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.

Blue hour and golden hour are the ideal times of day for coastal landscape photography.

Here, a small sea stack and vertical cliffs on Ireland's Atlantic coast catch the end of the evening's direct light, the warmth of which lends its name to the time of day - the golden hour as the light half of the year ends in Ireland.

Panoramic Ireland run seascape and landscape photography classes, workshops and tours all year round and right through the winter in Ireland.

To find out more use the contact page or email me.

There's a magic to be had photographing landscapes, a dependence upon the weather and, at the coast, the tide.

Planning for time of day, to catch the golden hour and the tide at the right time of course takes some of the uncertainty away but the Irish weather can provide interesting challenges.

As I mentioned in a previous post, in Irish tradition the winter has started with the beginning of the dark half of the year after Halloween.

But that doesn't mean that Ireland is not a destination for off season travel, on the contrary, with fewer crowds and some of the best light the months of November through to March are ideal for seascape photography in Ireland.

Here as well as shooting with the sun, we turned to photograph the sea cliffs with the sun setting behind.

It is a difficult photograph to shoot a landscape like this contre-jour but the movement and colour in the sky, coupled with some good post-processing has resulted in a fine image that is in contrast to shooting with the sun and its clear light (image coming soon in a subsequent post).

Making use of the texture and feeling of this deserted Irish beach at sunset.

I will be regularly running seascape photography workshops throughout the winter in Ireland, for more information contact me through the contact page or send me an email (up at the top of the page).

It was high summer. the start of August and after photographing a river woodland I stopped to photograph this scene.

In front of me, on this hot day in the Irish countryside, a long scene of distant heather-clad mountains with green lower slopes and a vast field of golden barley.

A big sky filled with clouds allowed a little blue to show.

At the same time I photographed bees and thistles.

A few weeks later I saw a tweet, of an Irish painter that I had not heard of before, referencing a landscape from County Mayo in Ireland's west. It was Across the Bog, Mayo by Jeremiah Hoad.

And I was struck by the similarities between this fine oil painting of an Irish bogland scene and my own recent image of the barley field with mountains.

Summer, or the light half of the year, ends at Halloween or more accurately, Samhain, in the Irish tradition.

Here, a sunset seascape from the Irish coast as the light half of the year ends, the Celtic new year begins and although this will be the dark half of the year, the light will be fantastic.

While daylength shortens now until the winter solstice on December 21st, what light we do get is often bright, clear and colourful. 

On those rainy, cloudy days where the sun really doesn't make an appearance the light is still great for photography.

Autumn, winter and spring are perfect seasons for photography and with the added bonus of fewer tourists, Ireland in winter should be a photographer's preference.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to learn how to photograph and to see Ireland. Tours and workshops available all year round.

If you are travelling through the streets of Galway you may well spot this unusual house with its horseshoe-shaped windows.

The quirky building was owned by horse-mad local man Michael Cunniss who spoke with Ireland's national broadcaster RTE in 1982.

A man before his time, Michael complained to the RTE reporter about the "...smelly old cars going along the road..." and he even kept a horse in the house that could watch TV through a hatch in to the living room.

It is common enough even today to see old forge buildings with horseshoe shaped doorways but nowhere else have I seen windows in this style.

Have you seen this house, or another similar?

Autumn sunlight and the scenery of a tree tunnel of yew.

Ireland is full of scenic roadways, avenues of fine trees but some are more impressive than others.

Obviously I am talking about the Dark Hedges in County Antrim, and yet as here above there are many other equally beautiful avenues to walk through in Ireland.

What would have been Dublin's tallest building, to be built on the former City Arts Centre, seen here above on the left - the red brick building, has been refused planning permission by Dublin City Council.

In the image above the proposed building would continue out the top of the scene. 

Dublin City Council found that the proposed building would have a significantly detrimental visual impact on the River Liffey and its vistas.

Grant Thornton, the City Quay National School and the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin were amongst the principal objectors to the development.

The character of Dublin's most iconic building, the Custom House, would also be seriously impacted by the scale of the proposed development.

It seems in Dublin, that despite the city's traditional low height building policy, developers are trying to build high in the characterful city and not in the suburbs or urban fringe.

Ireland's national airline, Aer Lingus has announced pretty good deals for travel from Boston to Shannon in the west of Ireland and New York (JFK) to Dublin.

Return flights and car hire giving you six nights in Ireland start at $499 per person including taxes and charges and these prices can be used for travel all through the winter and spring 2023.

The price is based on two people sharing a car and travelling together but what a perfect way to see Ireland, with a friend travelling around the quiet backroads outside of the tourist season, to photograph scenes like those below.

But you only have until October 14th to book the Aer Lingus flights, take a little longer to think about a Panoramic Ireland photography tour.

For extra, flights from other US cities can be booked as can an automatic car if the manual (stick shift) option doesn't appeal.

Ireland is a fine place in the off season, so enjoy the above collage of autumn, winter and spring images as well as the gallery below.

While you are travelling around in your hire car why not meet up with me for a half day or full day to photograph the colourful Irish countryside where you are in the quieter months.

To find out more send me an email or use the Contact form.

Panoramic Ireland's photography tours and workshops operate all year round in Ireland, see the Emerald Isle without the tourists.

Find out more about the Aer Lingus deals here.

Autumn is upon us here in Ireland, we have passed the autumn equinox and now the length of daylight is shorter than night.

Last week I was photographing in County Roscommon at the inaugural Night and Day Festival which featured Irish and international artists - more to come on that soon.

This week I have been photographing in some woodlands in the Irish countryside, the weather was a little challenging but the workshop with NS from Virginia, a first time visitor to Ireland, went well as we covered long exposure photography and how to photograph colourful scenes.

Here we left the woodland to photograph along a wide, fast-flowing river to another section of colourful woods on the opposite bank. This is a scene that looks best in the autumn months.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph Ireland's rivers, woodlands and countryside in autumn, winter, spring and summer.