We recently participated in two Light, Land, & Sea workshops; one in County Kerry, Ireland and the other along Ireland’s Copper Coast. Light, Land & Sea is true to its word offering “Unique Photographic Experiences”. Both workshops were led by instructors Athena Carey and John Dunne. It was clear from the outset that the primary focus of the instructors was the needs of the workshop participants. John and Athena effectively divide their time among the participants so that we each felt we had 100% of their attention when we needed it. There is no magic to what Athena and John bring to the workshops. It is simply an extension of who they are. John and Athena engender trust in their personal lives and the photographic journey they share with their students. We were treated as though we were close friends and shared every bit of the photographic journey we were on. They took care of us, worried over us, and made sure we were taking away the best photographs possible from the experience.

We have been to other workshops in which locations were not scouted in advance. Our results were always hit and miss. Certainly not true of the Light, Land, & Sea workshops. The locations were well scouted in advance with suitable alternatives in case weather closed out one of our locations. We were taken to several amazing locations that were relatively free of tourists and given ample time at each location to take in and photograph the natural beauty we found there.

Our photographic journey took us to Ireland where we were able to meet other adventurous photographers. The experience was everything we hoped, and more. We are planning on returning for another Light, Land, & Sea workshop. Where will your photographic journey take you?

Hi John, I felt compelled to send you this note! Six months later I still find myself getting lost within the image, which hangs in my study over my computer. I find it incredibly relaxing just leaning back in my chair and staring in to that enchanting landscape.

I recently took two Ireland workshops with John and Athena, and they were terrific. I’ve known Athena for several years and this was my first opportunity to meet John. They’re both great photographers, teachers and people! They have scouted the best locations and know the best times to get you there. I came back with memories, and images, I’ll treasure for a lifetime. We had some unusual weather during the week (like the first hurricane in Ireland in 50 years!!) and Athena and John worked tirelessly rearranging the schedule to get us to locations where we could safely shoot. All in all, it was a great experience and I can confidently recommend Light, Land & Sea if you’re considering a workshop with them!

I recently had an international client who wanted to gift each of their 112 guests with a striking Irish print. We approached John to help us in the delivery of this and it was such a wise decision! He was extremely helpful and beyond professional from the initial phone call right through to the prints being delivered to us. He listened to what we needed and worked with us to ensure the client was happy and our job was an easy one! It was my first experience working with John but hopefully not the last as I look forward to working with him again and showcasing Ireland’s natural beauty to more international guests!

Hi John. Thank you again for such a speedy delivery. The couple absolutely loved the photo of Glendelough. It was the right decision to go with the larger print, and it now hangs pride of place over their fireplace.

It takes me a while to look at my pictures without prejudice and a critical eye but I finally started reviewing my work in earnest. I got some really good shots I never would have seen before and realize what a great trip it was for me. I learned a lot about how to improve my long exposure, how to use the equipment I have and what equipment I needed to purchase to improve my work (not sure if I should be thanking you for that).

I just wanted to thank you for your time and the experience. If you ever find yourself in New England, feel free to look me up.

Wow! I mean wow, I’m speechless. The picture arrived today, and.. WOW.. again!

Our project at Malahide Castle & Gardens, near Dublin needed a special eye to do justice to the unique plant collection of the late Lord Milo Talbot de Malahide.

The work produced was of a high standard and John’s management of a difficult subject matter, workflow and brief was excellent. This project required a number of site visits over a 12 month period working closely with our client acting on behalf of us as a subcontractor and we found him to be most professional and conscientious. The status of the project meant we had high expectations and John delivered against them within the confines of what could be achieved within budget and logistically given the ever changing nature of a garden. The online galleries of images were especially useful for client approvals and for easy image download by a number of parties in the design team.

John proved to be a good choice for this project and we would be glad to recommend him for similar work.

John Dunne is an extremely talented photographer and we are proud to display his work at The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD). By capturing the character of some of Dublin’s best known landmarks, as well as the essence of the Irish landscape, his photographs will help showcase Ireland to delegates visiting The CCD from all across the world.

