Exploring the coastal cliffs, castles, & islands of North Ireland. Capturing the natural, rugged terrain of the Coastal Causeway and Wild Atlantic Way.
We’re heading to North Ireland with Karl Lee.
On this trip you’ll experience all the hidden gems that only an Irish born photographer would know about. Stunning cliff lines, rich green hills, stone walls and hedgerows, and fields dotted with livestock. The landscapes of the Emerald Isle catch the sun (or are made more dramatic by the clouds) and invite the imagination.
Ireland is known for its cloudy days so we’ll start early to catch sunrise and stay late to catch sunset. We’ll visit the classic spots in King’s Road, Giants Causeway, Donegal, and Fanad Head. I’ll show you the hidden spots in caves I found on my recent trip back home, and take you to some filming locations for Game of Thrones. We’ll even island hop a bit and eat amazing Irish food along the way.
I’ll teach you how to get the most out of the light; using clouds and precipitation to make your photos more dramatic and mood filled. Learning how to shoot long exposures, especially during golden hour. Anything from how to make the water look magical to capturing the minute details in the texture of the rocks. You’ll leave Ireland with some of the best photos of your life.
Ireland teams world-class, contemporary cities with an abundance of unspoilt beauty. In Ireland, you never have to drive far to come across a still freshwater lake, grazing deer, rolling pastures or wandering livestock. Just don’t forget the camera.
OPTIONAL ADD ON: Add a half day camera workshop to your trip. You get an extra day (and night) in Dublin. Your guide will go deep with you on what camera you have, how all the settings work, and then spend half day shooting with you in Dublin as you learn how to shoot in manual. You’ll learn the fundamentals in settings, ISO, shutter speed, framing, and exposure...and then go outside and shoot Dublin vibes practicing what you just learned. Whether shooting on your phone or a DSLR camera you’ll walk away with the confidence and knowledge to make the most out of the week. Price: $400 (includes two meals, a hotel, and workshop).
We’ll meet up at the Dublin Airport before grabbing our van to head North. We’ll stop to grab some food at a deli/hot bar at a gas station along the way; we’ll grab most of our mid-day meals this week in places like this. After checking in to our accommodations, we’ll hit up some filming locations from Game of Thrones, getting used to the typical Irish weather: lush green countryside under cloudy skies. We’ll use the weather to our advantage this week, using the natural light to set the mood and help us create compelling images. We’ll shoot sunset at Dunluce Castle; right on the cliffs of the coast. The story goes that the castle was abandoned by the family after the entire kitchen (and its staff) broke off from the castle and fell into the ocean. We’ll grab dinner at a local pub before calling it a night.
Dunluce Castle, Murlough Bay, Ballintoy, Tullymore Forest
Ireland is known for its traditional breakfasts, seafood, gas station food counters, fresh produce, and it’s also home to some of the best beef in the world. Needless to say we’ll never be far away from food!
Standard: Airbnb in Portrush or Ballintoy
You’ll start the morning in darkness so we can catch sunrise at the iconic Dark Hedges; also known as the King’s Road. You’ll learn my best tips and tricks for how to set the scene for the perfect sunrise image. We’ll have a proper breakfast and some tea before visiting Kinbane Castle. From there, you’ll cross the famous rope bridge to Carrick a Rede, where you’ll have the chance to practice shooting in the bright midday light before catching sunset at the Giants Causeway; a rare geological formation of basalt columns and Ireland's claim to the 8th wonder of the world.
The Dark Hedges, Kinbane Castle, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, The Giants Causeway
Ireland is known for its traditional breakfasts, seafood, gas station food counters, fresh produce, and it’s also home to some of the best beef in the world. Needless to say we’ll never be far away from food!
Standard: Airbnb in Portrush or Ballintoy
Another early start as we get out for sunrise at Murlough Bay, a filming location from Game of Thrones and one we will most likely have to ourselves this time in the morning. After sunrise we will grab some breakfast locally before stopping at Ballintoy harbour and then making our way into Donegal. Donegal is in the Republic of Ireland and is situated along the North West coast of the island. We will loop around the Northerly most point of the island and catch sunset at Malin Head before making our way back to our accommodation for the night. One of our main photography focuses today will be on long exposure, so bring your filters. No filters? Don’t worry, you can borrow some of mine. The coast is also a great place to practice drone photography, if you want to get it up in the sky.
