In the aftermath of Storm Desmond who swept across Ireland in the first week of December 2015 and despite warnings from infamous TV reporter Teresa Mannion these Irish men and women kept alive the brave daily tradition of swimming in the country's coastal waters year round.

Despite strong winds and heavy sea swells, the morning was bright and cheery. No sign of a clear sunrise for the photographer but plenty of soft sunlight that helped me to instruct my student during the early morning photography workshop close to Dublin on the Irish Sea.

Our morning's start was late as sunrise in Dublin in December is approx. 08:20, compared to an unsociable 04:55 in June.

Coastal Landscape Photography Workshop February

The coast of Ireland is well known and justly so with long, golden sandy beaches, rugged, indented and rocky coastline with castles, cottages and mountains perched precariously looking out over the sea.

From the sheer cliffs of Slieve League in County Donegal to the world famous Cliffs of Moher in County Clare and the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, there can be no doubt that the coast of Ireland is perfect for photography.

Getting close to the action is sometimes necessary to get a better perspective when photographing, in any circumstances whether it be landscapes or street photos. In this case it involved getting wet feet, and a wet filter on the front of my lens.

Connemara or Conamara

The western part of County Galway, situated west of Lough Corrib, is known as Connemara.

It's a land of bog, mountains, sea and sky. This image is taken from a single track bog road on the way to the edge of Ireland, the edge of Europe on the Atlantic Coast.

As I made my way across the bog towards the small lake pictured in this image, I was shadowed by the vertical flight of the skylark hovering in the clouds above me, warbling its distinctive call.

Sunset on Ireland's River Shannon

A recent photography workshop took me to the majestic River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland or Britain.