This photograph is the triumph of perseverance and optimism in the face of pessimism and the Irish weather!

The Small Skellig is a dramatic rock thrust out of the Atlantic off the coast of Kerry. The smaller sibling to Skellig Michael, featured in the recent Star Wars movies, it's every bit as dramatic, if not more so. During winter storms, the entire island has been known to be overtopped by huge waves.

I'd long wanted to produce a photograph giving some hint of that drama, and found the opportunity on a late summer's day a few years ago. The only way to get the angle I wanted was from a boat, so I needed a willing skipper to take me out on a suitable day - one where most people would be happy to stay home on dry land!

On this day, the fog was thick along the coast and the waves were high enough to make the trip an unpleasant one. My friend was hesitant to go out - he wanted to save me the charter money as he was certain I wouldn't get anything worthwhile out of it. However, on the satellite imagery for the area I saw there were one or two thinner spots of fog scattered about. If one of those coincided with the Small Skellig, I knew it would look incredible. If it didn't, then the trip would be a wasted one!

So much in photography depends on going out in marginal conditions - you'll either come back with something spectacular or you'll come back empty handed. There's rarely a middle ground on those days.

I convinced him to go out, and for most of the journey you couldn't see more than 30 yards in any direction. However, as we got closer to the Small Skellig, the fog began to thin out, and sure enough it ended up being exactly what I hoped - not so clear that the island was just set against a gray background, but exactly thick enough to show the layers of  rock receding into the distance, and emphasise the drama and ruggedness of this incredible rock.

Capturing the image on a small boat while it was pitching and rolling was difficult - especially as I'm prone to sea sickness (despite spending a lot of time on the water for my coastal work)! It's made all the worse when the camera decides to have a tantrum and refuses to work properly at the critical moment! However, between my friend's expert boat handling and my loud curses at the camera, and suppression of my rebellious stomach while I carefully framed and exposed the image, I was able to achieve my goal and I couldn't be happier with this image.

My own copy hanging on my wall at home brings me a lot of joy and I know yours will too!

Inis Meáin (Inishmaan) is the middle of the three Aran Islands which are strung across the mouth of Galway Bay.
This image was made at Poll an tSéideáin (Hole of the Blowing Spray) on the island's west coast. Oileán na Tuí (Straw Island) is visible on the horizon to the left of frame.
Poll an tSéideáin is so named because there is long but shallow cave at sea level that causes the sea to react dramatically in a swell, sending up massive curtains of spray. On this particular evening there was a five meter swell running with a fresh wind, resulting in some truly impressive seas.
The cliffs here are about 30 meters high at this point yet the spray from the incoming waves are easily reaching their tops.

A fiery sunrise over Loop Head in Clare. This point is the culmination of the line of cliffs along the clare coast that start with the Cliffs of Moher further north. The Shannon Estuary lies to the right of the frame, and the Atlantic Ocean to the left. The "Eire" sign near the tip of the peninsula was placed there during WWII to assist US pilots ferrying aircraft across the Atlantic with their navigation.

Slea Head is by far the most iconic of Dingle locations. On the very fringes of our island, it's an incredibly rugged and wild place. Even the roads have difficulty here - a section of the nearby Slea Head drive slipped into the sea some years ago. The new section is a little further inland now!
This image was made shortly after sunset on a stormy December day. The clouds, which had been stubbornly persistent on the horizon, cleared for a few seconds to give a glimpse of the glorious colours behind them, before closing again just as quickly.
From left to right, the islands visible are, Inishvickallaun, Inishnabro and the Great Blasket.

Valentia is a large island just off the north coast of the Iveragh peninsula. Connected to the mainland by a bridge, it's a lovely place to visit and has some stunning scenery. This image was made while returning from the abortive attempt to land on Inishteareaght and shows the north coast of the island being battered by a storm.
It's a rare privilege to see this kind of weather in action from the air, so I'm pleased to be able to share it with you.

Valentia Island seen at sunrise with Bray Head in the foreground.

A stormy afternoon at Slea Head. Just above Coumeenole Beach, the characteristic jagged rocks stand defiant against the wild Atlantic swell.

The westernmost point of the island of Inishturk in the afterglow of a gorgeous early spring sunset.

Aranmore lighthouse perches precariously above the shattered rocks of its headland.

The westernmost point of Ireland on a blustery January day.

Made while staying overnight on the island in 2012, this image shows the taller of the two peaks, the south peak, from the northern peak, just above the monastery.

Eagle Island, with the Stags visible in the distance. A rain squall and rainbow are visible on the horizon also.

Storm waves batter the cliffs on the west coast of the middle Aran Island at sunset.

An Tiaracht is an island of many names. Also known as Inishtearaght, The Tearaght and Tearaght Island, all these names mean the same thing - 'The Westerly', or 'Westerly Island'. This is a pretty good description, as not only is it the westernmost of the Blasket Islands, it's also pretty much the westernmost point of Europe, with the exception of the nearby Foze Rocks.
In my opinion, the lighthouse on the island, which was constructed in 1870 and made automatic in 1988, is the most dramatic of any of the lighthouses around the coast. It's also one of the least well known as it's invisible from the mainland - sitting as it does on the western end of the rock.
The island is a pair of jagged, steep-sided pyramids reaching a maximum height of 656 feet above the sea. Joining them is a saddle pierced by a natural tunnel. The light itself is at a height of 275 feet on top of a 55 foot tower.
This image was made during a maintenance flight out to the lighthouse, but due to the stormy conditions we were unable to land. However, it did provide me an opportunity to photograph the island as it was pounded by an angry sea.

The dramatic eastern end of Tory Island.

Dún Bhaloir (Balor's Fort) is an iron-age promontory fort on the rugged eastern end of Tory Island, several miles off the coast of Donegal.
Made at sunset while standing over a 100m drop, the last rays of the sun bathe the cliffs with a warm glow.