I did that on purpose Richie. I was ahem testing the mount for self portrait use ahem....
DOH! 

Looks like a safe place to play Bagpipes alright. Nice to see you Dipper.

Ha ha ha.... The old LaserBlast 105 eh?
I wouldn't mind one of those myself, and a nuclear power station to run it....

I spent a lot of my youth shooting both in the wild and with the army and feel at home with a rifle or shotgun, hence I think it will be a natural move for me to use the Bush Hawk shoulder mount with my Sigma 150-500mm lens. The lens is not the fastest and I usually use it a F8 for sharpness, so any added stability on top of the superb OS built in to the lens should help greatly. Some claim its a major factor in getting more BIF keepers. Its not everybody's cuppa, but those who love it (some serious photographers) wouldn't be parted from it.
I just hope I'm one of those who love it.

Excellent shots Martin. And all with an 18-55? Wow, you must have been close all right.
To see eight robins in a tree and more out of frame must have been weird (never seen that many so close together).

Glad to hear you are having nice weather Richard.
The last of the snow and ice at lower elevations is finally disappearing here. However, its all suppose to change again this Thursday when a polar air mass descends once again on the Emerald Isle, probably dumping a load more snow.

Great shots, looks like a nice part of the world. I Like the flotsam/jetsam shot on the beach.

We all get to browsing the photography catalogues this time of year. There are many items on my wish list, an 800mm prime, a 1D MkIV etc etc, all are currently unreachable. One way to improve my photography would be a better way to stabilise my camera without using a tripod. I hate tripods, and tend never to use one except in extremely low light conditions and for astro use. However as I do almost all of my photography tracking down wildlife, a tripod is less than useless, its a hinderance. I found a possible solution some years ago and today I finally ordered one.
Santa is bringing me a Bushawk Shoulder Mount. They are now available in Europe from http://www.bushhawk-europe.com. I ordered the BH320 Pro Kit, all for just €300 delivered. I'll review it here some time in the new-year, after I get a chance to use it.

So - whats on your wish list - have you been good this year?

Excellent shots John. Well done - nice report too.

Nice to see you Anton.
I agree with you on Richards shot, I thought "whats he doing putting up a picture of David Soul?". That is a striking resemblance.

That certainly would be one for the bag John.

Great to finally meet you Richard.
Love the TIV shot John, I've followed their antics for some years now.
I don't think any of us are as we expected (I think thats a good sign?).

Cheers Martin. The Greek trip was one of the best in a lifetime. It is organised every year, and there is a standing invitation to all Irish Astronomers. There are three trips, one in June, July and August every year. I recommend the June one as its a bit cooler and the mosquitos aren't as bad. Check it out on the IFAS boards next year, they'll announce the dates usually by May.

The above was intended for Face Down Tuesday on Flickr, a great fun group check it out http://www.flickr.com/groups/fdt/ . Unfortunately I can't use it 'cause its not taken on a Tuesday.

I only have one other pic of myself and this was taken a couple years back on an astronomy outing in Greece, we spent 4 or 5 days up Mt. Parnon with wonderful dark skies. We even got hit by an earthquake magnitude 6.4. The greek astronomers were some of the best people I have ever met. This shot was taken on my old 350D by Vagelis Tsamis.


Moi by John C. Murphy, on Flickr

Irish Weather Online have posted some of these shots in the Dec 3rd Gallery:

 http://www.irishweatheronline.com/2010/12/gallery-3-december

Here is the most recent shot of me I have (from last night). 


Face Down Thursday ? by John C. Murphy, on Flickr

Just teasing - I'll post a more revealing shot later (no not that revealing).

Ahhh. So thats what the great man looks like. Nice to see you finally John.
I agree with all the above, it would be nice if we all stuck up a pic of ourselves. As usual like all the photographers here I don't think I have too many pics of myself (actually just one). But with this extreme weather, I must remember to get on the other side of the camera for a pic to post - just start the thread Martin, I'm sure everyone will contribute.