PHOTOGRAPGED IN 2018 NOT IN 2009 AS INITIALLY CLAIMED
THIS SERIES OF IMAGES IS ACTUALLY FROM MY JANUARY 2018 VISIT TO HOWTH [THE DATE STAMP 09-01-2009 IS INCORRECT]
A few years ago I published a collection of photographs claiming that they were from my 2009 visit to Howth and that I had used a Sigma DP2 camera but the story is much more complicated as the photographs actually resulted from a 2018 visit. In 2009 I used a Canon 1Ds MKIII which I still have.
Why the confusion?
A few days ago (November 2025), while processing my back catalogue, I came across a collection of images from St Mary's Abbey in Howth. The files were Sigma RAW from a Sigma DP2, which surprised me, as I wasn't certain Lightroom could even process such files back then. I remastered a number of the photographs with the intention of republishing them but delayed. As I reviewed the images of St Mary's Abbey I realised something was seriously wrong. One photograph showed a section of the wall nearest the harbour as brand new. I knew this was impossible. That specific wall had been badly damaged by heavy rain and was only repaired after 2011. The 2009 date stamp had to be incorrect.
This discrepancy sent me investigating. My first step was to confirm my movements. I was able to verify that I did visit Howth on January 9th, 2009, which only deepened the mystery.
Next, I checked the camera's release date. The Sigma DP2 was announced in 2008, so it seemed possible I had it. However, I then discovered that pre-production review copies were only made available in February 2009. It was highly unlikely I had one a month earlier.
I was getting nowhere fast until I checked my Flickr account. I found the exact image that had caught my attention: it was indeed date-stamped 9-1-2009, but it had been uploaded on January 22, 2018. The 2009 date was clearly an error, likely from my camera's settings being wrong.
The Resolution
So, what photos did I take in 2009? I searched my archive for images from that date captured with my other gear and found another collection from January 8th and 9th, 2009. Sure enough, the camera used was my Canon 1Ds MkIII.
Finding those Canon files brought the memory of that specific 2009 trip flooding back. I remembered it being a bad day. The Canon's autofocus (AF) had failed, which is why I decided to get another camera and eventually to switch over to Sony Mirrorless. I was also harassed by a woman who was annoyed I wouldn't photograph her. When she followed me into the graveyard, she was promptly attacked by seagulls.
I now like seagulls.
A few years ago I published a collection of photographs claiming that they were from my 2009 visit to Howth and that I had used a Sigma DP2 camera but the story is much more complicated as the photographs actually resulted from a 2018 visit. In 2009 I used a Canon 1Ds MKIII which I still have.
Why the confusion?
A few days ago (November 2025), while processing my back catalogue, I came across a collection of images from St Mary's Abbey in Howth. The files were Sigma RAW from a Sigma DP2, which surprised me, as I wasn't certain Lightroom could even process such files back then. I remastered a number of the photographs with the intention of republishing them but delayed. As I reviewed the images of St Mary's Abbey I realised something was seriously wrong. One photograph showed a section of the wall nearest the harbour as brand new. I knew this was impossible. That specific wall had been badly damaged by heavy rain and was only repaired after 2011. The 2009 date stamp had to be incorrect.
This discrepancy sent me investigating. My first step was to confirm my movements. I was able to verify that I did visit Howth on January 9th, 2009, which only deepened the mystery.
Next, I checked the camera's release date. The Sigma DP2 was announced in 2008, so it seemed possible I had it. However, I then discovered that pre-production review copies were only made available in February 2009. It was highly unlikely I had one a month earlier.
I was getting nowhere fast until I checked my Flickr account. I found the exact image that had caught my attention: it was indeed date-stamped 9-1-2009, but it had been uploaded on January 22, 2018. The 2009 date was clearly an error, likely from my camera's settings being wrong.
The Resolution
So, what photos did I take in 2009? I searched my archive for images from that date captured with my other gear and found another collection from January 8th and 9th, 2009. Sure enough, the camera used was my Canon 1Ds MkIII.
Finding those Canon files brought the memory of that specific 2009 trip flooding back. I remembered it being a bad day. The Canon's autofocus (AF) had failed, which is why I decided to get another camera and eventually to switch over to Sony Mirrorless. I was also harassed by a woman who was annoyed I wouldn't photograph her. When she followed me into the graveyard, she was promptly attacked by seagulls.
I now like seagulls.