Here you can check out my adventures with my cameras, either with my Canon 77D, Canon M10 or DJI Mavic Air. In Shots no.XX you can see pictures from places that I went to visit and there is some information about those places. In the Solo Shots you can see random pictures that I captured in a moment when I was lucky enough to have a camera with me.
Photo taken at the Poolbeg Lighthouse, Co. Dublin in December 2018 with Canon EOS 77D and Sigma lens 10-20mm F3.5 EX-DC and DJI Mavic Air.
Over a year ago, I went to the Poolbeg Lighthouse in a very cold and wet winter night (stupid idea) to take some photos! It was so cold that most of the photos were a complete fail! From that day I only posted 1 photo here on Solo Shot 25. My fingers were frozen and I wasn't able to properly set the camera! So I just forgot about those photos. But, looking back at them and after some edition work, I got those 2 photos. I really like it and I got my lesson, to never delete the photos just because I didn't like it at first sight!
The Poolbeg Lighthouse was built in 1768 and is located on the Great South Wall at the Port of Dublin which extends from the Ringsend's Poolbeg peninsula nearly 4km out into Dublin Bay! It's a beautiful walk that takes between 30 to 40min depending on your pace and the sight at the lighthouse is just indescribable! I strongly suggest you try it but please, don't do it like me! It can be dangerous too as the path is quite uneven so make sure that, if you go when there is low light, you bring a flashlight, warm clothes and comfortable footwear. At the end of your walk, you can enjoy a hot chocolate or a coffee with Mr. Hobbs Coffee!
Photos and video produced at Ticknock Forest, Dublin, Ireland in December 2019 withLumix G9 with Leica lens 12-60mm, Canon 77D with Canon lens 50mm f/1.8 and DJI Mavic Air.
A new place that I discovered in Dublin, Ticknock Forest at the Dublin Mountains. I heard about this place maybe 6 months ago but never had a chance to go there. This time, my motivation was to do the Tchikita Christmas Video. Basically is the video at the start of this post. If you follow me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vitor_mc_oliveira/) you probably saw my Tchikita videos where I dance that music in a place with a nice view (https://www.instagram.com/p/B11l2G2A1Uu/, https://www.instagram.com/p/B0gjQ1rgt8h/).
It was a very cold day in December, late afternoon, the sun was nearly setting down so it was the perfect time to shoot the video. My idea was to shoot only the video but the landscape surrounding me was so, so, so beautiful that I had to take a few photos. Thank God because that gave me the motivation to create some content for the blog.
Ticknock is located in the Dublin Mountains, has good access with carpark if you are driving and the area is also served by the Dublin Bus 44B. Only about a half-hour from Dublin City Centre. Ticknock offers 10km of mountain and forest walks with an amazing view over Dublin City, Dublin Bay, Bray Head and the Wicklow Mountains. The park has mountain bike trails and a shop where you can also rent your bike and equipment with a little coffee shop! There are several marked trails and when you are tired you can stop for a picnic! This visit was very quick but was enough to make me plan the next visit! I will do the Fairy Castle Loop trail and I promise many photos!
See you in 2020 with many more adventures!
Have a happy Christmas and a wonderful 2020!
P.S.: Thank you to Marta who was a crucial help to produce the video!
Photo taken at Cliff's of Moher, Co. Clare Ireland in September 2019 withLumix G9 with Leica lens 12-60mm.
I won't be talking much about this photo and about this trip because I have a huge amount of photos from the Cliffs. I'll, eventually, do a post about the Cliffs where I spent literally over 5h shooting. Unfortunately, I have no aerial shots because drones are not allowed and even if they were, it was extremely windy so (so windy that the water that would normally fall down the cliffs, was coming up!!!) I wouldn't be able to fly it.
This photo was only a macro experience and because you can't identify the location I decided to post it as a Solo Shot. Do you like it?
