Introduction It’s only human to slice off a year in a life and consign it to a retrospective of how well the time was spent and what lessons can be carried into the next year as if that makes the slightest bit of difference. As John Lennon wrote ” Life is what happens when you’re…
A Return to the North Antrim Coast After returning from the north Antrim coast in February 2023, I shared tales of the epic seascapes I had visited to my good friends in Greystones Camera Club. “Why not organise a club trip there?” was the feedback. Why not indeed! We booked the well located Marine Hotel…
Photographic Distinctions: Preparing a panel (IPF) The Irish Photographic Federation (IPF) is the umbrella organisation for photography clubs in Ireland. The IPF conducts distinction sittings where photographers submit panels of mounted prints for critique. Successful panels are awarded the relevant distinction. There are 3 levels of distinction to be undertaken in the following order; Licentiateship…
Infra-Red Landscape Photography In taking the small leap from the Nikon D810 to the D850 a few years back, my D810 was left disconsolate on the shelf collecting dust. Never one to let a good tool go or become redundant, I decided to put it to use by conversion to infra-red. Little did I know…
Autumn Woodland in 2022 An amateur nature photographer is afforded limited time in the field. Rather than visit many well photographed locations throughout the country to effectively “bag” an image or alternatively bounce from landscape to wildlife to macro, I’ve found it more fulfilling of late to undertake a project, select a genre and set…
Landscape Photography on the Jandia Peninsula, Fuerteventura The archipelago of the Canary Islands is generally perceived as a sun holiday destination – a winter retreat from colder climes where beaches, bars and restaurants refresh and restore. Receiving 13 million visitors each year – the Canaries are more popular than Hawaii as a tourist destination. The…
Impressions of the Outer Hebrides Torridon, Glencoe and the Isle of Skye have drawn landscape photographers and artists over the centuries. The highlands of Scotland are extensive and uninterruptedly breathtaking – a Big Country indeed. This is the internationally perceived face of Scotland – a meticulously sculpted land of peaks, glens, lakes and shoreline. And…
Photographing insects in the field demands higher shutter speeds, a steady hand and a smaller aperture of c.f9 to ensure sharpness. On warm summer days, insects are mobile and easily found. However they provide minimal opportunities to carefully compose an image – they are too busy flying, feeding and living life. Choosing a complementary background…
Wildlife Photography: Photographing Red Squirrels Eurasian Red Squirrels are diminutive, skulking mammals with an extensive range from Ireland through Siberia to Japan. They are very photogenic and have that cute gene that really shouldn’t be a winner when it comes to evolution. Over many years I have collected many poor images of Red Squirrels clambering…
Winter Wetlands: Photographing Whooper Swans A winter wetland has always held a special place in my heart. It presents a unique wildness largely derived by winter wildfowl arriving from Arctic landscapes in early winter. The drama is intensified by birds of prey drawn in to harry prey during the short, cold days. The nervousness of…
Landscape Photography: Maximising keeper rate at epic locations Easterhorn, Iceland As an amateur landscape photographer, opportunities to visit epic locations such as Lofoten, Iceland or the Scottish highlands are limited. When an opportunity for travel arises, an overly ambitious plan is often drafted in an effort to squeeze every last drop of potential from the…
Proceeding to the copse of 5 trees beyond the crossroad, a haunting atmosphere descended through fog. I observed a Merlin hunting a pipit on the way, relentless in its pursuit, arcing up and driving the quarry down to the heather over and over. I hope the pipit managed an escape. I spent a good hour…
An Autumn Landscape Photographer’s Diary Each September, I set out to capture autumn colour in photographs and each September I’m surprised to find no autumn colour – only a worn out post mid-summer green. And each subsequent weekend reveals a slow burn to autumn gold. So next autumn, I’ll set my alarm clock for Halloween.…
Donegal: The Crohy Sea Arch, Bunbeg and Sheskinmore It’s a fortnight since I walked barefoot across the bay to the white dunes of Sheskinmore. The sun warmed sand softly received each footstep. An Arctic Skua broke the near silence and harried a Comic Tern. The only other sound became apparent – the surf resonating from…
Donegal: Dunlewey and the Poison Glen Dunlewey Lake rests under the looming presence of Errigal. The Poison Glen provides a western entry point into Glenveagh – a protected, boggy valley that deceives to end suddenly beneath granite cliff faces. The ruined church at Dunlewey is cradled between these two fine locations. As such, the area…
Donegal: Melmore, Fanad and Horn Head With a dearth of Irish portfolio landscape images, I promised myself earlier this year to spend more time exploring Ireland. Birdwatching, holidaying and scuba diving have brought me to many beautiful locations in Ireland and unsurprisingly these locations double as prime landscape photographic sites. Each pursuit reveals the same…
Time passes quickly. However, I had to pinch myself when I realised it was only two years since our last road trip through Northern Spain. Every day was an adventure on that trip with new locations to wow at every turn.The north of Spain was demanding attention and we were an appreciative audience. A road…
The Isle of Skye and Glencoe: Landscape Photography Skye is arguably the most popular and varied landscape photography location in Britain. And for good reason. The Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing, the Fairy Pools and Neist Point Lighthouse draw photographic pilgrims from around the world,burdened with heavy bags filled with lens, filters and a…
Shorebirds and specifically species belonging to the Heron, Oystercatcher, Plover and Sandpiper bird families are fascinating subjects for close up “portrait” photography. This field of photography appeals to me and is championed by photographers such as Melissa Groo(US) and Simon Theberge (Canada) amongst others. The evocative piping calls of shorebirds epitomise coastal shores. Probing bills…
Greatly inspired by macro photographers such as Naska Photographie(Flickr) and the charismatic Thomas Shahan(You Tube), I decided to explore macro in more depth this year. I sought a style of imagery that conveys the beauty of marshland meadows – a beauty largely hidden from view. It is not until you sit, be silent and observe…
Puglia: Photography in Gargano and Matera Puglia, the heel of the boot of Italy is a fascinating travel photography destination. We chose to tour the northern Gargano peninsula for the first 6 nights of our trip discovering the hilltops towns of Mont Sant Angelo and Vico De Gargano ,the seaside town of Vieste and Forest…
Woodland Photography in Early Summer Photographic opportunities in early summer woodlands are often overlooked. A window exists in the last week of April into the first weeks of May just before the “forty shades of green” summer lushness overwhelms all other colour. Beech trees are the first to leaf just as they are the last…
Each trip has a hook, a spark, the first thought that urges us to log on and book those flights. For Snaefellsnes in March 2017, it was not the world of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, nor the looming draw of Kirkjufell as a landscape photography icon. It was a bridge…
Lofoten, Norway: A Landscape Photographer’s Dream Due to the pioneering adventures of a few, the Lofoten Islands have become a winter magnet for landscape photographers. Light has begotten this new pilgrimage. And February is the high season. The month commences with 5 hours of daylight and ends with 10. The arc of the sun is…
Northern Spain: Seascapes and Mountains It was winter 2017 and whilst browsing the web for Icelandic landscape images, a seascape from Northern Spain was returned with a note that it reminded the photographer of Iceland. My interest was piqued. Further searches revealed other worldly sea stacks, spectacularly empty beaches, the jagged peaks of the…