Cinematic Stills

Photography Project

About

Developed during the second year of my degree, the Cinematic Stills Photography Project explored the visual language of cinema through a series of staged photographs, using Cork City as both backdrop and set. Drawing inspiration from a range of film genres and eras, I created cinematic stills spanning everything from black-and-white horror to grainy Spaghetti Westerns, transforming familiar locations such as St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Daly’s Bridge (the Shakey Bridge) and Cork Kent Train Station into cinematic settings.

The project brought together photography, performance, styling and location scouting, collaborating with a fantastic group of actors from Cork School of Music to bring each image to life. One of the featured performers, Mandy ní Cárthaigh, later collaborated with me again on my short film As Easy as Riding a Bike.

One of my favourite projects from my degree, this work gave me the freedom to experiment with visual storytelling, atmosphere and composition while developing a distinctive approach to cinematic photography. It also marked an important step in discovering my interests and abilities in directing, creative collaboration and production planning — skills that have continued to shape my filmmaking and creative work ever since.