Ashford Castle

I don't know where to start.

The beginning, I suppose, but Ashford Castle was so incredible that my thoughts about it are all jumbled. Let's just start typing and see where it gets me.

Peter had a wedding there on Friday. The family was from Canada and they were very well off. Total coverage of the day included four photographers (two from America and two from Ireland) and a staff of two videographers from Ireland. It was a small wedding in terms of party members; only four including bride and groom, and the guests numbered around 30 or so. Peter was hired on as a secondary photojournalistic type job, and he asked if I wanted to go with so I could see the castle. I agreed enthusiastically.

Ashford Castle is a five star hotel. When you enter the sprawling 300 acre grounds you see a posting that says 'Ashford Casle 1228 A.D.' 1228! My mind started reeling from that second and it didn't stop for another eight hours. It was turned into a hotel in 1939. Apparently it's amongst the top hotels in the world. It's definitely the nicest place that I have ever been, inside AND out.

When we arrived we drove across a small bridge and through excellent gates, up to the front of the building. I followed Peter in to the reception area and it was extremely difficult to keep my mouth closed.  He bustled around meeting relevant people and I stood off to the side with some of his equipment. The second that he walked away I pulled out my phone and wandered to a few different rooms. I snapped pictures and kept reminding myself to close my mouth because I was in a nice place and it's unattractive to walk around with my mouth open. The rooms were unbelievable. High ceilings, detail out the wazoo, ornate old intricate wooden rich beautiful. After I took in those few rooms as best I could I turned and looked out the windows. At that point I made an audible noise of shock and awe while I looked upon beautifully manicured grounds, rock walls, outlook posts, a smooth lake and far distant islands. I wanted to scream from excitement, but fortunately I did not.

I fidgeted nervously in front of an intensely decorated mirror, trying to get my hair into a nice ponytail. When Peter finally came back I followed after him and we were set to start photographing the bridal party along with the rest of the photographers. The videographers were instructed to go with the guests onto a toured boat ride that takes a circuit around the lake. So elaborate!

The family really couldn't have asked for more gorgeous weather. A slightly cool late morning gave way to a comfortably warm, borderline hot, afternoon. There was a slight haze to the sky that kept the rays from being too entirely overpowering on the eyes. The time was slow going while we all swept around the castle, inside and out, snapping literally thousands of photos of the bride and groom in loving poses. This afforded me great opportunities to catalog locations that I would come back to later when I was allowed to frolic off on my own with my real camera.

Once we got out to the back of the castle where the fountain was we were greeted with bird trainers. The father of the bride (a talented hobby photographer and wedding coordinator) had arranged for the falcon and owl trainers to come out so that the bride and groom could have photos taken while holding the birds. Ashford Castle has a falconry on site, and this is an event that they offer to guests. Now, I don't like birds. In fact, I hate birds. They freak me out. However, these were absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen a falcon before, and I've certainly never been that close to an owl before. They were stunning, bold, intense. It was enthralling and I am so sad that I don't have any good pictures of that, just one small shot from my phone. Ah well.

By two o'clock I was allowed to cut loose and spend the rest of the day on my own. We were scheduled to be there until seven, so that gave me five glorious hours to explore at my whim and leisure. I was bursting with excitement as I bounded to the car. At this point it was pretty hot outside, so I took a moment to relax in the shade of the car and drink some water. I snatched up my headphones for some upbeat ambience and set off to the fountain area.

I hardly knew what to photograph first. I ended up taking around 300 photos, which was nice. I could have taken so many more if I had had some people with me. It was practically painful for me to be among so many striking locations, perfect for portrait photography, and to be completely by myself. A few times I derailed into taking goofy pictures of me smiling since I was having such a great time.

