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This view of Puffin Island and the Skelligs is one of my favourite in the country. On this evening, I was driven away from one shooting location due to rain, and was getting ready to pack it in for the night. However, I decided to swing past this location to see if conditions were different.
As you can see, the rain had moved on and the moon was just peeking out from the clouds behind me to illuminate the foreground - well worth the diversion!
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Fanad Head is one of the more dramatic and photogenic lighthouses around the coast. Made around midnight, I picked my way carefully along the adjacent headland by torchlight and found a good spot.
The photograph was exposed for four minutes, giving plenty of movement in the clouds and some significant star trails which are visible in the clear patch above the light itself.
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Made on a late spring evening from Bray Head on Valentia Island. Visible on the horizon are, from left to right: Lemon Rock, the Little Skellig (An Sceilig Bheag) and Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhicíl). The Skelligs have a long monastic history and are arguably the most spectacular feature of Ireland's landscape.
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Muckross House is one of the jewels of the Killarney area. A stately home that is now open to the public, I wanted to capture it a little differently.
This was a beautiful clear Autumn night and the stars were shining brightly. I had the place to myself. The constellation of Aquarius can be seen just above the house.
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Ladies' View is one of the iconic viewpoints in the Killarney area. Named for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who were apparently much taken by the spot during her visit to the area.
I've always been taken by this tree, which is largely overlooked by the tourists who visit this place in droves during the summer months. I think it sets the view off very nicely, and this image made under starry skies gives the place an otherworldly feel. The lights of Killarney are visible in the bottom left of the frame between Torc Mountain on the right and the Eagle's Nest on the left.
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Rossbeigh Strand is on the north shore of the Ring of Kerry and is a place much beloved of anyone who has ever spent time there.
Photographed here on a winter's evening, the snow covered summit of Brandon Mountain on the Dingle peninsula is visible on the horizon while the stars wheel through the sky overhead.
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An Searrach (the foal) is a prominent sea stack on the Dingle coastline near Lispole. This image was made in the late afternoon on a fine summer's day. A long exposure was used to blur the movement of waves and clouds.
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This image of Ballycotton Island and lighthouse was made late at night. Two exposures were necessary to make it - one to capture the lighthouse, island and water, and the other to capture the starfield and sky.
The result is an image that is a true representation of what it was like to stand on the cliffs looking out on this fantastic scene.
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This image was made on a fine October's evening. It is looking east over Lough Eighter in the Coomloughra valley in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks. The peaks of Caher, Carrauntoohil and Beenkeragh, three of the tallest mountains in ireland, dot the ridge which towers over this high valley.
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Lough Leane is the largest of the Lakes of Killarney, and is seen here looking from Reen Pier near Ross Castle towards the Purple Mountain group (consisting of Tomies, Purple and Shehy mountains).
The Lakes are world famous for their beauty and I've long been looking for an image that conveyed the scale and calmness of this area. It wasn't until fairly recently that the combination of clouds, calm water and warm light made this photograph possible.
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Made on my second visit to the north Antrim coast in 2009, this view of Fair Head from Colliery Bay is my favourite of that trip.
The weather was threatening in the pre-dawn hours, but there was a band of clear sky right where the sun was due to rise. The low clouds are lit from beneath as it rises over the Scottish Hebrides, but all too soon the show was over and it vanished behind the advancing cloud cover.
Being in the right place at the right time is crucial for successful landscape photography. On this morning I realized the shot I had planned, which relied upon golden sunlight on the scene, was not going to happen - so I shifted gears and went to a location where I'd be able to shoot directly at the Sun as it rose.
The tactic paid off in this case, and this image - made at the peak of the light show - shows that the red light wasn't quite strong enough to fully light the underside of the clouds nor to illuminate the rocks. The result is a contrast of warm and cool colours which I feel work very well.
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We don't get much in the way of thunderstorms in Ireland, and when one does arrive it's usually pretty mild. On this evening, however, I experienced a storm that seemed stronger than anything I'd encountered while living for 10 years in the American mid-west.
Once things calmed down enough to permit photography, I grabbed the camera and this is the result. I love the dark tones and the way the lightning has lit the underside of the clouds.
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Jagged rocks just off the western end of Inis Tiaracht, these rocks mark the westernmost extremity of Ireland. There's nothing between here and the east coast of North America except thousands of miles of open ocean.
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I spent the first few days of May 2009 looking for an excellent image of a bluebell wood. These wonderful flowers appear in the spring and, when conditions are right, form a rich carpet on the floor of ancient woodlands.
I made many images which I was happy with, but nothing really stood out. I needed something different.
