On a recent morning I went to the coast for sunrise. After a long day previous saw me travelling far and wide through Northern Ireland I rested for a short while before heading out at sunrise. The coast was quiet except for passing rain showers and the gentle movement of the sea slowly retreating.

As a vast expanse of sandy foreshore was revealed numerous birds appeared and began their daily ritual of looking for food in the sand, on the rocks and on the water's edge.

I stood and watched, waiting for the passing showers to fade away. The light constantly changing and safe from the precipitation now falling over the sea, my camera was dry and capturing the scene.

Join me on a photography tour in scenic Ireland and learn to make panoramic images.

The sea stack of Dun Briste on County Mayo's north coast is one of the most spectacular scenes on a spectacular coastline stretching over 2,500km along Ireland's Atlantic seaboard.

Dun Briste or Dún Briste meaning Broken Fort in Irish refers to this small but impressive vertical island on the edge of the Atlantic. In this image, layers of rocks on the stacks exposed sides hint at a sedimentary geological origin.

The summer so far in Ireland in 2015 has been wet, cold and cloudy. Quite challenging for the landscape photographer really. And very challenging for tourists. Yes many visitors to this small island have already heard the stories of how cold and wet it is but in reality it's usually not too bad.

Coastal Landscape Photography Workshop February

The coast of Ireland is well known and justly so with long, golden sandy beaches, rugged, indented and rocky coastline with castles, cottages and mountains perched precariously looking out over the sea.

From the sheer cliffs of Slieve League in County Donegal to the world famous Cliffs of Moher in County Clare and the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, there can be no doubt that the coast of Ireland is perfect for photography.

Return to Saint John's Point - Northern Ireland's Unusual Lighthouse

The distinctive yellow and black painted lighthouse is situated on the eastern end of Dundrum Bay in County Down, Northern Ireland and differentiated from most lighthouses that are decorated in the usual black and white or just white.

Not to be confused with Saint John's Point lighthouse in County Donegal; the unusually-coloured County Down lighthouse is one of the finest in Ulster with rocky foreshore, the Mourne Mountains in the distance and its bright colour adding to the appeal of the long drive into the peninsula on which it sits.

Panoramic Ireland - Photography Classes in Ireland

This year I am running several photography classes around the coast of Ireland, from Antrim to Dingle these classes are suitable for all levels from beginner to advanced and all you need is a camera. It doesn't matter what type of camera you have, there is no snobbery here.

A beautiful morning on Dublin Bay today

Yesterday (Saturday) was nothing more than cold and damp, with rain from sunrise to sunset and beyond. One of those days when you have no motivation to leave home, thankfully those days are few and far between - even during the winter.

I was not sure if I would go to the coast this morning.

Late to bed last night and a forecast that suggested the south of Ulster would have better weather today was making me reluctant to bother.

Galway Bay, from Salthill at Sunrise - Long exposure photography

I had reason to be in Galway early this morning. With the shortening of the days my arrival before 06:30 meant that I was just in time to get the pre-sunrise light known as the blue hour. On this occasion I wanted to go to Salthill, to the Blackrock diving tower located just off the Promenade. It juts out into Galway Bay looking towards the mountains of Co. Clare on the other side.

The blue hour is that period just before the sun rises above the horizon when the sky and everything in general appears to be blue. It's beautiful, even if you aren't a photographer just to get up and head to the coast, or to a mountain where you have a good panoramic view of your surroundings. Try it sometime!

There is also a blue hour after sunset every evening, although I believe that the morning is undoubtedly the best - in the summer there is usually no one up and about that early, in the winter it is often very chilly and that makes you feel more motivated.

The blue hour is followed by the golden hour, after the sun rises. Neither really lasts for an hour, it's really a phrase to denote a length of time - it depends on your latitude and the time of year.

For the photographer, the low light at this time of day requires a tripod and a long exposure.

A visit to the coast of Ireland is a pleasure to be enjoyed at all times of the year, good weather and bad.