The West – Kerry and Clare

18 - 26 Oct 2025 : Fully Booked

The West – Kerry/Clare

18 – 26 Oct 2025

Dates:
18 – 26 Oct 2025

Location:
The West of Ireland

Fee:
 €5950

Deposit:
€1000

Instructor:
Daragh Muldowney

Fee Includes:
Hotel Accommodation Throughout, Transportation, Breakfast, Tuition, Location Guide, Post-production webinar

Photography Level:
Intermediate – Advanced

Group Size:
5 Max (Fully Booked)

JOIN US IN IRELAND

The West of Ireland boasts the country’s most rugged and wild landscapes.  Beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers and an untamed coastline hugged by the Atlantic Ocean dominate the area. An ideal setting for a photography tour in Ireland. Autumn is a beautiful time of year to shoot with great colours and dramatic lighting. The sunrise/sunset times are also fantastic which allows for a full day’s shooting with time for a good meal and a nice pint of Guinness in the evening. This tour takes in a fantastic mix of locations through County Kerry and County Clare. Clare is a great spot for dramatic cliffs, sea stacks, pristine beaches, and lighthouses while Kerry has an abundance of amazing lakes, mountains and some stunning seascapes. Both locations have some great castles for good measure. It’s an amazing Irish adventure. Check out the workshop programme below for a more detailed guide and hopefully the images on this page tell the story of the stunning locations you will visit.

Our 10-day tour is designed to let you enjoy your photography while we look after the locations and any instruction that might be needed. We will combine sunrise and sunset shoots through our journey ensuring you shoot the best locations in the best light. Sunrise is at 8 am so we will shoot sunrise every day with one sleep in to recharge the body. We will shoot sunset every day which is around 6.30pm. There will be a break for a few hours post sunrise and breakfast each morning.  Our goal is for you to have a great time, get a genuine flavour for the Irish landscape and culture, and come away with a body of stunning images.

Daragh is part of an elite group of Irish landscape photographers and will bring you to the best locations that the country has to offer. With a local experienced guide and instructor on board, you will get all the technical insights needed to make a vast array of great images in the best locations. Daragh will make suggestions on composition at the beginning of each shoot, show you the best angles, and provide you with any technical insights needed. It is not just a chance to have a unique experience, it’s an opportunity to learn lots of new skills.

Our tour leaves from Dublin with hotel pick up included on the departure day. If you’re visiting from abroad Dublin gives you the best option flight-wise and also an opportunity to explore our capital city and visit iconic locations such as the Guinness Storehouse and the Book of Kells. We don’t want to spend excessive time in the car once we’re out on tour so we’ve broken the trip into 3 key locations. We take your photography and comfort seriously and will be staying in well-appointed hotels throughout.

Part 1 : The first part of our journey starts in Kenmare for 4 nights. We will explore the Gap of Dunloe, the Ring of Kerry and the Beara peninsula. It’s an ideal jump-off point to shoot beautiful lakes, rivers, mountains and waterfalls. Killarney National Park boasts the highest mountains in Ireland, stunning lakes and passes, as well as a vast array of deciduous native woodland. From here we can access the Gap of Dunloe, the Black Valley plus an unforgettable day trip to the Beara Peninsula.

Part 2 : Next up is Dingle. We will spend 2 nights in Dingle where we will explore stunning beaches around Slea Head as well as the dramatic Conor Pass. Some of the finest beaches in Ireland are on Slea Head.  The Conor Pass and the mountainous backdrop is a sight to behold at sunrise. If the weather permits we will do a boat trip to photograph Cathedral Rock. This will be weather-dependent and will incur an additional cost of €150 per person.

Part 3 : Our final stop-off (2 nights) is the rugged coastline of Co Clare. Stunning cliffs and seascapes not to mention the iconic Cliffs of Moher. We return to Dublin on the final morning and we will drop you to your Dublin Hotel. Most people fly out last day so we normally drop to an airport hotel but of you a re staying on we can also bring you city centre.

There will be a webinar to help you edit your images post-workshop. You send your pictures to your instructor and a section will be edited live. The webinar will be recorded and sent back to you so you will have a route map to help you make the most of your images after the workshop.

The cost of our 10-day tour is €5950. A €1000 deposit is required to secure your place and the balance would be due three months before the trip gets underway. For this cost, you will receive all tutition, transportation single occupancy hotels plus breakfast.

Your comfort is taken seriously and we will be staying in hotels throughout.  Lunch will be taken on the road. On location, transportation is also included (not flights) so you will be driven to and from all locations throughout the duration of the tour. All you need to do is enjoy your shooting, learn some new skills and make lots of beautiful images.

FLIGHTS are not included.

