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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.
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
* Out Under The Sky
(pronunciation - Amwee Fween Spare)
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!
Already exploring my surroundings!
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
Standing at Poeppel Corner in the Simpson Desert - 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!
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!
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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