Southwest Ireland: An Immersive Experience

Shaped by the wild Atlantic Ocean, southwest Ireland offers some of the most dramatic landscapes any photographer could wish for. With incredible views seemingly at every turn, this Ireland landscape photography tour has been designed to take in two very contrasting areas of Kerry; the forests, lakes and mountains of Killarney National Park and the wild, rugged coastline of the Dingle Peninsula, once described by National Geographic Traveller as “the most beautiful place on earth”.

I love what I do, and although I look forward to leading every workshop, this is a particular favourite. Perhaps, it's my Irish heritage (my mother's side's from Killarney), the warm welcome and Irish craic, or the plain, simple fact that it's a stunningly beautiful part of the world. Now, in its eleventh year, I am as familiar with this region as I am with my own home county! If you're as excited as I am with the prospect of experiencing the Emerald Isle, then please, do read on!

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

This tour differs from those I have previously run to Ireland in that during the Killarney section, for 2 nights, we will be immersed in the remote and wild landscape of The Black Valley, one of the last places in mainland Ireland to receive electricity! Staying in an extremely comfortable self-catering farmhouse, we will be a stone's throw from Ireland's highest mountain range, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks.

But first, our adventure begins with three nights in Dingle, where impressive sea stacks, cliffs and sweeping sandy bays await. I have to say, you will be hard-pressed to find a more impressive and stunningly beautiful coastline anywhere!

TIMING
The dates have been selected, specifically, to coincide with favourable tides along the Dingle Peninsula, enabling us to access the beach at sunrise on a receding tide, revealing rock pools, sand patterns, and reflections. 

REPEAT SUNRISE LOCATIONS
There's a great deal to be gained through repeat visits to the same location, not least familiarisation and the opportunity to improve upon what you have obtained on previous visits. Certainly, this is my own preferred method and I have found that clients benefit enormously through working in this way. I also like to keep sunrise locations as close as possible, particularly at this time of the year when sunrise is so late at 08.20. We wouldn't wish to be forced to leave for fear of missing breakfast! There are two places between 10 and 20 minutes away, and we shall visit both or one, depending on access. For example, this year, due to a storm, one of them was inaccessible. 

KILLARNEY IMMERSION
Our final two nights will be spent in the wild landscape of The Black Valley. You really are, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere here! This is the perfect opportunity to unwind, experience nature, and fully immerse ourselves in photography. 

Just 10 minutes from our accommodation...

The motivation behind staying here (as if one were needed!) is to concentrate on sunrise and sunset excursions to the two nearby lakes. As stated previously, there's much to be gained through doing this, and with the opportunity to capture two sunrises and two sunsets, you are sure to return home with some beautiful photographs.

What topics will be covered?
Almost everything! Below are just a few aspects that will be discussed while in the field and during downtime.  

• Composition: Strengthening and simplifying
• Seeking out details and the overlooked
• Light: Considering the direction of light and quality
• Lens choice and its effect on subject relationship
• Working with different aspect ratios
• Tonal balance
• Filtration
• Exposure blending
• Focus stacking

Not, I hasten to add, where we are staying! :)

THIS is where we are staying!

It's so overwhelming that a single visit just wouldn't do it justice. I've been here more than a dozen times, and with, of course, different weather and varying water levels (thereby dictating the shoreline and rock's submergence), I continue to be excited and find new and fresh compositions. 

CRITIQUE
Since we'll be concentrating on the lakes, following our first Killarney sunset session, I'll look over and appraise everyone's images. This should prove helpful in ironing out, early on, any technical and compositional difficulties you might be encountering. You will need to bring your laptop and the appropriate card reader for this.  

MEALS
While in Dingle, breakfast will be taken at the hotel and for lunch, we will either purchase a sandwich from a shop or eat in a tea room/pub. Dinner will be at the hotel or somewhere local in town. In Killarney, however, due to our very remote location and wishing to keep our meal times as flexible as possible, breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be a basic (though still tasty, I am sure) affair. There'll be no cooked breakfast and lavish supper. Instead, on our day of departure from Dingle, we will head to a supermarket and pick up supplies, which everyone will contribute towards. For example, for breakfast, you may wish to simply pick up a porridge pot or some cereal and round it off with tea and toast. Pre-made sandwiches can be purchased, and as for dinner (now, this might sound a little left-field, but it has been very well received for my Elmley workshop), we can each pick up a couple of oven-ready meals. After all, it's only for two nights, and we are there, primarily, for the photographic opportunities and experiences this remarkable region has to offer. Food is fuel! :) This not only means we can eat what and when we please, but also keeps your tour expenditure down. It's a win-win! :)

SOME HIGHLIGHTS
Immersive Black Valley experience
Very small group of just 3 attendees
Transportation throughout
Guiding and tuition
Stunning accommodation
Lakes, mountains, rivers and waterfalls
Sea stacks, imposing cliffs and sweeping bays
Post-tour critique and editing tutorial
The ever-changing Irish light!

Killarney National Park is just an hour away, so following a sunrise shoot and breakfast, we'll drive through and towards an equally incredible landscape to capture its waterfalls, woodlands and lakes amidst the stunning autumn colour that is sure to be on display.  

POST-TOUR IMAGE REVIEW AND EDIT TUTORIAL
Following the tour and upon receiving three RAW files from each attendee, I will provide a recorded critique and Lightroom/Photoshop edit. There will be no need for you to be present during this process, so you need not set any time aside. In addition to offering personalised feedback, this will give you a chance to view others’ work and, I hope, inspire new ideas for processing your own images.

FINALLY...
Thank you so much for considering this tour. If you have any questions - big or small - please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm here to help and ensure that you have a wonderful trip filled with inspiring photography!