In this month’s instalment of our series “People of West Cork”, I am super thrilled to feature none other than Clonakilty based award winning Fine Art Photographer Stephen Hayes.
I have been a massive admirer of Stephen’s work ever since I got into photography and I have been lucky to have received one of his prints last Christmas as a gift from my fiancée. As much as I love looking at his work on Instagram, nothing beats having it printed and framed on the wall in my studio.
We asked Stephen:
“What does West Cork mean to you and what influence does it have on your work?”
Find out in his guest post that follows, including some samples of his work.
Stephen Hayes - People of West Cork
When Michel asked me to say a few words about what West Cork means to me, I said absolutely no problem but then I realised who I would be following, Caragh Bell, only one of the best authors not only in West Cork but in Ireland. But anyway, I’ll give it a go.
My name is Stephen Hayes and I am an award winning fine art photographer from Clonakilty, where I have lived and worked all my life. I am embarrassed to say but up until I took up photography, I completely took the beauty of our stunning West Cork completely for granted.
I found photography just after the loss of a beloved family member, but it was not the technical side of photography that drew me in, it was the connection with nature that got me hooked. I remember my first sunrise shoot like it was yesterday, where I got up at silly hours in the morning, got my flask of coffee and headed down to Inchydoney. The results were awful, but I was hooked. Just sitting there with the whole beach to myself trying to capture that moment, that feeling is something that I will never forget, and this is still the driving force in my photography.
The gut-wrenching experience of losing someone so close to me completely changed my outlook on life where I started living my life with the “life’s too short” moto, leading me to make the life changing decision to become a full-time photographer in January 2020. What a year to decide to start a business but I have to say the local support has been amazing and just goes to show that West Cork is not just a place, it is a people.
West Cork started off as being my healing ground, where I would go for long walks on Long Stand and in Castlefreke, which really helped through the grieving process, to where West Cork is now my office and what an absolutely stunning location to have your office. I have captured hundreds of images over the last two years and 100% of them are from West Cork, and 90% were captured on the short stretch of coastline from Nun’s Cove in South Ring to the Warren Beach in Rosscarbery.
Clonakilty and West Cork are in my blood. It has been a huge honour for me to have won some awards for my photography in the last year, but the honour is not in winning the awards, it is in representing Clonakilty and West Cork on an international stage and showcasing our beautiful West Cork.
I just want to thank Michel for this opportunity, and I wish you all a healthy and safe 2021.
Take Care.
Steve
Some samples of Stephen’s work - feast your eyes!
