Silhouettes often make a useful tool in photography, strong lines breaking the horizon or the shape of a majestic tree outlined against the colour of an evening sky.

Silhouettes serve to show off the sky, the photographer exposing for the highlights rather than the shadows to allow the shapes of the subject to come into its own.

A scene from the west of Ireland as storm clouds roll in.

Ireland's weather is variable, the country is influenced by westerly winds from the Atlantic predominantly but is also subject to Arctic and Siberian influences.

On a recent roadtrip through the Irish countryside, I found a fine field of rapeseed, also known as canola - one of the most widely grown plants used for cooking oils derived from its seed.

With a fine blue spring sky overhead and a bright wide field of golden flowers the colours reminded of the traditional colours of County Tipperary, one of Ireland's most scenic counties; and how appropriate because I was in County Tipperary at the time. The county's sports teams often play with blue and gold striped jerseys, particularly the Tipperary GAA team.

It was also one of the first days that I have been exploring with my camera since starting chemotherapy.

The coast of Ireland is perfect for landscape or seascape photography, and perfect for relaxation too.

Here, a stormy Atlantic sunset over County Kerry's Blasket Islands makes you just want to stop and watch. Which is what we did on a photo tour to Ireland's most westerly peninsula, Dingle.

Join me on a photography day course at Northern Ireland's fine Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Learn more about when to use various settings on your camera - Av / Tv or S / M and how to choose which settings given the conditions.

Learn how to use filters, specifically for coastal landscapes and how to plan for the weather.

The schedule is varied depending on the season, weather on the day and due to other factors but we will organise the day to suit each of these elements.

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.

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.

The Beauty of Sunset in Dublin

I often get asked what the weather is like in Dublin or in Ireland.

It's difficult to predict, the weather, but one thing is for sure - the weather here is a lot better than you might think, particularly for the photographer.

Autumn, is there a more colourful time of year?

Here on a photography workshop we set out to find colourful woodlands and streams, here we found the perfect combination of both.

The day was long and we visited the coast at sunrise, followed by a foray into the woods of Ireland's interior.

We made the coast our main focus but how could we have resisted the colourful charms of this woodland scene? Would you pass on this one?