Picture this. You’re looking out at one of the most beautiful scenes you’ve ever laid eyes on. Colors swirl all around the horizon. The details take your breath away. You aim your phone or camera at the view, so you can relive it long after the image has faded from your mind. You take the pic and check the results. But somehow, the photograph hasn’t quite captured the moment the way you’re seeing it live.
Most of us have had this frustrating experience. It makes me appreciate the complexity of the human eye. We can discern subtle differences in lighting, hue, and saturation that our photo-snapping devices simply can’t match. The pictures they take often fail to reveal the depth and nuances of a subject that we can appreciate just by gazing at it.
At least nowadays we can take as many pictures as we like (and movies too!) in the hopes that one of them will do the scene justice. Sometimes we succeed, even if mostly by luck. (Almost all the truly great photos I’ve ever seen were taken by people who get paid to take pictures.)
Besides, it’s fun to keep trying. And regardless of whether the pics we amateurs take are any good, they are in any case all our own, securing moments in time that are also our own. Images that will never be exactly the same for anyone else.
Ireland has been particularly tough for us to capture in photos. The blue skies that provide the best background and lighting have been somewhat elusive. And the vistas are often simply too breathtaking for pictures taken by phones and compact cameras to do them justice. If you want really great photos of Ireland, buy a book of them. (There are some beautiful professional shots online too, but they’re scattered.)
In the end, no matter what corner of the planet you’d most like to visit, pictures can never tell the whole story. The best way to see the world, of course, is to get out there and lay eyes on it. I think that’s even more true of Ireland than most places we’ve been.
Lovely pics, lovely country! Thank you for taking me along, virtually.
My pleasure!
If you get the chance, walk up Mount Brandon on the Dingle Peninsula. Ruth and I did it in 1983 and it was worth the slog. Wear your Wellies. Ir was the first time I had seen a vertical swamp. We set out in the fog but it cleared off by the time we got to the top at 3000+ feet.
Sounds like a great hike. Maybe next time for us!
Love it! Makes me sentimental for the trip that Ilana and I took there. The Cliffs! So beautiful. Thanks for sharing
After being so popular for so many years, the Cliffs have gotten a little uppity. They now insist on being called the Cliffords.
Oh how I remember the Cliffs of Moher and the surrounding landscape of Ireland. That country is one of the most beautiful countries I had ever visited. I have wonderful memories of it. I love it for the warmth of the people as well. I took so many pictures of the places during my visit. I was playing around with my camera at the pub one day and accidentally erased all of the pictures I had. I am still pissed about it. No pictures for recollection. Seeing my frustration, my traveling friend told me that it is another reason for me to return to Ireland one day recreate more memories. And your pictures definitely bring back many wonderful memories, including driving on the left side of the road. My frustrated saying for the entire trip was, “Just one more foot wider please.” The streets were so narrow!!! Scary.
“I was playing around with my camera at the pub one day and accidentally erased all of the pictures…” In other words, after your 6th pint of Guinness, you had no idea what the hell you were doing.
I was stupider than that… I did it all before drinking.
I agree with Vicki, fantastic photos and thank you for taking me along too. I have to ask, what did you order at McGann’s Pub in Dublin? I remember staying in Dublin many years ago, the Irish are wonderful.
I had fish and chips the first night. And a few pints o’ Guinness. I don’t remember anything after that. (By the way, McGann’s pub is in Doolin, not Dublin. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially after a few pints o’ Guinness.)