Jewellery Box – Irelands Hidden Gems
I remember, as a child, wandering around the beach and rock pools and being fascinated by what I saw. Incredible colours, patterns and tiny little creatures in their own magical world kept me entertained for hours.
Now, as a photographer, still with the child inside, I have tried to capture some of these beautiful places that surround us all on our stunning island.
The environment within rock pools is constantly adapting due to the changing geological features of our coast, the cycle of tides and the exposure of sun, wind, salt and waves. Taking the time to explore the rock pools has resulted in finding some of nature’s exquisite beauty that has far exceeded my expectations.
I see the ocean as a veil and at low tide this veil is lifted to allow us a chance to have peep at this fantastic microcosmic world. The beauty within these rock pools is like a jewelery box filled with gems and treasures in the shape of periwinkles, anemone, urchins, barnacles, starfish and seaweeds of all types.
Seventeen counties touch the coast of Ireland and I have travelled all them all in my campervan, during the summer of 2010, capturing hundreds of images. Many of these images can be seen here and in the gallery.
I completed the collection in two trips, the first being for about four weeks in April and May, where I began in Wicklow and travelled along the south coast to Clare. I was not able to get out again until mid August, where I started in Galway and worked my way around the north coast and back to Dublin for mid September.
My approach was to use my old Canon AE-1 camera, a thirty year old model, and mainly a macro lens to allow me to get in close to the beauty within the rock pools.
I approached the subject matter in an entirely aesthetic and artistic manner shooting from above, looking down, and into the pools. There is a wonderful richness to the colours when viewed through shallow water providing you block out the sky.
The gear that I used during each photoshoot evolved over time, where I found my system and an assortment of clothing including:
Knee pads – Essential for kneeling on sharp rocks.
Wetsuit boots and shorts – to allow me to wade through some of the pools.
Gloves – to protect my hands from barnacled rocks.
Two umbrellas – one to block out the sky and one to act as a windbreaker.
Two Cameras, seven lenses, tripod and plenty of Fuji Provia 100 ISO.
On some days, I must have been a comical sight, kneeling in a rock pool with my tripod and camera set up, holding two umbrellas and trying to release the shutter at the same time! I also had my moments of running after umbrellas on the very windy days.
The conditions for shooting were very specific. I needed mid to low tide, bright light and little or no wind. I got very lucky as regards weather but I rarely got light wind which made my work challenging. Waiting for a break in the gusting wind while crouched over certainly tested my back.
The end result are the pictures that you will see here and I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I have enjoyed the whole journey.
I have become aware since beginning this project that, although there is a huge range of images here, I have barely scratched the surface as of the enormous diversity of life that dwells in the magical zone between low and high tide.
We have a particularly unique coastline for such a small island and the images that you see here are accessible to us all. Just take a spin out to your closest coast at low tide and explore the wonders within. The infinite and diverse beauty that you will find among these hidden pools will ignite a warming light in your spirit that breathes a deep satisfaction to be connecting, once again, with our beloved nature.
Slán,
Daragh
This beautiful fine art book represents the complete Jewellery box collection.