Member Profile: Brendan Lynch

About me:

Do you consider yourself a Pro/Semi-Pro/Amateur/Beginner photographer?

I’m an amateur photographer, and very much a learning one!

Who are you?

I’m from Cork on the south coast of Ireland, although for the last 6 years, I’ve split my time between there and Seville in Spain, where my partner has been working for the European Commission. I’ve recently hit the half-century, which I have to admit was very scary! My professional background is a mixture of accountancy and education (an odd mix I know), and I currently work in the IT department of the Irish water utility. I’ve been involved in Scouting since I was a kid, and still assist my local Scout Group occasionally. Scouting introduced me to the great outdoors, and hiking, camping and climbing in the mountains have been my main passion ever since, at least until photography came along 😊 Currently my free time is divided between hiking, photography and looking after our little family of cats.

Your Photography Journey

I’ve been snapping photos since my late teens, mostly as a way of recording my time spent on Scout activities and hiking in the mountains. Then about 4 years ago I decided I wanted to take better photos of the locations and conditions I witness when in the hills. So I bought a ‘proper’ camera, and a few months later came across TSOP. At the time I was trying to learn from a mixture of online articles and YouTube tutorials, and decided I needed something more structured. After seeing several of Marc’s videos I decided to give TSOP a go, and it was absolutely the best decision I’ve made on my photography journey. I started with the 3 ‘foundation’ courses, Beginners Photography, Complete Guide to Lightroom and Photoshop, and have since completed the Long Exposure and Pro Landscape courses. Currently, I’m in the middle of the Macro course and Photographing Cities at Night course and aim to start the Astrophotography course next.

What is your preferred genre?

My favourite genre is landscape photography, in all its forms. Mountain environments remain my favourite subject to shoot, but seascapes have become a close second. I also love to shoot nightscapes … landscape images which feature elements of the night sky such as the Milky Way and moon. When it comes to style, I mostly prefer photographs which present a realistic representation of the world. As such I aim to create engaging images through interesting subjects and composition, and by shooting in dramatic conditions, with a touch of my own interpretation of a scene brought through in the edits. I shoot in RAW and edit in Lightroom for the most part, while I use Photoshop when the likes of focus stacking or expose blending are required. My general rule is to work with the pixels captured by the camera … I have no interest in sky replacements or using AI to generate any part of an image.

What inspires you to create photography?

Photography for me is an extension of my love of being in the outdoors, and a way of sharing with others the wonderful sights and moments I get to witness when out in nature (or even when walking around a city). When I initially took up photography the idea was to take the camera along on mountain hikes and photograph what I saw along the way. Although I still do that, photography is now often the main focus, and the hike or walk is a way of getting to where I need to be to take my photographs. I don’t feel the need to be ‘creative’ as such. Instead, I see photography as a chance to share some glimpses with others of just how wonderful our natural environment can be.

Who are some other photographers you’re inspired by?

My first inspiration was undoubtedly Colin Prior and his amazing photography of the Scottish Highlands. Colin’s panoramic images set the standard for grand mountain landscape images in the British Isles. I’m also very much influenced by Alex Nail, another photographer who specialises in remote mountain landscapes and is a leading advocate for realism in the editing of landscape photography. I follow several other landscape photographers through social media who all have different styles and approaches, with Michael Shainblum and Andy Mumford being two of my favourites.

Describe the first photo you took during your learning journey.

I happened to buy my camera just as the Covid pandemic was kicking off, so I had no real opportunities to take landscape photos for my first couple of months with TSOP. This photo was taken at White Bay, on my first trip to the coast as travel restrictions were being eased.

At that stage, I had learned the basics of exposure, how to meter and focus, etc. I put some thought into the composition (leading lines and rule of thirds possibly), and I was aware of the idea of foreground interest in wide-angle shots. But even with all these elements, the photo has no character or interest. It’s very much a snapshot of a scene, and the difference between this and my favourite seascape photo taken at Nohoval Cove is night and day.

That photo was taken when the tide was right, it was taken in amazing light at the right time of the day, and the composition was chosen to bring the viewer into the scene. I’ve also used techniques such as long exposure, focus stacking and exposure blending to help me deliver an image which I think gives a real sense of being in that wonderful place on such a beautiful morning.

My favourite photograph:

My favourite photo that I’ve taken ©*Brendan Lynch*

What is your favourite photograph that you’ve taken?

It’s hard to pick a favourite photograph, but if pushed I’d probably have to say this dramatic sunset image taken high on Slieve Commedagh in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland. It’s exactly the kind of photograph I got into photography for in the first place. I had pitched my tent for the evening on the summit close by, having seen the potential in this scene a little earlier, and was lucky enough to catch a moment of amazing light just before sunset. From a technical perspective it was quite a straightforward photograph … it was taken hand held with my 16-80mm standard zoom (a brilliant hiking lens), and it didn’t require a whole lot of editing. But it’s the kind of photo you can only get if you make the effort to consistently get out into wild places and spend time there. For me it’s moments like this which keep me coming back to the mountains, and I think this photo gives an understanding of that better than any description I could write … I might even say it’s a picture worth a thousand words 😊

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from TSOP?

From day 1 the message that came through on the courses was to learn the basics first and build on these step by step. I think anyone new to photography should follow this excellent advice … learn how your camera works and learn the basic techniques. After that, it’s all about real-world practice and trying different things. And did I mention practice? 😊 And on the subject of practice and trying different things, the wonderful interactive nature of the monthly assignments on TSOP compliment the courses perfectly in this regard.

What’s next for Brendan?

I’m aiming to complete the macro photography course on TSOP as soon as possible, with the intention of exploring this area of photography on my trips out with my camera. I also aim to spend as much time as possible over the next year shooting both my local mountains and coast. Travelling to shoot ‘iconic’ locations is always fun to do (and I’m sure I’ll do some of that too), but I feel spending time creating a body of photos from a few locations, especially lesser known ones, is of much more value.

Conclusion

I can see I’ve progressed quite a way over the last 4 years, but I also know I’m a long way off where I’d like to be in terms of the quality and consistency of my photographs. I‘m generally comfortable with the basics of composition, and I’ll no doubt continue to develop this area every time I get out with my camera. But I need a lot more practice at judging and working with light, getting the right exposure in different conditions, and so on. As I develop I aim to spend as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors with my camera and to continue to share my images with other like-minded people. Further down the road, I’d love to produce a photo book of my local mountains and coastline. It will probably be a while before I have a body of photos I’d be happy enough with to do this, but it’s certainly something I’ll be working towards.

Where can people follow you?

My Instagram is @brendanlynch80, and for now this is my only social media platform.