On a recent photography tour in Cobh, County Cork we stopped to photograph the town's best known features - the hilly seaside street with colourfully-painted houses known as the Deck of Cards, and the lofty Saint Colman's Cathedral.

It was my first time visiting the seaside town since before the lockdown began in March 2020 and within moments it became obvious that something had changed since I took my last image. The previously colourful street had lost much of its character with recent colour changes.

From yellow, orange and red - bright, bold colours that clash with the blue and turquoise just a few doors away - to grey, beige and some other indescribable colour; becoming almost identically non-descript.

It's almost as if the owners hate their homes being photographed so much that they have decided to paint them some horrible colour to discourage the camera-wielding tourists.

Reflections are an important part of landscape photography. 

Sometimes these reflections are bright and colourful and sometimes, like here, more subtle and subdued like a typical west of Ireland scene.

Join Panoramic Ireland in 2021 for landscape and cityscape photography workshops in Ireland.

Dublin's Forty Foot is one of the most famous swimming spots in Ireland, and possibly the world.

With recent visitors including Matt Damon, Loudon Wainwright III and of course me, the Forty or 40-Foot also featured in James Joyce's Ulysses.

I have of course written here on Panoramic Ireland about the 40-foot, where I mentioned that the water is definitely not 40 feet deep. The name of this small coastal area in Sandycove comes from the 40th Regiment of Foot, a regiment of the British Army that were stationed here.

Ireland is usually seen as the Emerald Isle, with its abundance of green landscapes and old buildings.

Weather plays a big part in the mood of the Irish countryside, and often the conditions make it difficult to photograph those stereotypical, iconic scenes.

Soft scenes like this, with waves washing gently over pebbles below a grey sky - most of the green here seen in the colour of the ocean, make up a large part of the landscape photographer's collection in Ireland.

For when the weather isn't quite a s good as it should be.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to learn how to photograph coastal landscape scenes like these.

July 2020 sees the return of Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops.

For the time being these will be run on a one-to-one or small group basis, with you and your friends.

Improve your photography, landscapes and seascapes on Ireland's fine coast.

We can't journey as much through the Irish countryside right now with current restrictions on movement.

Here an image that makes me keen to get back out into the green, mountainous scenery of Ireland.

It makes me think of this quote from On the Road by Jack Kerouac:

“All he needed was a wheel in his hand and four on the road.”

While many of us are at home looking through image archives it makes for a good time to learn and to improve photography, why not join me on a private online photography class to cover any topics you want - from Lightroom (tone curve, sharpening, exposure adjustments, presence etc), managing image libraries, Photoshop, planning photographic projects and critique of images and portfolios. 

Find out more here: https://panoramicireland.com/photography-workshops-ireland/online-photography-class-tutorial-professional-photographer

So if you can't join me on one of my photography tours and workshops in Ireland, why not join me online using whatever video app you prefer.

We may be looking through the archives but here is one that never fails to make me laugh.

As I was explaining depth of field on a photography workshop with JMcC from Ontario, Canada this donkey popped up and crashed the shot and perfectly illustrated the concept of depth of field and selective focus.

To learn more about photography during the current Coronavirus quarantine, why not take a personal online photography workshop with me any day of the week, any time of day to suit your location via Google Hangouts, Zoom etc.

Contact me to find out more - sessions from 45 mins to 1 hr 15 mins. Learn how to use Lightroom, Photoshop or other editing software and manage your image collection as well as photography concepts such as depth of field.

Away from the crowds, in fact away from everyone the Irish countryside is a perfect destination for landscape and travel photography.

Here a rural road through the green Irish countryside leads us to the mountains just as a little bit of rain starts to fall.

You can see the rain streaking across this dramatic grey sky, but it didn't stay that way for long with sunshine coming out soon after.

Join Panoramic Ireland on a private photography workshop in the Irish countryside away from the crowds.

Places available right now, throughout March, April, May and on - 365 days of the year! 

After finishing today's photography workshop I took a few moments to photograph for myself at a small river and woodland in the Irish countryside.

Here I found a path through the woods, hence the title of this post - a walk in the park with sunshine and shadow.

I was reminded of this quote while admiring the scene in front of me:

“A path is made by walking on it.”

― Chuang Tzu

And what a fine day it has been, perfect for photography with some rainshowers but mostly sunshine and cloud with blue sky.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, for a private photography workshop in Ireland - no crowds, no groups.

Dublin is a place of colour and charm, here the setting sun brightens up the sky over the River Liffey.

On the photography workshop we experimented with silhouettes of the famous skyline from this part of Dublin.

The colours and dark outlines of the city's buildings captured the atmosphere of the evening in the Irish capital.

Join Panoramic Ireland to photograph Dublin on one of our Dublin Photo Tours.