The Folk Museum

Soda bread

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is not too far from me and I visit a few times a year. There are often special events and recently they held a Horse and Carriage day. I forgot about it until the last minute and although I missed most of the carriages, there is always something worthwhile to see in the grounds.

The museum includes a town, Ballycultra, with outlying farmhouses, a Blacksmiths, thatched cottages, a school and even an Orange Hall.  Staff often dress in clothing from the early 1900’s and can talk knowledgeably about the period. Many of the buildings were brought stone by stone from their original sites and reassembled in the grounds. You can read about how people lived one hundred or so years ago but to actually sit in their houses gives an extra understanding.

I’m still attempting a photograph every day with varying success but I’m rethinking posting them here every week. It usually doesn’t make for particularly enthralling viewing with images often being hurriedly taken simply because I need an image for that day. I still upload them to Flickr and you can see them here.

Click on an image to enlarge

Horse and cart
Horse and cart

 

Smithy
Smithy

The Blacksmith above was giving a demonstration on making pokers. Some had handles in the shape of a horse’s head with eyes and ears formed in the metal. This was finer detail than I expected.

 

Old bus
Old bus

This old bus was being used to transport people around the Folk Museum grounds.

 

Draper's Shop
Draper’s Shop

The Draper’s shop in Ballycultra town. This was the counter area and there were samples of cloth, clothing and threads also on display.

 

Hats
Hats

A selection of hats in the same Draper’s shop.

 

Soda bread
Soda Bread

This young lady was demonstrating baking soda bread on a griddle at an open turf fire

365 Week Thirty-one

Botanic Avenue

Week 31 images are below.

I think I missed only one day this week which is excellent when compared to last week but I have to do better. I’ve attached seven images anyway.

I’ve included more black and white images in this post. I find I’m doing more and more in black and white – I think it started from roughly when I got my Fuji X100 although now it doesn’t seem to matter what camera I use.  I enjoy producing these images but there’s not much demand in stock for them so I’m going to have to get stuck in and produce more work in colour.

I continue to look at mirror-less cameras, It was Sony this week. If I can hold off producing my wallet long enough I’ll probably move on especially as I get busier. Maybe next year?

 

Click on an image to enlarge.

Cycles. Giro D'Italia
Cycles

 

Robinsons, Belfast
Robinsons

 

Botanic Avenue
Botanic Avenue

 

Fuji X100
Fuji X100

 

Brushes
Brushes

 

Fast Food, Balmoral Show, Lisburn
Fast Food

 

Drying
Drying

365 Week Thirty

Astana, Giro D' Italia

Week thirty images are below.

Hands up! Straight away I’ll admit that I missed days this week. I took plenty of photographs – I just didn’t take one every day.

Main events this week were the Festival of Fools and then the Giro D’Italia. Festival of Fools included some impressive acts (it always does) and the Giro D’Italia drew thousands.

I’m still thinking about mirror-less cameras. The thing is the more I think about the price the lighter my Canon feels!

 

 

Click on an image to enlarge.

Festival of Fools, Belfast
Festival of Fools

 

For two
For two

 

Festival of Fools
Festival of Fools

 

Selling papers
Selling papers

 

Team Giant Shimano
Team Giant Shimano

 

Astana, Giro D' Italia
Astana, Giro D’ Italia

 

 

Coffee in the rain
Coffee in the rain

365 Week Twenty-nine

Donegall Place

Week twenty-nine images are below.

All images are black and white this week. I don’t know how this came about – it just did.

My Canon gear isn’t getting any lighter. I called into Jessops during the week and played with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and it’s tiny. I’m attracted to the Olympus mirror-less cameras probably because it all seems to be about Fuji just now.

I had brought a memory card to shoot a few frames and the images seem excellent, certainly good enough for my purposes but I know the files produced by the Fuji will be easily as good and probably slightly better. However the Olympus, I’m told, will focus quicker and more accurately, it’s weather proofed and it’s also cheaper.

And now I’m writing too much about gear which I said I wouldn’t do.

 

Click on an image to enlarge.

Donegall Place
Donegall Place

 

MAC or metropolitan Arts Centre
MAC

 

Overcast, Bangor
Overcast

 

Shoes
Shoes

 

Window box, Titanic, Belfast
Window box

 

Port of Belfast
Port of Belfast

 

Aether & Echo, Belfast
Aether & Echo

 

 

365 Week Twenty-eight

Fishing

Week twenty-eight images are below.

Well there certainly won’t be any complaints from me about the weather this week. It’s been generally sunny with just the odd shower and for April in Ireland that’s pretty good.

I try not to mention gear  much but lately mainly because of the better weather I’ve been out more often and for longer and my Canon kit just seems to get heavier the longer I carry it. There is much talk on photography forums about Compact System Cameras, from mainly Fuji, that are much smaller and lighter than an SLR camera but still produce quality images. I’m only at the stage of reading about these cameras now but it seems that while they may not be quite up to action or sports photography they can do everything else I would need. But then there’s the expense. Maybe the more exercise I get carrying the Canon gear the lighter it will feel. I’ve got a feeling that I’ll be writing more on this.

 

Click on an image to enlarge.

 

Buns
Buns

 

Fishing
Fishing

 

Cyclists
Cyclists

 

washing machine
Washing

 

Lunch
Lunch

 

Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall

 

Crocs
Crocs