August 2008

climb2 It’s not every day you get the chance to spend your Bank Holiday hiking up the side of a mountain at 4.am with some climbers. Last week I joined a team of hardy climbers from the Tollymore Mountain Centre in Northern Ireland hoping to capture some landscapes that depict the adventure that is to be found in the Mournes.

Lower Cove was our destination and as the guys set up their ropes. I made my own climb to a high vantage point over looking both them and the landscape. Considering my lack of fitness, heavy camera bag and tripod this was easier said than done. By the time I got to the top my body was wondering if I had lost the plot. However the effort was worth it for the view alone.

The Mournes are a stunning place, and it is a real sin that I have not been a more frequent visitor to them. The vistas are stunning and the scenery is some of the best and wildest in Ireland.

Somewhat surprisingly the weather was not that kind to us. Light levels where low and the sky was of they grey flat type that you normally never associate with Ireland!! A real photographic challenge but sometimes you have to work with what you are given.
Luckily the Mournes where a riot of colour. Purple heather blazed across the hillsides. This infusion of colour would make for a more interesting photographic background.
So perched on my lofty vantage point I set about composing an image that excluded the sky. I wanted the climber to be the focus of attention. An aperture was chosen that would make him sharp while slightly blurring the background.

The resulting image works both as a landscape and an adventure portrait mainly due to the colours and aperture involved. The background of green and purple combine well with the climbers clothing to create a colourful image which would otherwise look drab had I included the sky.