I revisited a few places that I had already been with the bride and groom, and then I wandered past where we had all sat to have lunch. It has been a long time since I've been outside for that long, and it has certainly been a while since I've had that much warm sunshine. It was never that hot when I was here last summer (which is ridiculous), so yeah I was pretty out of practice with dealing with the heat. I also seemed to have forgotten how quickly I can run when I hear a bee near my face! I found myself quite alone along a very long stretch of pavement. I passed a lot of very fun and quirky trees, they all had faces. At one point I stopped to send a message to Andrew and a bee landed on my finger. I screamed extremely loudly and scared some birds out of a tree.

Eventually I came to a fork in the road. I picked the left because it was sunnier and I could see a building off in the distance. The building turned out to be a small schoolhouse, which looked as though it had been turned into a small cottage for people to stay in. For this reason I didn't take any photos of it, it seemed fairly private. It had a lovely little garden in front of it though. The road continue to curve past this building, but I had no idea where it led to so I turned and went back to the fork. I didn't have a water bottle with me and I recalled Peter saying the grounds spread over 300 acres. It seemed best to stick relatively close to the castle.

The opposite direction took me through some shaded type walking areas and eventually past an equestrian paddock. I passed more animated trees, lovely tufts of grass and scattered fields of flowers. Before too long I popped out in front of the castle, along a field that was next to a winding brook. This field had lovely patches of daisies all over it, and I decided that this would be the day that I made my first complete daisy chain. I have tried in the past, but I could never find enough thick stemmed daisies to make one that would go around my head. To my delight, Ashford Castle was rife with thick stemmed daisies. I found myself covered in pollen and smelling of fresh flowers, with a lovely daisy chain around my glowing red hair. I was the prettiest this day.

Seeing as I found myself next to the car again I decided to sit and rest and drink more water. I took this time to review all of the photos I had already taken. Then, and I'm quite proud of this, I did something I hadn't thought to do before: I looked through the photos to see not only what I had already captured, but what I hadn't captured enough of. I used the time to think about what I'd wish I had taken more photos of. I feel absolutely ridiculous for never having done this before, because there have been plenty of times where I review the photos once I'm home and go, 'Darn I should have taken more shots of {blank}'. It proved to be extremely helpful because I ended up getting a slew of new photos after that.

Feeling reinvigorated and quenched, I set back to the fountain side of the castle and took a different direction. I found a lovely staircase and some fun doors. I also gained close access to the lake and found a beautiful stretch of reeds. But my most rewarding find of all manifested itself in the form of a small dungeon area. I really don't have the words to describe how I felt when I came upon it. At first it looked simply like a small holding area with an ornate gate. I took a few pictures and wondered whether or not I wanted to go in; it seemed awfully dark and wet and creepy. I poked my head inside though and found a spectacularly lit (and fabulously colored) staircase. I immediately ran in and dropped to my knees in the dark and started to take photos. I felt so full, so satisfied, and then I turned around. The door that I had just come through was presenting me yet another gorgeous photo opportunity. Sunlight was pouring in through the open door, and everything else was near blackness. I felt thankful, overwhelmed, and was cursing the fact that I was in such a breathtaking place alone.

It was nearly six o'clock at this point and I was feeling quite exhausted. I had been out in the sun since eleven and was running around just about that whole time. I thought about how tired Peter must be feeling, since he was the one actually chasing people around. I spied a crooked staircase next to a tiny parapet type outpost, so I sat down in the shade. I watched hotel guests go for jogs, walks, photo excursions and I was even visited by a small and adorable dog. I smiled and absorbed and thanked and thought and sighed.

Eventually I decided that I wanted more water and I also wanted to read my book a little while I waited for Peter to wrap up. My plans were foiled though, because he had taken his car to head off to the church! No matter, I thought to myself, for I have Harry Potter on my ipod :] so I found a comfortable staircase near the entrance gates with a nice view of the brook and I read Harry Potter while listening to music. It was bliss.

