The Montenotte photowalk Cork has woken me this morning. I had to get up or else lie in bed thinking about it, composing first sentences.  

I’ve done my share of trying to get back to sleep.  These days I get up and write my way through the discomfort.  That’s why I’m sitting in my newspapered office, energised, wanting to settle up with the experience of going on my first "photowalk".

Of course I’ve been on innumerable walks with a camera.  

Since the invention & introduction of the mobile phone camera, I’ve been out many time with two cameras, as if they were pups I had to exercise.

This Saturday "photowalk" began with a meet @ Montenotte Hotel…

… in the snooty part of Cork City, @1000.  I’d never  been inside.  I’d never met a photowalker. I found out about thispurposeful collective via Twitter, when I read a tweet by @Gingerpixel. 

[Gingerpixel is Claire Wilson, a wonderful Irish photographer.  She takes the most astonishing photographs of newborn babies.  Her photos make me want to have another, just so that I could commission her to shoot the infant shortly after birth.

She’d been on a "photowalk" in Dublin.  I asked her if she knew of anysuch action in Cork and she referred me to In Photos dot org the website of Donncha O Caoimh from Automattic Inc.  When I discovered the next "photowalk" was on 24 September, I knew I was meant to be on it.  That was the day John McAuliffe & I were already planning to get a group together to photograph a quartier of Cork City. We weren’t calling our plan a "photowalk" because we didn’t know the term.  I let our plan drop.  It suited John.  Without the slightest regret I attached myself to the professional "photowalk".]

In summary…

I met about 15 people in the hotel.  Coffee, tea, scones were provided.  Chit-chat introductions. Off with us to the roof of the hotel. From there we walked down to the river, via St Luke’s. We photographed our way to Boardwalk Bar & Grill. [http://www.boardwalkcork.ie/] 

We ate lunch.  I left the group to the pleasures of a speedboat ride from the jetty because it was time to rejoin family. They continued the "photowalk" with a "photoboat".

I’m going to show you a few of my favourites from the 200 photos I took. [In case you’re mad to see the complete set on Flickr.]

Before going I said to the Wiffe:

"I feel like I’m going to a gathering of men where we all take
our trousers down, and my willie’s going to be the tiniest
of all.  I’ll have my little compact and they’ll all have
big long lenses…" 

Thankfully there was one other man with a compact - and even one with a camera in between a compact and a SLR.

Favourite Photos 

 

 In the hotel before setting off, I had to take something.

 

On the hotel roof… shows how dry it’s been recently 

The way to the roof.  Surprisingly I got no vertigo.  That’s Kevin Murphy, Kevoto,looking down.

I love street art… 

There were some serious photographers.  Rudy [http://www.rjrphoto.com/] was using one of his polaroids… 

An urban icon? 

The water in Cork fascinates me… 

I took a documentary series of Katiecor  [http://www.flickr.com/people/56244339@N00/] putting on her plastic bag in preparation for the speedboat… First I thought it was a joke:shows how little I know about looking about a camera…

 

The pride & joy of one of the owners of the Montenotte Hotel & Boardwalk
Restaurant.  This Harley Davidson is attached to the wall in the back room
of the restaurant. 

A poster on a pole: only by walking & looking can you see such art… 

 

I’d like express my special gratitude to this man for making it happen - and hope he won’t ban me from future "photowalks".