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Spectacular Ireland as seen through the lens of photographer Damien Stenson – PHOTOS

Irish photographer captures stunning astrophotography shots all around Ireland


Moon setting on the Cliffs of Moher, taken 21st September.
Moon setting on the Cliffs of Moher, taken 21st September.
Photo by Damien Stenson

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See photos: Spectacular photography of Ireland by Damien Stenson

Irish photographer Damien Stenson recently captured this phenomenal photograph of the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare. His photographs include breathtaking images of the landscape of Ireland, as well as some of the countries most iconic spots, such as the Cliffs of Moher and Clonmacnoise. 

“I always try to look for an image thats never been done before at night,” Stenson told IrishCentral.

Stensen explained: “The colors I get at night are something that you never see during the day which is something that adds to the feel of the images.”

“I always look at something in the day and ask myself, 'what would this look like at night with the Milky way rising etc'.  It's challenging at times to find a new way to look at the same sight you're familiar with but that is what challenges me at the moment.” 

Stenson has captured other stunning photographs in his career. Three weeks earlier he had taken a photo of meteors over the ancient edifice of O’Brien’s Tower, also in the west of Ireland.

The meteor shower occurred about 11pm and was visible across Ireland. His photograph captured the moment right before the fireballs hit the Atlantic Ocean.

He explained: “I was down at the Cliffs of Moher taking pictures of O'Briens tower when out of no-where appears  9-10 Meteors flying slowly across the sky. I froze on the spot realising what I was witnessing and I proceeded to grab my torch and photograph the picture which received a lot of attention last month attention last month.”

Irish fans and amateur photographers aren’t the only ones interested in Stenson’s photography. The British Astronomical Association (BAA) contacted Stenson to help their investigators identify what exactly was flying through the sky that night and the trajectory of the path of flight. Stenson gave them a higher resolution image of the photo so they could count the number of different trails in the image.

“The picture was requested by the British Astronomical Association to help them with their investigation of the fireball. The same picture has been used by 'Sky & Telescope" one of the worlds most reputable astronomy magazines.”

Whether for pure pleasure or astronomical research, Stenson’s photos display some the true beauty of Ireland and increasingly getting the attention they deserve.

You can see more of Stenson’s amazing photographs of Ireland and other parts of the world on his site.

He also has a fan page on facebook

Stenson is also a musician. He plays the flute and can be heard on RTE’s tv show “The Reel Deal” premiering this fall. Stenson is a member of the traditional Irish music group, Teada, the word for “strings” in the Irish language. Teada’s official page is http://teada.com/joomla/.

See photos: Spectacular photography of Ireland by Damien Stenson


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8 Comments

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Since when does the sun set in the southern hemisphere over the antartica? The Cliffs of Moher run along the western coast of Ireland due north/south. But then, given that it was taken on the Autumnal/Fall equinox, perhaps the photographer was away with the fairies in the Burren.
(…more) Lots of people like lots of my photos but, peculiarly, not one of them has nominated my own favourite photo, that of sea-eagle perched on a driftwood branch sticking out of a seemingly silver coin-spread sea surface. And that photo was taken, in a singular moment, on a hot day, by a beach, on the spur of a freezing on-the-spot moment like what Stenson speaks of. Life is full of these moments. Don’t miss them, lest you leave history bereft of your own moments of memories.
(…more) But that uncle, who gave me THAT camera, started me out on one of the best hobbies one could ever have in life (erm - that’s apart from my other hobbies of the GAA games of football, hurling and handball, soccer, golf, various athletics sports and jogging and walking on the green parks of Ireland, its sandy beaches and along its mesmerising buffs and cliffs, camera hanging from my neck) and I would encourage everybody (including those who think they are nincompoops or fellow idiots of my dear sister) to get involved in photography (with a proper camera, please, not yr oul’ mobile phone! Proper cameras are cheaper than mobile phones and take better quality pictures). If you’re a complete nincompoop on photography, buy photography magazines that always have tips for newcomers, or just search for tips for amateur photographers online. You’ll never know what you might just capture or compose as a photograph. I got quite a few peaches of photos in my collection out of the thousands of photos I’ve taken since being presented with that 1913 camera. (…more)
That’s great work and dedication shown by photographer Damien Stenson. I was introduced to photography as a young fella by a kind old uncle who presented me with a very old Kodak camera (dated 1913), still working scores of years after 1913 when given to me at my very young age back then; yep, true! And what’s more, I’m still well away from official Irish retirement age. The camera was of the neat black metal kind, encased in a worn-out orangey-brown leather case that had an accordion fold-out lens. I took loads of B&W photos with it as a young youth (geddit? How old I was as a “young youth”) before I moved on to newer cameras; those tiny printed photos are now part of our family history. Sadly (correction… Ragingly), my well-meaning house cleaning-out idiot sister threw that 1913 camera out as rubbish while I was away playing a football match (no, don’t bother to ask about the huge row between us afterwards; we are still friends but there’s still an “AAAAARRRGH!” that still rages inside me at the memory). What a museum piece it would have been today in my possession, like my later cameras are, if I hadn’t gone off to play football that day. (Aaaaaargh!) (More…)
Awesome. Spectacular and breathtaking ! Keep them coming. Thanks.
Click, a star is born!
His photos are absolutely beautiful. Are any of them available for purchase, and if so, how can I purchase them. Thanks
Great eye for beauty.
 




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