The Long Range, Killarney, Co. Kerry

I've photographed the Long Range from the road dozens of times. You get fragments through the oak canopy, a flash of water between branches, but never the full picture. So when I had the chance to take a helicopter over the Killarney valley on a summer afternoon, this was the one view I most wanted.

From directly above, the whole thing finally makes sense. That long, meandering channel connecting the Upper Lake with Lough Leane, the Ring of Kerry road winding alongside it through the valley floor. Both following the same line between the mountains, both curving with the terrain, though the road is considerably more disciplined about it.

The green was extraordinary. Not the generic postcard green people expect from Kerry, but dozens of distinct layers. Dark old oak woodland climbing the lower slopes. Pale bog cotton through the flats. Bracken and rough grass where the ground rises. Broken cloud was throwing patches of light and shadow across everything, giving each texture its own moment.

I had about ninety seconds in the right position. Ninety seconds to photograph an entire valley system! The pilot circled back once, which helped, but it's a slightly absurd exercise. You're composing while the whole frame shifts beneath you, the light moves, and you're very aware of what the helicopter costs per minute. Most people see this valley from Ladies View or the road below. From the air, you understand how the water, the mountains and the old forest all fit together.