Dillon Osborne. Design.Photo.Video

Hello... I'm Dillon, I am a full time Art Director and creative Jack-of-all-trades. I love taking photos, making films and writing. I surf, I cycle & I do the odd bit of running - Thanks for checking out my blog, expect loads of photos and words about my creative opinion and vision. 

[dillonosborne]

I have a new blog and website. Its all about photography, film and adventure Go check it out www.diltakesphotos.com

[dillonosborne]

>>>NEW VLOG Number Five Live<<< I met up with a friend Liam Stryker who took me to this cool abandoned building in Belfast to take some photos.  @liamstryker

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Me talking to Secure Broadcast about the future of Vlogging ahead of this Years Power Of Video Conference in Belfast.

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NEW VLOG LIVE 002. Took a trip over to check out the new Root & Branch coffeeshop at the Ormeau Baths, so I took the camera with me. 

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The sun is out and the city is busy. Perfect day to grab a few Belfast Bikes and go for a spin in the fresh Air to somewhere different. Met up with my brother and we headed out from Cathedral Quarter up along the River Lagan toward Stranmillis we popped through Botanic Park to the Queen's Quarter and had lunch in the sunshine just off Botanic avenue. I love doing this, it gets the heart beating and blood flowing, I gets me out to other parts of the city for a refreshing change of scenery. But most of all... it's just good fun. I love cycling and Belfast is so easy to pedal around, everything is so accessible, so close, so easy to get to. Here's to plenty more days like this over summer 👍🏻🚲😀☀️

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Incredible day out in the Mournes this Weekend - Sun, Snow, Wind and 10Miles covered. Starting at Bloody Bridge we headed up through the valley following the bloody bridge river to the disused Quarry which was quite stunning.  We continued up between Slieve Donard and Chimney Rock and followed the Mourne wall to the summit of Slieve Donard where conditions changes to soft powdery snow and blizzards. We then continued down to the saddle of Slieve Donard before heading back up over Slieve Commedagh and down to Hare’s Gap and down the Trassey path.

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Today I was in Newtownabbey as an extra in the new advertising campaign for Translink. It will be promoting their Smart movers campaign. Pushed across TV, print, outdoor and social media Translink wanted to incorporate real people into the mix. I signed up on Facebook and they got in touch to ask me to come along. It is being created by Ardmore Advertising in Holywood who have brought on the skills of video and TV production specialists StreetMonkey to help with the Television advert cool getting to see these guys work, very organised and also very makeshift at times but in a positive problem solving way. They also had Belfast photographer Gavin Millar there for commercial photography which was great to see how he works and interesting talking to him about his move to mirrorless camera systems. He was shooting on a FujiFilm XT2 with no unnecessary attachments or flash overkill which was awesome to see. Such a nice change from the standard Canon 5D or 1D set ups. It was great fun and nice to be on the other side of the production for a change. Thanks Translink... can't wait to see the finished stuff @

[dillonosborne]

One Photo - Every Day - 365 2017

I really enjoy taking photos and have done for as long as I can remember. I studied photography and have worked on a lot on 35mm film. I have shot, developed film and developed photos in darkrooms, explored analogue post production techniques and had the opportunity to watch it all evolve into the digital era.

From the age of 16 I rode a BMX, travelling around the country and over to England to ride. Back then I was the only one of my friends who took photos or filmed anything. It was quite special for me and allowed me to bring something positive to the BMX scene in Belfast…because i wasn’t that amazing on the actual bike.

When digital stepped up and the DSLR arrived photography became more accessible, LCD screen review and the ability to upload direct to the computer gave more people the opportunity to take photos, helped along by social media which gave them a platform to distribute and share their photos. It was amazing to see how the younger ones were picking up on it and what they were doing. It upped the game for sure and loads of those guys make a living from it now which is incredible to see.

Looking at things now, with DSLRs being so available, smartphone quality improving and Instagram being so popular it has made photography very mainstream. It is everywhere, in everyones hands, everyday and everyone is a photographer. Take a moment to explore a local hashtag and take a look at how many photographers there are in your local area, its crazy how many people are now aware of and exploring photography.

The downside is that it has oversaturated things and it has created a category of people that take photos for glory, who take token photos in abundance. The baseline standard has lowered, things like live viewfinders allow anyone to get a  decent photo with fairly little understanding of what the settings they are changing actually do and even less about what they are capturing. It's easy to get caught up in the chase for likes and forget why you enjoy taking photos. Learning to wade through that shit is important.

But what it has done is also put photography in the hands of so many more talented people who see special things and it gives us a much larger, much wider bank of inspiration and visions. The percentage of amazing images created every day has increased and my news feeds are flooded with really inspiring photos and images captured by people all over the world from all walks of life and that is amazing.

Personally, I enjoy taking photos of people and experiences that I see and enjoy. Taking photos that tell a story, share an insight, capture a moment. I like taking photos that I can look back on and remember something...I don’t want to  lose the reason I enjoy taking photos.

