volcanism – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

La Girona I

Shipwreck!!!

July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 MichaelStephenWills17 Comments

Seen here on the afternoon of June 6, 2014 against the foreground of Giants Causeway pavement stones, Lacada Point is where on the morning of October 26, 1588 the Spanish galleass “La Girona” foundered and sank at Port na Spaniagh (the bay to the east of the point). Five souls of the 1,300 on board survived the wreck.

Our time at the Giants Causeway visitor center yielded this new fact. While it was only Pam who ventured close to the Lacada Point, the following day we were able to view the treasure recovered from the site 379 years later. A portion is on permanent display at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. We visited “Treasures from the Girona” the following day.

To be continued…..

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Stealing a Shot

Father and Daughter

July 18, 2020June 30, 2020 MichaelStephenWills3 Comments

These people clambered up for a shot while I was set up to capture the scene at the perfect light. They wasted my precious moments of light. Luckily, I managed captures while the child was out of sight, shared in yesterday’s post. These photos were accepted by Getty as “editorial” content.

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Giant’s Chair

at sunset

July 17, 2020June 30, 2020 MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

Here is a formation seemingly created to capture the human imagination. I spent time attempting to get it right. At one point, the setting sun emerged from the clouds to light the scene.

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Pam’s Views of the Causeway V

Baby-Finn

July 16, 2020June 27, 2020 MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

For Pam’s return trip I recall a favorite episode of Finn McCool’s, the mythical hunter-warrior associated with the Giant’s Causeway. Fearing a match with an opponent sure to defeat him, Finn relied on the wits of his wife, Oona, who dressed him up as a baby. She made griddle cakes, hiding an iron skillet in one or two. The giant, given the iron cakes, suffered broken teeth. Baby-Finn wolfed his cakes down. Overawed, the giant fled back to Scotland, fearing to face the man who’d grow from a baby such as that, tearing up the road (The Giant’s Causeway) behind him, to prevent Finn from following.

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Pam’s Views of the Causeway IV

The Far Extent

July 15, 2020July 15, 2020 MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

Pam hiked as far as the Red Cliffs. Click me for more information about these deposits of weathered volcanic rock.

The cliff trail ended at a barrier, with sunlight running out Pam turned around.

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Pam’s Views of the Causeway III

Dangerous Cliffs

July 14, 2020June 26, 2020 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

We know of the danger of cliffs from our Finger Lakes Gorges. That solid edge can be anything but.

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Pam’s Views of the Causeway II

Walking the Giant’s Causeway

July 13, 2020June 26, 2020 MichaelStephenWills9 Comments

Pam continued past the Causeway, exploring other features on a path along a broad, rocky beach.

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Pam’s Views of the Causeway I

Walking the Giant’s Causeway

July 12, 2020July 15, 2020 MichaelStephenWills9 Comments

While I was living the dream on the pile, Pam took a long walk up the cliff. Here is a series of photographs she snapped with the Samsung Galaxy.

Pam explores the entry (click for my post “Volcanic Dike”) and walks by the Causeway. We see it here from the back side. The lines of columns is striking.

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Wave Sequence

Wave Motion

June 28, 2020June 15, 2020 MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

Consider these photographs of waves interacting with the basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway at low time to be a sequel to “Kelp” “Tide”. “Movement,” and “Movement Redux.”

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Point of View

concave vs. convex

June 27, 2020June 15, 2020 MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

Canon’s 24 mm “L” lens saw first light on this tour, was indispensable towards the end of our round of the island. Here the camera is mounted on a Manfrotto studio tripod with a hydrostatic ball head. A 0.6 neutral density graduated filter brought out the sky details though I could not catch the foreground polygons without darkening the far basalt columns.

My position is close to the photographs of all the posts since “Basalt Columns.” Here are two photograph of the pavement effect, walking across column tops. Notice the concave facings, identified by dried seawater pools (white circles), the boss of convex surfaces.

I released the tripod “panning” control, searching for the best aspect.

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