It is not advised to book flights until we confirm we have adequate numbers for this workshop to go ahead. In the event of the workshop not going ahead, we will refund deposits in full. However, we will not compensate flight costs.

  • On Location Guidance
  • Compositional Instruction
  • Post Processing Instruction in Free Webinar
  • Understanding Exposure Triangle
  • Modes of Exposure
  • RAW, White Balance and Filters
  • Why is the angle of the sun so important – Understanding Light and seeing like your camera
  • Using Graduated Neutral Density Filters
  • Sharpness From Here to Shanghai – Understanding Depth of Field
  • Choosing the Correct Shutter Speed to get the best Outcome
  • The Importance of Composition – Using Lines and Texture
  • Histograms ExplainedExposing to the Right for Maximum Details

Daragh Muldowney – view gallery of Daragh’s images HERE

  • Spare batteries for camera if possible or the battery charger essential
  • We will be shooting both wide angles and intimate details so focal lengths from 17mm to 200mm will be of use.
  • Tripod (essential)
  • Shutter cable release if possible but we can also use your timer if you don’t have a cable release.
  • Camera Manual (just in case)
  • Filters – Circular Polariser , ND’s and grad ND’s will be of use
  • USB drive to store edited images (we can also use your CF or SD cards if you don’t have one)  (In case we have to work indoors)
  • Laptop – If anyone has a laptop with  Photoshop or Lightroom – I’m sure this will come in handy
  • You will need a pair of over ankle height waterproof boots
  • Good waterproof jackets & trousers

EASY – There are no long walks on this workshop with locations typically within 5 minutes of the car. All workshops require walking on uneven ground on beaches or lake edges for example.

Our team is dedicated to getting you the best images possible on every trip. We are an experienced team of leaders and always willing to go the extra mile for our participants. Ask our repeat customers. Most workshops have 50% or higher returning customers.

We will get you to the right place at the right time of day to maximize your chances of making great images. That’s the core focus of every trip. What drives us forward. We love the light as much as you do and our primary goal is always to give you the best chance possible of bringing home special images.

We have small groups and a really high teacher to pupil ratio. Most workshops are only 6 or 7 people. Our max is 9 and there will be 2 instructors. This means that there is always time to give advice and help when on location. It also means we always travel in comfort with 2 people to a 3 seat berth. We take your comfort seriously with single occupancy rooms with private bathrooms as standard. We also have a dedicated office team managing logistics so you have a point of contact for your arrival and departures or other logistical questions you might have around the trip.

Every workshop of 3 days or more comes with a free follow-up private webinar for the group. 2 hours of post-processing of the images from your trip. Recorded live and emailed back to you so you have a road map through the edit of the whole trip.

So why not join the adventure? Join the ExploreLight Community!

“On a workshop with ExploreLight, there are always laughs, but there are always great photographs too.  Peter and his team go to great efforts to ensure everyone gets the shot they want at a location – whether it’s the continuous checking of local weather conditions, to in depth knowledge of each location, to prepping the group prior to arrival at the location by showing past shots, to walking among the group during the shoot, offering advice and sharing their own shots, total dedication to the client.  I’ve taken some of my best shots while on ExploreLight workshops and that’s no coincidence.

The aftercare is second to none, with a private Facebook group where you are encouraged to share your shots (and where you can receive suggestions for improvement) to social nights out and emails on upcoming workshops, editing sessions, etc.  Peter is building a community of photographers who return again and again.”

Barbara Tanzler

“Something deep within tempted me to attend an ExploreLight fundamentals workshop in the Wicklow National Park in March 2015. I remember coming home feeling invigorated, that a new world was about to open up for me. My photography has improved steadily so much so that I recently achieved my Associate distinction from the IPF but more importantly I have met fantastic people many of whom are now considered friends, I’ve attended many more ExploreLight workshops since and visited fantastic locations all under the expert guidance of the ExploreLight team. These guys are good and are at the top of their game and super professional. I recommend ExploreLight because they are the best Photography workshop and tour operators out there.”

Noel McIntyre AIPF

“I have been on several ExploreLight Workshops and have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them.  The ExploreLight workshops are a perfect combination of excellent teaching, superb locations, and great “craic”. Your enthusiasm is infectious, even if it means getting up at 5am to shoot the sunrise, or staying out until 4am to shoot the aurora. I look forward to returning to many more workshops with you guys.”

Paul Byrne

Workshops 2024 – Click HERE

Please read our Terms & Conditions HERE

Regarding flights or other personal expenses, we cannot take responsibility for costs if a workshop does not go ahead. We suggest having insurance or a ticket that allows you to move dates. This is available with most airlines at the moment.

Email [email protected] if you require any further information

× How can I help you?