Wicklow is not short of scenic locations for photography and one of the most scenic of them all is Ballinastoe Woods.

Here, a boardwalk ascends through the forest, part of a long walking route through the mountains and Irish countryside.

It's easy to imagine this place as enchanted, inhabited perhaps by a púca, one of the mythological creatures in Irish and European folklore.

Soft clear light, soft red pine needles and soft green moss add to the atmosphere of the woods as a special place, as seen here in autumn.

Mischievous in nature and seen as wicked or benevolent depending on the story, there is no doubt that an encounter with a púca would be very eventful.

As we reach Hallowe'en, based on the Irish festival of Samhain at the end of October, we arrive at the traditional day of that cheeky púca on November 1st.

So, as you leave the brighter parts of the woods take care in those darker, quiet areas for it might not be a badger that you encounter but a naughty púca; treat it with respect and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Here's another enchanted woodland that I photographed: https://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/116-ancient-woodland-co-kerry-ireland

Sidelighting in Ireland's Wicklow Mountains.

The scenic wilderness of the Wicklow mountain landscape is quite unlike anywhere else in Ireland, especially when combined with unusual cloud and weather patterns.

Here, sidelighting from late evening sunshine breaks through high cloud and illuminates the remote valleys.

2023 is a good year to visit Ireland, join Panoramic Ireland to photograph in Wicklow as well as Connemara, Dingle and Antrim's Giant's Causeway.

Polarising filters are probably the most important filters in photography. 

To understand when to use polarisers, it is important to understand reflectance.

Simply put, reflectance is defined as a "measure of the ability of a surface to reflect light or other electromagnetic radiation". 

While the polariser hasn't changed the amount of light leaving the surface of the an object, in this case bracken on the hillside, it has remained the same - but the polariser has prevented some of that light from reaching the lens and sensor.

In this case, the striking green landscape of Ireland's Wicklow Mountains, we can easily see the difference between the polarised and non-polarised image.

Ireland's Wicklow Mountains are scenic throughout the year, in any season.

Seen here in winter with a little snow in the distance, the colour red dominates the wild landscape under a blue sky. Although Ireland is mostly green, even through the winter, there are places that are less so.

If you are looking for something to do close to Dublin when you are in Ireland, take Panoramic Ireland's Wicklow Photography Workshop to see and photograph this stupendous county.

For more information contact me.

Summer in Ireland, it's a fine season - warm winds, long days and occasionally a heat that envelops everything. It isn't the first thing people think of when they think of Ireland; usually changeable conditions and rain is what comes to mind, not the 31C-plus temperatures that the island has seen in July 2021.

In most years there is a balance, warm days and mild nights; rain followed by sunshine and so on. This year we have had a cold and wet start to spring and summer, but the second half of July 2021 has made up for a lot of that with record breaking temperatures across the northern half of Ireland.

From a scenic drive through the Wicklow Mountains on a fine, summer's day.

The long and open road looks almost plonked down across the sloping, almost treeless landscape of the Irish countryside only 40 minutes from Dublin City.

This road, closed due to snow in winter and melting under scorching sun in the summer, is a fine example of the scenic drives in Ireland.

Join Panoramic Ireland for a photography tour/workshop/experience in the scenic Irish countryside in 2021, 2022 and beyond.

I have written about almost-treeless landscapes in Ireland before, usually upland areas such as here in the Wicklow Mountains.

And here, two old sycamore trees stand together alone above the boggy terrain, in bad weather providing shelter for sheep as seen in this image.

Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus is not native to Ireland, thought to have been introduced from Europe before the 17th century being first recorded in Derry in 1610, it has now become widely naturalised and is one of Ireland's most common trees.

Sycamore is a strong and sturdy tree, able to withstand all that the Irish weather can deliver.

We have had a lot of snow so far this year but not all winter days in the Irish mountains are white with deep drifts, here in the Wicklow Mountains deer stop on the frosty-white uplands.

A brief moment of calm before they bound and leap across the terrain deeply cut from centuries of peat or turf cutting.

Herds of deer do roam throughout Ireland, particularly in the mountains such as Wicklow where there is an extensive upland with little human habitation and agriculture.

Well, the time has finally arrived, it's time for Panoramic Ireland's final post for 2020.

The year started so well, with a lot of promise then quickly descended into a state of...not so good.

So it's time to bring some hope into the new year and look forward to a better year, starting with January.

I would normally do a review of the year at this time but, well you know how it is. Actually I did photograph some interesting scenes this year but not nearly as many as usual.

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.

Ireland is a small country, there is no doubt about that but it has surprising variation in geography across its landscape of 486km by 275km.

Here, one of the best known mountains in the country - especially around Dublin - is the Sugarloaf, the tallest peak seen here just right of centre.

This image comes from winter, on a Panoramic Ireland photography workshop in the Irish mountains.