Crashing Waves on the Atlantic, a Stormy Day in September in Ireland

I’ve been doing a lot of landscapes recently, the kind of days when you take the tripod, spare batteries and ND filters, really plan the image and the scene, and wait it out.

But in stormy weather that goes out the window. Tripods get blasted by the wind, gusts buffet the camera and lens, and filters get soaked by rain.

On those days, in those conditions, the Atlantic offers a lot of potential — if you can avoid the ocean spray, that is.

Here, in County Mayo, it was almost impossible to stand. It was necessary to clean the front of the lens, plan the shot, lift the camera and photograph quickly as the waves crashed over the rocks.

No surprise then that a fast shutter speed is also required — 1/640th of a second here — to capture the crashing waves and also to help avoid camera shake from the breath-taking wind.

It’s very different from those gentle mornings and evenings spent waiting for sunrise or sunset light.

But it’s a necessary skill to have, and something we cover on Panoramic Ireland’s landscape photography workshops and tours.

Join me to photograph Ireland.