It's still autumn here in Ireland and the countryside is looking particularly scenic at the moment.

Here, a colourful scene of fallen leaves, moss-covered rocks and flowing water - a sense of calm can be felt in this place.

The river flows, and after heavy recent rains the scene will have changed, leaves washed away and rocks moved, but the sense of calm will still remain.

While the season changes, and the seasons change places like this will always be of interest to the photographer.

As I write it appears that Ireland is again heading for lockdown, the Irish government are meeting tomorrow Monday 19th October to decide on moving the country to Level 4 or Level 5, perhaps something in between.

I have just created a new voucher for a photography workshop in Dublin, and I chose the image above of a stormy morning by the coast of the capital; blue hour is well under way as crashing waves fill the rocky shore with texture, clouds racing across the sky - you can almost smell and feel the freshness of the Irish coast. 

See a previous post on vouchers here: https://panoramicireland.com/miscellaneous-blog-category/131-vouchers-for-christmas-or-birthday-presents-photo-tours

While travel overseas may be disrupted, vouchers make a good present for friends and family who want to learn more about photography on a private workshop - so without crowds; a relaxing environment to learn and enjoy the experience.

Don't forget that Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours are private, made to suit your interests and location - and we have been creating tailored tours in Ireland for 15 years.

Vouchers are available for Christmas and all year round, they are valid for several years and bookings can be made for most days of the year subject to availability. It is possible to pay for workshop vouchers in instalments so contact us to find out more.

The myth that Ireland suffers from bad weather year round, especially outside of the summer months, is definitely not true.

Autumn and Winter in Ireland can be full of fine, clear and bright weather, just like in this image from the spectacular coastline. Low tide exposes golden sands as a small stream slowly trickles towards the steady motion of small waves.

This coastline is full of sea stacks and crags and while it looks peaceful here it can be stormy too.

Join Panoramic Ireland for a private photography workshop in Ireland from the Causeway Coast to the Copper Coast or anywhere else.

I wrote a few weeks ago about that magical moment on top of Croagh Patrick with a wide open panorama and brocken spectre - an atmospheric phenomenon.

You can read about that here, this was on that same fine climb with the plains of Mayo spread out below, the long stony path leading up into the cloud line and the landscape that awaits beyond.

For me photography is about capturing moments and creating a sense of place - Ireland really is my place, from the western landscapes to urban Dublin.

And with my cancer journey over the past two years it has been places and moments like this that keeps spirits high, sometimes reminiscing and sometimes getting out into the countryside to photograph.

Weather plays a big part in outdoor photography, here the evening was cloudy and getting dark after a decent amount of sunlight during the day.

With little hope for sunlight we instead hoped for some interesting clouds and we weren't disappointed. There was plenty of movement and gaps in the cloud cover.

Blue hour came a little early but was well received.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph in Ireland's West and anywhere else in the Irish countryside.

A fine day over part of Ireland today, and a lot of rain too ahead of Storm Ellen which will bring strong winds to the west and south of the island.

I was in both parts, rain and sun. I've had my first CT scan of 2020 and bloods taken for tumour marker tests - again the first of this year as COVID-19 interrupted cancer checkup services.

So after somewhat of a damp day I was glad to see some bright, warm sunshine and stopped to photograph this scene of a laneway leading across the fields past these fine ash trees as the sun gets lower in the sky creating a starburst.

It made me wonder, on this day of contemplation, was I the only person to stop and photograph this scene? Several cars passed, a cyclist as well but no-one slowed down to look at what I was photographing.

A Good long time ago now here on panoramicireland.com I posted A View Over Dublin, showing the city and some of its locations.

In that image, Dublin Port is just visible to the right hand side but the Irish Sea and Dublin Bay isn't; so I thought why not a view of the Irish capital in its famous surroundings of the Bay and the Irish Sea.

In this image above a scene over Dublin Port, Dun Laoghaire, Howth (the headland just right of centre) and Ireland's Eye beyond. Dollymount Strand is also clearly visible. Dublin Bay is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

This image also contains an interesting clue as to when it was taken, if you can guess what that is then send me an email with your answer and you could win one of my private photography tours of Dublin.

Answers should be received no later than 23:59 Irish Time on September 5th 2020 - so get those eyes working.

I have written about Connemara here on panoramicireland.com many times before, including here.

It's a place that I know well, a place that I have photographed many times. Often I have stood in the rain, capturing the misty scenes of this part of Ireland, many times I have captured fine sunsets and explored the region's beauty.

Here a scene of fast moving clouds and ruffled water zooms past a tree-laden island and barren mountainside, a riot of colour.

A storm rolls in from the northwest, across the North Atlantic towards the Sea of Moyle and in the distance the islands of the west of Scotland - Islay and Jura amongst others.

In the foreground sits Rathlin Island, one of the largest islands off the coast of Ireland.

The last warm colour of the evening's daylight fades as deep cloud fills the sky and rain obscures the horizon.

The Sea of Moyle sits between the northern part of Antrim, known as Moyle and stretches across to Scotland at the Mull of Kintyre. It forms part of the North Channel, that part of the Irish Sea north of the Isle of Man to the north coast of Northern Ireland, where the Irish Sea meets the open Atlantic again.

Interestingly the North Channel was the scene of the first success by the United States Navy under the command of John Paul Jones and his ship the USS Ranger against the HMS Drake in 1778. A battle almost took place in Carrickfergus before both ships met again a few days later in the East Antrim town on the 24th of April. Jones and his reluctant crew, in it for the money but not glory, successfully defeated HMS Drake after blasting the sails and masts to slow it down. The British ship had superior numbers but was poorly crewed and its guns were not in good working order.

John Paul Jones was from Scotland and along with Commodore John Barry from Wexford in Ireland is considered a founding father of the United States Navy.

The Sea of Moyle, as seen in the above image, was the location of one of the three places where the Children of King Lir were banished to live as swans for 300-years by their evil stepmother - a famous story in Irish mythology.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph the scenes, seascapes and landscapes of the Antrim Coast, Wicklow, Galway and all points in between.

The old farmhouse sits, slowly decaying amongst trees planted by former inhabitants of this bleak place; in an almost treeless landscape in the Irish mountains.

I visited on a recent sunny afternoon, the fine cut sandstone absorbing late day sunshine colour, grass slowly subsuming those stones fallen onto the ground in a gradual softening and reclaiming of the man-made scene.

Here, the only shade in the entire mountain range was to be found under these lush green leaves as a strong westerly wind whistled past.

Panoramic Ireland's photography tours aren't running just yet but will return soon, join us for a photography workshop in summer 2021 here in Ireland - in Dublin, the Antrim Coast, Galway and beyond.

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