Tina Claffey
About Tina Claffey
I am an Irish nature photographer with a love for Ireland's bogs and wetlands.I returned to live in my native town of Birr in Co. Offaly, in 2009 having lived and worked in Botswana, southern Africa, for almost nine years. My time and experience in pristine wilderness areas in Botswana ignited my appreciation of Ireland’s natural world.Following an eco walk in my local bog with an inspirational ecologist and geologist, Dr. John Feehan, I was made aware that the wilderness I missed so much in Africa was right at my back door. I bought myself a macro lens, which can capture what cannot be seen by the naked eye. The array of unique and endemic wild flowers, plants, sedges, mosses, gorse and myriads of wildlife have adapted to this environment and the change of season bring with it a kaleidoscope of colour, light and new life. Each of my images is the result of many patient hours spent in an area, exploring and seeing. It usually takes over an hour slowly observing before I can tune in fully to my surroundings. Occasionally, the light falls in a particular way on a subject, be it a wide angle landscape or droplets of dew on a Ieaf. I tend to return to the same areas regularly as over time I can observe the changing seasons. A different angle of the sun, plants appear, flourish and die, and in each stage there is beauty.
I am a BA (Hons) graduate in Photography from the Crawford College of Art & Design in Cork, Ireland and my work has been commissioned by the EPA, National Parks & Wildlife, Lifes2Good, the OPW and Bord na Mona.I have exhibited throughout Ireland, and also in Botswana and Zambia.In 2017, one of my images was presented to Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, at the launch of the Community Wetlands Forum Strategic Plan 2017-2020, and my first book 'Tapestry of Light-Ireland's bogs & wetlands as never seen before' is kept in the President's private library.
Professional roles: Author, Photographer
Location: Ireland