Pollacapall Lough And The Lonely Boat Of Connemara, Ireland
On a recent trip to Connemara, Ireland, I had the opportunity to take some landscape photos on the grounds of Kylemore Abbey overlooking Pollacapall Lough. The weather conditions, while typically Irish wet, made for a dark and stormy photo.
The Weather Conditions On Pollacapall Lough
The threat of rain in Ireland during the summer looms like a vulture circling its prey. You know it’s there. But you forget about it after a while. Then, when you’re least expecting it, the heavens either open up with a brief deluge or you get spat on constantly throughout the day. Such was the weather for us on Pollacapall Lough.
But a little rain never stopped hearty travelers eager to catch a glimpse of something as beautiful as Kylemore Abbey. Perched just above the banks of Pollacapall Lough in Connemara, the abbey couldn’t be more postcard worthy.
But the photographer in me wanted to turn my eyes away from the maddening crowd of tourists to what was more calm. More still. Serene.
And there it was, Pollacapall Lough with a single boat of fisherman gliding across her still waters. And of course, those thick summer rain clouds just waiting to belch forth buckets of cold Irish wet.
How I Got The Shot
I felt a couple of large drops, but I already had my camera out, adjusting settings. Didn’t have time to secure it to my tripod before the heavens opened up. So I set it my shutter speed at 1/100s to compensate for any hand shake. F16 for a larger depth of field to capture everything from the lake to the mountains, which were getting just a peek of diffused sunlight. And 16mm focal length to compose my shot to get as much of the scene in as I could.
Both peaceful and foreboding at the same time.
If you ever get the chance to go, I would highly recommend a visit to Kylemore Abbey and Pollacapall Lough. Give yourself plenty of time to walk around and explore both the abbey grounds and the shoreline. Just be sure to bring an umbrella!
Want more Ireland photos? Check out my horse photo shoot from Inisoffin.