I wrote last year about the end of winter, the green of spring and in that post I used an image of shamrocks with water droplets.

Just today, Saint Patrick's Day (17th March) I photographed a similar scene of water droplets on leaves and the bright sunlight glints in the fresh raindrops.

Shamrocks are of course a well known symbol of Ireland made famous, the legend goes, by Saint Patrick who used the three leaves on one stem to explain the Christian Holy Trinity to the Irish pagans that he was converting.

Street photography is an interesting pursuit, often requiring more patience than landscape photography.

Street photography often suits inclement weather, but more often than not it suits bright, sunshiny, direct light.

The softness of the Irish landscape is here complemented by the softness of the Irish weather.

A chilly start to the day before the sun warmed the green and grey of the west of Ireland, clouds gently lifted from the lake towards the weathered mountain tops.

And then, on we go capturing scenes from this scenic part of the world.

Join me to photograph the west of Ireland, all year round.

Northern Ireland's most photographed road, the Dark Hedges on Bregagh Road known to many Game of Thrones fans around the world as the King's Road needs little introduction.

It is a scenic, leafy avenue of beech trees close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Giant's Causeway.

It is also a place that I enjoy photographing in, even with the challenges of overtourism that have blighted this leafily scenic route to the coast.

Sunsets are a strange thing, amazing to watch and enjoy yet many feel that they are not worthy of a place in landscape photography.

It's an interesting idea, the concept of not photographing one of the most spectacular, and common, natural events that you can witness.

Never the same twice, the sunset can give us plenty to think about as photographers of landscapes, as artists and as travellers in a foreign land and opportunities to work on photographic and artistic skills.

Panoramic Ireland, that's me by the way - my name is Darren, create photography workshops and tours in Ireland.

My private and small group tours and workshops are designed to work with your schedule and your interests, to help improve your image making skills or to show you the best, mostly hidden, places in Ireland.

Because my tours are private, it can be a combination of all of the above.

Learn how to make better landscape images with me, a professional travel photographer who has worked with the biggest names in international publishing, photographed many of the world's biggest bands and has been exploring Ireland ever since (and before actually) graduating with a Bsc Hons in Geography.

From Fair Head to Mizen Head, the Antrim Coast to County Cork, Dublin to Galway - each and every corner of Ireland.

And of course please feel free to ask any questions.

I look forward to seeing you in Ireland with your camera in hand!

Crepuscular rays shining from behind late evening clouds in the west of Ireland

Towards sunset or sunrise as the angle of sunlight is low in the sky, rays shining across the sky illuminating dust in the atmosphere create crepuscular rays, a series of parallel beams of light that appear to converge on or indeed emerge from the sun.

The upper rays seen here, beaming across the sky are crepuscular rays.

Green Reflections

There's something about reflections and photography, don't you think?

From street photography to landscapes via architecture, reflections feature in all genres of photography.

The beauty of landscapes, it's not just the famous places that should attract the photographer's attention.

In fact, the hidden places are what makes Ireland an amazing landscape photography destination.

Those famous places are without doubt, scenically stunning - the Giant's Causeway in my own native county for instance, the Dingle Peninsula - Ireland's most westerly point, both of these places are amazingly beautiful and amongst the most scenic in the world. Ireland has no shortage of world-class scenic locations but most of them are not well known.

Winter has been mild so far this year in Ireland, we haven't yet seen the snow and cold temperatures of early 2018; trees, shrubs and flowers that don't normally show much signs of spring growth are now sprouting and flowering.

Here, plenty of colour from crocus flowers seen with raindrops after a little rain.

Despite it still actually being winter, these flowers are providing a colourful addition to the Irish countryside.

It's a time of year full of inspiration as nature slowly returns to brighten up Ireland.

Join me to photograph flowers, landscapes and city streets in 2019.