Nature is strange, here I was marvelling at the allium flowers just opened, and thinking about photographing them, when I spotted what at first appeared to be ladybirds of some kind.

But they were unlike any ladybird I had ever seen, they were brown, white and yellow without spots and not particularly shiny.

It isn't well known but the founder of Argentina's navy was an Irishman, and not a descendent of Irish immigrants to the South American country but he left Foxford in rural County Mayo in Ireland's west when he was just nine years old in 1786.

After many years at sea on the US Atlantic coast, he worked up to the rank of captain before being press-ganged by the British Royal Navy. The Royal Navy were engaged in attempts to block the USA from trading with France with whom the British were at war.

We might be restricted right now from moving too far from home but if you have a garden, balcony or window box then and some flowers then the chances are you have bees visiting.

Here the white-tailed bumblebee Bombus lucorum sits on rosemary flowers on a sunny day. I wrote about bumblebees back in February in regards to the traditional start of Irish Spring, Saint Brigid's Day.

Keep an eye out for more bee images to come here on Panoramic Ireland.

Nestled on the banks of the River Suir bordering Tipperary and Waterford lies a small graveyard, old and overgrown like so many in Ireland.

I visited this quiet and peaceful place in Spring 2020 just a few weeks before the lockdown.

Here at Churchtown the Sun was shining, the birds tweeting and spring flowers were growing.

The grave of Tipperary man, world record holding athlete and founder of Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Davin, is hard to miss with prominence over the River Suir.

As we all know by now, Coronavirus or COVID-19 is affecting life in all parts of the world, here in Ireland the situation is no different.

But the plan by the Irish Government to relax the lockdown restrictions in stages does offer hope for life to begin to return to some degree of normality.

It would appear that by July 20th Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours will be running again, albeit with all the physical distancing that being in the open air allows - lots of course!

Scenes like the one above await!

Panoramic Ireland can meet you anywhere in Ireland and organise a day of photography to suit your travels or your locale, from Fair Head to Mizen Head; urban Dublin to rural Sligo.

And of course it is possible to make a provisional booking, with no deposit required until closer to the time - just contact me for more information.

In the meantime if you can't make it to Ireland, are based overseas or are not able to travel inside Ireland then why not take an online photography session with Panoramic Ireland, that's me, to learn how to improve your photographic skills, improve your artistic vision and learn more about Lightroom and Photoshop.

Ireland's waterfalls are often famous, places such as Torc and Glenariff are Ireland's best known and most visited.

Here, one of Ireland's lesser known and least visited waterfalls, a veil of water falling over a precipice in the Irish countryside.

Green moss, hard edges and fine water - Ireland's hidden places are worthy of attention as well.

After the Coronavirus pandemic join one of Panoramic Ireland's photography tours and workshops in the Irish countryside to learn how to photograph waterfalls, the coast, people and wildlife.

Few autumn landscape scenes can be more alluring to the photographer than a woodland stream with waterfall.

Here in Tollymore, one of Northern Ireland's most scenic forest parks, these elements combine beautifully at the beginning of autumn as water falls between the stepping stones on the River Shimna under a canopy of bright green gently beginning to fade towards the reds, yellows and browns of autumn.

No wonder then that the producers of Game of Thrones, HBO, chose this location to film some of the famous TV show, Northern Ireland being home to most of the filming.

And no wonder it is a place that Panoramic Ireland visits often, when travel restarts why not join me at the famous forest park or along the coast of County Down close by.

Despite the Coronavirus pandemic stifling access to the countryside in April 2020, nature continues on and the green hillside landscapes of Ireland are looking lush right now.

Green is of course the colour most people associate with Ireland with its fields of grass, hedgerows and woodlands filled with deciduous and coniferous trees.

Sometimes it is misty and rugged like this scene, sometimes bright and lush like this one.

While we can't get out and about with current restrictions, it is possible to take a private, one-to-one photography session online with Panoramic Ireland, that's me by the way, via this page: https://panoramicireland.com/photography-workshops-ireland/online-photography-class-tutorial-professional-photographer

Shelter from the elements is often provided by the canopy of a woodland, but when you have a fine old stone bridge it gives even more than shelter from rain and wind, it provides shade and a frame to set the scene.

The small river was fast flowing and deeper than my wellies in places, rocky and clear but under the bridge there was a small area to set up my tripod away from the riverine vibrations.

Photographing in the Irish countryside doesn't always mean the famous locations, many parts of Ireland are scenic and perfect for improving your photographic techniques.

Join me on an online photography session to learn how to photograph better and learn how to organise and edit your images.

Find out more here: https://panoramicireland.com/photography-workshops-ireland/online-photography-class-tutorial-professional-photographer

We can't journey as much through the Irish countryside right now with current restrictions on movement.

Here an image that makes me keen to get back out into the green, mountainous scenery of Ireland.

It makes me think of this quote from On the Road by Jack Kerouac:

“All he needed was a wheel in his hand and four on the road.”

While many of us are at home looking through image archives it makes for a good time to learn and to improve photography, why not join me on a private online photography class to cover any topics you want - from Lightroom (tone curve, sharpening, exposure adjustments, presence etc), managing image libraries, Photoshop, planning photographic projects and critique of images and portfolios. 

Find out more here: https://panoramicireland.com/photography-workshops-ireland/online-photography-class-tutorial-professional-photographer

So if you can't join me on one of my photography tours and workshops in Ireland, why not join me online using whatever video app you prefer.