The Umbrella Photographer

Sunday’s storm on the Dingle Peninsula was the kind that turns sensible people around at the car park, but photographers are rarely sensible. I was down at Clogher Strand when the rain properly opened up. My friend and I both grabbed umbrellas trying to keep the gear dry while still getting the shot. The blue umbrella was doing most of the heavy lifting, swallowing them whole against that wall of ancient slate. What struck me was the colour contrast: that vivid blue
popping against the muted greys and ochres of the cliff face, with the smooth sand beneath acting like a stage. They never knew they’d wandered straight into my frame, which is probably for the best. Sometimes the best subjects are the ones who don’t know they’re performing.

Clogher Strand was used as a filming location for David Lean’s Ryan’s Daughter (1970). The production spent nearly a year on the Dingle Peninsula waiting for suitably dramatic weather. We had that on Sunday!

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