Holidays & Photography - An Uneasy Mix?

A view across Hodson's Bay, near Athlone.

I started writing this on the last leg of a holiday in Ireland, and I’ve learned a lot.

First and foremost, the Irish are a friendly and happy nation, relaxed and helpful to tourists. Second, Ireland's bigger than I thought, so a tour has been more of a road trip (and it was a relief when my wife called it that, and I could see a couple of days when we did little else than travel as part of what we were doing: a thing in itself, rather than an excessive means to an end). Most of the countryside is lovely – a greener, emptier place than England, and all the better for it. But there are also real gems, like the best parts of the Ring of Kerry.

And third, I’m rubbish at the 'Big Picture'. I'm heading home with plenty of pictures, and (I think) some pretty good ones – but none of the big vistas that I'd imagine I’d take. Even the ferry trip from Holyhead was shrouded in mist so that there wasn’t much to see.

Looking back to Holyhead from Irish Ferries' 'Ulysses'.

Why Not?

Partly, it’s the lack of the elusive light that makes a great landscape when I’ve been next to the classic views. I know the answer: stay there, and wait for the light. But that’s not usually an option on a family holiday unless the view is near to where you’re staying for a week or two. Even on a specifically photographic jaunt, you may not have time to spend by the river if you want to climb the mountain. And you can dehaze the heck out of a shot taken on an ordinary, pleasant but grey day, and it’s still a record shot, as my overall picture of Powerscourt waterfall shows.

An appealing shot along the way around the Ring of Kerry. But it would look far better a couple of hours later, with low, raking sun…

Round Ireland With A Camera Bag (Or Two)

Tony Hawks went round Ireland with a small fridge on a travel trolley (his book is still available); my combined camera bags are less wieldy and heavier; so it made sense to go by car on the ferry. I was prepared for anything: as well as my everyday Sony outfit, I had my Pentax 67, a Hasselblad X-Pan and my full kit of Lensbaby optics. I have quite a lot of those, these days.

I did use my 500mm mirror lens, once, on the Ring of Kerry, to shoot three horse riders on a beach and I exposed half a film in the Pentax. The same with the panoramic X-Pan.

Riders from a local stable recreating the Lloyds Bank advertisement. Or maybe just having fun.

Most of the time, as usual, I stuck to my 85mm lens and I also took a fair number of pictures with a 24mm. It occurs to me that I could probably have had a happy holiday with a body and two lenses…

Steps in front of the house at Powerscourt Gardens make a graphic pattern.

Geography And Research

My misjudgement of distances meant that any ambitions of touring around the edge in a little over a week died rapidly and it became a matter of finding a few places to go to and enjoy.

There is a lesson for the better-organised: do your research, and get a map before you go! (But for everyone else, the point of a holiday is to relax, and you can’t do that if you’re racing to keep up with a schedule.)

If you want to relax, rather than arrange everything around all the places you want to tick off your bucket list (I hate the term!), pick one or two areas and stay in the same place for several days. Get to know the place and people, rather than coming away with an intention to go back to enjoy what you sampled - Tynan's Bridge House Bar in Kilkenny comes to mind, among others, there's a portrait or two to be taken there. I struck lucky on the streets of Kilkenny, though, with a matching pair of ‘bookend’ pictures, with two pedestrians at opposite sides of the same doorway. 

Above two images: Two doors, two pedestrians. There was a crossing immediately in front of the doors, and one of the two decided to cross the road. He was looking for cars approaching and didn’t notice me taking the picture.

But, even if you’ve arrived and it's not what you expected, don’t panic.; there will be people and places to photograph and fun to be had with your camera, however extensive or restricted your kit.

If you want to, you can plot an itinerary down to the last detail, book the accommodation in advance, and keep the clipboard in the car. There are loads of books about how to do this, I think, and I don’t plan to cover the same ground as they do.

Busking It

Take kit you know and trust and don't sweat it over the perfect travel outfit: just take the kit you have, and don’t be afraid to take one or two specialist things, if you like them. Even if you are travelling by air with cabin luggage, remember that a modest camera bag is allowed in addition - think how big some handbags are and you know a Billingham Hadley will pass muster! If you’re travelling by car, it really doesn’t matter if the tripod stays in the bottom of the boot all the time - it's there if you need it!

