the north antrim coast

Thought it was about time you read about something other than plagiarism because that seems to be the hotbed of discussion in the world of photography this week. If it's not over manipulated competition images or people stealing someone else's images and claiming that they created these wonderful works of art, now we have the scandal of the wordsmiths not producing their own content. You wonder what's the point if you can't even take some time out of your day to write about what really happened or how you managed to actually capture the shot. Are statistics, likes and followers really what it's all about.....I'll leave you to ponder that one.

I make no excuses and I tell you no lies so before we go much further these words are my own apart from a little bit of research courtesy of wiki for some facts regarding the places I visited and the images were all captured on my Nikon D7000 and edited with a combination of Lightroom 4 and my new found beta friend onOneSoftware's Perfect PhotoSuite8. Before anyone asks they certainly didn't pay me to promote their software and perhaps after they take a look at my images they might even deny I used it....hopefully they're not that bad though. I wouldn't be upset about it mind you because as always these are for my enjoyment and also for anyone that takes time to have a look. If you're reading this then you probably have a fair idea what I'm about by now.

I decided to take a day off work and head up to the North Antrim coast mainly to clear my head from the 9 to 5 and also to get a few shots while I was out and about. To be honest I couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise and I tried to capture a little bit of anything and everything that caught my eye. I spotted a robin in my travels as you'll see and he happily struck a few poses whilst I clicked away, met a couple from Bristol, photographed some Chinese tourists using their camera and even managed a few candid shots as well particularly the girl in the pink dress who appeared to be dressed for a party as opposed to a visit to the coast.

Believe it or not in all the time I've lived in Northern Ireland I've never actually crossed the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge so this was virgin territory for me and I'm not a big fan of heights but there was no turning back once I'd gone down the steps and everyone else on the conveyor belt was making the trip over the planks. All I'll say is that I'll be back soon with the rest of the family.....loved it. For anyone that doesn't know the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. It spans 20 metres  and is 30 metres above the rocks below. The bridge is mainly a tourist attraction and is owned and maintained by the National Trust.

I visited Whitepark Bay as well which is a 2 mile wide opening straight into the Atlantic ocean and is a short drive from Ballymoney through Stranocum or if you're coming from Portrush it's about 10-15 minutes depending on how much you've put the pedal to the metal as they say in this neck of the woods. In the north-west corner of the bay is a tiny cluster of houses called Portbraddan, which contains Ireland's smallest church. The beach is apparently not suitable for swimming due to dangerous currents and sand shelves and for these reasons it isn't a spot for bathers but does seem to be a regular port of call for tourists. I happened to see an early morning fitness enthusiast who looked like he was finding it tough going but fair play as it's a run I would thoroughly enjoy on a regular basis.

Hopefully the pictures do it justice and maybe one day you'll take time to visit if it's not already on your bucket list!
Enjoy, Nick.