The Irish Photography Podcast

Welcome to the Irish Photography Podcast! In this special episode, host Darren returns from a hiatus to discuss an extraordinary aurora event that lit up the skies of Ireland on May 10, 2024. Joined by seasoned photographers Bernard Geraghty, Ian from Irish Skies, and Anthony Lynch, they recount their experiences and the unforgettable spectacle that night. From detailed settings for capturing the perfect shot to the science behind the aurora, this episode is packed with valuable insights. The team also touches on the importance of accurate information and how to avoid the pitfalls of misleading forecasts. Additionally, Anthony Lynch shares his recent adventure to Texas for the Great North American Eclipse, offering a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of capturing such a rare event. Whether you're an avid photographer or simply fascinated by natural phenomena, this episode promises to be both informative and entertaining. Tune in for an engaging discussion filled with expert tips, personal anecdotes, and a touch of humour.

A quick update on the status of the podcast, unedited, unscripted and raw I really appreciate all of your support to date, and now it's over to you 

As I began my interview with Fabian Wagner DOP, he sits there totally relaxed and easygoing. Describing himself as just an ordinary guy, I quickly becomes clear that my conversation was going to be a very relaxed affair, without pretences and totally open to all questions I threw at him.   From starting out with his friends filming while still at school Fabian's passion for film seems embedded within and pushed him to learn his craft by attending Film College not only in Denmark but also in the UK.   Fabian explains how meeting many people throughout his career has helped him become the success he is now, additionally, it is all about luck and timing. From using cameras at weekends from a company he worked for making corporate videos he suddenly had equipment to use to make music videos and got his name around as someone who was good at his craft. Starting with 2nd unit on film sets, to getting roles with the BBC with various series, Life Spooks, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes are some of his titles and even got the opportunity to work on the crown with his friend, which was a great moment.    It was then after working on Sherlock that he got his first Emmy Nomination, After receiving this Fabian says he didn’t know where it had come from and upon receiving the call at the time he didn’t realise how big of a career-changing moment it would end up being. He was just happy working and doing the job he loved. It was then that he was able to make a call to his mom and tell her the news, this made her extremely proud plus she was able to go to L.A. with her son for the Emmy event.  Joining Game Of Thrones in season 4 he worked with the show runners and many directors to produce some of the best cinematography which was recognised by earning him his second Emmy nomination. Fabian was responsible for the now infamous scene " Battle of the Bastards" and how he describes how this was put together it struck me that he is an incredibly down-to-earth guy. We discuss his approach to filming, his mindset, his blockbuster titles like Justice League and how he is now giving back to the community with his first steps cinematography initiative.    An incredible conversation overall which shows that it is possible for anyone to be successful once they have the passion and drive to succeed.   

On this week's Episode Darren has a fascinating conversation with a lover of the colour yellow, a connoisseur of good coffee, an adventurer on road trips, and a devoted companion to an 11-year-old Whippet, Ollie, Sarah Lyndsay finds joy in life's simple pleasures. However, photography is where her true passion lies. It's not just her profession; it's her dream come true. With over 12 years of professional experience, photography has transformed her life in profound ways. In those early years, She dedicated every spare moment to learning and mastering the art, and has never looked back. She pursued formal education in Professional Photography, earning her diploma and embarking on a journey that has been equal parts bewildering, frustrating, and rewarding. Join us as we discuss all of this and more

In this episode, Darren sits down to a chat with friend of the show and the mastermind behind the annual Irish Light Festival. A Celebration of all things Landscape photography in Ireland plus special guests, keynote speakers, workshops and amazing prizes to be won with the renowned contest. This year is shaping up to be another great festival, hear all about it here, who's coming this year what you could win and how you can enter 

On this week's episode, we get to have an incredible conversation with one of the good guys out there. Having met first online during "Armageddon" Darren finally gets to have a one-on-one sit down with this fascinating, talented, funny and inspirational human. Learn about his back story, what it's really like living the nomad life in an Airstream, His BEST PAL Sabu and of course, several bits about photography mixed in   You can learn all about Kenny's works and approach to his craft here https://krlphotoworkshops.com/pages/about-kenneth https://twitter.com/KennethLerose/ https://www.instagram.com/krl_photo/  

On this week's episode, we sit down to discuss just how important AI is currently and whether should we be concerned with what the future holds, We talk about plagiarism and being original and a new segment joins the show... Is this news?

