Uploads from davidMbyrne.com

Mauna Kea Sunset, Hawai'i

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:12:19 -0700

Sunset atop Mauna Kea, The Big Island, Hawai'i.

On my last day before leaving the Big Island for Maui I forced my 2-wheel drive Ford Focus hire-car up the 8 mile, 4-wheel-drive-only dirt road to the 13,796 ft summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano, the highest point in the Pacific & the tallest mountain in the world when measured from its base on the sea floor – it’s 32,696 ft tall, some 2,500+ ft taller than Mount Everest (the latter’s base to summit height averages 10,000 ft but it has the advantage of it’s base sitting 19,160 ft above sea level). With its high altitude, isolation, dry environment, and stable airflow, Mauna Kea’s summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation. As a result the summit is home to the greatest collection of large astronomical telescopes on the planet, one of which can be seen silhouetted here at the end of this day's sunset. Twelve in total dot the summit, including the world’s two largest optical telescopes.

© 2013 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere:
dMb Photography Blog: Hawai'i, The Big Island. March 6th 2013.

Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Desolation Trail, HVNP

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:15:48 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Walking the Desolation Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Big Island of Hawai’i, USA.

The Big Island of Hawai'i is all about volcanoes. The island is comprised of five relatively young ones, the oldest of which erupted about 60,000 years ago. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) houses two active volcanoes: Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world’s most massive volcano. The most recent, & still current, eruption was of Kilauea in January of 1983, and eruption that has added about 75 acres of new land to the island via lava flows.

The Kilauea lki crater, one of the park’s main attractions, was the scene of a dramatic eruption of a Kilauea vent in November 1959. The eruption lasted for 5 weeks & laid to waste to this part of the park, now known as the Desolation Trail.

© 2013 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere:
dMb Photography Blog: Hawai'i, The Big Island. March 6th 2013.

Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Luau, Hawaii

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:17:21 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

A performance at Germaine's Luau, an elaborate Hawaiian feast or party accompanied by traditional foods and entertainment. Western Oah'u, Hawai'i, USA.

© 2013 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: dMb Photography Blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Waikiki Workout

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:20:12 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Running along the shore of Wakiki Beach, O’ahu, Hawai'i, USA.

© 2013 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere:
dMb Photography Blog: Waikiki Beach. February 28th 2013.

Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Gangman Style

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:03:11 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

On the streets of Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea.

One of the first pictures taken with my (then) new PowerShot G15.

© 2013 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere:
dMb Photography Blog: PowerShot G15 Try Out. February 15th 2013.

Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Rosses Point

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:12:25 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

A lighthouse set against some ominous looking clouds near Rosses Point, County Sligo, Ireland.

This morning was my first photography outing of 2013 but unfortunately a pre-sunrise trip to a windswept Rosses Point in Sligo, west Ireland, didn't throw up too many (good) photo opportunities. But it wasn't a total bust - I do like this simple capture thanks mainly to the clouds in the background. This was captured with the cracking little Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake, a lens I haven't really used much since I purchased it back in July of 2012 but one I do plan on using more in 2013

© 2013 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

All-Seeing Eye

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:59:49 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

People standing by the 135m high London Eye on the banks of the River Thames in London, England.

The Eye is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually. When erected in 1999, as part of the Millennium celebrations, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. The wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned egg-shaped passenger capsules, attached to its external circumference, each capsule representing one of the London Boroughs. Each 10 tonne capsule holds 25 people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. It rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, southern Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:34:36 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Two figures standing at the edge of Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, southern Iceland.

The southeast of Iceland is dominated by Vatnajökull, the largest icecap outside of the poles – it’s an 8,100 km² chunk of ice with an average thickness of 400 metres that covers 8% of Iceland’s landmass. Many massive glaciers flow from the icecap towards the sea, one of which is Breiðamerkurjökull. Eighty years ago Breiðamerkurjökull, seen to the right of the above picture, reached the sea, about 1 kilometre behind me. But, and like most glaciers around the world, it has been retreating rapidly since, creating this stunning glacial lagoon – after falling off the glacier the icebergs can take up to 5 years to float across the 17 km² lagoon towards the outlet to the sea.

