Celtic Winters is a collection of images captured during our freezing Irish winters over the past five years. Once I feel it is completed I will host an exhibition of my favourite Celtic Winter images.

I first got interested in shooting snow in the French Alps. One night a metre of fresh white fluffy stuff fell with high winds to boot and the patterns that were created were sublime. Walking in this winter wonderland and capturing patterns was a beautiful experience.

Back then I was thinking ‘I wish we got heavier dumps of snow in Ireland in our winter’ for the fun of it it and of course to photograph it. Let’s face it, when we get amongst the snow playing, photographing or just generally appreciating the beauty of it we create memorable experiences.

I got my wish about 4 winters ago when the quantity of snow we got increased and the cold snap got colder so the snow lasted longer.  This enabled me to and fellow photographer Peter Gordon to take off in my campervan (Wanda), pack it with food, warm clothes and camera gear and drive/skid our way into various locations in Wicklow or Dublin.

Cook up a feed in the evening getting the van nice and warm and covered with internal condensation and as soon as the gas is turned off the minus 14 degree temperature kicks in. By the time we get up in the morning there was about 1mm of ice covering the entire inside of the van. Sleeping in a fridge freezer! My -20 degree sleeping bag and duvet required for heat.

After breakfast we’d be hiking up before dawn to capture the early morning light.  I’m all about patterns, texture and light both in the snow and ice formations that abound in conditions like this. These are unique experiences to be out for an entire day in minus temperatures connecting with natures extreme beauty. There is pure healing in connecting with nature in this way.

Normally, we’d camp for 2 to 3 days especially if the snow and ice are still around.

I love the way fresh snow covers everything like icing sugar, softening all edges and giving definition to the exquisite shape of the leafless trees.