Northern Ireland
This was my first visit, and it was going to be fleeting. So I had to make the most of it. Much of the time would be taken up by a commission for a commercial client leaving me one evening followed by much of a day to explore and try to sense the essence of the place, before attempting to capture it in camera.
Stenaline did a good job of getting me there in a timely fashion although the journey from Fleetwood to Larne is long and lazy. I spent much of my time watching the seabirds wheel by, admiring the shearwaters skim inches above the waves and keeping a keen eye open for any passing dolphins. No luck there though.
A windfarm punctuate the sea.
The journey was sufficiently long enough to allow a parade of different skies to pass through my lens, this dark forboding one being my favourite. I'm glad it didn't hang around too long into my trip though.
Eventually Larne harbour came into view and I was able to capture a couple more shots before disembarking into this new countryside.
Northern Ireland did indeed feel different to the mainland, the maritime climate obviously being kinder to the gardens than back home in Northern England. Palm trees flourished everywhere, standing proud against the pinkness of the evening sky. It was late, I'd no time to linger so simply headed to my hotel and enjoyed a night's Guinness assisted sleep before completing my shoot the following day.
By that time it was late afternoon and my plan was to head for Strangford Lough to see what I could make of the failing light, the sense of anticipation driving me on hastily. It's surprising how landscape work can often be an uneasy mix of urgent dashing across the country interspersed with lengthy hours of simply watching the light, and waiting for it to come together. This evening was to be no exception.
Strangford gave me so much. I dallied on her banks until darkness fell, entranced by the connection of light and water, the presence of the Mountains of Mourne on the far horizon and the ease with which the land and her people had welcomed me.
As soon as I began to shoot I had in mind a particular process that I wanted to apply to the shots, hoping to accentuate the ethereal quality that I connected with. Here's a small slideshow of the Strangford Lough pictures.
I've made some of these available as fine art prints, cards and canvasses if you'd like a piece of Strangford peace in your home. Have a look at my Red Bubble gallery here...
The following day I rose to dull flat light and despite chasing around the northern coast I failed to improve on what I'd felt at Strangford. Even the ever popular Giant's Causeway seemed tame by comparison, but maybe that was because I was sharing the place with a multitude!
As I drove northwards I found the tiny lane bounded by the biggest beech trees, stumbled upon Balintoy Harbour and eventually settled into the knowledge that I'd see nothing better than the Lough on my final day.
There was a quiet area of beach just before the Causeway that enjoyed the neglect of the crowd and called me to visit for a while, much to the amusement of the guides who almost smirked as they saw me struggling through the bog with my huge camera bag. One of them even pointed to the Causeway, as if that was the only thing to see!
I didn't really put too much planning into the trip and may have created more images had I done so, but no matter how much I fight it, my way seems to be one of seeing what I can find, of connecting with the land after only a cursory advance exploration.
Balintoy Harbour.
My favourite bit of Giant's Causeway.