I stood by the shore of the lagoon, and on the hills overlooking it, marvelling at the spectacular concentration & intense, chilly-blue of the icebergs – the colour can be explained by the air in the ice having been pressed out, intensifying the colour of the glacial water. Having arrived here at 2:30pm on a perfectly sunny & crisp day I hung around until just after the 4pm sunset. As a result I got to witness this awe-inspiring landscape in full and fading light. The reddish pink glow at sunset, as seen above, was particularly photogenic & needless to say I took a lot of pictures.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit the Iceland entry of my photography blog to see more pictures from my time in the country. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Mýrdalssandur, southern Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:45:57 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Surveying the desolation at Mýrdalssandur, southern Iceland.

Iceland isn’t all about waterfalls & glaciers. It has a few volcanoes, too. The April 2010 eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull made headlines around the world. While a relatively small eruption by volcanic standards, the ash cloud it generated caused enormous disruption to air travel across much of western and northern Europe. The above picture is of Mýrdalssandur, a 700 km² black sand desert. The area rests between the sea & the 590 km², 400-700 metre thick Mýrdalsjökull, the 4th largest glacier in Iceland. Katla, one of the three most active volcanoes in Iceland, sits under the glacier & eruptions in the past have caused massive ice melt, generating large scale glacial flooding, flooding that sweeps across this plane devastating the landscape. The last eruption of Katla was in 1918 & although it’s impossible to accurately predict the next eruption is seemingly not too far off.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit the Iceland entry of my photography blog to see more pictures from my time in the country. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, southern Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:26:29 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, just off Route 1, on the road from Reykjavik to Vik, southern Iceland.

One of Iceland's most photographed falls is Seljalandsfoss, a falls which can be accessed from the rear offering a different perspective of the pretty 60 metre (200 feet) veil of water from the Seljalandsá River tumbling over the cliff into a deep pool, a cliff that once marked the Icelandic coastline.

This picture was captured at 9:55am, still about an hour before an Icelandic December sunrise. It was very dull & it was cold, but it wasn’t raining. I wasn’t too sure where to position myself to best capture these falls, before finally settling for an icy riverbank some distance away – not having a tripod made that iciness all the more interesting when framing the shot & the inclusion of one of my travelling party in the bottom-left of the image, just beyond the reach of the spray emanating from the falls, added a semblance of scale to the image.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit the Iceland entry of my photography blog to see more pictures from my time in the country. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Ikerio Crater, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 01:33:37 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Walking by the rim of the 6,500-year-old Kerio crater in southwest Iceland.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit the Iceland entry of my photography blog to see more pictures from my time in the country. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:28:40 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Large & powerful waterfalls are legion in Iceland, the result of a north Atlantic climate & a near-Arctic location – the former produces frequent precipitation & the latter large glaciers, both of which feed many rivers. Travelling around the country means you’re never too far from a waterfall, three of which I got to visit during my time here.

Its proximity to the capital, Reykjavik, makes this, Gullfoss (Golden Falls), Iceland’s most famous & most visited waterfall. The majority visit it as part of a Golden Circle tour, a popular 300 kilometre tourist route looping from the capital into central Iceland and back. The falls are fed by the Hvítá River. It is a double cascade dropping 32 metres in two stages (11 metres and 21 metres) & into a crevice 32 metres (105 feet) deep, 20 metres (60 feet) wide and 2.5 kilometres in length. It’s quite the sight.

Icelanders have a saying that of you don’t like the weather then stick around for 5 minutes. When I arrived here the whole area was shrouded in a heavy white mist. Not much was visible & all I could hear through the haze was the thunderous rumble of the water (although I still felt obliged to fire off a ton of shots of that misty nothingness). I was giving up hope of seeing anything when the mist started to break. This picture was captured on the steps leading away from one of the many falls viewing areas. A few minutes later and I probably wouldn’t have had a picture of the falls that I liked. Stick around for 5 minutes indeed.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit the Iceland entry of my photography blog to see more pictures from my time in the country. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:29:43 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Hallgrímskirkja (Lutheran church), Reykjavík, Iceland.