There are so many more things that happened, but that's how my brain has conjured up the story. I have to go back someday, and I have to have people with me. It's a private establishment, so one can't just waltz in to look around. Suppose I'll have to save up money and stay there a night ;)

-MJ

Fences

Everyday I pass a wide assortment of fences. They're all iron/metal, and they all look like impalers. Some are black, some are white. Quite a few are rusted. Occasionally they are silver. Some are very ornate. It took me a month of walking past them everyday for me to stop and realize that maybe, just maybe, they'd make for an interesting mini photo series. 

A few days ago I finally pulled out my camera and enjoyed a leisurely walk home. I imagine I may have looked silly, because I spent a lot of the walk bent over and under fence posts. At one point I was photographing some posts that belonged to a house with a red door. Residents were attempting to go in and out of the door, and in that moment I was especially thankful to be female. We tend to be perceived as less threatening when photographing a door or window o.O

If I can muster the effort to not be lazy then I'm sure that I can find many more fences. It has been near the surface of my mind, and I know that I've seen more on various routes. Generally they crop up on my way to work, and I can't really stop then. The sun decided to take a brief hiatus over Ireland so I haven't been feeling up to leisurely home walks this past week. The sun is out full force today, just gorgeous and mostly cloud free, but I'm taking a relax-and-watch-Friends stance. 

Last night I spent the evening with Ger and her friend Sarah. We had an excellent night of chatting, and then around 1 am we went to a cafe in town for snacking purposes. I've never gone out for a hot chocolate at 1 in the morning, so that was a lot of fun. I brought my camera just in case, but never took it out of my bag. The place had such a low-key ambience that I would have felt very disrupted if I had started to snap snap away with my camera. Maybe another time. At the very least I should cut past the storefront and take a picture of the building.

I have yet to take any portraits, aside from my self-portraits, since I've been here. I asked Ger if she'd be interested and she said yes, so hopefully she and I will work that out soon. It'd be a lot of fun. She has a lot of friends too, so maybe they'd be interested as well. So much potential fun and portraits!

Another round of self-portraits may be necessary though, seeing as Ger helped me dye my hair red last night! I haven't had red hair since 2006 and I'm feeling pretty ecstatic. Because of my job at GameStop I wasn't able to have any 'unnatural' hair colors -_- But I am free now! Free! When I can I'll get my hands on some more intense fake-y red color and add to what I have now. Although it's surprisingly and pleasingly red for a drugstore hair dye.

Very recently I came across a website that has really helped me to compile photography inspiration. Pinterest is a sort of collection board website, and you can 'collect' anything you'd like. I have multiple photography boards, portrait, love and general, and it feels good to scroll through and take a peek. Anytime I find a new great photo on the great interweb, I can 'pin it' to my relevant board. It's there for me to reference anytime, and I can share it with other Pinterest users. Fabulous website. 

I'm sure I won't be taking an nature photos today, but if I can manage a shower then I may take some pictures of my hair. We'll see!

-MJ

I walk to and from work.

Solicitor doors just down the street from the studio.

This will be filled with photos of that.

Alright, it is serious blogging time; there is a lot to catch up on! I almost feel overwhelmed. Where shall I start? It'll be difficult to go about this in a linear fashion, so why don't I just start talking about things as I think of them?

A not in use church.

First of all, I'd like to give a shout-out to Herbal Essences, because their line of volumizing and shine-inducing shampoo and conditioners are amazing. My hair doesn't feel thick, per say, but it certainly feels less limp and pathetic. I felt that that was important to put here because I bought the shampoo and conditioner upon my arrival. I haven't used Herbal Essences in a while, but I don't remember them being this good. Is it special in Ireland, or have they changed their formula? I'll have to investigate once I'm back home.

The door of the not in use church.

