I am a photographer, author, naturalist, graphic designer and dabbling filmmaker based on the west coast of Ireland.
My interest in photography dates back to my early childhood, but my professional endeavours only began in 2002 after leaving a career in pediatric nursing, settling in Ireland and starting to call myself a "professional photographer". My first - self-assigned - project was a photo book on the Burren, which - after securing a publishing contract with a small Irish publisher - appeared in bookshops in 2006. 'The Fertile Rock – Seasons in the Burren' became the foundation of a long and still ongoing publishing career, which includes books such as 'Ireland’s Coast', 'The Wildflowers of Ireland', 'Ireland’s Heritage Trees', 'This is the Burren' and the Irish Book Awards shortlisted 'Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way' and 'Wild Ireland'. While my first books were typical coffee-table-style photography books, over time writing became an ever bigger component of my work - thanks to my commissioning editor at the O'Brien Press who gently but firmly pushed and encouraged me to keep practising my writing skills - and words and images are now sharing the pages of my books in equal amounts. With writing also came a rekindled interest in natural history and heritage, an urge to learn about and understand the landscapes, structures, plants and animals I was making images of.
In addition to moving from one book project to the next, I undertook assignments in the Irish tourism sector for clients such as Tourism Ireland, the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, Loop Head Tourism and others, and worked for nature conservation organisations such as the Irish Peatlands Conservation Council, the Irish Wildlife Trust and the international Meet Your Neighbours biodiversity project.
In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic put a sudden stop to Irish tourism and subsequently to my reasonably successful photography career. From here my life took an unexpected turn. I found myself working as a volunteer in a local community development programme, planning and implementing community projects, and subsequently taking on a paid position with the consultancy firm that had been running said community development programme. Looking back, the Covid-19 pandemic and working in a field I knew nothing about and hadn't even remotely considered before, were a blessing in disguise. Taking a step back from the freelance photography treadmill, gathering new experiences and learning new skills - this included getting a diploma in graphic design, something I had been tiptoeing around for many years - made me take a fresh and critical look at my previous work and start over with a new vision and enthusiasm for visual story telling and the written word.
After three years as an employee I returned to a freelance existence in late 2025, but this time more on my own terms. A partnership with Bannerbooks, a small bookseller and independent publisher, allows me to work on books that are close to my heart and be more involved in the publishing process. The first of these books 'Wild West Clare - From the Shannon Dolphins to the Cliffs of Moher' is about to go to print and other books are in preparation. I am also working as a project officer on a community-driven nature restoration project, I am preparing to shoot a series of short films and I am designing and typesetting books (other than my own). In short, it's an exciting time.
For news and updates on my projects and new images please visit my social media and my blog. If you would like to work with me or if you are interested in a photography workshop, please contact me.
