Wild  Willow   Ways 

On a recent morning walk I visited Fernhill House & Gardens, a former family residence on 34 hectares of land, situated on the outskirts of Dublin city. The small estate dates back to around 1823 and it is now a Public Park, comprising heritage buildings, gardens, parkland, mature woodland, agricultural land, a number of walks and a recently completed woodland adventure playground. My intention was to have a fun morning of photography, with no pressure to come home with grea

When I first started photography, I mainly focused on landscapes because I thought that was what most photographers did. My photographs were never the classic postcard landscapes. They were usually local scenes with water, trees, perhaps a distant mountain, or coastal views with cliffs, shoreline and, when I was lucky, crashing waves. I soon realised, however, that landscape photography depends on several things: choosing strong subjects, composing carefully, using available

In a recent post, I mentioned that I sometimes find summer photography challenging. This year, I decided to respond by creating a project centred on summer images. After almost two months, the project has already brought several unexpected rewards. The biggest shift has been in my mindset: instead of feeling restricted by summer, I now see it as a season with many different qualities, all of which can be explored through photography. Summer is not only about vibrant greens, h

You might be interested in watching a recent video from UK based photographer Greg Howard (linked below) in which he discusses how the ‘surprise value’ is what makes our photography unique. Greg’s work inspires me to be more authentic as a photographer: to photograph what genuinely interests me rather than what I think others expect to see. In the video, Greg had just returned from Canada, where he had seen sights he had wanted to experience for years. Yet, when he reviewed h

It is probably true to say that most photographers like to photograph beauty. Many will travel long distances to capture a shot of a stunning vista in an epic location while others will seek out ‘honeypot’ locations nearer home. Photographers seek subjects cast in beautiful light; they photograph pretty views and positive aspects of life while so called ‘ugly’ or mundane subjects are rejected by the majority. But there are photographers who don’t prioritize these types of pho

Many photographers don’t like summer for photography, particularly landscape photography. I heard one photographer recently saying that compared to autumn, and even winter, summer is ‘too green’ with no variety of colour. You may or may not agree with this view, but summer does pose some legitimate challenges for photography. Harsh light is one problem. As the sun is high in the sky for most of the day in summer it makes colours look flat and washed out. Harsh light also crea

Recently, I visited an eighteenth-century castle that is just a short drive from my home. I brought my camera along with the intention of doing some photography. I have been to this castle many times. I have walked in the grounds, taken a tour of the interior of the castle, visited exhibitions held there and frequently met friends for coffee in the castle coffee shop. But I have not taken my camera there recently so I decided to go there solely with the purpose of doing photo

What do you do when you come across a familiar object in an unexpected place? Do you... Wonder where it came from? Smile to yourself? Ignore it? I take a photograph. We're lost! Just hanging around. Living on the street. Can't find my way home. When you can't stand the heat...! Back soon! Off road! Fancy meeting you here. Have you ever photographed familiar objects in unexpected places? if not, why not challenge yourself to find some examples.

I have often mentioned the value of always having a photography project on the go. It helps keep your photography motivated, it stimulates creativity, it improves your skills and it provides you with new and interesting subjects. I have a few projects that I return to constantly. One is the Small Towns project, which encourages me to stop in small towns and photograph the unique features of the town. This project is ongoing and as such provides ongoing motivation. Another pro

Do you have to like the subjects you photograph? Recently I have seen several YouTube videos which have discussed this question. I think makes for an interesting discussion and it has caused me to pause and think about my own response to the question. In my photography I have been naturally drawn to beauty in the subjects I photograph. I love to capture light and shadow, reflections, colour, contrast, examples of the wonder of nature and interesting elements of the human and