Abandoned Cottages and Available Light
Long before the Celtic Tiger prowled the west of Ireland, there were many abandoned cottages lining the shores that had long been neglected by time. Inviting to anyone with a curious mind and a camera, like miniature museums without closing hours. Electricity now disconnected or maybe never even connected, the only available light creeping in through cobwebbed windows, just enough to photograph the abandoned remains of forgotten lives. Old pine dressers with empty shelves warping under the weight of nothing, a dirty wash basin left behind, unwanted in a world of plugs and plumbing, and soot-stained chimneys with the bones of dead birds entwined in the twigs of dead nests. Creaking up collapsing stairs one slow foot at a time, all that remains is a mattress stained from a life that has long since chimed. These forgotten houses have always fascinated me and I have many images captured inside them, leaning against old walls to steady a low shutter speed with only window light as my guide.