'We wanted to show the island in a different way'

A photography exhibition, celebrating the Isle of Man's natural diversity and Celtic legend, has opened on the island.

The images were taken and modelled for by Manx-born artists Adam Morgan and Ciara Kaneen who, 12 months ago, became photographers in residence at the Manx Wildlife Trust.

Titled Chyndaa ny Bleeaney: The Turning Year, the exhibit housed at Artreach Studios, Peel, is inspired by the ancient Celtic Wheel, an eight-point calendar which marks the seasons and when best to plant seeds and harvest.

The pair, whose debut exhibition ends next week, said they wanted to show the diversity, wildness and beauty of the Isle of Man throughout the seasons - not just in summer time.

Morgan, 34, who grew up in Peel, said their proposal was to take photos of the Manx landscape in light during each seasonal phase, such as the summer solstice and winter equinox contained in the Celtic Wheel.

"A lot of what we wanted to show is the Isle of Man in a different way than is normally shown.

"A lot of the way the island's usually shown is really sunny - it's not like that, it's quite a wild place, it's very wild in the hills.

"Within 15 minutes, you could be on the peaks of our hills, on the beach or a rocky cliff - there's so much on your doorstep", he said.

The pair said the unique natural diversity of the just 227 square-mile island, made a great canvas for photography.

Kaneen, 36, said: "I couldn't imagine myself anywhere other than the Isle of Man.

"There's beauty in the crooked trees you come across and the rolling mist - we are part of nature.

"If you live here, you learn that and live with it", said the photographer who grew up in Glen Vine and has a long family link to the island.

Throughout the residency, the pair also met local wildlife photoraphers on the island along with learning about close-up macrophotography.

"It's always something I've wanted to try, it teaches you the diversity of the island - from tiny insects and the structure of a flies eye to wide landscapes", Morgan said.

Before applying for the Manx Wildlife Trust's residency programme, the pair made a film last year based on the island's folklore, shown at the Manx Winter Festival, which they enjoyed in attempting to make "Manx myth relatable".

Kaneeen said: "I'm passionate showing the rest of the world how beautiful this place is.

"The amount of people who want to visit just by seeing our pictures".

The residency took the pair far and wide along the Isle of Man, to some places even the Manx-born pair had not visited before.

"I'd never been to Glen Auldyn before doing this project", Kaneen said.

Glen Auldyn, near Ramsey, recently became the largest rainforest in the British Isles - after a Manx Wildlife Trust-led project.

"I didn't appreciate how beautiful that valley was - it's so wild and far away from everything.

"There's even a wild horse up there, roaming around - we got some photos of it actually!", she finished.

'Chyndaa ny Bleeaney: The Turning Year' runs until 7 March in Peel.

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