Capturing Hillsborough

Being a photographer means you’re able to capture the world through your own creativity and vision, so my eyes are one of my favourite things! But to be able to share that captured moment and that photograph with people is something special, and it’s even more incredible when people buy my work or simply tell me they enjoy it or that I’m doing a brilliant job.

I’ve shared my work locally in Co. Down, and now I’m about to share my work with the people of Glasgow across the Irish Sea in Scotland.

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But let me take you back to very beginning. This journey starts in the historical town of Hillsborough, a small town situated in Co. Down. Hillsborough is an historical gem that captures the eye of photographers like myself due to its castle, the breath-taking forest park and the Georgian architecture of the buildings that shape the structure and beauty of the town we know today.

What drew me to Hillsborough in July 2019 was the food festival at Hillsborough Castle. This is an event where local food companies and consumers come together to promote what they do and what they can offer you. That was my main attraction of the day but later that day I also took the opportunity to explore the grounds of Hillsborough Castle which lead me to capture some of my best shots yet.

The castle is set on an area of 100 acres which includes gardens, waterways and a peaceful woodland. As a photographer, one of my main genres is landscape and nature. I believe I was inspired to focus on this genre as I grew up near the famous Mourne Mountains – it’s kind of hard not to fall in love with nature this way!

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But one natural element I’m always intrigued by is the movement and reflections of water. I always see water as a natural mirror created by nature and the image above proves it.

The science behind how water creates imagery is down to the fact that water is a flat clear substance. This allows light beams to enter it, leading to the creation of a reflection. That’s why I entitled this image ‘Nature has its own mirror’.

My image ‘Nature has its own Mirror’ has been selected by the Glasgow Gallery of Photography to be a part of their exhibition Monochrome, which is on display next month. I feel incredibly lucky at the age of only 21 to be exhibiting my work while I’m still studying my photography degree at university.

The great American photographer Ansel Adams once said “You don’t take a photograph, you make it” – I can’t express how important and true this is. As a photographer, I change the settings on my camera like a painter changes their paint brushes – I change the aperture to get the correct light into my sensor like a painter using different shades of paint to show the correct light in their work. This is my inspiration.

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Email: Caoimheclements2017@gmail.com – feel free to drop me an email – don’t hesitate!