Long Exposure

Torc Waterfall is one of the jewels of the Killarney area. A majestic cascade through a leafy valley, it's a place of wonderful calm.
Photographed here on an overcast day, the colours and tones of the scene really shine through.

An Searrach (The Foal) is a sea stack just outside Dingle Harbour. Visible from the Conor Pass, I'd been meaning to find a good vantage point for it since I first saw it some years ago. Just recently while returning from business in Dingle town shortly after sunset, and in miserable weather I found this spot. Made with a long lens over 30 seconds, I believe it captures the mood of the scene very well.

The Glen Beach is a short stretch of beautiful sandy beach that is often home to dramatic Atlantic surf pounding against it. Seen here on a calmer day, this long exposure smooths out the motion of the water and matches it with the low-lying fog over the cliffs and headlands of Bolus Head.

White Rock Beach on Killiney Bay is an extension of Killiney Beach, but is cut off from the main strand at high tide.
This swimming platform has been carved out of the rock, and is largely exposed at low tide. Taken here with a long exposure at high tide, it seems to be floating in a sea of mist.

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.

A lone figure lights the way to the monastery on the peak of Skellig Michael on a calm night.

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.

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.

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.

A panoramic long exposure of the sea stack of Dún Briste.

A panoramic version of the Meeting of the Waters photograph.
The Old Weir Bridge in the Killarney National Park is the gateway to the Meeting of the Waters where the Upper Lake (via the Long Range river), Muckross Lake and Lough Leane converge.
This image was made shortly after sunset as the light was fading from the sky.