Photo taken at Ireland's Eye, Dublin, Ireland in July 2019 withLumix G9 with Leica lens 12-60mm.
On my second visit to Ireland's Eye, I went on a mission to collect footage of an old church that there is on the island. The walk to that church is made between high bushes surrounded by those beautiful purple flowers and of course, nearly every flower had a bee and eventually, they got used to my presence and allowed me to get closer and take some of my first macro photos! This is the best one!
Photos taken in Tara, Co. Meath, Ireland with all my devices able to take photos and for a period of over a year!
Oh, Tara!!! I don't even know where to start! The Hill of Tara, a mythological place in Ireland that was once the heart of the Irish culture and, nowadays, an authentic curse to me! Let's start chronologically and then we will jump back to the 21st century!
Tara, Teamhair na Rí in Gaeilge which means "the sanctuary of the King", was, in fact, the ancient seat of power in Ireland, the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. The most important monument at the site is the Lia Fáil (Gaeilge for "The Stone of Destiny"), Ireland's most ancient coronation stone. It was said to cry or roar when touched by the rightful King of Tara. However, even before that, Tara was known during the Stone Age as a passage-tomb and the Dumha na nGiall (Gaeilge for "the mound of the hostages") tomb is the oldest monument still visible at the Hill of Tara. It was held sacred by Neolithic people and they believed it to be a dwelling place of the gods and the entrance to another world. But Tara became truly significant during the Iron Age and in the Early Christian Period. In 433 AD, St. Patrick, in defiance of the pagan High King of Tara, lit the Paschal fire on the nearby Hill of Slane.
From the top of the hill, on a clear day (which can be tricky in Ireland) you can see all the surrounding counties, so I can understand how important Tara would be from a strategic point of view for the High King of Ireland to protect his kingdom.
These were the historical facts behind the Hill of Tara, now the facts behind the curse of the Hill of Tara!
For a few years already I've been trying to shoot at Hill of Tara. I thhink the first time was early 2018 and after that, I went there numerous times, at different times of the day, alone, with other people and with every weather condition (no snow though). So, so many visits and only now doing a post about, over a year! Why? There is a tale that says that if a guy called Vitor, who is a nurse and has a hobby taking photos and makes videos, tries to make a post on his blog about the Hill of Tara, he will fail miserably! And that is so true! This doesn't follow a chronological line but here you have a few reasons that stopped me of collecting material for a post:
attacked by a herd of sheep;
dust inside the lens so all the photos came out with black dots;
a beautiful sunny day that turned to an awful rainy day as soon as I stood in Tara (it happened 73,8% of the time);
forgotten memory card;
a low battery in the camera and the spare battery was completely empty;
the drone wouldn't take off and when did it, it started to rain;
extremely cold and windy up there (it happened 99% of the time);
a huge group of tourists.
The 2 first points happened only once all the others happened at least twice! So from all of those visits, I managed to get the photos above, which is very poor material after so many times there! But honestly, I was so fed up with constantly failing that I just decided that it was time to share the curse of Tara with the world! Now, just to finish and to confirm that there is a real curse, I tried to look for photos from failed visits to post here and I can't find them, I probably deleted them all!
Well, I hope the curse of Tara won't stop you from visiting this mystical place, it only has an effect on me! Now, there is a big chance that it will be freezing cold if you go there but don't you worry, then you can go to the Maguires Cafe and enjoy a lovely latte or cup of tea to warm you up!
[PT] Tara !!! Eu nem sei por onde começar! A colina de Tara, é um lugar mitológico na Irlanda que já foi o coração da cultura irlandesa e, hoje em dia, é uma maldição autêntica para mim! Vamos começar cronologicamente e depois voltaremos para o século 21!