The weather has taken a turn for the wet and dreary. Normally I'm not bothered, but walking to and from work has changed my tune. It is far too damp out there. Not to mention cold. No, let's mention cold. It is so cold here. I mean, March is a stupid month for weather anyway, but this is excessive. I didn't bring any shoes other than converse because I... hm. OK so I'm not sure why. Regardless, that was a mistake. I should have brought a pair of winter/snow boots. I own two pairs, so I'm feeling a tad foolish at the current. I'm interested in keeping all of my toes, so I stopped into Dunnes on the way home today to look for some inexpensive boots. Why is it that shoes are either dirt cheap and of shoddy construction, or off the charts expensive and practical? And by practical I mean they're not going to fall apart. There are plenty of impractical shoes that are well built. There are also plenty of impractical shoes that are pretty much made of paper and scotch tape. I've derailed myself a bit. I have a goal of obtaining my shoes that will keep my toes on my feet. Moving on.

Gate along the front of a church.

I started working at the studio on the 1st and I am happy to report that it's going very well. Peter is very nice and fun to work with, as are his two main employees. I shall call them... Aurora and Philip, haha! Philip is from England and Aurora is from Germany. There's quite the diverse environment in there! It's very fun. I've had a chance to work with everyone now and I'm liking it a lot. It's a bit laid back even though there's a lot of work to be done. I can definitely tell when someone is feeling a touch stressed, but things have (so far) remained calm.

Excellent vine skeleton along the wall of an apartment building.

Something particularly special about what I'm doing over in the studio is presenting new ideas for their existing systems. Workflow and digital asset management, to be specific. Peter really liked the few things that I said when we met last summer, and my first day in he took me to a late breakfast to discuss some of my ideas in more detail. So far I have had plenty of opportunities to share my thoughts and opinions, and we're all working together to implement them to see if I can have a positive impact on the studio. It's truly a unique experience and I am extremely fortunate to be here doing this.

This is about halfway to the city centre from the studio. I haven't gone in yet, but I plan on it.

Excellently blue building next to the comic store.

Just as an aside, I keep playing with my hair because it feels so nice. I've been keeping it completely pulled back with a clip the past few days because it has been so freaking windy, and since it's down before bed I'm having a hayday with it!

Just a bend in the road. I wonder why that Wired Gaming place closed down?

Anywho.

Back side of the Roisin Dubh and some of the Corrib River. 

The studio is in Salthill and fairly close to the Prom. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to work, so I'm getting a nice little round of cardio erryday. Although, that get counteracted by how much tea I've been drinking at the studio. I'm not accustomed to it, and I don't really like the flavor unless I have 3 teaspoons of sugar. That's a lot. Most people do one or half of one or something. If I have more than one cup a day then damn, that's too much sugar. And that's not even touching on the fact that every surface is covered in chocolate biscuits! I know I don't have to eat them, but if they're there and I'm allowed then I am going to eat them! The candy here is horrible, but the chocolate is amazing. I've missed it and I have to be careful. So far I've only had hot chocolate from Butler's once, and that's saying something. I've managed to show restraint in that area. Also, I haven't had mashed potatoes for lunch everyday; another incredible feat of willpower. If I can stay away from the mountains of chocolate then I'll be golden. Oh, and if I contain Coke consumption to only when I'm having whiskey.

Owen works at the Daybreak and his brother-in-law owns Health & Fitness next door!

So, a bit more about work. Peter does a wide variety of photography. He's one of the top wedding photographers in Ireland and just about everyone in Galway knows who he is or is at least familiar with his name. He does family photos, modeling/portrait photography, commercial, architecture and also small editorial type stuff. He covers a lot of the Debs photos for the schools too. He has a modest studio in the center of town with a cozy and open atmosphere. I really enjoy being in there. Thus far I've been doing all administrative and design work. On the 18th there are two shoots that he wants me to help with; one is an engagement shoot and another is a family portrait with five kids. Yeesh.

