'It was a special moment'

Award winning photographer James Crombie added another stunning image to his portfolio at the weekend at a Darkness into Light event in Killarney.

Just as he was about to photograph four walkers close to the lakeshore in Killarney National Park at around 5.30am on Saturday morning, a young deer, seemingly running on water, entered the shot behind them.

Ballycommon resident, James, who in February won the Press Photographer of the Year award for second year in row, says that the image ranks up there with the most memorable in his career.

“It was just light and I heard the clop, clop [of the deer]. It seemed to be literally running across the water. It was beautiful and just as the light was breaking. It was pure chance.”

The event is organised by the family of Killarney native Nathan O'Carroll, who died by suicide in 2007 when he was only 14 years old. It's a long journey from the midlands to Kerry, but James said that it was one he was happy to do.

“It's a very sad morning, but also one of hope. Everyone knowns someone affected by suicide. It's the one job that I don't mind doing. I left the house at midnight. I went to bed at seven o'clock and drove down to Killarney through the night. I was in Killarney Racecourse [where the walk starts] at about three.

“There was a five kilometre walk. I ran most of it trying to stay ahead of people. You just never know when you're going to be lucky, someone somewhere may have been helping us.

“It may have been startled by our talking, there is a lot of luck involved but you have to be in the right place at the right time...It was a special moment,” James said.