KINGDOM is a homage to the landscape of Kerry that has provided Norm with endless inspiration for the last 30 years. The book reveals his close connection to this rugged and dramatic landscape at the edge of Europe and revisits many favourite locations to uncover something new. The drama and beauty of this special place are showcased in over 100 colour images, including some of the established gallery favourites over the years, alongside a whole new body of work. The renowned photographer Paul Wakefield has provided a beautifully written foreword alongside a short introductory essay by the author about his experiences in the Kingdom of Kerry.

After months of planning and a few obstacles along the way, the two hosts of the podcast finally managed to get up to the stunning island of Achill Island for a photography trip, listen to us discuss the many adventures, mishaps and laughs we had along the way, plus learn more about this stunning area for photography 

It's been almost 3 months since the last episode of the podcast, however, I have been very busy with many exciting things in the meantime. Today is the return of the podcast and the return of the one and only Diarmuid O Donovan, can we convince him to come back full-time?

On this weeks episode I have a great conversation with Rachel who is truly an inspiration for many.  Rachel hails from New Zealand and if a professional photographer, workshop leader, mentor and life coach and her story is a fascinating one.   We discuss how she got started in photography, her lucky breaks, challenges and successes as well as her approach to her craft and advancing the skills of others. Find more info on Rachel Here https://www.facebook.com/rachelgillespienzphoto   https://rachelgillespie.co.nz/ https://www.nztraveladventure.com/

On this weeks episode the boys are back in town, well a different town and its on the incredible Isle of Skye. Diarmuid makes a return to the podcast to discuss the fun and games that we both had while on our recent trip to Isle of Skye, where Diarmuid had unfinished business and a certain bucket shot.. The craic was mighty , the locations were insane and the roadtrip had many a tale to tell     

On this episode I get t have an incredible conversation with Alyn Wallace about all things astrophotography and especially about his first ever book Photographing the night sky.  Alyn Wallace is an astro-landscape photographer based near the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, U.K. His work has been featured on National Geographic, NASA and BBC Earth. We speak about his passion for Astrophotography, what was involved in putting this book together, some insights into the amazing contents of the book as well as some fantastic tips along the way. Alyn was also very kind to give us a signed copy of his book to give away to one lucky winner, to be in with a chance simply share a pic you've taken at night on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and let us know in the caption why you would like to get your hands on Alyn's book, Photographing the Night Sky. Be sure to tag @alynwallace and @theirishphotographypodcast Pre-Order your copy here https://alynwallacephotography.com/photographing-night-sky-astrophotography-book

On this weeks episode I get to have a chat with one of the photographers whose work I have been admiring for quite a long time. Dermot is based out of Dublin and has made the area his own playground, producing banger after banger every week and finding himself as one of the hottest Photographers on the scene at the moment. We discuss his journey in photography so far, his approach to a scene, editing and style. Dermot is certainly a photographer to follow in 2022 and I am sure beyond..   You can find his work here  https://www.instagram.com/dermotgarland https://wyld.ie/print-store/  

On this weeks show I get to speak with Peter Gordon, the man behind this illustrious festival about everything that it takes to put this together, the ups and downs and the exciting things that lie ahead for 2022. IRISHLIGHT is a landscape photography festival with a range of events that we hope will help to inspire and educate the landscape community in Ireland and abroad. The festival is run by Peter Gordon and Jelena Derk as a forum to pull the best professional Irish based landscape photographers together, bring international photographers to Ireland while also mobilising the amazing enthusiast talent that exists both here and abroad. Over time the IrishLight programme has evolved and morphed and the range of events have changed. THE BIG DAY is our headline seminar event with great speakers and a trade presence. It’s a must-see day out for any photographers that want to hear inspiring talks from top International and Irish talent. Speakers are visiting Ireland to speak for the first time so it really is a unique chance for some next level inspiration. We have some fantastic landscape photographers in Ireland and this event is a chance to see the best of the best international landscape photographers. In 2022 there will be a SPECIAL EDITION WORKSHOPS programme to bring superstars of the international landscape photography world to Ireland. It’s a unique chance to work with great international shooters here in Ireland. The IrishLight Open call COMPETITION is looking to find the very best amateur photography of the Irish landscape. The best images win some amazing prizes from Nikon Camera gear, Shimoda Bags, Kase Filters and stunning prints from 360 DPI.

