blackandwhite.ie
Shades of Ireland
Black & White Photography from Ireland
New Book Out Now
Books
---- New book out Now ---- "That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet" - Jhumpa Lahiri
Shades of Ireland
Shades of Ireland is a visual and poetic journey through the heart of the Emerald Isle, captured in over 70 evocative black and white photographs. This book is more than a collection of images—it's a quiet conversation between light and shadow, land and spirit, past and present. Each photograph invites the viewer into a moment suspended in time: a misted hillside, an abandoned stone cottage. It’s a journey — through fog-covered fields, stone fences, quiet harbors, and narrow lanes of memory — all told in black and white. The absence of colour draws the eye to texture, contrast, and emotion—revealing Ireland’s raw beauty and timeless soul. Complementing these images are 14 original poems, each one inspired by a photograph and born from the same atmosphere that shaped the land itself. These verses offer another layer of experience, giving voice to the silence, memory, and mystery that echo through the landscapes. Whether you know Ireland well or are discovering it for the first time, Shades of Ireland offers a quiet pilgrimage through its moods, myths, and enduring magic.
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Projects
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” — Don McCullin
Abandoned
Abandoned - (adjective) to leave behind or run away from something, or to give up something
The Ramparts
The Ramparts walk is a 7km walk from Ramparts, Navan, Co Meath to Stackallen Bridge along the Navigation path running alone The River Boyne.
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The Black Valley
The Black Valley or Cummeenduff is a remote valley at the southern end of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range in Kerry, situated south of the Gap of Dunloe and north of Moll's Gap; it is used as a southerly access into the Gap of Dunloe.
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Lough Dan
Lough Dan is a scenic boomerang-shaped ribbon lake largely set on private property, in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. Lough Dan lake lies at the base of Luggala and Knocknacloghoge mountains.
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“What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are time and light.” — John Berger
I have changed my process of developing & scanning 35mm over the past year. I think I have found the perfect solution for me.
I’ve had the chemicals and equipment to develop B&W film at home ( #developathome ) for a couple of months now but kept putting if off as it was easier to drop the film off at the
I have finally done it. The complete change over and back to shooting B&W Film Photography. Why ?
Back in August 2019 I took a couple days off work and headed down to Co Kerry with a backpack full of Olympus OM film cameras and a bunch of B&W 35mm rolls of film. Here's that story.
The difference between what you see and what I see in the final image in Black & White.
About Me
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt
I live on the island of Ireland with thousands of kilometers of coast line, and hundreds of lakes rivers and mountains. Mother nature has shaped the landscape into what we see today. Through the medium of black & white photography I have captured this wonderful shape, form and texture.
We see in colour but through the art of visualization I see the final image with the deep rich blacks of the shadows down to the whites of the clouds. I do not add or takeaway from the image I capture but use what is there in front of me. I may have to wait for hours or even days until I am happy with the final photograph.
My work has just begun.
Neil McShane