walking before sunrise, my  finely decorated walking stick in hand and heavy backpack on my shoulders, guiding myself with a little headlamp trying to spot the flechas amarillas (yellow arrows) pointing the way to the city of Santiago, in Spain.
I started with a very slow pace to let my body warm up and avoid injuries and cramps. But the main reason was to let other pilgrims go ahead of me so I could enjoy the silence and stillness of the slumbering countryside.
I stopped for a moment next to a collapsed haystack, probably due to the wind and rain from earlier days. Camera in hand, I sat down next to the field, almost holding my breath, experiencing the peace interrupted from time to time by the sound of the shutter.

Nature was waking up..

Morning Treasure

The most beautiful things in Life can be found right in front of us, at our feet. And yet, we insist on looking for beauty elsewhere, on the other side of the fence where we can hardly reach.

I spent a good few days of the Camino on the ground, focusing my attention on details, capturing little moments of life, of Nature. I left my wide angle lens in my bag and concentrated only on macro photography.

One of my favorite pastimes was taking photos of droplets hanging on spider webs or clovers.

Speaking of clovers, I heard a beautiful story on the way:

"Most people know what 4 leaf clovers represent: Luck. It is very hard to find and yet most people look for it. In Korea, 3-leaf clovers also represent Happiness! So... too many people spend their time looking for Luck while being surrounded by fields of happiness at their feet..." That leaves a lot to ponder! (Thanks a lot Eun Ju).

Enjoy the present moment, open your eyes, look for details and be happy.

"There is no way to Happiness... Happiness IS the way"

Gullfoss

Since childhood, there were 2 countries I always dreamt of visiting.
For my 30th birthday, It was time I realized those dreams... So I went on holiday to Ireland and Iceland.

Iceland had always attracted me, something magical and mysterious about that lost volcanic island in the middle of the ocean, with a spine-chilling name.. The Land of Ice.
Stories of vikings, geysers, volcanoes and northern lights always kept fascinating me. I had never thought that the country would actually look so beautiful!

Despite the name, "Iceland" is not covered with Ice and is not having freezing temperatures all year long. Iceland is actually quite green, with vast desolate and wild landscapes. No trees in here, you'll find mainly moss.

Iceland has also many famous touristic sites to visit. One of them is this waterfall, Gullfoss.

This majestic waterfall, one of the biggest in Iceland is part of the popular "golden circle" tour.

I wanted to capture the strength of this waterfall, together with the low clouds giving it a dramatic feel.
I shot this at 1/80 sec, f/11 and ISO 100. I did not have much choice for the composition.
I processed then the RAW file into a pseudo-hdr and tonemapped it with photomatix.

You should definitely visit that magical island once in your lifetime.

Bless!