Doulus Head & Beginish from Valentia Island, Co. Kerry

The sheep wandered into the frame on their own schedule. I wasn't about to argue.

Geokaun Mountain is the highest point on Valentia Island, and on a clear day the view east from the summit is extraordinary. This was one of those days. Fort Point and the Valentia lighthouse sit in the bottom right, with Beginish Island and Doulus Head stretching across the middle distance. Beyond them, the mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula stack up against heavy cumulus rolling in off the Atlantic. The kind of sky that rearranges the light every few minutes.

I'd been watching strong directional sun punch through gaps in the cloud cover, throwing patches of bright contrast across the water and headlands below. Waiting for the moment it would pick out the field patterns on the lower headland while keeping enough shadow in the hills behind for depth. Wind up top was considerable. Grass bent flat, jacket flapping. The usual Kerry hilltop experience.

Black and white was the obvious choice. The tonal range in the sky alone demanded it, and the patchwork of fields and stone walls reads so much better without colour pulling attention from the shapes and textures. What I love about this image is the sense of scale. Lighthouse, islands, distant mountains, agricultural land below, all from a single vantage point. Valentia doesn't always get the credit it deserves. People drive through on their way to Skellig Michael and miss what's right under their feet!