Breathless

Friday night when we were in Galway, we saw a production of “Breathless” at the Druid’s Mick Lally Theatre. One of our professors managed to get us all last-minute tickets, and it turned out to be a brilliant performance. The only thing we were told before we got to the theatre was that the play was about four missing women. Through the large, industrial door in the foyer is a small, 90 seat theatre (source). Instead of an elevated stage like many larger theaters, the Mick Lally’s stage is floor level with rows of chairs ascending above it. “Breathless” only showed for three days, but it held the whole audience captive (at least for Friday night’s show).

My first impression of the set was strange. There was a ratty, torn couch on one side; a bare old mattress in the back; a pile of rusty junk on the other side; empty bottles and cans of beer, hard cider, and wine; and four pairs of nice shoes. A fog machine had recently been running but wasn’t any longer so there was a slight haze hanging at eye level.

Donna Patrice and Kate Gilmore

At first, the play was so confusing, which I absolutely love. Stories always start in media res so having a beginning seems unrealistic. Anyone can start writing at the beginning and progress the story linearly; starting in the middle and weaving a complicated timeline of past and present is vastly more intriguing. It wasn’t until 20-30 minutes in that I realized the women were not just missing—they were dead and in some sort of limbo or purgatory. From the look of the set I had assumed they were hostages in an abandoned house, but no other characters appeared and the women seemed not to know very much about each other.

 

Sinead O'Riordan and Ruth McCabe

The women speak about their current situation, their past lives and problems, good memories, and how they came to be where they are—their murders. Each of them were murdered and their bodies hidden. It begs the question whether they will be able to leave that place of uncertainty if their bodies are ever found. Despite the overarching sad mood, there was plenty of comedy to be had throughout. Definitely an excellent production!

Author: John MacKenna

Director: Iseult Golden

Actresses: Ruth McCabe, Sinead O’Riordan, Donna Patrice, and Kate Gilmore

Yellow One Update 1

After our weekend trip to Galway the Yellow One I Win score stands at

Steph: 10
Emilee: 3

Walking the Country Roads of Ireland

When we go out taking pictures (shooting), we mostly just walk along the roads leading out of Louisburgh. Some have sidewalks but most don’t so you end up walking on the road itself. This can be a bit nerve wracking until you get used to it. The roads are narrow and the cars fast.

It’s a good idea to take at least one other person shooting with you. That way they can keep watch as you take pictures and vice versa. Your ears tune themselves to pick up the frequency of engines off in the distance, and your mouth becomes habituated to warn, “Car!” once you see it rambling over a hill. Waterproof shoes are a must as just stepping to the edge of the road isn’t always enough; occasionally you’ll need to tramp into the soggy, grassy shoulder.

At first this kind of thing really frightened me, but I got used to it within a couple days. We had one experience last week, though, that had my heart racing and adrenaline pumping. Emilee and I were on one of our usual photo excursions walking up a very narrow uphill road when we heard the tell-tale sound of a car approaching the crest from the opposite side. Only it didn’t sound like a normal car. It was much louder and a lower pitch, and that could only mean one thing: a truck. As it materialized at the top of the hill, Emilee and I looked at each other. Her face mirrored the “oh shit” look I knew was painted on mine. Had we been closer to the foot of the hill we would have jogged back down to a wider road. But we were more than halfway up the hill and there weren’t any driveways nearby so our only option was to just stand on the tiny shoulder and let the truck pass us. So we stepped over onto the grassy shoulder only to realize that there was also a trench on that side of the road. It was about a foot wide, but I couldn’t see how deep it was; thee was definitely water at the bottom, though. So there we are, standing on a strip of grass ten inches wide with a truck approaching on one side and a trench on the other. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place—or should I say a truck and a deep place.

The driver saw our predicament and tried to drive as close to the other shoulder as he could, but that’s not exactly possible when the truck is nearly as wide as the road itself. It was so close to us that I wouldn’t have been able to fit a camera between my face and the side of the truck. Maybe four inches, six tops. It would have been a cool picture had I thought of my camera at the time (instead my inner monologue was more like, “Fuck. Don’t move. Breathe. Stay still. Shit. Shit. Shit. Holy shit. Breathe. Calm down. Whatever you do, don’t move. Breathe. It’s okay. Almost done. Breathe.”). Once the back bumper had passed us, we breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief but stayed frozen in place for a moment. When we were finally capable of moving again we booked it up the hill and down the other side. There was no way in hell we were going to get caught on that road with another truck. I was scared shitless at the time, but now—less than a week later—I just laugh about it.

