The waterfall in autumn is a photographer's dream, heavy rainfall, colourful leaves and fewer tourists mean a more scenic adventure and better images to be made.

Here is one case in point, taken during a damp, dark few days in autumn.

I spent an hour walking along trails, following the signs towards the waterfall - until the signs stopped.

I'm a photographer, I'm also a tour leader, geographer and explorer.

I was thinking today about exploration and how, sometimes, a day's exploration can bring unexpected results.

Here, a short walk along a riverbank turned into more of an adventure than I had planned on, traversing the river and climbing over rocks brought me to this picturesque section of the watercourse, lined with autumnal leaves and this fallen tree that made for a good place to stop and set up my tripod.

Sunsets are often bright and colourful in Ireland, and on this occasion it was one of the most impressive that I have photographed.

Here, during a photography workshop covering sunset landscapes in the west of Ireland we encountered this scene with colourful clouds and open blue sky along with an orange sun.

Killarney is one of Ireland's most scenic places, here the famous lakes and mountains just outside of town are looking great at sunset on a cloudy day.

Finishing up on a recent photography workshop in the Irish countryside we spotted some interesting clouds heading towards the obscured sun.

Waiting for a few moments brought scenes like this, with sun rays bursting out in all directions as if search beams scanning the countryside.

This week's image of the week is this one of a storm cloud and low sunshine in Ireland.

Check back next week for the next image of the week from Panoramic Ireland.

A photography evening on the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The majestic Cliffs of Moher, jewel of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way seen here on a sunny evening's sunset as the golden rays of sunlight illuminate the 200-plus metres elevation of shale and sandstone sedimentary rocks.

The Cliffs of Moher have long been one of Ireland's most popular natural sights and tourist attractions with over 1,500,000 visitors per year, and rightly so. The 9 miles / 14 kilometres of cliffs catch the bright evening's sunlight as it streams across the wide expanse of Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs along with the nearby Burren are a UNESCO Geopark.

There may be millions visiting the cliffs but here on this evening it was just two of us who were photographing and what a sight! We were briefly joined by a tourist in from New Jersey on his first visit to Ireland and who had been photographing earlier along the stunning coastline.

Zigzag clouds in the morning - altocumulus undulatus above the west of Ireland.

Over the years I have photographed many types of clouds but this is one of the most interesting skies that I have trained my camera on.

Early morning in July on Galway Bay and the diving tower at Salthill saw the formation of this dramatic skyscape but it was not until we got to Lough Corrib with its calm waters reflecting the unusual clouds above that the scene looked so impressive as to make you stop and breathe it all in. A moment never to be repeated, unusual enough that in 20 years of photographing the Irish landscape I have never seen similar before.

The landscapes of Ireland are renowned for their verdure. In a typical year the summer temperatures rarely exceed 30C and in winter mild temperatures mean little hard ice and snow.

This is not a typical year however, a harsh winter with several major snow and ice events and now a long heatwave with little rain since the end of May mean that typically lush scenes look yellow and brown like in this image above.

Many trees are now also turning autumnal with green leaves changing to brown, hedgerows with fuchsia and montbretia usually ablaze with reds and oranges too are lacklustre.

Most people are saying that it was in 1976 when they last had a summer like this and certainly the summers of late haven't had anything more than a day or two at a time of good weather.

It's quite amazing really, not a need to bring a rain jacket and often 16C overnight meaning that the countryside is warm enough to enjoy in the evening without long sleeves.

Photographically it is a challenge as many of the days so far have had only bright blue skies without clouds for interest and contrast in the landscape.

And of course that famous green has disappeared, for now. I'm sure it will be back when the rain and cooler temperatures return.

Panoramic Ireland's photo tours are available in Galway, Dublin, Cork and everywhere else in Ireland, join me and learn how to photograph the beauty of Ireland's landscapes.