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Silhouette of my tripod against an expansive shot of the Crossing River Valley. Taken from atop the Western Arthurs in Tasmania Australia
Silhouette of my tripod against an expansive shot of the Crossing River Valley. Taken from atop the Western Arthurs in Tasmania Australia

Out Under The Sky is dedicated to sharing the beautiful and awe inspiring creations of Gaia.


I strive to capture our amazing planet using expansive landscape panoramas and intimate cameos.


Hang my images as portals to these most beautiful of places.

Céad míle fáilte

I finally took a moment and sat down to recount some of the experiences I have had in the wild and I am delighted to present this portfolio of stories and images gathered over the course of many years of exploring our amazing world.

Each image is an attempt to capture the feeling and emotion of the moment as I experienced it and convey that to my audience with as much clarity as possible.

As my journey continues so Amuigh Faoin Spéir* will continue to be a work in progress as I add details of the trials and tribulations experienced during the acquisition of my photographs and bring you with me in planning my next adventures. Please subscribe to get notified of additional blog posts and images as they are published.

Being philosophical for a moment, I would observe that it is our accumulated experience which shapes the people we become. It underscores what brings us joy and the circumstances that make us feel most like ourselves. I have evolved to be most comfortable when alone in the wild outdoors and I hope that the next section gives you some insight into that evolution.

Returning to the wild be it desert or forest or mountain brings me a feeling of inner calm that comes from the intermingling of the self with the world around about. Indeed after a time the self fades away leaving only the ebb and flow of nature passing through my thoughts. This feeling of oneness with nature is the essence of Amuigh Faoin Spéir and it is what brings me back to the wilderness time and again.

I hope that my images can, in some small measure, do the same for you.

Ian Carson 

* Out Under The Sky
(pronunciation -
Amwee Fween Spare)

The collections

Panoramas
 

From simple beginnings...

Although I have no recollection of the day, this little fellow is me at 15 months getting out and about in a “wilderness” near Port Beach not far from the coastal town of Clogher Head in County Louth, Ireland.


What I do recognize straight away is that smile. That exact same expression still comes over me to this day whether I’m standing on a mountaintop or staring up at the stars on a perfect desert evening.


I’m still well supervised at this stage (my Mum and Dad are behind the camera) but I can see that in my mind I’m definitely exploring!

The author at 15 months "exploring" his surrounds

Already exploring my surroundings!

The author at 10 years old posing for a shot in Donegal, Ireland

The reluctant subject.

Spin forward 7 or 8 years and now I’m out and about by myself and with my brother roaming the fields behind our house in rural Ireland.


Summer holidays seemed to stretch on forever and every hilltop was another mountain to conquer, every copse of trees a secret hideout or a magical faery realm.


Summer gives way to Autumn and the great bonfire gathering begins with branches dragged for miles piling up near the vegetable patch behind our house.


With much less supervision now and ranging well away from the house my comfort with the wild continues to grow.

Spin forward 7 or 8 years and now I’m out and about by myself and with my brother roaming the fields behind our house in rural Ireland.


Summer holidays seemed to stretch on forever and every hilltop was another mountain to conquer, every copse of trees a secret hideout or a magical faery realm.


Summer gives way to Autumn and the great bonfire gathering begins with branches dragged for miles piling up near the vegetable patch behind our house.


With much less supervision now and ranging well away from the house my comfort with the wild continues to grow.

The author at 10 years old posing for a shot in Donegal, Ireland

The reluctant subject.

My first taste of real wilderness happened in my teen years with summer holidays spent hiking the hills in the West of Ireland particularly in Donegal and Connemara.


Climbing Mt. Errigal and scree running down again, weeks of bivouacking with only a bivvy bag to protect from the weather, heavy leather boots and the endless application of “Dubbin”, sweaty PVC sou’westers long before GoreTex was affordable for a young hiker like me.


These are the memories which form the foundations of my confidence to be truly out in the wild, my desire to always return to it and the beginnings of planning and executing my own expeditions.

