Written and photographed by Vaclav Krizek

Everyone has their own ideas about Ireland; some go for the Whiskey and pubs... while some go for the stunning nature and powerful seascapes that attract photographers from all around the world.

In June 2018, I went to visit one of those photographers - George Karbus. He was born in the Czech Republic, but 15years ago left his home country for the coast of Ireland. Working and living around the water, he has made his way to be one the most admired marine-wildlife, seascape and surf photographers in the world.

DAY 1

It took me close two hours to get from Prague to Dublin by flight and another two hours driving to get to the west coast of Ireland. According to George, the city of Galway was the starting place for him and his girlfriend Kate. Being used to hot summers back home in Czech, I came in shorts and sandals, but this was not the right choice for the harsh Irish weather that greeted me.

I took a seat in the bus station just as George entered the room; “Hey buddy, welcome- welcome, nice to see you. I would really like to have a pizza, since I have not been in the big city for sometime... plus we need to charge the car anyway”. Well, pizza happened and after sorting out some minor problems with a broken charging point followed by an hour or so of driving, we arrived at George’s home, just in time for a beer and some conversation. But then it was off to bed.

DAY 2

"I LOVE THE OPEN LAND AND VIEWS HERE, IT GIVES ME A SENSE OF FREEDOM”

George had some sort of saying every day, which gave me a feeling that he really understood life here and he lived in its presence. It rained the whole day, so we talked about the industry, our lives in general and of course, what photography gear he uses. Two Nikon bodies; the D850 and D810, along with standard lenses like 16-35 for landscapes, the mighty 300 2.8 and a 16mm prime - which he uses mostly for underwater photography of marine animals. It fits nicely to his Subal housing and thanks to the high resolution these cameras offer, he does not have to worry about cropping images every now and then. Personally, I shoot with a with D850 and standard 24-70 VR, 70-200 f2.8 VR and 300 f4 VR.

Finally it was evening and the storm has cleared. The light had started to improve, so we headed out to take photographs. The Cliffs of Moher are probably one the most visited sea cliffs in the world and George at one time or another, has shot here in just about every weather condition. After all he only lives 20 minutes away from them. “You never know what nature can throw at you. Storms can come quick and the weather changes rapidly” - said George.That evening, the weather delivered perfect light and the cliffs amazed me by their majestic looks.