Ireland

Photographing from Hag's Head for the first time, I discovered this canyon at exactly the right moment. The moon was just rising through the slot - a circumstance I couldn't have planned better.

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.

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.

One of the advantages of living in a remote area is that often you don't need to go much further than your front door to get some wonderful images.
I was working on some projects in my home office when I looked out the window as the sun was setting. A beautiful crescent moon was low in the western sky, so I grabbed my tripod and camera and went outside.
The wonderfully subtle tones in the sky and the gradual transition from bright to dark, combined with the fact that the dark side of the moon is visible (due to earthshine) make this an image I'm very happy with.

I love shooting nocturnes - night landscapes. The night sky is a very beautiful thing, and is underappreciated as so many of us live in cities where light pollution hides all but the brightest stars.
Combining the beauty of a dark sky with a dramatic landscape is a real joy for me. So, here's this photograph of the Skellig islands from Valentia island at the tip of the Ring of Kerry. The constellation of Orion dominates the sky above Bray Head while moonlit clouds scud across the frame. The Great Nebula of Orion, M42, is just visible at the end of Orion's Sword.

The constellation of the Plough hangs above the mountains of Allihies on the Beara Peninsula in this image, made under moonlight.

Night photography is one of my favourite pursuits. This image, made about thirty minutes after sunset looks out over the Glantrasna Valley on the Kerry side of the Beara peninsula.
I made a couple of photographs here, but something was missing. So I waited until a car was about to come into view and then started this two minute exposure. The resulting light trail of its headlights follows the curve of the road and links the left and right sides of this image.

The moon rises over Torc Mountain with the lights of Killarney in the distance.

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!

The winter stars rise above the monastery of Skellig Michael on a calm night.

One of my favourite nocturnes, this was made late at night at Long Strand. The light on the horizon is Galley Head Lighthouse. The Milky Way dominates the sky, and the light on the rocks in the foreground is a portable studio light I brought along. As there was no moon, without that, there would be no light on the foreground.

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.

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.

Made on a moonlit night, ground fog fills the valley, eerily lit by light from a farmhouse. The constellation of Orion is visible in the sky with the snow-covered Macgillycuddy's Reeks in the background.