Breaking new ground

WE’VE had a lot of dark clouds of late, very little silver lining, so Enda Cavanagh’s transformation into a full-time multiple award-winning photographer makes for a very uplifting tale.

A successful architect for over 16 years, in Ireland and Berlin, Cavanagh had always ‘dabbled’ in photography. In 2007, he was asked by his then employers to photograph one of their projects, Jury’s Hotel, Lancaster Gate, in Cork city. On the strength of this one commission, he splurged €50,000 on a state of the art Hasselblad 39 camera and assorted accessories.

“I have a very understanding fiancée,” Enda laughs. “I got them the morning I travelled down to Cork on the train to do the job — I spent the whole journey going through the manuals.” But his employers, Henry J Lyons, one of Ireland’s leading architectural practices, were delighted with the finished product.