Giles Norman's Story

The first click of a shutter by the hands of Giles Norman was for a school project. The first camera he could call his own arrived on his 18th birthday. And the first darkroom to bring his photographs to life was in the attic of an old friend’s house. Relocating his darkroom to a rented space in Kinsale, Giles began working on his first portfolio in 1981. Both locals and tourists flocked to the tiny window of this studio, which offered a glimpse into his growing collections, and this welcome curiosity encouraged Giles to open his first gallery in Kinsale in 1988.

Giles’s vast portfolio ranges from traditional landscapes to bold abstract pieces, and journeys beyond the wild Irish shores, capturing the city life of London, Paris, Florence, Venice, Rome and New York. Giles continues to add to his portfolio each year, recently releasing two new collections in 2022: 'Sheep's Head' and 'Thailand'.

As a self-taught photographer, Giles doesn’t trouble himself with camera dials or a tripod, instead his chief focus is always on composition. Describing himself as a street photographer lost in a rural landscape, he draws inspiration from the celebrated street photographers of the 1940s & 1950s (Brassaï, Doisneau and Cartier-Bresson). It was Ireland’s coastline that first inspired him to become a photographer, and it is the landscape that continues to drive his artistic passion today. 

Learn more about Giles Norman's insights and experiences as a self-taught photographer