Lakes worth returning to again... and again

Photographer Hu O'Reilly takes us through his latest adventure in his quest to photograph all 365 of Cavan's lakes...

It’s a foggy and frosty morning in north-east Cavan. Roads are icy, visibility is poor and a thin white shroud is draped upon the trees and fields. I’m making my way to the north-west shore of Lough Sillan, a large lake near Shercock. It’s cold but I’m well wrapped up and ready for the challenge.

Although I have photographed this lake twice before for this project, on both occasions the light was poor so I’ve had it in the back of my mind to return under better conditions. Hopefully this will be third time lucky.

There is a parking and picnic area on this side of the lake, which is ideal as I’m aiming to shoot into the morning sun (in the East). Not something I would normally do, but I figure if the fog lifts there could be a good shot there.

It’s a beautiful part of Cavan and there is an abundance of lakes scattered throughout the drumlin-filled countryside. When I arrive the fog is still thick, and frost embroiders the rolling hills.

The lake looks eerie and mysterious with the fog and frost, and I begin shooting. As I venture down onto the rocks for a different view I make a simple mistake and slip on an icy rock, ending up on my backside. Luckily my cameras didn’t take too hard of a knock and we all stayed dry.

I set up my tripod and take a few shots with coloured filters to add a bit extra to the image. An inquisitive dog comes to the lakeshore to see what’s going on. Then a large cygnet comes out of nowhere and swims towards the middle of the lake. I shoot this with my long lens and although I have photographed many swans already for this project I’m confident that this shot will be different.

A few minutes later, another large bird swoops down over the lake and lands on the lakeshore in the distance. It looks like a heron, but I’ll have to confirm that in the coming days with the friendly folks at Birdwatch Ireland, who have been very helpful with this project already.

Before finishing up, I take a few aerial shots with my drone. The lake and countryside look picturesque and I think there’s a shot there for the upcoming book and exhibition.

The next lake on my journey is Cullies Lough. I’ve also visited this lake twice before already, but it’s been hard to get a good shot as the water level is low and its surface is almost hidden in amongst the reeds. Today is a completely different scene. I choose to take some photographs with my drone from directly overhead as the frosty glow adds a nice contrast to the wintry colours.

As I continue my journey, I stop to take a photograph of Pound Lough and Killaliss Lough, two small lakes nestled amongst the rolling hills. I opted for these lakes, both of which I had got before, as they are small enough so as to capture the lake in their entirety and some of the unspoiled lakeshore even with the limited visibility in the fog.

Further on the road, I spot a lonely donkey in a field with Tullylorcan Lough in the background. I stop for a few shots from the ditch.

Not long after that, I pull my car in again as I spot a winter scene over Corraneary Lough. The warm winter light is finally breaking through the clouds, reflecting off the lake and through the trees. The light white scattering of frost on the trees and fields helps make this into a photogenic winter scene, which I capture with my long lens.

I had been waiting for a morning like this to capture some winter scenes of Cavan’s lakes, and it was worth the wait. Looks like it was third time lucky for the photographs of Lough Sillan and Cullies Lough, and new views of another few lakes that I photographed before also.

As the fog lifts and the frost vanishes, I head home safe in the knowledge that I’ve another few shots in the bag for my upcoming Cavan Lakes book and exhibition. No new lakes today but fresh shots of some beautiful Cavan scenery in winter.