Just my thoughts and dreams.

This past year has been intense with some great and some awful moments along the way. The 2023 version of my site brings some of my favorite shots of the past year or so.

I ended up taking five trips to Ireland along the way and traveled the much heralded Wild Atlantic Way along the southern and western coast. Breath-taking is the only descriptive for that experience and I have encountered none like it in my years thus far. I have an Irish Gallery in among the galleries, so be sure to check it out!

The phrase "Just my thoughts and dreams" comes from one of my favorite songs from Ireland, called N17 (by the Saw Doctors) and as I traveled that road a few times over there, I felt it appropriate to share it here with you.

Feeling

Searching for an image that captures a particular feeling is a very real challenge.

Emotion

Conveying it to a level where the viewer experiences the emotion you are trying to convey,

Response

Then provoking a response that somehow enriches the planet. This is the holy grail I seek in photography.

Most recent shoots.

At least once every week and sometimes, two or three times, I shoot and then blog about it. So if you haven't checked out the blog but are interested in what I have been currently active on, go ahead and do that.

Each shoot I do, sparks some kind of thought within me and that becomes the textual content of the subsequent blog. But even if you aren't interested in reading my rambles, just go straight to the bottom of each blog. That is where I put my best pics from the outing.

Please be prepared though for a generally liberal stance on issues, some profane language (when I feel it needs it), and a distinct bias against anyone that kills or harms a living creature for any reason other than survival. I have no time for these murderers, whatever their definition of fun.

And then, the last thing to bear in mind before you head off to check out the blog is that I will always advocate strongly for protection of this planet and the creatures that share it with us. You have been warned!

In the meantime, here are my three main photo moments of the past year.

Photo Moment 1
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There I was, not more than 4 or 5 feet from one of the largest creatures I have seen on this trail. So close my camera wouldn't focus. Taking a step back was my only option.
Photo Moment 2
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The skies were lit up all around me, the air charged with millions of volts of wondrous energy. And I stood there, arms raised, ready to say goodbye to this world. Would have made a great picture, though.
Photo Moment 3
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I hadn't spotted the nest and didn't understand that her blowing bubbles was sign that I was getting too close. It was only when she came up out of the water that I realized I wasn't welcome here.

Upon reflection, I find it interesting that each had my life in some danger, yet I barely thought of it at the time!

The Orphan's Quest.

I don't have to remind myself why I picked up a camera in the first place; taking pictures that brought some of the outside world of my bed-ridden father after his horrific accident brought his own world to its end. I have expanded the scope of what I shoot considerably over the years and I know that both Dad and Mam would be with me each step of the way, on each shutter-click, and ultimately each captured moment. They were my greatest fans and I can still hear their cheers from the sidelines. They both walk with me.

Disclaimer

All images are copyright to their owner, Neville Ronan.

Images may be used without royalty for any non-commercial use that promotes respect for the planet we live in, providing that credit is given to the owner and direction back to this site.

 

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