Downhill Biking

Myself and Niall took two days off this week and we couldn't have picked two better days if we tried. We spent the first day doing wedding things and then chilling in the garden. Today we went for a spin up the Cooley mountains, or known locally as the Lumpers. What a day! We did a bit of cross country up and over the Lumpers and then Niall kitted up in his downhill gear for some jumps and photos! Here are a few from the jump at the top of the downhill run... :)

Our engagement shoot

On the 23rd April myself and Niall had our first ever photoshoot, for our engagement. We decided to go all out on it and bring props etc. We wanted to make it as much fun as possible. I think from the result you will see that we just so much fun. Our photographer Christina is so extremely talented and her photos are everything we expected and more. I just love this sneak preview on her blog and the photography is just one more thing that I cant wait for on our Wedding day. Wedding's are the most fun! We should do one every year! :)

Check out Christina's blog post of our engagement here:

http://www.brosnanphotographic.com/2011/05/sadhbh-nialls-beach-picnic-engagement-on-dollymount-strand-co-dublin/

A Cupcake Sunday

 

This Sunday we celebrated my sister Aideen's birthday with a family meal at home. I love these days when we all sit around the table and shout over each other to be heard. My Dad will often say something random and silly that has nothing to do with the conversation, or he will break into song due to a word someone has said that has sparked something in him to sing. My brother always starts his meal with "hey, why did she get more then me?" (He is turning 30 this year and will never change). My Mum who soaks up the feeling of having her family around the kitchen table together with a quiet smile, between her preparing, cooking and serving the dinner. And Niall sits back and enjoys the madness of another Ahern family dinner, a family he will soon be an official part of. :)

Aideen wanted to cook cupcakes for her birthday and I jumped at the chance to take pictures of something so pretty. So I followed her round the kitchen snapping her every move and here is the result. Some mouth watering pink, green, blue and yellow cupcakes. And to top the day off my brothers girlfriend sent down 10 cupcakes from Dublin for her birthday, so overall it was a Cupcake Sunday bonanza! :)

Its been a while since I last updated my blog (for shame).To get back into the swing of it, here is a picture of Niall on our first day skiing in Andorra. In this shot I wanted to bring all the attention to Niall in full concentration, while softening and boosting the whites in the background. 

Meadow Pipit - my competition winner

I entered my first monthly competition in my photography club this week and was delighted to receive a 20 for this shot. This is top marks in the club so as you can imagine I am absolutely chuffed. I had a smile from ear to ear. This shot was taken out of my car window up in the Cooley mountains on a very cold Sunday morning. This little fellow was hopping along the edge of the cliff for around 5 minutes giving me loads of time to setup my shot. I used all 300mm of my 70-300mm Sigma lens and with a little help from one of the other club members in post production we arrived with this composition.


I entered 3 other photos, the seascape of Blackrock featured in a post below, the man shoveling the snow and my New York cityscape. All of which did very well in the competition as well. A very encouraging evening where the feedback I received was fantastic and I am now really excited about the next competition.


I'm officially hooked. :)

Clearing the Snow

This man spent ages clearing a perfect path for the patrons of St Patrick Cathedral in Dundalk. The snow had only just fallen and it fell again not long after so I would say he repeated this job many times during that day and week.

The Snowy Season

Blackrock bay during the new snowy season in Ireland. Even the beach wasn't left out during the snow. The sea brought in chunks of ice each day like something out of the arctic eventually becoming like a slush puppy where it began creating sculptures of ice at the edge of the water.


This is something I have never seen in my lifetime and it wasn't seen during my parents lifetime either. A sign of global warming or the coming of an new ice age? Either way it is extremely beautiful.

Fire Hydrant in NYC

A psychedelic fire hydrant in Soho, NY. Obviously I've played with the colours a little but I really like this shot.