Togs & Tales
Gareth McCormack

Gareth McCormack
Landscape Photographer
What was your path to becoming a Landscape Photographer & What was your first camera?
I came across a book by the late American landscape and adventure photographer Galen Rowell in a bookshop in Pokhara, Nepal in 1995. It absolutely blew my mind and from that moment I knew what I wanted to do as a career even though I knew virtually nothing about photography (the hubris of youth!). I picked up my first proper camera, a Canon 630 with a basic kit zoom lens a couple of months later and drove around Australia with a copy of Rowell’s Mountain Light and a few rolls of Fuji Velvia. That was the beginning and I was very fortunate in my early years to be in the right place at the right time to establish a business. The Canon 630 didn’t last long, and it was a Nikon setup that saw me through the analogue years. I switched back to Canon when I moved to digital.
What was your favourite Landscape Adventure Story since becoming a Photographer?

What was your worst in-the-field experience as a landscape Photographer?
Sunrise or Sunset & Why?

Where is your favourite Location in Ireland to Photograph & Why?
What is your favourite photograph, that you’ve taken to date, & Why?

What equipment / Setup are you currently using?
- Canon R5
- Canon 15-35mm
- Canon 24-105mm
- Canon 100-500mm
- For aerial work:
- Inspire 2 with X7 camera
- Mavic 2 Pro
Top Tip for anyone starting out?
Best Advise you’ve personally been given?


Who is your favourite Irish photographer at the moment ?
It’s going to sound like a cop out but I don’t have one – there are so many excellent Irish shooters with different styles that it is impossible for me to say. Also I do try to limit the time I spend on social media and looking at other people’s work. After a while it can become overwhelming and a negative influence. Galen Rowell was certainly my biggest influence and inspiration when I was starting out and his writing on phootgraphy is still very relevant today. In Ireland during the film epoch there were only a handful of full-time photographers doing landscape work like Peter Zoeller, Chris Hill and Liam Blake. I’m still bemused when I turn up at a location and there are other people with tripods there – its amazing really but great to see because it is a really healthy way to spend time both physically and mentally.