Tara, Teamhair na Rí em Gaeilge, que significa "o santuário do rei", era, de fadto, a antiga sede do poder na Irlanda, a sede dos Altos Reis da Irlanda. O monumento mais importante no local é o Lia Fáil (Gaeilge de "A Pedra do Destino"), a mais antiga pedra de coroação da Irlanda. Dizia-se que a pedra chorava ou rugia quando tocada pelo legítimo Rei de Tara. No entanto, mesmo antes disso, Tara era conhecida durante a Idade da Pedra como uma tumba de passagem e o túmulo de Dumha na nGiall (Gaeilge para "o monte dos reféns") é o monumento mais antigo ainda visível na Colina de Tara. Era considerado sagrado pelo povo neolítico e eles acreditavam que era uma morada dos deuses e a entrada para outro mundo. Mas Tara tornou-se verdadeiramente significativa durante a Idade do Ferro e no Período Cristão Primitivo. Em 433 dC, São Patrício, desafiando o pagão rei supremo de Tara, acendeu o fogo pascal na colina próxima de Slane.
Do alto da colina, em um dia claro (o que pode ser complicado na Irlanda) você pode ver todos os condados vizinhos, o que ajuda a entender o quão importante seria Tara, do ponto de vista estratégico, para o Alto Rei da Irlanda proteger o seu reino.
Estes foram os fatos históricos por trás da Colina de Tara, agora os fatos por trás da maldição da Colina de Tara!
Há alguns anos eu venho tentando filmar na colina de Tara. Acho que a primeira vez foi no início de 2018 e depois disso, eu fui lá inúmeras vezes, em diferentes momentos do dia, sozinho, com outras pessoas e com todas as condições meteorológicas (não neve tho). Então, muitas visitas e só agora fazendo um post há mais de um ano! Por quê? Há um conto que diz que se um cara chamado Vitor, que é enfermeiro e como hobby tira fotos e faz vídeos, tenta fazer um post em seu blog sobre o Morro da Tara, ele vai fracassar miseravelmente! E isso é tão verdade! Isso não segue uma linha cronológica, mas aqui você tem algumas razões que me impediram de coletar material para um post:
atacado por um rebanho de ovelhas;
poeira dentro da lente para que todas as fotos saíssem com pontos pretos;
um belo dia de sol que se transformou em um terrível dia chuvoso assim que fiquei em Tara (aconteceu 73,8% do tempo);
esqueci o cartão de memória;
uma bateria fraca na câmera e a bateria sobressalente estava completamente vazia;
o drone não decolaria e quando isso aconteceu, começou a chover;
extremamente frio e ventoso lá em cima (aconteceu 99% do tempo);
um enorme grupo de turistas.
Os dois primeiros pontos aconteceram apenas uma vez mas, todos os outros aconteceram pelo menos duas vezes! De todas essas visitas, eu consegui tirar as fotos acima, o que é um material muito reduzido depois de tantas vezes lá! Mas, honestamente, eu estava tão farto de falhar tantas vezes que acabei por decidir que era hora de compartilhar a maldição de Tara com o mundo! Agora, só para finalizar e para confirmar que existe uma verdadeira maldição, tentei procurar por fotos de visitas fracassadas para postar aqui e não consigo encontrá-las, provavelmente eu deletei todas elas!
Bem, eu espero que a maldição de Tara não o impeça de visitar este lugar místico, a maldição só tem efeito sobre mim! Agora, há uma grande chance de que estará frio quando você for lá, mas não se preocupe, você pode ir ao Maguires Cafe e desfrutar de um café com leite ou chá para aquecê-lo!
Photo taken at Burrow Beach, Co. Dublin in July 2019 with Canon Powershot G9x mark II
Yes! This is Ireland on another summer day! So good! The good thing about living on an island is that you are surrounded by sea... I just wish that the water was a bit warmer! Normally I go to the beaches on the south side of Dublin but since I've been shooting in Ireland's Eye, after I leave the island (normally the last boat is at 17h) I still want to go for a dip in the sea so the nearest beach with sand and parking places is Burrow beach. The last days of July have been amazing and I have been shooting a lot! On this day I decided to try my new camera Canon Powershot G9x mark II which was a gift from Capitola watches! It's just a point and shoot but the image quality surprised me! I might do a review of the camera when I have more photos, the first one came out quite nicely! Do you like it? Would you say it was taken with a point and shoot camera?
