FIRST PLACE
CREATIVITY & THE COAST
Labyrinth
DUNMORE HEAD, CO. KERRY
"I love Dunmore Head and every time I visit Dingle I'd make sure I walk down to the rocks on the edge of its promontory. Two scenes from Star Wars were filmed here, a location where you'd witness the power of the sea, hear the seabirds and watch the sunset; with the small, offshore island of Lure/Liúir drawing you in. On this occasion I used my telephoto lens to capture a cross-section of this island, which looked like a rocky labyrinth, setting off my exposure when a blast of sunlight lit up its back, with a gull perched on one of its crags giving some scale."
PHOTOGRAPHER ADRIAN HENDROFF
SECOND PLACE
CREATIVITY & THE COAST
The Guillamene
TRAMORE, CO. WATERFORD
"The Guillamane is synonymous with Tramore and is famous for its deep and clear waters. This particular summers morning showed its amazing colours on offer at high tide while two women wait to dive in for a refreshing start to their day."
PHOTOGRAPHER KEVIN DOYLE
THIRD PLACE
CREATIVITY & THE COAST
Sun Surfer
BUNDORAN, CO. DONEGAL
"I have surfed and photographed this area more times than I can remember. I have tried for years to get a surfer in action with Classiebawn Castle in the background. It's fairly straightforward to photograph a surfer, a castle and a sunset but lining them all up took some patience and a lot of luck."
PHOTOGRAPHER DARRAGH GORMAN
Reflections
HOWTH HARBOUR, CO. DUBLIN
"It was a beautiful day. Great subjects to photo everywhere I looked. I love looking at the boats and sails in Howth harbour and have photographed them many times, always looking for the perfect reflection and photograph. Many times too I failed to get the shot I was after. But not this day. The aspects were perfect. I could literally touch and feel the reflection off the boats. It was beautiful and so tranquil. This photo means a great deal to me because I waited for the right conditions for a long, long time to get the photograph I wanted and had in my head. "
PHOTOGRAPHER VYVYON STYLES
Raindrop
WHITESTRAND, KILLADOON, CO. MAYO
"Always wanting to get something a bit different in my photography, I came up with this idea of trying to capture the sea or sand (or both) through a water droplet resting on some beach grass on one of my many coastal walks taken during the year. On one such stroll, a light rain shower provided the opportunity for me to try and capture this moment, and after fixing a 100mm macro lens on my Canon 5D MK4 camera, I headed for the nearest set of sand dunes to see what I could find. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done, as catching the water droplets before they were disturbed and dripped off the grass blades proved nearly impossible. After numerous attempts, I finally got just this one shot and was ecstatic to see in post-processing that, in addition to capturing the sand and sea, which was my intention, I also captured the sun and some of its rays."
PHOTOGRAPHER MICK BOHAN
Pathway to the Light
MONKSTOWN, CO. CORK
"I had pre-visualised this image a few months before I actually took it. I knew the composition I wanted, the exposure time needed & that it would be a black and white image taken close to nightfall. Thankfully, everything came together on the day as planned. A 3 minute exposure was used to smooth out the water and sky."
PHOTOGRAPHER JOHN HALL
Oscar and the Cloak of Howth
HOWTH, CO. DUBLIN
"The Cloak of Howth is an educational project created from items picked off the beaches in Howth. It raises awareness of the damage done to our coasts by marine debris. When my great-nephew Oscar (aged 3 months) came to visit, we put him on the cloak and (finally) managed to get this shot, using an iPhone. I love that he is looking straight at us, as if asking "Is this the world I am inheriting?" surrounded by fragments of the types of plastic toys that he will play with over coming years but that will be around for hundreds of years to come."
PHOTOGRAPHER PATRICK JACKSON
The Storm
CLOGHER BEACH, DINGLE PENINSULA, CO. KERRY
"With my family, we went on holiday to Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. The last day of the holiday we stopped at Clogher beach. The conditions have been very rough and stormy. Clogher beach is one of the best places in Ireland to experience Storms. At this place I have taken pictures of storms before, but this time I wanted a closer look, so I had to use a longer focal length. I wanted to feel and show the power of Nature at it's best. I was wet to the bones, but who cares about it, when you have experienced such an unforgettable moment."
PHOTOGRAPHER TODOR TILEV
Beach Walker
INCH BEACH, DINGLE, CO. KERRY
"Just as I arrived at 5.30 am to inch beach in Dingle Co Kerry the morning wasn't great as I waited for a sunrise I just spotted a person walking along the beach, ok this might make a very nice image with only one person in the shot."
PHOTOGRAPHER PAKIE O'DONOGHUE
