Westport at dusk

Three years ago I did something that is probably coming back into fashion in this recession – I took a week-long holiday in Ireland.   Part of that holiday took Aoife and I to Westport, which seems to be one of those places that is always scenic no matter when you visit or what the weather.

We were staying in the hotel which is at the left of the frame above, and I had noticed the lake out front as we arrived.  One evening after dinner I decided to take a walk across to the other side of the water, which was, on that calm night, very still.  Still water gives clear reflections, so I was hoping that I could get a good vantage point from which to frame nice reflections of the hotel, the bridge over the water, and Croagh Patrick in the background.

I wasn’t disappointed, and I was glad I had brought my tripod with me.  The sun had gone down but I was still early enough (just before 10pm on the longest day of the year) to capture the deep blue sky that appears after sun-down and makes a much better photograph than a totally black sky.  The low light levels did require a 6 second exposure, though I had chosen a small aperture to create star bursts from the street lights.

There is one thing I’d love to have changed about this image – I would love to have been able to drive the bus on the bridge out of the frame.  I tried cloning it out but I couldn’t get the results to be seamless.  I might just have to go back and try again the next time I’m in Westport.