Today, we’re featuring a beautiful Ireland photo essay on black and white film from photographer Enes Ozbayoblu. Scroll below to view the images and read more from Enes about his time in Clogherhead…
Analog cameras and films used: Nikon FM3A (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay) | Ilford Delta 400 (Find on Amazon)
Connect with Enes: Website | Instagram
Clogherhead Photo Essay
By Enes Ozbayoglu
I left Dublin before the streets became crowded, with my Nikon FM3A resting on the passenger seat like a trusted companion. The Zeiss 85mm lens was mounted, heavy in its silence, waiting for light and shadows.
Clogherhead greeted me with its usual weather: the wind carried salt, and the horizon was veiled in silver. It wasn’t just a place to take photographs; it was a place to listen, watch, and be still.
At the pier, an old fisherman leaned against the rail, his eyes fixed on the tide. His hands were weathered and folded in patience. I lifted the camera and framed him in black and white. More than just capturing his image, I carried his quiet endurance. The sea had been his mirror for decades, just as it was now for me.
Farther along, children ran barefoot across the sand, their laughter spilling like broken light. I chose not to photograph them; some moments are meant to remain untouched, preserved only in memory. I wondered how many childhood joys had slipped away unnoticed, like waves pulling pebbles back into the depths.
The FM3A clicked sparingly. Each shot was deliberate: shadows on a crumbling wall, a gull suspended mid-air, the wrinkles in a stranger’s face as he lit a cigarette and gazed at the horizon. Every frame focused less on the subjects and more on finding fragments of myself reflected within them.
When I sat on the rocks with the last frame exposed, I realized that the roll of film was a journal—not of Clogherhead itself, but of the people I encountered without words and the questions they stirred within me.
On the drive back, the camera was quiet, but my thoughts were not.
Check out all of our film photography features here, and if you want to have your own film work featured on the site, view our submissions process!
Shoot It With Film on Instagram
Leave a Comment