About Brendan
I didn’t start my career in photography — I spent more than twenty years in IT, working in Dublin, the City of London, and later in the aviation sector at Heathrow Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth. I began as a developer and eventually managed large, multi-million-pound programmes. Photography was always part of my life, though — something I practised from a young age, developing black-and-white film in a darkroom and creating prints from slides.
In 2007 I moved from London to Cork and shifted direction completely, taking up photography professionally. It was the perfect moment to blend my technical background with the rapid evolution of digital imaging. I began with weddings, portraits and commercial assignments, gradually refining my focus. Weddings gave way to studio work; family portraits gave way to fashion and creative model shoots; and eventually I concentrated on a mix of fine-art composites and commercial commissions.
My studio work became known for its technical polish and creative post-production, and I was fortunate to receive recognition along the way. My awards include:
- Irish Professional Portrait Photographer of the Year (2017)
- Creative Photographer of the Year (2019)
- Fine Art Photographer of the Year (2022)
I also served as President of the Irish Professional Photographers Association from 2014–2016.
In recent years I have stepped back from commercial assignments. The studio was good for the soul but not always for the wallet, and I wanted to return to creating for the joy of it — blending photography with emerging digital tools, and now with the possibilities offered by AI.
Today my work focuses on atmospheric fine-art imagery and hybrid digital art, drawing on decades of craft, technical knowledge and storytelling instincts.
I am also a crime fiction writer under the name Lenny Brando, with a police-procedural trilogy following DCI Wilbur Hayes due for release soon.