Description
The Dark Hedges, Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
A location that certainly needs no introduction. Probably like yourself I have also seen thousands of images from The Dark Hedges over the years, especially tourists daytime photos. Because of their popularity it’s now difficult if not impossible to capture a totally unique photo here. Instead I aimed to capture an image that was lesser seen, night & light was my only option!
At midnight with my camera tuned for long exposure on tripod I aligned this composition then patiently waited. After a while this car approached & illuminated these trees from the distance creating a tunnel effect. As fast as possible with torch light, I used a method called “light painting” to illuminate the trees & make them shine in the darkness. As soon as the car peaked the hill its headlights momentarily created this starburst, so I let go of the camera trigger right before the lights fully struck my lens & overexposed the photo. To put it bluntly….it was a complete nightmare to both capture & edit! ?
This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their home Gracehill House. Two centuries later, these trees remain a magnificent sight and have become known worldwide as the “Dark Hedges”