Do take advantage of what you see that isn’t identifiable as part of the tourist trail. The same quirky details can shine out on the ferry and in beauty spots. Does it matter that they aren’t immediately redolent of leprechauns and butter? Or does it matter more that you’ve got good pictures that were inspired by being somewhere that isn’t home?

Staircase on board 'Ulysses'.

Closeup of Powerscourt Waterfall. My tripod was heavy, and a quarter of a mile away - body-based image stabilisation is a wonderful thing.

Ring Of Kerry

This was, sort of, the highlight of our holiday. We spent two nights in one place, Killarney, and went around the Ring of Kerry in between. It’s an area, and it’s also a signposted route that's around 100 miles – so eminently do-able in a single day. However, in reality, it isn't. We had lovely weather and we stopped in a few places but you could spend a month in the area before you begin to scratch the surface. I don’t want to go back with more kit - the 85mm and 24mm will be fine, thank you - but I would like to be able to explore further.

I’ll take a sunset at Beenarourke where we stopped in the car park, we'll take the horse-drawn ride up into the Gap of Dunloe, we WILL cross to Valentia Island and maybe stay in one of the apartments looking out over the bay at Waterville as well as explore Kells Bay...Bottom line, I reckon it'll take a week to explore the area, at a minimum!

A ride to the Gap of Dunloe is around 50 or 60 Euros. A lovely ride, but trying to get around the Ring of Kerry in a day meant that we didn't try that. We’ll have to go back again.

Missed Opportunities

I discovered (again) how rubbish my street photography is. For every shot I got, there are five that I missed by a fraction. No excuses: I’m just not very good at reacting to developing situations or, indeed, seeing them starting to develop. Really, I need things to happen slowly and the relaxed pace of an Irish bar is ideal.

Some parts of Irish life are more laid back than others. Even I had time to frame, focus and shoot.

On the other hand, I did take advantage of one or two opportunities – when a group of young women asked me to use their camera to snap all of them, I followed up with a couple of grab portraits. If someone has asked you for a favour and you’ve responded well, the chances are that they’ll respond positively if you ask them for a picture, especially if it’s a nice one! 

A lady from Puerto Rico, who lives in New York – she and her friends were going the opposite way round the Ring of Kerry.

Of course, there are those majestic landscapes – but I never expected to get them. Though, maybe, I caught one or two in passing... just maybe. 

Turning the same 85mm lens from other tourists to the view we’d all gone to see… Quite strong use of the Photoshop 'dehaze' filter.

Resolutions And Decisions

So there's a choice to make with your holiday photography. You can - especially if you have time, money and a lot of energy - challenge yourself and do something that stretches you creatively and technically. How about a course? Maybe visit Tuscany with a group and a tutor and learn more than you thought possible in a week. However, you may return needing a break.

Just another set of Atlantic breakers…

Alternatively, if family needs are great, money is tight and you are already too tired to pack, just pick up your usual camera bag and relax. Take the pictures you see – the promenade in the rain, the children in the playground, the queue outside the National Trust café... After all, when your grandchildren look through your prints (You are going to print some pictures, aren’t you?) these are the shots that will bring life to the world that has evolved and the features of 2018 life that have disappeared…

Remember the benefits of just asking - in Athlone, we had a marvellous time staying at Cornamagh House with Mary and Brian. After breakfast (we'd been chatting all through the meal) I asked if I could take their picture and the result speaks for itself, I think. 

Mary and Brian.

In public places, everyone's wielding a camera. Most people expect to be in other people's pictures and they are largely blind and deaf to cameras, even those with noisy shutters. Look at the relaxation of the woman outside a bar, smoking, and the two pedestrians in the 'bookends' shots to see what I mean.

A Japanese tourist at Powerscourt Gardens.

But if you’re too nervous for that, enjoy the gentle and anonymous comedy of a back view, or fade into the background like the thoughtful lady in a church. 

Anonymous and thoughtful tourist in St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny.

And, if all else fails, take pictures of the family. Spend a little bit of time out from being a parent/grandparent/aunt to take a few pictures and make everyone happy when they remember what a fun day they had – despite the weather! 

A wet day at the seaside - Newcastle, Ulster.

The art of the possible.

An intermediate-distance shot of Powerscourt Waterfall. The two soldiers in the frame were on a photography course: their instructor told me 'We're not soldiers. We’re Irish!' I’m taking that as meaning that they've learned that pictures are better than bullets.