Murlough Bay, Ballintoy Harbour, Grianan of Aileach, Stroove Lighthouse, Malin Head, Hells Hole.
Ireland is known for its traditional breakfasts, seafood, gas station food counters, fresh produce, and it’s also home to some of the best beef in the world. Needless to say we’ll never be far away from food!
Standard: Airbnb Fanad Head
This morning, we’ll hit my favourite place to take photos in Ireland for sunrise: Fanad Head. I’ll probably shoot a timelapse here and can show you my favourite techniques if you’re interested. After sunrise we’ll have a quick breakfast before jumping on the passenger boat that will take us across to Tory Island. Tory island is located 12km/9mile off the coast of Ireland and is home to just over 100 people. It is easy to walk around, has some amazing cliffs, caves, and puffins and is only 3km wide and 1km from back to front. We’ll return to the mainland on the last boat of the day before catching sunset at Murder Hole beach, a hidden photo spot along the coast. When we get back to the airbnb, we’ll have an editing session where you can learn my step-by-step process to producing a high quality, edited, 4k timelapse. This is also a good opportunity for us to discuss where we’re struggling in our editing process, and learn some tips for post-process.
Fanad Head Sunrise, Tory Island, Murderhole Beach Sunset
Ireland is known for its traditional breakfasts, seafood, gas station food counters, fresh produce, and it’s also home to some of the best beef in the world. Needless to say we’ll never be far away from food!
Standard: Airbnb Fanad Head
This morning’s sunrise will be at the Great Pollet Sea Arch, another hidden gem that I have found on my travels, and local to our accommodation. Today’s focus for our sunrise shoot is making the most of the scene and its surroundings. We’ll hop on another boat after breakfast, but today’s destination is Arranmore Island. A bit bigger than Tory island, Arranmore is home to around 400 people. We will spend most of the day here roaming around the island, utilizing our zoom lenses and practicing shooting more compressed images as we add people to the landscape to give them a different perspective. The island is home to some jaw-dropping sea cliffs, a lighthouse, and if we’re lucky, we might be able to see some puffins (and use our zoom lenses). Once back on the mainland, we’ll continue yesterday’s editing session.
Great Pollet Sea Arch, Arranmore Island
Ireland is known for its traditional breakfasts, seafood, gas station food counters, fresh produce, and it’s also home to some of the best beef in the world. Needless to say we’ll never be far away from food!
Fanad Head
We’ll start off our last day together by heading to some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. If possible, we’ll locate a hidden waterfall before making our way back to the Dublin airport for our final goodbyes. Head home, or continue your adventure.
Slieve League Cliffs, Hidden Waterfall
Ireland is known for its traditional breakfasts, seafood, gas station food counters, fresh produce, and it’s also home to some of the best beef in the world. Needless to say we’ll never be far away from food!
The Giants Causeway - The result of a volcanic fissure eruption, the causeway has about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. Legend has it that the causeway was a bridge built between Ireland and Scotland for two giants to challenge each other, and there is a similar geological formation in Scotland.
Tory Island - The most remote inhabited island of Ireland, comprised of 4 small towns with a combined population of 144. With cliffs jutting straight out of the sea and a well developed artists’ community, we’ll have plenty to shoot.
Great Pollet Sea Arch - The perfect backdrop for a timelapse, this arch is well hidden along the coast of the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal. The trek to the arch keeps it hidden until the last second, and you can only reach the arch during low tide or you’re liable to be stranded.
Dunluce Castle - Built right on the edge of the basalt cliffs of County Antrim, Game of Thrones fans might recognize Greyjoy Castle. The story goes that the castle was abandoned by the family after the entire kitchen (and its staff) broke off from the castle and fell into the ocean.
Over this 5 nights 6 day workshop we will focus on bringing your photography game to the next level. We will shoot sunrises and sunset at epic locations but will also focus on the power of photography in storytelling as we visit the less touristy places and spend time with locals and capture some of the day to day life in rural Ireland.
5 nights in Airbnbs (price per person, based on double occupancy)
Entrance to all activities
Transportation to/from airport
Transportation around Ireland
Photography and editing lessons
Discount on gear from the Moment shop
3 great meals per day (except breakfast on day 1, lunch/dinner on day 6)