A Reykjavík landmark visible throughout the city, the 75 metre-high Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church. It is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 to 1674) & it is said to have been designed to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland’s landscape. Construction began in 1945 & took over 40 years to complete – the landmark tower was completed long before the church’s official completion in 1986. This afternoon was another dull, blue day in Reykjavík – a typical, as far as I could see, December afternoon. Taken at 4:30pm, not long after sunset, I like how the warm artificial interior & exterior lighting contrasts the cold grey of the church facade & the even colder looking dusk sky.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit the Iceland entry of my photography blog to see more pictures from my time in the country. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Oslo Shadows

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:07:33 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Late afternoon silhouettes by the waterfront in Oslo, Norway.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Opera House, Oslo

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:13:46 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

The glass wall of the Oslo Opera House looking from a section of the roof to the Oslo waterfront in Bjørvika, Central Oslo, Norway.

The Oslo Opera House was the winner of the 2009 EU prize for contemporary architecture. This photo was taken while standing on the roof of the lower section of the building - the roof, covered in white granite and La Facciata, a white Italian marble, angles to ground level creating a large plaza inviting pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of Oslo. The special glass wall has minimal framing to allow for maximum internal views of the Oslo waterfront from inside the oak-covered interior, while the roof is supported by thin angled columns also designed not to interfere with views. This picture was taken at 4:10pm with the last of the day’s light disappearing rapidly, as it does this time of year (late November).

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:05:19 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden.

The medieval Old Town of Gamla Stan is where Stockholm began. It’s a compact area of twisted, narrow cobblestone streets & stucco-walled buildings, all of which seem to be a souvenir shop, a café/restaurant or an ice cream parlour.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Kungliga Slottet, Stockholm

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:01:17 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Ceremonial guards outside Kungliga Slottet (the Royal Palace) in Stockholm.

I had a look around the 16th century Royal Palace, paying near on €20 for the privilege (Sweden more than lives up to its reputation as an expensive destination). With 608 rooms it’s the world’s largest royal castle still used for its original purpose (although according to the very nice chap who guided my tour of the palace the King doesn't actually live here – hasn't since the 80's – but he does still come here to work, 9-5, Monday to Friday, to ‘tend to his duties’). It’s full, as one might expect, of lavishly decorated rooms, sweeping staircases & marble. Opulence. Royal opulence. Pictures weren't allowed, just another reason why I won’t have many pictures to show from my time in the city.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Helsinki Cathedral, Finland

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:36:44 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

People on the steps to Helsinki Cathedral, Senate Square, Helsinki, Finland.

This is the city’s blue-ribboned tourist attraction. The large, white Evangelical Lutheran cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Helsinki. It was built as a tribute to the Grand Duke, Nicholas I, the Tsar of Russia and until Finnish independence from Russia in 1917 it was called St. Nicholas’ Church. This building is the most popular tourist attraction in the city with over 350,000 people paying it a visit annually.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Jordan Staircase

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:33:14 -0700

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

People on the Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russia.

The opulent marble staircase is one of the visual highlights of a visit to the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg’s Winter Palace. Supported by no less than 10 solid-granite columns and lined with Italian sculptures, it's all very grand, very over-the-top. It's also one of the first attractions visitors to the palace set their eyes upon and thus is a great introduction to the opulence that follows.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.

Palace Square Reflections

nobody@flickr.com (davidMbyrne.com) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:58:16 -0800

davidMbyrne.com posted a photo:

Reflections in Palace Square, St Petersburg, Russia.

Gimmie a reflection and I’ll play with it. Throw into the mix something like the stunning façade of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg and you've potentially got something special. The elongated rectangular-shaped green-and-white palace has a 250 metre long, 30 metre high façade fronting the expansive Palace Square. The official residence of Russian monarchs from 1732 until 1917, it was built almost continuously between the late 1730s and 1837 to a monumental scale that was intended to reflect the might and power of Imperial Russia. These days it's home to the Hermitage, one of the largest & oldest art & culture museums in the world.

© 2012 davidMbyrne.com

Elsewhere: Visit my photography blog. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.