The online edition of Irelands Outsider magazine is available now. You can check out the latest edition of my photography masterclass by clicking here.

Its one of the colder mornings of winter, and as I set off down the M1 and across the M50, the radio, even at this early hour is filled with depressing economic news.

The plan this morning is to meet a photographic friend, take pictures in and around Glendalough, followed by a sumptuous breakfast somewhere in Avoca.

However an SMS shortly after 6.30a.m tells me my friend is still in bed and that I am on my own. To think he calls himself a landscape photographer!

Still, everything happens for a reason, and as I stand under a star filled sky with the moon reflecting in the silent waters of Upper lake, his absence is somewhat of a blessing. After all two guys, talking about pixel pitch and whose is bigger than whose (lenses that is) would spoil the peaceful magic of the moment.

Long before the sun is up, I have a tripod setup at the waters edge and with the aid of a cable release, I am tripping the shutter experimenting with long exposures. Darkness lifts quickly, and in no time, ten-minute exposures become 30-second exposures.

As the morning moves on, clouds drift up from the distant valley and disappear as quickly as they came. Mist slowly rolls past my ankles and drifts down the lake, enticing me to follow.

With the sun up, and exposures times becoming shorter, I fit a graduated neutral density filter to the lens. Doing so increases the exposure from 4 seconds to 30 seconds, enhancing the movement of mist on the water. Creating an image I am happy with.

A good start to 2012 !

The year began standing in the darkness, on an icy cold cliff over looking Dublin Bay and the Baily Lighthouse. Below, seductive in its motion the Irish sea swayed in and out, and as dawn broke I tripped the shutter for the first time in 2011

Early spring brought a number of weddings and speaking engagements, followed by a trip to the beautiful Connemara landscape. To say conditions were far from ideal would be an understatement. But landscape photographers by their very nature are optimists, and on my final morning with a delicate orange hue descending on the Derryclare mountains, that optimism paid off.

Regular readers will know that Ireland has a bit of a reputation as a sunshine paradise!! During early summer my family and I went to the beautiful county of Mayo. In between showers of hail and rain, and an odd soaking from the Atlantic I managed to capture a number of images that will shortly grace a number of calendars.

Perhaps the photographic highlight of the year was a trip to my home away from home, County Donegal. Maybe the most beautiful yet least explored part of Ireland.

Staying near Malinbeg, evenings were spent roasting by the fire of the village pub having a beer while listening to the tall stories of an old timer who went by the name of Buffalo!

The following morning, standing on a headland forty-five minutes before sunrise I watched as the wild Atlantic piled in, pounding the Donegal coastline. Sunrise brought some of the most dramatic light of the year, allowing me to capture my favourite landscape of the year.

As an Irish landscape photographer 2011 has been a challenging year. The delicate balance between the rightful demands of an expanding family and my own creative needs was often difficult to find. Despite the juggling act and what seems like a never ending backlog of post processing I still managed plenty of days in the field.

The year began standing in the darkness, on an icy cold cliff over looking Dublin Bay and the Baily Lighthouse. Below, seductive in its motion the Irish sea swayed in and out, and as dawn broke I tripped the shutter for the first time in 2011.

Early spring brought a number of weddings and speaking engagements, followed by a trip to the beautiful Connemara landscape. To say conditions were far from ideal would be an understatement. But landscape photographers by their very nature are optimists, and on my final morning with a delicate orange hue descending on the Derryclare mountains, that optimism paid off.

Regular readers will know that Ireland has a bit of a reputation as a sunshine paradise!! During early summer my family and I went to the beautiful county of Mayo. In between showers of hail and rain, and an odd soaking from the Atlantic I managed to capture a number of images that will shortly grace a number of calendars.

Perhaps the photographic highlight of the year was a trip to my home away from home, County Donegal. Maybe the most beautiful yet least explored part of Ireland.

Staying near Malinbeg, evenings were spent roasting by the fire of the village pub  having a beer while listening to the tall stories of an old timer who went by the name of Buffalo!

The following morning, standing on a headland forty-five minutes before sunrise I watched as the wild Atlantic piled in, pounding the Donegal coastline. Sunrise brought some of the most dramatic light of the year, allowing me to capture my favourite landscape of the year.

A slideshow containing my  favourite images of 2011 can be viewed below

Irish Landscapes 2011 from Peter McCabe on Vimeo.

Before Christmas, The Irelandshop.com team interviewed me about my work as an Irish landscape photographer. That piece now appears on their website and can be viewed at the following link http://www.theirelandshop.com/ireland-shop-interviews-peter-mccabe-a-28.html

Irish Landscapes 2011 from Peter McCabe on Vimeo.

The destination is the ancient cairn T, which sits proudly as it has done for millennia at the top of Loughcrew the highest point in County Meath.

Photographically this location is a somewhat of a challenge. In fact the last time I was here, two cameras malfunctioned, a flash broke, and someone nearly broke a rib. Perhaps the power of the ley lines that run through this location!

All the elements to make a great photograph are here, standing stones, megalithic structures, and chambers that are illuminated by the rising sun on the autumn and spring equinox. Yet somehow I have always come away somewhat disappointed.

This morning, with only stars for company I ‘m back. Struggling to focus via torchlight, firing test frames, tweaking the focus with the aid of the Canons live view.

Finally happy, and with a bitter chill in the air I sit back and wait for the sunrise, as I suspect many of the ancients did all those millennia ago.

The resulting image, does it work? Well I am happier, but I just know I will be back!