My Trip to Ireland

Recently I pushed my camera to the limit trying to shot in an Irish Pub called the "Plough and the Stars" in San Francisco. My great friend Annie wanted some casual pictures taken of some of the members of a Celtic group called "The Gasmen"

I did not use a flash or even fixed lighting. I had to use available light and if anyone patronizes pubs knows, light is not that available . The last thing I wanted to do is throw bright flashes at these guys and blind them while they are playing. My fastest lens is a f2.8 but supposedly the D3 takes decent pics at ISO 6400. This ISO setting is unheard of when i had my D200 or even when I was shooting film.

The following results were noisy but it seemed to add to the atmosphere. All be it, these pictures will not win any contests but I wanted to share my experiences shooting at the ridiculous ISO setting of 6400.

This particular pub has the atmosphere and the patrons of a typical Irish pub. I was the only one in the place that spoke with an American accent and the Guinness is almost as good as from the home land, from what I heard.



Members of the Gasmen Group

John


Kenny


Vincy


One of the great things of a good Irish pub is that when someone wants to join in with the band, they are warmly welcomed. Even other musicians jumped in to play the classic Celtic folk music. Most of it seamed to be stories about the great battles against the Brits, death or broken hearts.



I do not know this woman's name but her voice was gorgeous. Very strong pipes for such a slight frame.



With Celtic music, there is always someone dancing. Even in a crowded pub, people still get up and move to their favorite song.





Finally, this wouldn't be a true Irish pub without the characters that make-up the pubs patrons.

This particular guy was my fav.











Well, there you have it. A few shots taken at ISO 6400 in horrible light conditions but at a Pub that was full of great characters that made my shooting experience a pure joy. It was a great reminder of how the Irish people no matter how far from home they maybe, they always enjoy their drink and song.