Rugby in the Snow

When I woke up this morning, I was a little confused. I was still in my cottage in Ireland, but outside it looked like we had been transported back to Minnesota. Snow. I built up a fire and spent the rest of the morning tending to it and reading. Then Emilee woke up and wanted to go for a walk, so I threw an extra layer of clothes on and went with her. As we walked, we were talking about how this kind of snow is the absolute best for snowballs; I had an idea that we just couldn’t pass by: snowball fight with all of our classmates.

We knocked on every cottage door with various repetitions of, “Suit up for a snowball fight!” Not everyone was home and not everyone wanted to play, but those who did come out had a blast! None of us expected weather like this, so we were all clad in jeans, light jackets, and any shoes but snow boots. I wore my Chucks (not a bright idea, but it was what I had on hand), and I saw others in hiking boots, rain boots, and tennis shoes. Pretty soon into the fight one of the guys produced a rugby ball. It started as just passing it around and attempting to tackle each other, but progressed to an actual organized match. Or our version of a rugby match, anyways.

The Riders of Johann (who later changed their names to the Mighty Ducks) vs Team Ramrod. Team Ramrod won 3 tries to 1, but both teams put on an impressive game. Everyone came away sopping wet, freezing cold, and needing to do laundry, but it was well worth it. There were a few minor injuries: some scrapes and bruises, sore joints, and almost a broken toe, but that’s to be expected. It was pretty cool mixing our Minnesotan indifference to snow with such a popular Irish game. 

Yellow One I Win!

            One of my best friends, Courtney, and I play this game called “Yellow One I Win” when we’re in the car. Basically you just watch for yellow cars or trucks, and if you see one you have to shout, “Yellow one I win!” However you can’t call taxis, work vehicles, or freight. It’s become such a habit for me to watch for yellow cars that I have been looking for them since we first got to Ireland. But it’s so difficult to find any yellow ones here!

Walking back into Lewisburgh from Carrowmore Beach.
Point for me!

            In high school, Courtney and her friends started playing “Yellow Truck.” Basically the same rules apply, but you just say, “Yellow truck!” and punch the person next to you. She then took the violence out of the game to keep her young brother entertained on a road trip. He loved the game, and everyone in the car ended up getting really into it. Courtney got so excited when she’d get a point that she’d say, “Yellow one I win!” instead of just “Yellow one!” And thus the game “Yellow One I Win” was born.

            I never thought it would be so difficult to play a game like this in another country! In the 13 days we’ve been in Ireland, Emilee and I have only seen 3 yellow cars. It seems that the people around Louisburgh tend to favor darker cars, like blacks and navy blues. Of course, there are other colors—white and red are also fairly popular—but black and blue are by far the most prominent.

            My housemate Emilee said she’d play “Yellow One I Win” with me, but instead of resetting the score after each road trip or outing, we’re going to play throughout our entire three month stay in Ireland. I’ll update the score every couple weeks; right now it stands me:2 Emilee: 1.

Dealing with the Weather while Shooting in Ireland

Ireland’s green landscapes are amazing for photographers, but lots of greenery means lots of rain. And lots of rain can be frightening to photographers who have spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on their camera equipment. But you shouldn’t let a little rain shut you up indoors—this is Ireland after all.

One thing essential to photography in Ireland is a good camera bag. You want to make sure you have something that is waterproof so water won’t leak in while you’re walking, but having something really bulky can be a real pain in the ass. I have a few different bags in various sizes—a largebackpack, a standard Nikon bag, and a small holster—and I decided that the smallest would be the most practical for me while I travel because I like to bring along a water bottle, some basic medicines like ibuprofen and Benadryl, a snack, and some other miscellaneous things when I shoot. So for me the smallest was the best because I can pack it away in a messenger bag with the rest of my stuff.

When choosing what bag to bring, think of what other gear you’ll want while there. Do you need an extra lens? Room for a battery charger in the bag? Space for extra memory cards? Lens cleaning supplies? It’s important to find a bag that fits everything you’re taking, but try not to get a bag so large that it leaves you with a lot of extra space. If you do you’ll regret your purchase after lugging it around day after day.

