DESIGNERS/EXPLORERS

The Rumble Design Department Photography Trip

By Melissa Keizer

December 11^th, 2014

Annual Outing

Last year, the Rumble Labs Design Department embarked on their first photography trip together, taking photos at a few different locations in Northern Ireland. (I previously posted an Exposure story from the trip.)

Continuing this new tradition, myself, Steven and Will grabbed our cameras and headed out on our annual road trip.

Dundrum castle

Our first stop-off point was at Dundrum Castle, situated on a wooded hill above Dundrum Village, near Newcastle. We climbed up to the Castle to the highest point we could find, to admire the views over Dundrum Bay, with the Mourne Mountains in the distance.

As we ventured around the castle, believed to have been built in 1177, Will spotted some graffiti from 1904 carved into the castle walls.

The beach

On our way to our next destination, we noticed the threatening looking clouds in the distance, with rays of light shining through with that “heaven has opened” look. Taking the opportunity to stretch our legs and our shutters, we walked along the coast at Rossglass. While Steven captured some great shots of the beach with that brilliant sky as a backdrop, I pointed my camera toward the smaller attractions the beach had to offer.

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ST.JOHN’S POINT LIGHTHOUSE

A few miles down the road was home to a popular photography spot, St. John’s Point Lighthouse in Killough, along the Mourne Coast. Once again I found my footwear to be questionable as I clambered through the rocky landscape, slipping into rock pools in search of the best vantage point for my shot.

Along the way, aspiring-archaeologist Will found interesting bits and pieces washed up from the sea, including a man-made flint and fossilised remains.

Steven checking out the view. And Will checking out the view.

We got into some compromising positions and ended up a lot more wet than what we’d have liked, but it’s always worth it to get a decent shot. Typical of Northern Irish weather, the sky burst open and it began to rain heavily, so we hastily made our way back to the warmth of the car.

sCRABO tOWER

After a race to catch the sunset, we made it our final destination, Scrabo Tower in Dundonald. At this point, it was bitterly cold. Setting the camera up on the tripod became a lot more challenging with almost frost-bitten fingers. However, I did manage to grab a couple of shots of the tower and the gorgeous purple skies surrounding it before I succumbed to hypothermia. (Exaggeration for emphasis, right?)

Will is often found pondering life in picturesque locations.

This is probably my favourite shot I took that day. I don’t often shoot landscapes, but welcomed a reason to whip out the wide-angle and flex my photography muscles, while learning a thing or two from seasoned landscape photographer, Steven.