Harvest was where I went with my friends last summer every time we bought some drink. They're all closed now :(

My largest concern happened to come up on Monday, I think it was. Peter asked Philip to setup the lights in the studio for a shoot that was coming in later in the evening. Philip asked me if I'd ever setup a studio before and I was all, "Psh, yeah. Are you kidding me?". Actually I modestly replied, "Yes I have, but it never hurts to have a refresher. I don't know what brand of strobe you use; they're probably all similar but please show me." 8-B So I went into the studio space with him, he hands me a light meter.... and I just stared at it. My mind was an absolute blank. Talk about embarrassing! He goes, "What the hell are you doing?" and I laughed and shrugged and went, "I know this looks bad, it's just been a while and I'm having a lapse at the moment!"He directed me and once I was finished I handed him the light meter and walked back to my desk in shame.

Rickety and closed off bridge. It goes from a car and foot bridge to that weird stand-alone building.

You're not allowed to walk on it. Obviously.

Today he asked me again if I had any portrait photography experience. I hesitated for a second, knowing that everyone here is notorious for their jokery, before asking, "...are you being serious?" and he said yes, then went on to explain that he meant studio portrait photography. I waited another second before saying, "I know that what happened in the studio the other day showed to the contrary, but I promise you that I'm very well versed in studio photography. It has been almost a year since I've done it, so the knowledge isn't at the front of my mind. I promise that up until that point I spent two years in the studio! I just need a refresher!" he laughed and seemed to believe me >.> I'd love to get in there and prove to myself that I still know what I'm doing!

This place is near Massimo's and the Roisin Dubh. Shockingly good fries. The burgers aren't very good.

As for business away from work? I spend a lot of time at home. I like my house and my room except for the fact that it's cold. I was thrilled when I noticed a space heater in my room. There's no heat to speak of in the house. I believe it runs on gas and, well, the gas tank is empty! We just wear shoes and long sleeves and keep bundled up at night. I'm greatly looking forward to nicer weather.  Aside from the house being cold, it's very nice. Everything works as it should and I think I've finally figured out the washer and dryer. It's furnished but there are a few things to be desired in the kitchen. A wooden spoon, cookie sheet and spatula are just a few items I can think of. Sharp knives, there's another one. Good thing I can 'survive' off of peanut butter & jelly and Frosted Flakes! Just kidding, I've been eating pasta too.

It's nice inside there. I've been with Owen and Ger a few times.

My housemates are very nice. We'll call them... Allen and Titus. Allen is a law student and Titus is training to be a hotel manager. Allen's girlfriend... Tyra... is around a lot and she's just lovely. They seem like great company and it's a shame that I haven't made time to socialize with them yet. I will though! I definitely will. The house runs very smoothly, everyone is quite considerate. Somehow we haven't run into any issues with the bathroom, which is amazing. No one is ever in there when I need to get in, and as far as I know I haven't prevented anyone from being somewhere on time by hogging up the shower. Everyone does their dishes, every time, and we even put away one another's clean dishes that are drying.  I don't have the hang of the garbage schedule yet, but I have sorted the trash/recycle/compost and put them in their relevant bins, so that's good.

The upper portion of some shop fronts in the Latin Quarter.

Earlier this week I tried my hand at real cooking. Andrew gave me a few suggestions on what to buy and make, then he talked me through cooking over video chat. I ran into a few problems. Namely the fact that I don't know how to cook. There are basic aspects that elude me. Mistakes were made. Frustration was present. Cheese was melted. Chicken was ever so slightly burned. In the end I had some damn delicious homemade macaroni and cheese, pan seared chicken and some vegetables. In case you aren't paying attention, that means that I prepared raw meat all by myself. I had my hands all up ins that boneless skinless chicken fillet. It was gross, by the way.

This is a great little grocer. It looks so authentic and old-school from the outside. I'd like to make time to go in and look around.

This has become a bit excessive so I think I'm going to wrap it up. I've hardly touched on what has happened since I arrived and I'm hoping to get into a regular posting groove again. St. Patrick's Day is next week. This'll be interesting.

And finally the studio! I have to cross the street twice to get to it. It's confusing because the cars go all over the damn place at this intersection.

I'll end this with a few 'creative' photos. Good? Bad? I'm not sure yet. I like them though, and I certainly had fun creating them.

-MJ