A few weeks back I got to get away for a short family break in County Mayo, on Irelands West coast. Over two mornings I made the short journey out to Old Head to photograph a location I have not been to in many years. The video below captures the story of those trips to Old Head.
IN THE FIELD | COASTAL LIGHT
In this video, I find myself on the breathtaking, deserted beach at Magheroarty in remote North West Donegal, Ireland, in attempt to capture the beauty of its coastline during a flying visit. The beach is surrounded by sand dunes, looks out on a distant Tory Island with a backdrop of the beautiful mountains of Donegal.
In the field | Gloom to Boom
In this episode, landscape photography stubbornness kicks in, and my patience and persistence is finally rewarded when after a number of gloomy mornings, Mother Nature goes Boom!!! and I am rewarded with an unforgettable, glorious morning light.
In The Field | Burren Butt Cheeks
Things have been hectic lately which has made it difficult to get out into the Field. However I managed to get away for 2 nights in The Burren, in the hope of capturing some images. The results can be seen on my YouTube video below.
In The Field | Best Lens your legs
While on a recent family vacation to North West Donegal I made it out a few mornings to a location I came across many years ago. On this day, this old ruined farmhouse sitting in a sea of ferns was shrouded in low cloud, adding mystery and atmosphere to this beautiful scene. The video can be seen over on my youtube channel.
In the Field | Best beach in Ireland for Sunrise???
The latest YouTube video takes me to the shoreline of the beach at Portsalon in County Donegal in an attempt to capture sunrise over Lough Swilly and the distant hills. The beach has long been a favourite of mine, and one where I have captured many a fine image over the years. Check it out below -
In The Field | Push the Button
My latest Youtube video takes me to the shoreline of Sheephaven Bay which provides a wonderful view towards Muckish Mountain in County Donegal. The light was simply magical, and all I had to do was press the camera shutter. Check it out here .
In the Field | Landscape photography Carlingford
An early morning start brought me to the shoreline of Carlingford Lough in Count Louth where I attempted to photograph a beautiful pastel dawn . The vlog can be seen on the video below :
Snakes in the Trees - Landscape Photography
As Autumn ends and the branches become exposed, I delve into the autumnal woods and capture some images that remind me in passing of giant snakes in the Trees. The images from this trip can be seen over on my YouTube channel. Check the video out below.
Looking for Autumn
My latest youtube video takes me Dún A Rí forest Park in County Cavan Ireland looking for some Autumn colour, which sadly seems to be late this year..
The stunning Landscape of the Burren
With local Covid restrictions slightly lifted, I made the journey to County Clare and a place called the Burren which I hadn’t been to in 10 -15 years. The weather was perfect for landscape photography and the video journal of my trip can be viewed below.
My Best landscape photograph in a Year
The latest in my In the Field landscape photography YouTube videos, takes me out into the County Meath Landscape to capture a wonderful misty morning on the banks of the River Boyne near Newgrange.
That video of that trip can be viewed below.
In The Field | A Sense of Place
With Covid travel restrictions still in place, I embark on a mini project to photograph the scenes that are to be found on my own doorstep. This vlog isn’t about capturing dramatic landscapes, but about capturing images that give “A sense of place” The location is the mouth of the River Boyne in County Meath. Let me know what you think.
Landscape photography - 2020 in Review
That time of the year again where I look back on my year in photography, reviewing all the images I captured on my travels, and making plans for where I intend to travel in 2021!!! Small problem, COVID 19, a virus that circled the globe, and put the brakes on all travel, and turned us all into mini epidemiologist, a profession I had never heard of before COVID kicked in.
To combat the spread of the virus, the Irish government like many others implemented restrictions on movement. The result has been that most of my photographic year was restricted to within 5KM of home, forcing me to cancel workshops and open my eyes to the beauty that resides on my own doorstep including my back garden.