I felt i was getting a little distracted by what others were doing and what gets likes, follows, comments and forgot why I like taking photos. That's why for 2017 I decided to limit my Instagram account and do my own 365 challenge, for me.

It's one photo, every day, on the day, from that day.

It can be taken on anything about anything but it has to be an honest reflection of something I did, saw or experienced that day. No banked images, no duplications. My Instagram is a true reflection of my life and my experiences and I want to keep it that way.

Hopefully you like it too. https://www.instagram.com/dillonosborne/ @dillonosborne​ . 

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Early starts require a good quality kickstart. I gotta say I really do love Established Coffee in Belfast. Always warm, friendly and welcoming. Its about 1minute walk from where I work which is great...and bad at the same time lol.  They source most of their coffee from local Dublin roast house/coffeeshop 3fe and it’s really good stuff. They have a quick turnover and stock small batches so their coffee is always as fresh as can be. Loads of choice, ever changing and every now and then they sneak in a guest coffee from another roast house that normally sells out quick.  Currently they are offering up the delicious 3fe Christmas blend...but you need to try it and make your guess as to the sort of blend youthink it is and share it with #3fexmasblend

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Here's my edit from a short hike up the Mourne Mountains a few weeks back. I love getting up into the mountains and definitely don't do it enough. The Mournes are so accessible for me but with two you kids and a obsession with cycling and surfing it's hard to justify another whole day away from my family walking in the mountains. This was a decent walk, we parked at Meelmore bridge and took on two of the peaks including Slieve Commedagh, before hiking down from the saddle of Slieve Donard. We had two cars, so one car parked in each location meant we didn't have to hike back on ourselves. Off course we made time for a quick coffee stop at the top to take in the view... More hiking, more camping... get those kids walking...thats the 2017 goal.

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Today my bro and I hopped on some Belfast bikes and took a pedal up to the Queens Quarter to check out The Pocket. Overlooking Queens University The Pocket is a quaint little coffee shop on University Rd nestled neatly in amongst the offices and houses that line the street. Open the door and you're immediately hit with a cosy, warm, relaxed atmosphere that makes you wanna sit down with a mince pie and a coffee. Naturally though as it was dry and not raining we insisted on sitting outside. Good call. What a great day, what a cool location and most of all what a cool little place to visit. Great staff, great attitude and great coffee. Well worth it. I shall be be back soon. Check them out: www.thepocket.coffee

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Its that time of year when Belfast City Hall gets its glam on.

Christmas Lights and the Continental Christmas Market fill the grounds of City Hall with an array of foods, beverages and crafts from all over Europe. This year we see growth as the market expands the grounds outside the perimeter of the grounds itself turning Donegall Square into an inviting Christmas wonderland. This is a great part of Belfast at this time of year, especially at night. Feel good vibes are at a high with people everywhere eating, drinking, shopping and promoting the build up to Christmas. The whole area is buzzing.

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One of the beautiful things about winter in Northern Ireland is the low light. Ok its annoying when you drive and the sun is in your eyes, but it adds so much warmth and character to things that can look flat mid day in July. The city is great with this light, directed down corridors, alleyways and lanes, reflecting off buses, building and water bringing a new dimension to my daily wander. As a photographer I love nothing better than going for a walk and enjoying all of these scenarios. 

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The Supermoon lasted for a few days gracing the coastlines of County Down with beautiful brightly lit evenings. I took this shot down at Donaghadee harbour  with the moonlight creating this amazing white light and illuminating the sea, coast and surrounding town buildings. Kit: Sony A6300 with a 16-50mm lens

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November saw Northern Ireland graced with a Super Moon and boy was it super...bright. I thought a car light was shining through my front window. There was a lot of cloud so I set up the DSLR in my attic with the sky light open, I waited until about 1am when the moon was super bright and set up a few long exposure shots. Limited by my zoom a bit but still enjoyable. Kit: Canon650d 200mm zoom on a 30sec bulb

[dillonosborne]

It’s great getting up into the mountains. Liberating, refreshing and a great reminder of how accessible these sorts of things are.

These are the Mourne Mountains located in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.

They are classified as an Area of Outstanding Beauty and it’s easy to see why. Made primarily from Granite with a wide range of vegetation including heathers and gorse this range rolls into the sea on one side and the countryside on the other with a wide range of lakes, reservoirs and peaks to attract the novice or pro hiker. They form some of the largest peaks in Northern Ireland with Slieve Donard topping the list at 2,790 ft (850m). Only an hour from my house I always return home thinking “why am I not up there more?”.

I went out with a bunch of my close friends for a 7mile hike and some photos along the way. Enjoying the beautiful winter weather, rolling mist and off course a fresh Aeropress coffee at the top.

Kit: Canon 650D 40mm lens, iPhone 6 with a wide angle adapter and water proof housing.

[dillonosborne]

Craigantlet hills form a high point in County Down allowing a selections of view points over Belfast, Holywood, dundonald, Ards all the way over to The Mournes, it also gets these awesome sunsets in Autumn. This was about 6pm and it had just started raining, the dark moody clouds were warmed up by the glow of the setting sun. Little moments like this make everything feel so peaceful.