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Good morning, and welcome to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre. Newgrange is one of the finest examples, not only in Ireland, but in Western Europe, of the type of structure known as a passage tomb. It was probably built about 3000 BC – that makes it around 500 years older than the pyramid at Giza, in Egypt, and 1000 years older than Stonehenge in England!

Before we start our tour, let me tell you a little bit about what you'll be seeing. Newgrange consists of a long narrow passage and chamber, which, if we imagine looking down on it from above, would have the shape of a cross. In the two rooms of the chamber forming the arms of the cross, you will see large stone basins, which are a feature of many Palaeolithic Irish tombs, though researchers can only guess about what their purpose would have been.

Outside of the tomb, in front of the entrance to the passage, sits the large carved entrance stone, which I'm sure you've all seen pictures of in magazines or textbooks. After all, this stone is about the most famous example in the entire repertory of Palaeolithic rock art. The spirals and zigzag lines covering it are strikingly beautiful. Some of the large kerbstones lining the inside of the passage are also decorated, although they're not as famous. An eleven-metre-high circular mound made of stones covers the tomb, making it appear even larger and more imposing than it is, especially from a distance. The final thing I want to mention before we set off is the light box, which is an opening that you will see in the roof of the passage, above the entrance, which allows the light of the sun to enter and illuminate the tomb at sunrise on the day of the winter solstice.

Actually, I want to tell you a bit more about the winter solstice at Newgrange. The alignment of the tomb to the winter solstice sunrise is without a doubt one of the most amazing features of Newgrange, and has led researchers to speculate that the site may not have been only a place of burial but may have had broader cultural importance as a place of spiritual or scientific significance. Indeed, to witness the winter solstice sunrise illuminate the tomb is breathtaking and still has a deep resonance with people today.

The general public are welcome to gather at Newgrange for the sunrise on the morning around the Solstice, but access to the chamber itself is limited on the Solstice mornings, and is decided in advance by lottery. It's proved to be extremely popular; last year there were 25,349 entries for the Solstice lottery's 50 places. But don't despair – in recent years the event has been transmitted live by the Office of Public Works to hundreds of thousands of people around the world via internet and television stations.

This year's draw will take place on September 30th, and the winning applicants will be notified by mid-October. To ensure that everything is fair and square, children from three local schools will choose the winning applicants. Fifty names will be drawn, and each of the lucky winners can bring a guest. But of course, one hundred people won't fit in the tomb; we have room for ten lottery winners and their guests in the chamber on each of the five mornings around the Winter Solstice. If you're interested in signing up, you can do so at the information desk on your way out.

P = patient D = doctor

P: Hello Dr Smith, can I come in?

D: Yes, please sit down. I won't be a minute.

P: Thank you.

D: You would be Mr Garrison?

P: Yes, Peter Garrison.

D: Okay, what seems to be the problem, Mr Garrison?

P: I've been having some pains in my stomach and it's been bothering me for nearly two weeks. Actually, ten days to be exact.

D: What happened at the time the pain started?

P: I was having dinner with my family and I thought I must have eaten something that didn't sit well in my stomach.

D: Then what did you do?

P: I drank a glass of alker seltzer to ease the pain, but it didn't work.

D: Do you remember what it was that you ate at the time the pain started?

P: Yes, I was eating pumpkin soup with bread, and then we had roast chicken, potatoes, some vegetables, and afterwards dessert. I think it was chocolate pudding with cream.

D: That's quite a lot of food.

P: Yes, well, I do like to eat.

D: Do you do any form of exercise?

P: No, not really. I mean, sometimes I might go for a walk.

D: How often?

P: Maybe once a month.

D: And for how many hours?

P: Oh, no, not a long walk. I might walk to the local shops instead of taking my car.

D: How far away is the shop?

P: About 5 minutes.

D: By car?

P: No, on foot.

D: Well, I think the problem here is that you're quite overweight from the looks of things. You don't exercise and you eat far too much, so I'd say the issue you're having with your stomach is something that was inevitable. I'm going to suggest a few things, but you have to comply, otherwise there's no point in me going on.

P: So it's serious.

D: It will be if you don't take steps to change your lifestyle.

P: What should I do?

D: First of all, I'm going to give you a list of what you can and can't eat for the next month. I want you to follow this quite strictly. Do you understand?

P: Em, yes.

D: For breakfast I want you to have a cup of hot water and lemon juice.

P: Is that all?

D: No, let me finish.

P: Sorry.

D: After 20 minutes I want you to have a freshly-squeezed juice of either fruit or vegetables. Then eat either cereal without sugar, and with low-fat milk, or if you don't like cereal, then have some toast. You can use honey or jam that is organic only. But I don't want you to use any butter and no sugar or salt.

P: For a whole month?

D: Yes. Then for a mid-morning snack you can have two pieces of fruit. Lunch will be two pieces of brown, organic bread with either avocado or hummus instead of butter, and salad. Then in the afternoon you can have a handful of nuts, but not too many. Okay so far?

P: Well, it all sounds a bit hard. You know. It doesn't seem like much.

D: For dinner you are allowed a small quantity of about 100 grammes of either brown rice or pasta with steamed or baked fish, and vegetables. If you must have dessert, you can either have another piece of fruit or some low-fat organic yogurt.

P: Where do I buy all this organic food?

D: There's a shop in the high street and I want you to walk there. It's just opposite the town hall.

P: Okay.

D: I want you to be 100% dedicated to this diet.

P: Is that it?

D: Yes, and I'll see you in a month's time to reassess you.

P: Okay, Doctor. Well, I'll see you in a month.

D: Oh, and absolutely no alcohol, coffee or cigarettes.

P: Oh, dear.

Last week, we focused on the creative side of photography - composition etc. - but this week it's time to get a bit more technical. Today, our focus is going to be on exposure. The term exposure simply refers to the amount of light your film is exposed to. Or, put another way, the amount of light you allow to strike your film.

A good photographer has got to know two things; (i) how much light is required to capture a particular image and (ii) how to control the light reaching the film. The former is usually determined by the camera's inbuilt light metre, and the latter is taken care of by means of the aperture and shutter settings. Essentially, exposure time is controlled by opening the aperture and allowing light to pass through it for a fixed duration. Aperture sounds like a fancy word, but, in simple terms, it is basically a hole whose size can be varied to allow more or less light to pass through it. Aperture size is described in f-numbers, with each f-number being half as bright as the previous one. The difference in value between one full f-number and the next is known as a 'stop'. The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture and the greater the amount of light being let pass through it.

Shutter controls also play a crucial role in determining the exposure for a shot. The shutter prevents light from reaching the film until the instant of exposure when a picture is being taken. Then, it opens for a predetermined amount of time, allowing light to pass through the aperture and onto the film. Shutter speed is expressed in seconds or fractions of a second. A one-unit change to the shutter speed is also known as a 'stop', and a change of one stop to the shutter speed has a similar outcome to a one-stop aperture size adjustment.

Overexposure, as the name suggests, occurs when you give your film more exposure to light than is necessary to capture a clear image. Telltale signs of overexposure include pictures dominated by pale or light shades and poor washed-out colours. Underexposure, then, occurs when there is not enough light and produces the opposite result; a dark image with poor detail and shadows.

Before we go on to look at how to ascertain the correct exposure settings for a particular shot, let's take a short break.