Intro insta is free  It's a great platform for showcasing images and now also video  Pros: Superb way of discovering new creatives  Great way of meeting fellow photographers  Powerful tool to get new business, sales of images and building a brand    Cons: has moved to compete with tikok thru videos Copying pasting videos from TikTok platform Algorithm  seems to be changing faster than the weather    Now to the scary part  Subject to hacking of accounts  Identity theft IP Theft  How : hackers seem to take control of users accounts by sending a message to all of their followers and here are some of the ways  Need help to get account back  They have made money on crypto and you can too  Been accepted as an ambassador or similar    This message can go to all your followers and they also post stories and actual posts about the same    If you also view a story they will then message you also as you are flagged as active    Seems to be a real person sending the messages and not a bot Have been having conversions with followers  Have also told users who setup a new account and contacted to to try and get your account back .. hahaha etc  They fool followers into thinking that it’s the real person who needs help  They have access to all your previous conversations on the Platform so be careful what messages you send on insta as it is all there    Asks them to either click a link or send a screenshot of some sort    This is believed to be used as a way to get around two step authentication ( how I don’t quite know )   Once they have access to your account they then start sharing actually images you have posted , even been known to post personal / family images to increase chance of audience thinking it’s actually the real person and these images again contain that they made money on crypto    You audience are now the target and they want to catch them out and start the web of expansion of this hack    Insta can be linked to your commercial business , website or store so this has the potential to also be compromised    They have been known to send you a WhatsApp message demanding money to give your account back ( some have paid as it’s their business )   Years to build up a following now gone as you can effectively say goodbye to your insta account    Why? Insta are impossible to contact  You deal with AI not a real person  Even with two factor auth in place it’s makes no difference  It’s also been known to be that if you don’t have a proper photo of yourself as a profile then there is less chance but there is little chance in the first place  Fill in online questionnaire and insta come  back with a reply that there is nothing unusual on this  account    Cannot report it as a hacked account  Your Facebook is still active even tho both platforms are owned by meta .. why ? Why hasn’t insta recognized that this issue is so widespread  People will stop using the platform  You can make a new account and tell purple you are hacked but with no followers who is going to see it ?   What can you do ? Pay attention , they feed on people clicking without thinking ? Don’t click on links that your gut tells you could be sus Enable two factor authentication  If you want to keep your following then create your own mailing list where you have control  Find another platform to use  Or don’t and continue to use Instagram for what it is intended to be ! A free social platform    But also be aware that these scammers are also targeting youtube in the form of replies from creators ( fake profiles with a link )

On this weeks show I am joined by Stanley Aryanto of The Wicked Hunt for a fascinating conversation about his photography journey. "If today were the last day of my life, would I do what I'm about to do today? " This is a quote which has changed Stanleys Life and set him off on the journey he is on to this day. We talk about how he got started in Photography, The road to Octoberfest, NFT's,  positive mindsets, workshops, Astro photography, gear and much more You can find more details on Stanley here and while you are there check out his own awesome podcast  https://direct.me/thewickedhunt

On this episode I am joined by a photographer who was very gracious with his time when I visited his playground in Wisconsin back in Autumn/Fall of 2018. Luke Collins is a professional photographer hailing out of the stunning Door country in Wisconsin.  We talk about how he got started in photography, his stunning back garden and all that it has to offer for photography,the mother of all winding roads, ice, snow and everything in between, his trips and love of the national parks in the US, trips he has done and is planning as well as what it takes to setup his own photography gallery.  This is a fantastic conversation and it is clear that his passion and love for photography are what drives him to capture some fantastic shots  You can find more info on Luke here as well as details on his fantastic gallery, prints and books here https://www.lukecollinsphotography.com/ Insta https://www.instagram.com/lukejc1/    

Heading to Norway in winter is something that I have personally wanted to do for a while as it is certainly a trip I know I would remember. On this week's episode I am joined by Regular to the podcast Bernard Geraghty and also Adrian Gray and they both take me through what an incredible trip they had and share some of the once in a lifetime conditions they experiences and even spending time with the super talented Adrien Mauduit of Night Light Films  Find more info here  www.bglandscapetours.ie  Adrian Gray https://www.instagram.com/exithsg/ Night light Films https://www.instagram.com/nightlightsfilms/    

On this weeks episode I am joined by the incredible Mike Mezeul II AKA Mike Mez. We discuss how he got started in photography purely by chance, how he has evolved to become THE hottest photographer on the planet right now. Volcanos, Supercells, Tornados & natural disasters, Mike has photographed them all from the land and also the air. Gracing the cover or magazines, featuring on news channels, Secret Service, Nikon PRO and all round nice guy. Join me for an incredible conversation   Find more details on Mike here    https://www.mikemezphotography.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mikemezphoto/