Some photos from Friday

the beautiful doors of Merrion Street

coffee shop

he just looks so worried about being a door-knocker!

if you're wondering what "sprawn cocktail" flavor is, it's shrimp cocktail. Yup, they have potato chips (called "crisps" here that are cocktail sauce flavored.

yes, I needed the layers

at the butcher's shop

locals at the pub

Matt and his pig's head.

Thursday's Photo - off to Howth and back.

hot cocoa at breakfast. Bewley's has become a real hang out for me!

interior at Bewleys. A really great environment and super people-watching!

the train from Dublin to Howth.  Hey, it's green! Some of the first green I've seen in Ireland (although, the trees and shrubbery are clearly built for the Irish weather. They have really stayed green!)

Howth fishing boats. With no one using them.

Back in Dublin. This used to be a real tree, donated annually to Ireland from Norway as a gift for the holidays. This year, it's this funky ball tree.

Howth and a Pig's Head

I didn't get a chance to write about yesterday. It was a long day. Right now, it is 11:30PM and I am waiting for my room service to bring dinner. It has also been a long day.

Yesterday was sort-of a day off. One thing i have found to be the case here is that for the most part, anyone I see here could be seen in America. I had hoped to see some real, I don't know, Irishness?  So, yesterday, when we had a sort-of day off, I went on my own via the DART (train) to Howth (hoath), which is a little fishing village about a half hour north of Dublin. It was extremely cold and I confess I was disappointed. Years ago during my brief visit to Madrid, I took a day trip to Segovia which turned out to be such an incredibly lovely place with it's interesting people, ancient aqueduct, castles and ruins. I had hoped for the Irish equivalent in Howth or at the very least, some real Irishness.

I could have been in cape cod. It was hilly and a it villiage-y, but the thing is, I don't like to photograph buildings for the sake of photographing them. I like the people to be in them. There weren't many people aside form those leaving a church from a funeral. Bummer.

So, as hail started to fall and the wind came in from the side, I got back on the train and headed back to Dublin, sort of wishing I had stayed int he city to photograph it's famous doors. In the little spare time I have had, I ave not seen the city during daylight hours. I mean, when it has been daylight, we've been with the students and I haven't had too much opportunity to look around and shoot the city as itself.

That's OK though. We are here, after all, for the students.

I returned to my room to relax for a little bit and by 6PM, Phil, Alan and I were haded out to meet Sarah and her friends at The Bachelor's Inn restaurant called The Poet's Corner.  The trio had discovered the place by chance and when they first walked in, found that if they paid 20 euro to be "members" they would get one free meal a week. Quite a deal for a college kid.

So, we hung out with them for a few hours, but it was tough. This could have been a pub in Boston. There' was nothing screaming Ireland about it. Again, I see how much we take from Europe.

After that we took the three girls for some Butler's Hot cocoa as a thank you. As it is the queen of hot cocoa makers in the city, they were quite excited. And the cocoa was very tasty indeed.

After they left to study for today's exam, the three of us shot some more at night before heading back to the hotel.

Today wasn't to start until 11, so I planned to get up at 9 and head out to photograph the city during daylight ours. No such luck as I set my alarm wrong. Still, I got a good hour in wandering around during the day on my own and I really enjoyed it! The city is quite different during the day and the doors are in fact really great. So colorful!

We headed over to DCU to meet with out representative, Mary and she helped Alan and Phil find good spots for the kids' sit-down interviews. We had hoped to connect with Matt after his exam today but because Mary didn't realize how important it was that we see him ASAP, he went off to the gym and we waited over and hour for him to return. I know my coworker Alan is very good at what he does, but he isn't  very good communicator.

Later, when Mary was showing us around the campus some more, she asked "Should I get another student?"

I explained, "Well, we need to meet with Mat to get shots of him doing stuff outside his internship so that we can finish his video, so getting another student won't work"

A light went on and she realized the importance of us seeing him before the sun went down.

We managed to connect with Matt and go with him to the market in Dublin and got shots of him shopping in an open air market with fresh produce. We gave him money to buy what he needed and he decided this was as good a time as any to buy a pig's head.

Yup, a pig's head.  Matt has some restaurant experience back home and know how to cook the thing. So for the rest of the shoot he carried around a very heavy plastic bag with a head in it.

We then took over a room in the university to do an interview and as the guys were setting up the lgihts' etc, the campus police arrived, telling us we needed a permit to shoot. That got all settled and we were able to continue.

Back at the dorms we rounded up some of his friends and took them to their local pub where they frequent to get shots of him socializing there. The faces in that place were great! I only wish I could have shot around in there but frankly. I didn't feel very comfortable just getting in the faces of the patrons there. Plus the light sucked.

Back at the dorm, the BU students were throwing a holiday party. They leave a week from Saturday so it was there last hurrah. Alan accepted a beer and I had to roll my eyes to myself. "So, what else are you going to do tonight?" Alan asked Matt. Just hang out, he told us.

When Matt left the room for a moment, I told he guys that he probably would like to go to the holiday party down the hall but as long as we're here, he's not going to do that.

I was basically saying, "It's 10PM on his basically his last friday night, let's leave the kid alone!"

So, we did. And now we're back, and I'm waiting for Beef and Guiness pie.

The End.
(I'll add photos later. Time for bed!)

