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.

Light is important in photography, especially in landscape photography.

I have written about the difference in light and its effects on the look and feel of a landscape image here.

The two images in this post is from one of my favourite places in Ireland, the west coast - taken two nights apart.

The West of Ireland - what does it conjure up in your imagination?

For me, the imagination is real, a place I visit and explore and enjoy and live in often. Those wide open spaces, rugged mountains of weathered rock just holding their own against the creeping boglands that cover the region.

This is a scene that conveys that western image, the bogland looking russety and the mountains just as I described above, ancient and just protruding enough to catch low cloud seemingly wisping across the gentle slopes.

There can be no doubt that the west of Ireland is as scenic as any other place in the world.

Here is one example, a small coastal mountain capped with cloud, struck with bright sunshine on its lower slopes giving a portion of the countryside a bright, vibrancy.

Sometimes, as here in this image the journey is as scenic as the destination.

On our way to a photography workshop in the west of Ireland, heavy rain arrived - contrary to the forecast for the day, so we stopped to photograph what was only one of many scenic roads on our Wild Atlantic Way drive.

This section of narrow, twisty road was perfect as it was lined with trees and radiated fresh green colour on the overcast day.

This brings into focus, excuse the pun, what to do when the weather forecast doesn't go to plan - be ready to adapt.

The West of Ireland is a perfect location for landscape photography, thankfully it's a place that I know very well.

Rugged mountains, wide open landscapes and plenty of interesting sky as well as the culture and heritage of the western seaboard make this area worthy of a visit but specifically for the photographer it has everything to offer.

Long Exposure Photography in Ireland

Ireland's countryside is perfect for landscape photography, here from a photography workshop covering use of filters and long exposures is an early evening cloudy sky with clear golden sunshine.

We set up our tripods and made use of the 10-stop ND filters before sunset, and here the long exposure after sunset: http://panoramicireland.com/photo-tours-blog/cloudy-skies-reflections-sunset-west-ireland-photography-course

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.

I have written about Irish donkeys before, I'm sure you know how to search for that article - it's easy so go ahead and if you can't find then ask me how.

Here, from a recent photography tour in Ireland's west, this time in County Galway where my residential photography tours are based (from two days to a week, typically a four day tour) are these two fine looking donkeys, a sight so common and characteristic of the west of Ireland yet not easy to find as they are no longer a typical farm animal.

Photography in the West of Ireland from a Panoramic Ireland Photo Tour

It has been a busy few weeks here at panoramicireland.com, we have covered Ireland's largest music festival Electric Picnic (more to come on that) and also have been busy photographing Ireland's landscapes while leading photography tours in the west of the country.

Here is an image from this week's visit to Ireland's west, a region of lakes and mountains sometimes sunny weather but often it looks like in this image and don't you think it's inviting?