Footage captured with Lumix G9, DJI Osmo Action and DJI Mavic Air at Bective Abbey, County Meath, Ireland.
[EN]Hi guys! After being so long without editing a video, this one didn't make any easier for me! I had to edit the video from scratch 4 times!!! How frustrating! The first 2 times, I tried to edit on my laptop while I was in Portugal using the DaVinci Resolve editor. It didn't work because my laptop couldn't cope with so many heavy files so it was taking forever but I still tried a second time thinking that after a night of sleep the laptop would fill fit to edit silly me!
After returning to Ireland tried to edit on mine iMac still using the DaVinci Resolve... great piece of work unfortunately when it was finished, ready to save the DaVinci decided to crash and to delete all my work... I nearly cried!
At this stage, I had decided that I would just forget that footage and all my bad luck. However, I had to try one more time, now using the iMovie. I knew when I started that the final result wouldn't be the same as if I had done it on the DaVinci. So I started, I was quite happy with the job but when I uploaded it to YouTube I realized that iMovie created the project on 720p... I nearly broke the place!!! Grrrrrrrrr
Anyway, I uploaded like that. I think you can have an idea of the place.
Bective Abbey was founded in 1147 for the Cistercian Order by Murchad O'Maeil-Sheachlainn, King of Meath. It was Ireland's second Cistercian Abbey; a ‘daughter house' to nearby Mellifont. Bective became an important monastic settlement but was suppressed following the dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII in1543. The lands were then rented, and the monastery began to be used as a fortified house. The tower was constructed at this time, granting the structure an imposing appearance. The remains now visible at the Abbey date mainly from the 13th to 15th centuries. They include the church, chapter house, and cloister. The cloister ruins are particularly well-preserved and feature pointed, gothic arches typical of Cistercian architecture.
Now, the most important, did you know that the abbey was used as the film setting for Mel Gibson's "Braveheart"? Comment below if you recognize any of the film settings.
[PT] Oi pessoal! Depois de tanto tempo sem editar um vídeo, este não facilitou nada para mim! Eu tive que editar o vídeo do zero 4 vezes !!! Quão frustrante! Nas primeiras duas vezes, tentei editar no meu portátil enquanto estava em Portugal usando o editor DaVinci Resolve. Não funcionou porque o meu portátil não suportava tantos ficheiros pesados, pelo que demorava uma eternidade a concluir uma acção, mas ainda tentei uma segunda vez a pensar que, depois de uma noite de sono, o portátil recuperaria a energia e cumprisse com a performance, que enganado eu estava!
Depois de voltar para a Irlanda tentei editar no meu iMac ainda usando o DaVinci Resolve ... ficou um excelente trabalho mas, infelizmente quando ficou pronto, antes que eu pudesse salvar, o DaVinci crashou e eu perdi todo o meu trabalho ... quase chorei!
Nesta fase, eu tinha decidido que iria esquecer aquela filmagem e toda a minha má sorte. No entanto, eu tive que tentar mais uma vez, agora usando o iMovie. Eu sabia, quando eu comecei, que o resultado final não seria o mesmo que se eu tivesse editado com o DaVinci. Lá comecei e de facto, eu estava muito feliz com o trabalho, mas quando eu fiz o upload para o YouTube, percebi que o iMovie criou o projeto em 720p ... Eu quase quebrei o tudo!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!
De qualquer forma, eu fiz o upload desse jeito mesmo. Eu acho que você pode ter uma ideia do lugar.
