There's a book on my mantlepiece called '500 Islands You Must See Before You Die'.
Included in the 500, much to my suprise, was Achill Island in County Mayo, facing the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland.
Having visited Achill Island some years back, on a windy, rain sodden and cold day, the photos in the book of white sandy beaches sandwiched between a calm azure sea and towering cliffs looked nothing like what Liz and I experienced on our first, and up to now only, visit to the island.
But with the weather forecast promising a couple of rare sunny days on Ireland's west coast we decided to give it another chance, driving north for three hours from our holiday chalet near Limerick to see if Achill Island could, indeed, look as good as it did in my book.
Wow! Were we in for a sensory treat, with the island's beaches, cliffs and mountains glowing in the clean, crisp sunlit air, fresh from the ocean.
In the end we spent the whole day exploring and enjoying this beautiful place which, when the sun shines, fully justifies its inclusion in my '500 Must See' book.
As sunset approached we found ourselves on the coast road to the west of the island, up on some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe.
A stop to finish off our picnic hamper was called for, so of course I took the opportunity to complete our day with a half hour's worth of time lapse shooting looking back along the coast as the sun dipped in and out of bands of cloud on the far horizon.
A lovely end to a wonderful day - mind you, there was still the three hour drive back to Limerick to contemplate!
Filename - achill island sunset timelapse 01.mp4
Camera - Canon 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @55mm
Exposure (start of sequence)
1/800 sec, f4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence)
1/60 sec, f4, ISO100
Filters - 3 stop neutral density graduated filter used to darken the sky
Time between exposures - 4 secs
Location - Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland
This clip - HD 720p
Clip duration - 13 secs
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