Early morning Photography at Howth Harbour, Dublin, Ireland.

Photography Date: 03-01-24

The Christmas festivities had ended, and it was time for me to get out and test my new toys. Santa had been good to me this year and brought me some new lenses, tripod and filter system for the camera. I was eager to test them out, so an early morning trip to Howth harbour was planned.

Where Howth is located in Ireland

Howth is a busy fishing town located on the Howth Peninsula, in Co. Dublin on the east coast of Ireland. It’s a fantastic place to take photographs with many locations to choose from, be it the coastal cliff walks, Baily lighthouse, the town itself or the Harbour, which is where I focused on for this visit. There is lots of free car parks in and around the Harbour area. Food and drink are also well catered for with an abundance of fish restaurants, take aways, bars and coffee shops.

My goal for the morning was to get to Howth for Sunrise (8.40am this time of winter) and keep the fingers crossed for something special. I could only stay for a couple of hours, so I planned to stay on the west wall side of the harbour for the duration, as I have been on the other (east side) many times before. I set myself up on the west wall of the harbour looking east towards Howth lighthouse and tried for some shots of the lighthouse with the hopes of dramatic skies behind. Although the sky was mostly clear, there were only a few wispy clouds floating around and as it turned out, all they did was block the sunrise!

ISO 100 f/9.0 1/15sec 16mm

The shot above was my favourite photo from my location on the harbour wall. Although the clouds did their best to block the sunrise, I was quite happy to capture the passing red boat. I also like the wall curving towards the light house and the brightening skies above. Soon after this the clouds covered what was left of the blue sky and the light became duller, but I wasn’t going to rush back to the car just yet.

Focusing across the harbour, I could see many walkers out for the morning stroll. I always enjoy a shot of a person almost silhouetted against the white overcast backlight. I didn’t have to wait long to capture a walker with my camera. I liked to the black and white for this one.

ISO 500 f/6.3 1/200sec 400mm

From almost the same location the 'Star of the Sea', a stainless steel sculpture piece was catching my eye as the reflected light was in stark contrast to the dull and overcast morning that had now developed. Using the same long lens, I got the photo below..

ISO 500 f/6.3 1/200sec 400mm

Walking on back towards the carpark I felt the morning light covering the harbour and town was quite calming and cosy. I still had the 50mm to 400mm lens on and took the next shot, which I quite like. Maybe I should have switched to the wide angle and gone a bit wider, but I had another shot in mind for the long lens, so I went with 50mm.

ISO 500 f/9.0 1/100sec 50mm

As with most harbours around the world, they tend to have one thing in common, boats. So, I was on the lookout for an interesting boat shot. It didn’t take too long to see a scary looking hull growing at me in the water. Using the reflection of the water made for an easy double grin.

ISO 500 f/9.0 1/100sec 255mm

My morning exploration was ending, and I was starting to have a major coffee and bun craving. I enjoyed my morning in Howth, even though the light didn’t do what I had hoped, but isn’t that the norm? I will be back there again soon (might try the harbour wall on the east side next or just head out onto the coastal hill walk. Anyway, I was pleased with my morning’s images, please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or suggestions for other parts of Howth to visit for photography (if you know the area). I'll be back again soon for another Blog from a different location, until then ....See Ya