Bective Abbey foi fundada em 1147 para a Ordem Cisterciense por Murchad O'Maeil-Sheachlainn, Rei de Meath. Era a segunda abadia cisterciense da Irlanda; uma "casa filha" para a vizinha Mellifont. Bective tornou-se um importante assentamento monástico, mas foi suprimido após a dissolução dos mosteiros sob o rei Henrique VIII em 1543. As terras foram então alugadas e o mosteiro começou a ser usado como casa fortificada. A torre foi construída nessa altura, conferindo à estrutura uma aparência imponente. Os restos agora visíveis da abadia, datam principalmente a partir dos séculos 13 a 15. Eles incluem a igreja, a casa do capítulo e o claustro. As ruínas do claustro são particularmente bem preservadas e apresentam arcos góticos pontiagudos, típicos da arquitetura cisterciense.
Agora, o mais importante, você sabia que a abadia foi usada como cenário de filme para "Braveheart" de Mel Gibson? Comente abaixo se você reconhecer alguma das configurações do filme.
Photo taken at East Pier, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland in June 2019 withLumix G9 with Leica lens 12-60mm.
I know that I have been absent for a long time, I'm sorry! Now I'm back with new gear and new motivation!
I haven't been shooting at all, I was uniquely dedicated to studies and work. But that will change now! Studies are finished and I have extra motivation to go out and photograph!
This photo was taken immediately after finishing my final assignment! It was taken with my brand new Lumix G9, yes I'm back to mirrorless cameras! I made a little clip to introduce it in May that I posted on my personal Instagram and you can watch it above. However, I still have my Canon 77D, I like it too much to get rid of it. Actually, a few minutes after taking the first photos, when I was packing my gear, I had my 77D on my hands when I notice that some clouds were passing in front of the sun. I just had time to remove the lid and shoot, didn't even realized that I had the 50mm lens on! Couldn't miss that dramatic light over the clouds! Let's see if having now two good cameras will increase my productivity! xD
Photo taken at O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland in March 2018 withCanon EOS 77D with lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 and Sigma lens 10-20mm F3.5 EX-DC.
[EN]
There is no much to say about this shot. Basically I thought about taking a very specific photo with my Benfica jersey. The result was very very close to what I planned which made me happy. Now I just hope that someone from my team, the best football team in the world, Benfica, sees the photo and put it outside the stadium! That would be fantastic!
I knew that would never happen so I kept shooting and trying different things with different lenses and I got 2 photos that I liked! Please, have a look and tell me which one is your favorite photo!
[PT]
Não há muito a dizer sobre esta pequena sessão. Basicamente, pensei em tirar uma foto muito específica com a minha camisa do Benfica. O resultado foi muito próximo do que tinha planeado, o que me deixou feliz. Agora só espero que alguém da minha equipa, a melhor equipa de futebol do mundo, o Benfica, veja a foto e a coloque do lado de fora do estádio! Isso seria fantástico!
Eu sei que isso nunca aconteceria, então continuei fotografando e tentando coisas diferentes com lentes diferentes e consegui duas fotos que eu gostei! Por favor, veja e me diga qual é a sua foto favorita!
Photo taken in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin in February 2019 with Canon EOS 77D and Sigma lens 10-20mm F3.5 EX-DC.
After a long day working, I was suppose to go home and study for my pharmacology exam. However I wasn't on the right mindset for it so I just decided to grab my camera and go for a drive... I drove to Dún Laoghaire and I captured this. I can't decide which one is my favourite, what is yours?
Photo taken in Oliveira de Azeméis, Aveiro District in December 2018 with DJI Mavic Air and Huawei P20 pro.
The frustration of an amateur photographer/videographer: In December I went home to Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal for nearly 2 weeks. The plan was to capture lots of photos and video footage. I Only got 1 day of sun, on my last day! OK, fine I made the most of the day. The whole day photographing and filming, very productive! After being back to Ireland, had that brain freeze and instead of copying it to the cloud, deleted 90% of my work! OMG!
