Dark room days, three dishes in an attic

Like many young photographers, my first darkroom was three dishes in an attic - not even my own attic, it belonged to an old school friend (Richard) who also had a keen interest in photography. In a beautiful old house in Kinsale high up in its wooden bones we found a small darkroom which became our haven for a number of weeks one childhood summer. Using tape and card, we shut out the world and the unwanted light that went with it. With a borrowed enlarger and our three small dishes we discovered the thrill and beauty of an image appearing for the first time, newly born and demanding attention. Never again over all the years was the wonder of photography so acute and so real.

Explore some of my early work