Pots of gold they say, that's what you will find at the end of a rainbow.

I'm not so sure, I have photographed many rainbows over the years and upon inspection have never found any gold - perhaps those pesky leprechauns got there before me.

Here, the round tower and small church of the monastic city at Glendalough are seen above the fast flowing river and underneath the rainbow. These stones must have seen plenty of rainbows and rainy weather in their almost 1,000 years in their current positions.

Rainbows can only occur when the sun is located behind the observer, when the sun is low in the sky and when there is rain or mist in the direction of view. The colours are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Sunlight enters droplets of water in the atmosphere and is reflected back, undergoing refraction as it enters and leaves the water.

Anyway, for a photographer a rainbow is a little like gold in itself, find a rainbow over any scene and it is instantly improved and if you move around to find a new angle the rainbow will be accommodating in its desire to fit neatly into the subject in front of you as seen here on Croagh Patrick in County Mayo.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, on a photography workshop in Ireland when we can travel again (in 2021) and in the meantime check back for more images, stories and news from Ireland.

The greenery of a woodland clearing is a relaxing place to stop and admire the scenery of the natural environment.

Here, a mixed woodland of native Irish trees on the left gives way to imported, planted sitka on the right, the forest here becomes dark and uninviting.

But in this small boundary area, grasses and mosses grow in the light-filled clearing and of course I found my eye drawn through the scene deeper into the deciduous woods.

Here, an ancient Irish woodland: https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/116-ancient-woodland-co-kerry-ireland

Rivers, streams, waterfalls and deciduous woodlands are a favourite photographic subject of mine and for many photographers.

Here, it is easy to see why. An old stone bridge sits spans a small river as it flows through a green, autumnal woodland before cascading over a six foot fall.

Fallen leaves and bracken add plenty of colour to the woodland floor.

While we may not be able to travel far at the moment due to travel restrictions, next year will see lots of opportunities - particularly towards the second half of the 2021.

Join one of Panoramic Ireland's private (non-group) photography workshops in 2021.

It's still autumn here in Ireland and the countryside is looking particularly scenic at the moment.

Here, a colourful scene of fallen leaves, moss-covered rocks and flowing water - a sense of calm can be felt in this place.

The river flows, and after heavy recent rains the scene will have changed, leaves washed away and rocks moved, but the sense of calm will still remain.

While the season changes, and the seasons change places like this will always be of interest to the photographer.

Reflections are an important part of landscape photography. 

Sometimes these reflections are bright and colourful and sometimes, like here, more subtle and subdued like a typical west of Ireland scene.

Join Panoramic Ireland in 2021 for landscape and cityscape photography workshops in Ireland.

Autumn arrives, the clocks have gone back in Ireland and the daylight length is now quite short.

Here, the trees have lost most of their leaves those not carried by the flow of the water remaining on the rocks and riverbanks.

This bridge is large, more than 12ft to the centre of the arch from the river below designed to take traffic across the small but steep sided valley, seen here with low flow but a raging torrent in heavy rains.

For the moment, Ireland is in Level 5 lockdown which means that travel is limited to 5km except for work, school and essential purposes - much of the countryside is looking autumnal and winter will be here by the time we exit Level 5.

Enjoy the view and don't forget to check back for more posts regularly. Here's one of beech trees and an Irish waterfall in autumn.

As I write it appears that Ireland is again heading for lockdown, the Irish government are meeting tomorrow Monday 19th October to decide on moving the country to Level 4 or Level 5, perhaps something in between.

I have just created a new voucher for a photography workshop in Dublin, and I chose the image above of a stormy morning by the coast of the capital; blue hour is well under way as crashing waves fill the rocky shore with texture, clouds racing across the sky - you can almost smell and feel the freshness of the Irish coast. 

See a previous post on vouchers here: https://panoramicireland.com/miscellaneous-blog-category/131-vouchers-for-christmas-or-birthday-presents-photo-tours

While travel overseas may be disrupted, vouchers make a good present for friends and family who want to learn more about photography on a private workshop - so without crowds; a relaxing environment to learn and enjoy the experience.

Don't forget that Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours are private, made to suit your interests and location - and we have been creating tailored tours in Ireland for 15 years.

Vouchers are available for Christmas and all year round, they are valid for several years and bookings can be made for most days of the year subject to availability. It is possible to pay for workshop vouchers in instalments so contact us to find out more.

From the coast to the mountains - a few weeks ago I headed to the coast for sunrise, the morning's forecast was for sunshine and a bright start to the day.

In reality it was dull and grey and there was no hint of a colourful sunrise.

I photographed and videoed at the Forty Foot in Dublin before making my way into the mountains.

Having checked the weather radar it looked like better weather was to be found away from Dublin.

I found the sunshine after a little rain and the morning got brighter and warmer. I stopped at a woodland stream to photograph some woodland colour and character.

Enjoy the video from the day's journey through the scenic Irish countryside.

The myth that Ireland suffers from bad weather year round, especially outside of the summer months, is definitely not true.

Autumn and Winter in Ireland can be full of fine, clear and bright weather, just like in this image from the spectacular coastline. Low tide exposes golden sands as a small stream slowly trickles towards the steady motion of small waves.

This coastline is full of sea stacks and crags and while it looks peaceful here it can be stormy too.

Join Panoramic Ireland for a private photography workshop in Ireland from the Causeway Coast to the Copper Coast or anywhere else.

Sometimes it's just as simple as this, the sun goes down and you're in the right location.

Here, the Atlantic and the sunset fast approaches. The sun appears from behind a thick band of cloud just before it sets in the west on the autumn equinox when day and night are of equal length because the Sun moves across the equator.

In 2024 the autumn equinox is at 13:44 on September 22nd.

The days have of course been getting shorter since the summer solstice but here at the autumn equinox summer truly leaves us in Ireland and the shorter days are balanced out by longer nights.

The sun will of course rise in the east again on the following morning but we will see less and less of Earth's lifegiver until December 21st when the day length reaches its shortest.

Join Panoramic Ireland on a photography workshop, in person or virtually, in Ireland during 2024 and 2025.