I'm not even sure where to begin, so I'll just start sort of where I left off. Just FYI, this might be a very long entry.
The first week of March was devoted to planning for Excursion Week; this is a required field trip of sorts where we're provided with 100 pounds to go wherever we want in the British Isles. A lot of planning goes into this sort of travel, and generally people travel in groups of threes or fours. I traveled with my two roommates, Lizzy and Andrea, and our friend upstairs, Brianna. We decided on Dublin and Belfast to study our respective subjects: Lizzy and Andrea studied parks/public outdoor spaces, Brianna was folklore, and I studied photography. =) There will be more on this later.The Wednesday before Excursion Week, we saw a play called The Misanthrope. Starring Kiera Knightley, The Misanthrope is a light comedy that makes powerful statements about today's society, even though it was intended to comment on the society of the 1660s. Writer Martin Crimp's version of Moliere's classic is a look into the world of present day celebrity life and those who refuse to take part in that society. The subtle rhyming throughout the piece is only noticeable once pointed out, but it creates a lighter atmosphere, adding to the general comedic tone.
Photos by Johan Persson
The following day we took a group outing to The Imperial War Museum as part of our British Seminar class. It was a huge museum, filled with tons of information on all the wars/conflicts that Britain has been involved in. One of the exhibits we explored was called the Trench Experience.
The walk-through exhibit simulated the trench warfare that many soldiers would have seen during WWI. From the smells and sounds of war, we walked through the trenches, seeing wounded and fighting soldiers. It was a powerful experience. Another exhibit we explored was the Secret War - or the war for information.
This area explored what seemed to be Britain's CIA or FBI and the sort of devices that undercover agents would use to gain information. These gadgets inspired the story of James Bond.
The next day, Friday, was devoted to packing and final preparations for Excursion Week. We caught an early flight at the Luton airport to Dublin and found our hostel (Abraham House). The following day I scheduled a seminar with landscape photographer Peter Gordon of ExploreLight.
Peter Gordon
Luckily this seminar landed on the first Saturday we spent in Dublin, so I was able to use the techniques I had learned early on for the rest of our trip. The seminar itself only had six participants, so it was an incredibly personal experience with each of us asking questions during the presentations. It was incredibly informative, and I ended up taking close to 15 pages of notes. It was such an amazing experience. That night, we met up with a few of other friends from Eckerd who were also in Dublin for a traditional Irish dinner.
I had a bangers (sausage w/ onions) and mash (mashed potatoes) with Kopparberg mixed fruit cider (my favorite drink I've tried thus far); there was also an incredible live Irish band, mandolins, fiddles, bass, the works. It was such an awesome experience - people were dancing all over the place.
The next day we explored Phoenix Park, the largest park in Europe (even larger than Central Park in NYC). The park boasts many different environments, and the one that I was most interested in were the small waterfalls located all over the grounds.
I experimented with slow shutter speeds to create smooth water effects. I also concentrated on small-scale details, from macro to larger scale.
Our next exploration was in a small sea-side town called Howth. About an hour's bus ride from Dublin's city centre, Howth boasts many beautiful cliffs and peaceful maritime environments. During this trip, I experimented with a polarizing filter and larger landscape compositions that I learned about in Peter's workshop. The polarizing filter caused the sky to drop to a deep, rich blue, intensified by gentle editing in Photoshop.
The walk-through exhibit simulated the trench warfare that many soldiers would have seen during WWI. From the smells and sounds of war, we walked through the trenches, seeing wounded and fighting soldiers. It was a powerful experience. Another exhibit we explored was the Secret War - or the war for information.
This area explored what seemed to be Britain's CIA or FBI and the sort of devices that undercover agents would use to gain information. These gadgets inspired the story of James Bond.
The next day, Friday, was devoted to packing and final preparations for Excursion Week. We caught an early flight at the Luton airport to Dublin and found our hostel (Abraham House). The following day I scheduled a seminar with landscape photographer Peter Gordon of ExploreLight.
Peter Gordon
Luckily this seminar landed on the first Saturday we spent in Dublin, so I was able to use the techniques I had learned early on for the rest of our trip. The seminar itself only had six participants, so it was an incredibly personal experience with each of us asking questions during the presentations. It was incredibly informative, and I ended up taking close to 15 pages of notes. It was such an amazing experience. That night, we met up with a few of other friends from Eckerd who were also in Dublin for a traditional Irish dinner.
I had a bangers (sausage w/ onions) and mash (mashed potatoes) with Kopparberg mixed fruit cider (my favorite drink I've tried thus far); there was also an incredible live Irish band, mandolins, fiddles, bass, the works. It was such an awesome experience - people were dancing all over the place.
The next day we explored Phoenix Park, the largest park in Europe (even larger than Central Park in NYC). The park boasts many different environments, and the one that I was most interested in were the small waterfalls located all over the grounds.
I experimented with slow shutter speeds to create smooth water effects. I also concentrated on small-scale details, from macro to larger scale.
Our next exploration was in a small sea-side town called Howth. About an hour's bus ride from Dublin's city centre, Howth boasts many beautiful cliffs and peaceful maritime environments. During this trip, I experimented with a polarizing filter and larger landscape compositions that I learned about in Peter's workshop. The polarizing filter caused the sky to drop to a deep, rich blue, intensified by gentle editing in Photoshop.
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