Exploring the Irish Landscape

Exploring the Irish Landscape is a beautiful collection of photos of Ireland by acclaimed photographer Enda Cavanagh, captured on his journeys around his native country. He has responded to the breathtaking beauty of the Irish landscape, while viewing it coolly, documenting the complexity of the country rather than reinforcing old stereotypes.

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Exploring the Irish Landscape is a beautifully produced coffee table book composed of a collection of photos of Ireland by Irish award winning photographer Enda Cavanagh AIPPA QEP, captured on his journeys around the irish countryside. Ireland is a land of flawed wonder and timeless beauty and Cavanagh successfully captures the true essence of his native country while dispensing with the conventional picture postcard scenic approach. Enda grew up in rural Ireland and has always felt a strong connection to the land. He is drawn to the rugged beauty of Ireland and discovers a great sense of peace in his environment. He seeks to reflect the inherent drama and melancholy of the Irish landscape in his photographs. Enda regularly finds himself shooting landscapes that show evidence of man's existence and his impact on the land. Many of his images in the book feature man made objects that, over time, have themselves become part of the landscape, whether it be an old abandoned car under the shallow waters of Lough Easkey or ancient stone walls on Black head in the Burren.
Enda's work captures the character of the land and communicates the subtle patterns, shapes and forms which exist in the landscape. Enda appreciates how essential the presence of man is to our understanding of our environment and seeks to capture the tension implicit in the emergence of beauty from the detritus of our existence. He challenges our comprehension of beauty by asking the reader at what point does age become attractive. His fascination with man made structures appearing in the landscape is very apparent in his more recent panoramic images of old swimming baths along the Dublin coast. His photos have the care and balance of a classical painting. He makes the scene around the swimming baths look like ancient classical ruins. They are photos of a specific place, but also of a theme: human impact on the world and the eternal struggle between human constructions and nature. In this world, only change is real, and we are deeply implicated in the process he shows us. In the book the reader will find anonymous ghostlike human figures appearing in several of his images to further illustrate this point.
Enda worked for over 16 years in architecture, working on several award winning projects during this time. In 2008 he became a full time professional architectural and fine art landscape photographer. in the book one can see a strong architectural influence on his landscapes, where form and structure are very important factors in his images. The results are wonderfully balanced images where the reader feels they are part of the scene. Enda has spent much of his life near the sea and as a result water has become another major influence, very much evident in the book. This offers the reader a great sense of calm, often from unexpected scenes. Enda helps the reader to perceive the dynamic nature of his country and casts a cold, challenging eye upon the traditional interpretations of the Irish Landscape. It is a beautifully designed and printed publication. The full page images, in both color and black and white, have a level of detail and clarity that is exceptional. His love for the Irish countryside is apparent in the book and he is successful in offering something technically strong and original in style. Few will be disappointed with this fine offering.