Sunny Dublin Day

Well, I was woken up at 1:30 this morning to the sound of the buzzing again. I called the concierge and he came up to take me to an alternate room. I shuffled behind him in my PJs and stockinged feet, and slept on the third floor until 8 when I had to wander my way back up to my original room on the fifth floor so I could shower and get ready for the day.

Today was more interesting that yesterday. We got a little tour of DCU (Dublin City University) which is where all our study abroad kids are staying. Then, we met up with one of our students, Sarah, and followed her to work in the freezing cold (but very sunny!) weather. The video team had her walk certain streets (over and over) and we shot her riding the bus as well. That was a trip!  All these poor locals minding their own business have their personal space invaded by three nerds with cameras! They were very nice about it.

At Sarah's work we had tea and met her boss and chatted about cultural stuff. I mentioned that I hadn't seen many redheads here in Dublin and that surprised me. A woman who works in the same building told me that a lot of people dye their hair, "There's major slagging for being ginger-haired!" 
Translation, "You'll be harassed for being a redhead"

After photographing Sarah at work, which wasn't too exciting, I left and wandered the city for a bit before it got dark. I had about 45 minutes and I used it to check-out down Henry Street where there were lots of people and kiosks.

One kiosk salesman approached me and asked where I'm from. I told him Boston and he asked about Charlestown; that he's just seen The Town, with Ben Aflec.  He made an observation which I have found to truly be the case "The Irish in Boston are more Irish than the Irish here!"  I couldn't agree more. In fact, aside from some phrases and the accents, I see little difference in the people here and back home with regard to style and manner. Interesting.

I also went shopping at Penny's. Sarah explained to me that a common phrase was "Penny's!  3 Euro!"  Which is the same as saying "I got it at Target for 6 bucks!" when someone compliments something you're wearing.

So, I checked out Pennys and it was basically a Target but cheaper.

I returned to my room to find that buzzing has continued. So, I've been moved down the hall. The room's a little bit smaller, but I'll take it to get rid of the sound of a vaccuum cleaner being left on in the floor above.

fresh squeezed juice. Cool machine!

at right is one of our BU students, but I liked this man's face

I have no idea why I posed with James Joyce. I don't know his work. At all.

Note the bullet hole in the sleeve. It's form some uprising a million years ago or something.

I took a lot of people pictures today. (as you'll see)

all of the following were taken on Henry Street among the shops.

dinner at The Brazen Head, the oldest inn in Dublin. Great food and fun atmosphere!

Beef and Guiness pie. Much better than it looked.

this groups was trying to get a paper lantern to rise up above the flame. When they were unsuccessful, they found another use!

December 6, 2011

Still in Dublin! It's late for me now and time for bed, but I thought I would post a few shots before the hotel moves me to another room. There's this odd buzzing sound and no one can figure out where it's coming from. I know it will keep me up, though. nice of them to offer to move me.


Anyway, today was sort of a boring day. We got some good photos of one of our BU students at their physical therapy internship. But, because it gets dark so early here, that's really all we got. I would have gotten more but the videographers have to get everything from forty-seven different angles. That's just the way it is!  So, I could branch off from them but since the images I need to get (students walking through the city, looking independent and matured as a result of their abroad experience!) are the same shots the video team needs to get, I will not likely branch off.


Speaking with my boss today, she said "Not to make you nervous, but the higher-ups are trying to convince us that still shooters don't need to be going on these trips, so your photos need to be so great that they realize it's necessary.


No pressure.


Ah! the buzzing in my room stopped!  Awesome!  The concierge just called. I told him it stopped and he said, "If it starts again, call me straight away and I have another room set up for you already. You don't need to move your things, I just want to make sure you have a proper sleep!"
So nice.
So, after our day with the PT kid, we went back to our rooms to relax. Phil, my co-workers and hotel room neighbor, blew a fuse because the video geeks are plugging in so much shit at once. So, I was without power while the hotel tried to rectify that.
Then, we went off to a lovely restaurant called "Hugos", had a nice meal on BU, and then when the guys headed of to a cocktail bar (snoresville!), I wandered the streets for some night scenes. I hope to get another chance at this soon when it's not garbage night!

this brownie was similar to what we call a chocolate lava cake, but the chocolate here is not as sweet as it is at home. That's been the case with most sweet things I've tasted here.

The Irish are hardcore about their litterbugs

along Grafton Street. The city is extra-lovely with the holiday lights.

this place has amazing window displays for the holiday

December 5, 2011

I am in Dublin!
It is 10:20PM for me right now and I am too tired to add much beyond what a nice time I have having!  I am with two videographers form work and so far things have gone smoothly.

After arriving at our hotel, The Fitzwilliam, we each got some downtime before meeting with Mary, our BU contact over here. It was great meeting her because she's from here and could give us a lay of the land as we walked to meet with the students.

Out goal with this visit is to meet with BU students who are participating in the BU study abroad in Dublin, Some of them have internships, some are taking classes. I had a really nice time at dinner talking with the students about their experience thus far. I asked about the cultural differences and hope that I can do a little photo project related to what they have learned; "slagging" is a common thing - where someone kind of harasses you in a friendly way. They all agree though, that they don't try to slag someone else first because they are not confident with where the line is. "Getting the messages" is a term used for going grocery shopping.  And so on.

Here's a few pics before I crash...

my cool hotel room at The Fitzwilliam!

it must be cool if they know how to do this to a Christmas tree!

on Grafton Street

they have Starbucks, too, but this is older and cooler.

I also learned form the students that you don't turn-down an offer of tea, and you always put milk in it!