Back in January 2020, before Ireland entered lockdown in March 2020, I managed to make a trip to Arranmore Island. Located off the coast of Donegal it is an Island that has been on my must-visit list for some time, and thankfully it didn’t disappoint. To say the Islands coastline is stunning, would be an understatement. During my brief visit, I captured several images, and made copious notes, earmarking other locations that I need to revisit. An article I penned appeared in PhotoPXL, while a YouTube video I made appears on my YouTube channel.
My base on the Island was a warm welcoming glamping pod, which was very welcome after getting soaked by the Atlantic. It also helped, that it was just around the corner from a pub, for a few late-night scoops. Pubs, remember them!!
Lockdown happened, and thankfully the woodland that sits on my doorstep went some way to helping me scratch my creative itch. Early mornings were spent under the spring canopy, listening to a cacophony of bird song, watching the early morning light paint the woodland, resulting in me capturing one of my favourite images of the year.
With travel restrictions lifted briefly I travelled to rural County Cavan, to a location called Tullydermott Falls, a place I had never been to before. It’s a real, gem and on this particular day, I spent a few hours capturing the beauty of the falls with no one else around.
The vlogs from this trip to Cavan can be viewed on the following YouTube urls Cavan Waterfalls & Cavan Landscapes
One of the new pieces of photographic hardware I acquired this years was a DJI Mavic Air 2 drone. A drone is something that has long been on acquisition list, and after discovering how easy they are to fly, I was kicking myself I hadn’t purchased one years ago.
My second flight of the drone was out over Dundalk Bay one early morning in August. The drone footage I captured I was delighted with and can be viewed on the YouTube video I made. Daybreak over Dundalk Bay
August brought me back to the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal, where on one particular magical misty morning I made use of the drone to capture some boats sailing through a Misty dawn. I also managed to capture one or two images that I was quite pleased with. One, in particular, is a portfolio worthy image (see below ). You can see the drone footage and story of that trip on the video that appeared on my YouTube channel
Most recently, with restrictions back in place again I have been restricted to locations close to home. Which has meant I have been back out revisiting some old locations, trying to capture images. So when a rare icy misty descend long the mouth of the River Boyne, I trained my camera on the navigation beacons that mark the safe passage of the ships that sail up the river to the port of Drogheda. The images I captured are minimalistic, and not to everyone’s taste, but they are ones I am happy with, and that after all is what photography is all about, making images that appeal to you, and not the social media family.
Those images I captured can be viewed below and the behind the scenes footage on the making of these images can be viewed on the YouTube video below.
So as the page turns to 2021, I wish you peace, good fortune, good light and most importantly good health. Take care and hopefully I will see you In the Field.
The images you like and Everyone else hates!!!
Something a little different this time on my YouTube blog . This time I take a look at an image I like and everyone else hates. Let’s face it we all have such images, and in this video I take you to the shores of Lough Mask in County Mayo Ireland and discuss an image of mine that I like and no one else does. Check it out below.
In the field | Minimalist landscapes
The edition of my In the Field YouTube blog takes me back to the mouth of the River Boyne, at Mornington County Meath, Ireland to capture some abstract images on a cold icy Misty day. The final images are not for everyones taste, however I kinda like them, let me know what you think.
Mist - Landscape photography Donegal Ireland
I spent a few days up in Donegal in mid August and thankfully I was greeted with some truly stunning conditions, the images and the story behind them can be viewed on the vlog below.
Landscape Photography | Stunning Sunrise
My latest vlog from the shore of Dundalk Bay is up on YouTube, you can check it out at the link below.
Landscape Photography | Cabin Fever Kicked in the Nuts
With cabin fever setting in, I grab the camera and head for the coast to “Laytown Beach” in County Meath a location I spent many an hour on honing my photographic skills. Check it out below.
IN THE FIELD | BACK IN THE WOOD
With beautiful summer weather settling in over the last few weeks I have been spending some time in the woodland on my doorstep photographing its summer coat. Check it out below.