Poolbeg Simplicity

The weather and light was less than ideal for the Sunday morning trip with a couple of photography friends.  Within a short while of arriving at South Wall, the rain started as we walked towards the Poolbeg lighthouse, with the high tide crashing onto the peer.  We abandoned the plan and went for a lovely 'Full Irish' Sunday fry in a cafe at Sandymount Green.

I managed to get a couple of shots before packing up.  This 'tranquil' shot doesn't really give an indication of the true atmosphere.  I decided to opt for a quick minimalist shot of the green buoy or marker at Poolbeg, signposting the way for the ships entering and exiting Dublin Port.  I used filters to completely calm the water, with a long exposure of 60 seconds.  I used an aperture of f/18 to further help me slow the shutter speed and ISO was set to 100.  I had my 24-105mm lens on the max at 105mm reducing the clutter and making the green structure the 'story' within the image.  I decided to compose the shot with the structure on the left one third and the horizon just above the bottom one third.  From an editing perspective I had a few 'dust bunnies' to remove.  I still ponder over removing the red and yellow building in the distant shoreline which keeps catching my eye.  

This second shot is somewhat a miracle shot.  By then it was raining heavily and my filter was splattered with raindrops.  So, halfway through the 30 second exposure I dried the filter!!!  It did impact the quality of the image but I am amazed something came out.  The other bonus of a 30 second exposure is that the people blur significantly.  A longer exposure might have eliminated them.