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 great images. I just...

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 light well and,...

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, harsh light and...