I'd seen images by one or two other photographers where they had achieved interesting results by intentionally moving the camera during the exposure. I tried this on my last visit to Courtmacsherry Woods, in Cork.
After quite a bit of experimentation, I got the hang of including the right elements in the frame and moving the camera so as to create a blur which complemented the forms in the image, rather than detract from them.
I'm pleased with the result. I hope you are too!
I am very pleased with print,I admire it every day,it is very uplifting and has a very calming effect.Thank you, I hope to get some more prints dv in the New Year. Regards,Nora Kelly.
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Killarney and its surroundings are one of the gems of Irish landscape. In this image, a long exposure looking out over Lough Leane to the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, some of that drama comes to life.
Purple Mountain, Cnoc an Bhráca, and Cruach Mhór are all visible. Carrauntoohil and the rest of the Reeks are all lost in the dark clouds beyond.
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Clogher Strand is one of the more spectacular beaches in Ireland and is renowned for its pounding surf in westerly storms. Inis Tuaisceart (An Fear Marbh) is visible through the channel.
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Made during my trip to visit the Bull Rock Lighthouse in early Summer, 2010. This image was made on the way down from the old fog signal station and shows the illuminated lighthouse against the empty sea beyond.
As this is a night image, the exposure was long and thus the waves and clouds are completely smoothed out, creating a timeless look.
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Dún Briste (Broken Fort) is an impressive sea stack at Downpatrick Head on the North Mayo coast. Standing 50 meters (164 feet) high, it was once part of the mainland, connected by a sea arch. It's not known for sure when the arch collapsed, but it seems likely to have been sometime in the 14th century.
Normally viewed from the adjacent cliffs, the most impressive views of the stack are from sea level. This image was made from the base of the cliffs near the entrance to one of the caves that undercut the headland. It should be noted that this an extremely dangerous spot to get to and should only be attempted while in the company of someone who has been there before, and with good knowledge of the local tides and sea conditions. It is possible to become trapped by the incoming tide and a rogue wave could easily sweep you out to sea.
This swirl in the foreground is a result of the long exposure revealing the flow pattern as the waves ebb off the platform. The pool here is about 8 feet deep, and has been carved out of the flat rock platform by countless years of such action. If it wasn't for the danger of being swept away, it would make an excellent jacuzzi!
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Lough Leane is the largest of the Lakes of Killarney, and is seen here looking from Reen Pier near Ross Castle towards the Purple Mountain group (consisting of Tomies, Purple and Shehy mountains).
The Lakes are world famous for their beauty and I've long been looking for an image that conveyed the scale and calmness of this area. It wasn't until fairly recently that the combination of clouds, calm water and warm light made this photograph possible.
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This photograph was made in the evening after the lantern had come on in the lighthouse. The open door is very inviting - lighthouses were always very hospitable places. Unfortunately, since automation more often than not the doors are barred as there's no one present. When work is ongoing, for a brief time some of that old hospitality comes back to life.
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Being mainly famous for its 6th century monastery, the dramatic island of Skellig Michael also boasts two lighthouses built in 1830. This image was made of the lower lighthouse from the road to the upper (which was discontinued and abandoned in 1870).
Made shortly after moonrise, the image shows the light in its new guise. Just a couple of weeks before this image was made, the old fresnel lantern was decommissioned and a modern LED lantern mounted on the balcony. In a large print, this new light can be seen illuminated. It has great advantages in cost of operation, but unfortunately means that the rest of the lighthouse complex is surplus to requirements and will be closed up. The end of an era, but on this trip I was fortunate enough to enjoy the hospitality of the lighthouse for possibly the last time ever.
This is one of my favourite images of recent times. I love the line of the road leading down to the light, and even more the evidence of nature's relentless assault in the cracked and damaged walls, and the overgrown road itself.
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Being mainly famous for its 6th century monastery, the dramatic island of Skellig Michael also boasts two lighthouses built in 1830. This image was made of the lower lighthouse from the road to the upper (which was discontinued and abandoned in 1870).
Made shortly after moonrise, the image shows the light in its new guise. Just a couple of weeks before this image was made, the old fresnel lantern was decommissioned and a modern LED lantern mounted on the balcony. In a large print, this new light can be seen illuminated. It has great advantages in cost of operation, but unfortunately means that the rest of the lighthouse complex is surplus to requirements and will be closed up. The end of an era, but on this trip I was fortunate enough to enjoy the hospitality of the lighthouse for possibly the last time ever.
This is one of my favourite images of recent times. I love the line of the road leading down to the light, and even more the evidence of nature's relentless assault in the cracked and damaged walls, and the overgrown road itself.