WE’VE BEEN RUNNING a little photography competition, you may have noticed.

Three amateur photographers were selected from entries submitted to TheJournal.ie and and we asked Dave McKane, Principal of the Institute of Photography in Dublin, to select our three finalists.

They were then each given a Canon EOS 750D DSLR camera and a Canon PowerShot SX710 and left to their own devices for a week. Then, they sent back their shots to Dave who picked his top five photos.

We’ve had a look at the work of Dervilla Keegan and Anna O’Rourke in previous weeks, now it’s Linda Foley’s turn.

Linda Foley Linda Foley

Linda lives in Donabate with her husband and has five children which means that time for photography is tight. She’s self-taught, and was inspired to start taking photos by walking the golf courses with her husband and sons.

Village people Linda Foley Linda Foley

Photography has brought a lot into Linda’s life:

It opened up a whole new world for me. I take photos that others don’t see, they’re not always pretty. I’ve used windows a lot as a framing device – windows to the past, looking in, looking out. I embrace the sense of place through windows.

Train spotting Linda Foley Linda Foley

Dave had this to say about Linda’s shots:

Living on the edge of a big city has given her a lot of advantages; proximity to sea, open spaces, as well as the people of Donabate. So it made sense to make her ‘Sense of Place’ focus on this vibrant seaside community, with it’s vital rail link to the city, and all places north as well.

Corner boys Linda Foley Linda Foley

Linda always has a camera with her, so she found the Canon PowerShot SX710 very handy to pop into her pocket when she’s out and about.

I loved both the cameras. The point and shoot is always in my pocket and I found it comparable to the Canon EOS 750D DSLR camera – just that the size of the photos is different. The Canon PowerShot SX710 photos are great for emailing to people, but the Canon EOS 750D DSLR photos are better for printing.

Between the lines Linda Foley Linda Foley

The structure of having a task really helped focus Linda on taking her shots.

Being set a task was brilliant. I was a bit lost at the start but once I got into it, I loved it.

Linda Foley Linda Foley

All three finalists will have their work mounted and exhibited at the gallery at Teeling Whiskey Distillery on 10 September where the winner will be announced. TheJournal.ie has tickets for eight readers and a guest to attend the event. To enter, leave your favourite Irish photographer in the comments section below, and eight readers will be selected. Good luck.

The world is full of fascinating stories and experiences. Come and see it with Canon. Follow the three photographers’ work over the coming weeks on TheJournal.ie. #ComeAndSee