The author at 14 posing for a shot in Donegal, Ireland

Ready for the outdoors. Check out the shine on those shoes!

After college I went to work in Cheshire in the Northwest of England which put me, conveniently, within striking distance of the Lake District. Fantastic opportunities for hiking and scrambling delivering intense memories which will never leave me - passing along Sharp Edge in 50mph (80kph) winds, cooking soup to stave off hypothermia while sheltering from a snowstorm at the top of High Street or giving glove warmers to that guy so inappropriately dressed in a T-Shirt and shorts half way up Scafell Pike. These jump out at me when I go to recall those times but of course there are many others. Confidence in the moment now also included planning ahead and a calm demeanor and this paved the way for the next big adventure.

The author driving a challenging section near Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia

Driving a challenging section near Darwin in the Northern Territory

My amazing partner, Denise, and I emigrated to Australia in 1995 landing in Perth in July of that year. I had spent the previous 9 months planning the most complex expedition to date - a 6 month, 22,000km journey through the heart of the Central and Northern Australian outback. Thanks to this incredible trip, fuel, food, spares, navigation, terrain and communications are now all part of the planning “mix” when considering each wilderness excursion.

The author driving a challenging section near Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia

Driving a challenging section near Darwin in the Northern Territory

My amazing partner, Denise, and I immigrated to Australia in 1995 landing in Perth in July of that year. I had spent the previous 9 months planning the most complex expedition to date - a 6 month, 22,000km journey through the heart of the Central and Northern Australian outback. Thanks to this incredible trip, fuel, food, spares, navigation, terrain and communications are now all part of the planning “mix” when considering each wilderness excursion.

Our wonderful child, Mia, was born in June 2000 and all thoughts of the outback were set aside as we embarked on a completely different expedition - one which will last a lifetime.


The joy and challenges which raising a child presents filled my thoughts for over a decade before the draw of the wild beckoned to me again. So, in 2011, I organized another desert trip - this time through the Sturt and Simpson deserts. Two months solo traveling, and this time, for the first time, I was carrying a camera!

The author posing at Poeppel Corner - where Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory borders meet.

Standing at Poeppel Corner in the Simpson Desert - where Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory borders meet.

The author posing at Poeppel Corner - where Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory borders meet.

Standing at Poeppel Corner in the Simpson Desert - where Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory borders meet.

Our wonderful child, Mia, was born in June 2000 and all thoughts of the outback were set aside as we embarked on a completely different expedition - one which will last a lifetime. The joy and challenges which raising a child presents filled my thoughts for over a decade before the draw of the wild beckoned to me again.  So, in 2011, I organized another desert trip - this time through the Sturt and Simpson deserts. Two months solo traveling, and this time, for the first time, I was carrying a camera!

The author standing at his campsite at Mount Hesperus in the Western Arthurs, Tasmania, Australia

My recent campsite at Mount Hesperus in the Western Arthurs, Tasmania, Australia

With all the knowledge I have accumulated over the years I am always delighted to "hurl myself into the void" - not just for the experience, but now also for the photographic opportunities.


The most current images on this site are from my recent expedition to the Western Arthurs Traverse in Tasmania, Australia. A physically demanding hike over several days which I will write about in more detail in the blog.


Suffice to say I did not capture all that I had envisaged during planning and I will be returning to this amazing hike in February 2025!

The author standing at his campsite at Mount Hesperus in the Western Arthurs, Tasmania, Australia

My campsite at Mount Hesperus in the Western Arthurs, Tasmania, Australia

With all the knowledge I have accumulated over the years I am always delighted to "hurl myself into the void" - not just for the experience, but now also for the photographic opportunities.


The most current images on this site are from my recent expedition to the Western Arthurs Traverse in Tasmania, Australia. A physically demanding hike over several days which I will write about in more detail in the blog.


Suffice to say I did not capture all that I had envisaged during planning and I will be returning to this amazing hike in February 2025!

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