I know I said it in person but I just wanted to thank you again. My brother loved my engagement present. The print of Howth Head brought him right back to day he asked Karen to marry him 🙂

I went on two workshops in Ireland with Athena Carey and John Dunne in the fall of 2017. The first workshop was in County Kerry. I also signed up for the one day extension. A hurricane hit on the day of the extension! We are used to hurricanes along the coast of Louisiana, but I never would have guessed there would be one in Ireland! Athena and John handled it beautifully. We stayed in the hotel and they critiqued some of our photos and made post-processing suggestions. This was great and gave us a chance to rest.

The second workshop was on the Copper Coast. About the time we got there, a tropical storm hit! That made photography challenging the first day, but after that the stirred up water provided some very dramatic scenery for photography. Again, John and Athena were flexible and chose the best sites for the weather.

Most of all, John and Athena always had our safety on their minds. John helped me climb up hills and over wet rocks that got thrown up on a beach by the storm.

Athena and John helped me better understand the use of filters for long exposure photography which was one of my goals for the trip.

The image of Lough Tay was beautiful on your website, but it did not prepare me for how wonderful it is in print. It’s a real conversation starter as it hangs in pride of place in our living room. Thank You.

I joined the Light, Land, & Sea team of John Dunne & Athena Carey for 2 workshops in Ireland on successive weekends in October 2017….the first one spent in County Kerry followed by a second the following weekend on the Copper Coast in County Waterford. Little did any of us know ahead of time we’d be experiencing a ‘once every 50 years’ weather event as part of the trip. As it turned out, Hurricane Ophelia decided to find her way all the way up to Ireland just as the County Kerry workshop was ending….and Tropical Storm Brian decided to make an appearance the day prior to the start of the County Waterford event. And though neither weather event occurred smack in the middle of either workshop, their arrival/departure made for some challenging conditions nonetheless. As any experienced landscape photographer knows, it’s good to have a plan. Equally important is to have a Plan B in your back pocket. Well, we blew through Plan A, Plan B, and I don’t know how many others. By the time the end of the trip was drawing near, I started looking to see where John & Athena were hiding the hat and all the rabbits stuffed in it because every time I thought we weren’t going to get any shooting in, they pulled another rabbit out of this mysterious hat of theirs and found us a location. And not only did they find a location, the ‘backups’ could all have qualified as Plan A sessions. It was clear they had done their homework for shooting locations. And while the photography is THE big attractor of any such trip, it’s always good to reboot with a good meal and a comfortable place to lay your head when the day’s shooting is done. The various eateries John & Athena took us to were excellent and the B&B’s we stayed at for each workshop were far more than ‘adequate’. Suffice it to say, I lost no weight on this trip. And the sandman had no problems putting me down for the night.

So, would I recommend Ireland as a location for a photographic adventure? In.A.Heartbeat. Iceland seems to be THE ‘in’ place for landscape photography trips these days. But if you replace it’s ‘c’ with an ‘r’, and pay Ireland a visit, you will have had a terrific adventure. The hardest part of shooting in Ireland is traveling from location to location and not giving in to the urge to stop around every other bend in the road to shoot….a castle, a lighthouse, the sea p-o-u-n-d-I-n-g the shoreline, or a gaggle of other possibilities.

Would I also recommend planning your adventure with the Light, Land, & Sea team? Well, I’m an old man, and those heartbeats are starting to get a little precious, but I’ll sacrifice one more and add a second In.A.Heartbeat.

A big thanks to Athena and John from Light Land and Sea for a great weekend of long exposure photography at the Copper Coast Waterford.  Over the weekend we visited some fantastic coves along the copper coast which were excellent for long exposure photography.  The weather was in our favour, the people were friendly and extremely pleasant.  The workshop was certainly insightful and resulted in some excellent imagery.

I was looking for some scenes of Clontarf with a difference for my Husband. When I came across John Dunne’s website I could see that he had not only a great photographers eye but an eye for more artistic work. John came and inspected the area and after seeing what I was looking for came back with some great pictures. He captured the essence of Clontarf without going for the obvious. We are delighted with the images.

My daughter and I recently had the pleasure of attending a Copper Coast Ireland Workshop with Athena and John. I had taken an online course taught by Athena so it was a great pleasure to meet her in person. John and Athena have great teaching skills and take a true interest in helping to raise your photography knowledge or letting you roam freely if that is your choice. Both are engaging and fun to be around. Meals were always entertaining. The photography locations were well researched and when I came home to Montana I was enthused with new energy and ideas.

Thanks again Athena and John!