The image above is a photograph of Cape Clear, an island just off the south coast of Ireland. Dramatic, isn't it? To be honest, you might not spot the island at first glance. The helipad isn't on Cape Clear. It's on Fastnet Rock, the home of my favourite lighthouse. See that hump on the horizon?That's Cape Clear. I don't actually have any proper photographs of the island. That's about to change. I'm heading there soon to kick off the photography for my new book. Photographing for a book is a huge undertaking. To be honest, I've been procrastinating. Partly because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to photograph for my next project; partly because I didn't have the fire in my belly to launch into such a big volume of work. I can tell you now that the fire is burning fiercely—lit by the unlikeliest of sparks. But that's another story (coming soon).

Cape Clear is the start

The topic of the book is also clear in my head now: Irish islands. Not all of them. There are thousands. Photographing them would take years and result in a book the size of an island itself. Instead, I'm limiting myself to 10-12 islands or island groups. I'll include the greatest hits, such as the Skelligs and the Blaskets, as well as some islands unknown to me too. I estimate the project will take a year to complete. I've been to Cape Clear many times (I almost bought a house there once), but I don't have any gallery-worthy of the island. I'm looking forward to a proper photography visit and to exploring what I think will be promising locations. In the meantime, here's another photograph of the island... taken from a small distance away. Just look beyond the thing in the foreground.