Northern Ireland Landscape Photography Guide
*WORK IN PROGRESS - APRIL 2013*
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A Guide to Photographing the North Coast of Ireland
by Stephen Dickey
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by Stephen Dickey
An Introduction to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is a fantastic country for landscape photography - it has a stunning, rugged coastline, with the north coast exposed to the worst that the Atlantic Ocean can throw at it! Variable weather, geology and subject matter make it a great place to explore with your camera. Often overlooked by photographers in favour of Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland, it doesn't really get the attention it deserves. This is party due to the country's troubled political past and the subsequent impact on tourism, and the fact that not many well known landscape photographers have been produced by the country. When one thinks of well known landscape photographers in the past 10-20 years from this part of Europe, names like Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite and David Noton spring to mind. They are all from England!
However, as more and more tourists venture to a now peaceful Northern Ireland, I hope to see it's profile in the landscape photography world increase. To that end, this article will attempt to give you an overview of the locations you will want to visit, not just along the Northern Ireland coastline, but indeed the entire northern coast of Ireland.
The north coast of Ireland is widely thought of as one of the most photogenic in Europe. In encompasses the counties of Antrim, Londonderry and Donegal, and if you drive its full length you will cross an international border and spend some time in both the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In this article I will try and highlight the best places for landscape photographers to visit whilst exploring the coast. I hope that my own photographs will provide you with some inspiration, not just to visit our coast, but to spend time exploring it and photographing it.
County Antrim
County Antrim lies in the north-east corner of Ireland. It is where I was born, and where I have lived for my whole life. However, I don't think I am being biased when I say that it is by far the jewel in the crown of Northern Ireland for landscape photographers. You will want to spend most of your mornings and evenings at the coast when the light is at its best, but during the day there are plenty of inland excursions worth taking to add to your photographic portfolio.
.Northern Ireland is a fantastic country for landscape photography - it has a stunning, rugged coastline, with the north coast exposed to the worst that the Atlantic Ocean can throw at it! Variable weather, geology and subject matter make it a great place to explore with your camera. Often overlooked by photographers in favour of Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland, it doesn't really get the attention it deserves. This is party due to the country's troubled political past and the subsequent impact on tourism, and the fact that not many well known landscape photographers have been produced by the country. When one thinks of well known landscape photographers in the past 10-20 years from this part of Europe, names like Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite and David Noton spring to mind. They are all from England!
However, as more and more tourists venture to a now peaceful Northern Ireland, I hope to see it's profile in the landscape photography world increase. To that end, this article will attempt to give you an overview of the locations you will want to visit, not just along the Northern Ireland coastline, but indeed the entire northern coast of Ireland.
The north coast of Ireland is widely thought of as one of the most photogenic in Europe. In encompasses the counties of Antrim, Londonderry and Donegal, and if you drive its full length you will cross an international border and spend some time in both the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In this article I will try and highlight the best places for landscape photographers to visit whilst exploring the coast. I hope that my own photographs will provide you with some inspiration, not just to visit our coast, but to spend time exploring it and photographing it.
County Antrim
County Antrim lies in the north-east corner of Ireland. It is where I was born, and where I have lived for my whole life. However, I don't think I am being biased when I say that it is by far the jewel in the crown of Northern Ireland for landscape photographers. You will want to spend most of your mornings and evenings at the coast when the light is at its best, but during the day there are plenty of inland excursions worth taking to add to your photographic portfolio.
