March 14, 2008

traditional photography in Connemara, Ireland

During my trip to Ireland I took about 1000 photos with my digital SLR. I also brought my beloved metal-body film camera (a canon AE-1 for all you photo nerds out there), just in case of . . . something, I wasn't sure what when I decided to bring it.

When my travel mate and I saw the baron landscape of the Dubh Loch Valley open up to this lake surrounded by mountains, I knew why. Something of the richness of the grays called for this traditional medium. I just developed these negatives in my bathtub last week to try and remember the atmosphere of this somber, majestic place.

"Dubh loch" in English means quite simply "dark lake."

To see some color photos from the trip visit the previous blog entry.

The coat on this sheep gives you a sense of the wind!

During the height of the famine, 600 Irish peasants gathered and crossed this valley to beg at the house of their British landlord. After being turned away in the winter, only 200 survived the trek back. It's believed that many of the remains have sunken into the lake. This monument, erected in 1994, commemorates the "hungry poor who walked here in 1849 and walk the third world today."

2 comments:

Jessica Atcheson said...

These are so incredibly beautiful, Momers. beautiful and striking and haunting. And did I say beautiful?

shaunlaf said...

these are great... i LOVE the 2nd one down from the top...