Alex Boyd - In the Irish Wilderness

I recently came across the work of photographer Alex Boyd when I saw one of his images of Dun Briste on the BBC website.  Dun Briste is a sea stack near where I lived in Ireland.  When I was young I would look at the sea stack every day from the windows at the back of the house so it was interesting to see how he photographed it.

Last summer I spent a few evenings on the edge of the cliff shooting the sea stack and cliffs around there.  I'm not very good with heights so I was keen to get a shot and get out of there as soon as possible.

Dun Briste

My image from last summer

The west of Ireland is a wild wilderness.  The sea is rough and the fog and mist ever present.  This is something that Boyd has captured in his work.  I have found his image of Dun Briste pretty fierce.  It shows the strength of the sea - it is a force to be reckoned with.

Boyd uses a plate camera complete with darkroom equipment and chemicals which he carries up hills and through bog to produce this series of work.  Very different to my shooting conditions.  However, the effects he achieves are quite different - in a good way.

I have found his work on an area that I am familiar with very interesting probably more to do with the familiarity.  It is strange how I have never seen Dun Briste the way he chose to shoot it but yet I know instinctively where and what it is.  I feel that he has very much captured the mood of the place.

For assignment 5 People and Place I am looking to include an image of the Irish coastline as my opening shot.  Boyd's work has given me some food for thought particularly in relation to the way I view the place I lived and what it means to me.  It has also made me think about how I want to show it to other people.