Some bags have zippers, some have clasps, some even have both, but which is best for dealing with the rain? Each type has their advantages…and disadvantages. Zippers allow your bag to fully close, but unless the zipper is really good, it may not be waterproof and might let some drops of water through in a downpour. Clasps allow the top of your bag to lie flat against the sides of the bag, but if you have something in the bag taller than the sides the top won’t shut all the way, leaving gaps open to the elements. Having both zippers and clasps seems like the perfect solution, but it comes at the cost of time. If you’re caught in a sudden downpour, you’ll be fumbling to undo the clasps and open the zipper while your camera sits in the rain. My favorite kind is zippered, and even though I know the risk, I have never had water leak through. Which type you have should depend on your shooting style, how full you pack your bag, and how quickly you can move things around.

Emilee and her camera baby--she has
yet to name it

You should also consider the clothes you’ll wear while shooting. A zip-up hoodie or jacket is a great way to protect both you and your camera from the rain. You want to wear enough layers that you won’t be cold even if you’re wet. It’s extremely helpful if your outermost layer repels water because a soaked coat will not only make you miserable, it’ll weigh you down, too. Zippered hoodies and jackets are much better than pullovers because if it suddenly starts raining and you don’t have time to put your camera in the bag, you can slip it between your shirt and outer layer and then zip it up to protect it. Yeah, you’ll look kinda strange but it works—you might even look pregnant like my friend Emilee when she does this.

Definitely consider your shoes before you go. Waterproof shoes are a must! Because Ireland gets a lot of rain, patches of grass are often soggy, and tramping around in wet shoes is just no fun (and makes for stinky feet!). Hiking boots are a great choice not only because they’re nearly always waterproof, but also because they go higher up on your ankles. Depending on where you are, you might be trodding over uneven ground or along rocks, so ankle support is nice, especially if you’re like me and have weak ankles.

You might want to throw a hat and gloves in your bag for colder days. You don’t always need them, but it’s nice to have them there. Hoods can work as a substitute for hats, but they tend to blow down in the strong winds that the west coast has been experiencing, and they can get in the way of your peripheral vision. With the kinds of roads you’ll be walking, believe me, peripheral vision is necessary! Normally I would say mittens are fine, but for photography purposes they’re a poor substitute for gloves. Mittens will leave you fumbling around trying to press buttons and turn wheels to adjust your settings, but gloves give you almost a full range of motion.

Now for a couple miscellaneous things that would be helpful to throw in your camera bag. A lens cleaning cloth. Obviously rain accumulates on things, and it is important to keep your lens clean of droplets otherwise they’ll blur areas of your image and there’s no easy way to fix that in post-production. A plastic rain sleeve for your camera.  They can be a little awkward to use, but it’s the best way I’ve found to protect your cameras for those times when you absolutely HAVE to get the shot. The one I have even has a hole for the view finder, so you can take the eyepiece off your camera, put the sleeve on, and reattach the eyepiece over the sleeve; this way you don’t have to keep readjusting it when you or the sleeve move. An alternative to this is a plastic grocery bag. Put your camera in the bag and tear a hole in the bottom just big enough to fit the lens through. Don’t put the whole lens through, just the end. I haven’t used this method, and you should do it with great care: grocery bags are thinner than a rain sleeve and are more susceptible to tearing.

Of course, you should use your best judgment when shooting in rain. If it’s a light rain, I will usually take my camera out for a few shots and then zip it back up under my jacket. But if it’s heavy rain, I won’t even take my camera out of the case. Watch the clouds and if they get dark, it might be a good idea to put the camera away entirely. Cameras are built to stand up to a certain amount of moisture, but it’s best to not push your limits too far or you might have to shop for a new camera.

Arriving in Ireland

We arrived in Ireland at 6 a.m. and by 7 we were on the road to Louisburgh. When we got to the Louisburgh Holiday Cottages, one of our professors had a lunch of soup and bread ready for all of us. My housemate Emilee and I unpacked, and then we were immediately out shooting with our cameras. We wandered around the neighborhood for a little before we found our way to the beach.

When we left Minnesota we were used to 0°F or lower temperatures, so walking on the beach at 40°F felt so warm! I didn’t even need a jacket: jeans and a hoodie was perfect. The tide was coming in so we didn’t have a lot of time to spend there, but we’ll have plenty of chances to go back over the next three months!

Louisburgh is part of the Clew Bay coast, so we can look north across the bay to other parts of Ireland, including Clare Island. This beach is littered with huge rocks, which I’ve found are great places to sit and watch the ocean—if you don’t mind a cold ass, that is!