Shhhh! I just won 6 Gold Awards…

Here are my 6 winning photographs which achieved Gold Awards at the Irish Professional Photographers Association two nights ago. I am now in the running for IPPA Photographer of the Year 2010, but let me tell you it is very, very difficult to win and the the standard of my colleagues is incredible so don’t hold your breath….

Huge thanks to Lorraine & Joe, Lillian & Marco, Jasmin & Danny, Elva & Eoin, Judy & Brian and Louise & Des, firstly for booking me as their wedding photographer and secondly for creating these images with me.

Lost in Ireland

I was reading a travel article in the New York Times written by Matt Gross who allows himself to get lost in countries by not using any aids to help him find his way. So this week his article was on getting “Lost in Ireland” . It got me thinking on how many times I have gotten lost when I am checking out remote areas for wedding shots. I would consider just about anywhere off the M50 remote because the sign posting is so incredibly bad. Come to think of it the M50 is not particularly good either. There seems to be a pattern of planting trees in front of signs and letting them spread in all their glory so that you just manage to see the last letter of what might be the destination you are looking for. Putting signs right on the exit so that you sail on past and travel a few miles more out of your way causes me to say not very nice words. Only recently the sign person (whoever he/she is) has figured out that putting signs over the motorway seems to be the way to go. Many times I would have liked to have met this sign person when they thought it was a good idea to put country road signs on round poles just so the local boys could easily manoeuvre the sign for Ballinamuck in the wrong direction.

This weekend I would have happily got lost on a network of country roads near Lispole in Kerry. To my left were stunning views of cliff edges and to my right a patchwork of green fields in a valley. I couldn’t allow myself to stray because I was on a tight schedule during Niamh and Tom’s wedding. Earlier on in the week I had checked this whole area out. The directions given to me by Tom involved driving through a farmyard, vering right up the hill, down the hill, then I went off track and ended up in the yard of another person’s house. The man was working outside but quickly disappeared inside when he saw yet another fool end up in his yard. Ahead of me was an overgrown grass track so I pulled on my wellies and decided to make my own way down the track, to see if there was anything worthwhile at the end of it…

The surprise at the end was the most perfect, small beach I have ever been on. There was not one footprint on the sand until I walked on it. I was surrounded by calm water, cliffs topped by velvet green grass and a castle ruin to my right. I stood there taking it all in and at that moment all was well in my world…

Allowing Yourself to Shine…

I had an obscene amount of shots to edit from Eoin and Elva’s wedding, definitely more than I have ever had on any other wedding. I was trying to figure out why this was. As I went back through the polished shots, I realised that Elva was a woman who allowed herself to shine in every sense. She strutted up the aisle, guests applauded, she danced back down the aisle with Eoin, she beamed the biggest smiles you could ever imagine, she felt at home in the luscious velvet seat of the horse and carriage, waving to the crowd. My photographic eye was in heaven, with the result that I had a field day with the shots…

Loved the bridesmaids dresses and Elva’s Mum cleverly created this “sky garden” which travels upwards with an abundance of colours..

One of my most favouritist (I know its not a word but I need to use it) shots.You can feel the excitement in the smile of Eoin’s sister…

 

Serene Sisters

I just came across this shot that I had taken some time ago and I really like it. It is a photograph of the Sisters at the Presentation Convent in Tralee. At the time I was in the middle of shooting a wedding on the convent grounds so I only managed a brief chat before taking the photograph and then running back to my Bride and Groom…

If anyone could tell me the names of the Sisters, I would be grateful.

Your Carriage Awaits…

I am pleasantly busy at the moment so I am just posting snippets of the people that I am photographing with more to follow, but for now this princess named Faith caught my eye last Saturday as she walked into the room to show the awaiting wedding party her stunning gown. Her pose says it all…

The same lady had a pink dress lined up for the dance floor later! More from Myrna and Jamie’s wedding at the Sneem Hotel, Kenmare to follow…

The beautiful Myrna and Jamie at the Sneem Hotel. You could not get a view much better than this..

A Beautiful Pre-Wedding Portrait…

I photographed Tanis and Aidan in Tralee yesterday on the eve of their wedding. This shot struck me immediately as I opened it on my screen. I normally pick my photographs apart but there is nothing I don’t like about this one…

It’s Only Rain…

This is Ireland. It rains regardless of the fact that it is summer. This is never going to change, so go outside, get wet, enjoy it and come home knowing that you deserve a good, hot mug of Irish tea…

Family Portraits that I would like…

Like a Mechanic with a bad car I don’t own a Family Portrait. I intend to own one very soon, adorn it with a beautiful frame and start its life as a family heirloom on my new wall.

I took these family portraits recently in Kerry. The immediate family, in-laws and grand kids all travelled from Dublin and beyond to celebrate their Parents wedding anniversary…

A boy who is clearly proud of his Grandad..

One of my favourites…

You couldn’t make this happen but I am always ready for moments like this..

Kerry Leaves Me Spoiled For Choice…

People say to me all the time that it is no wonder I get such great shots. I have places like Kenmare, Killarney, Sneem, Derrynane, Waterville, Dingle with mountains and sea at my disposal wherever I end up photographing a wedding in Kerry. I agree! I have an extensive and dramatic palette here to create great shots. Castlegregory was the location for the bridal portraits below. 

We had great fun going to some less obvious spots including this one which was the gable of a man’s house who had a non-stop yapping dog as we took these. He almost had a seizure trying to get his paws on that veil…

We headed back to Tralee for this shot. I had my eye on this paint-chipped wall for quite some time and finally got to use it. I couldn’t believe the timing of this as the same wall was painted over the very next day…

Don’t get me started on how great Irish clouds are…

Did I also mention that we also have a lot of wind here in Kerry? It sometimes requires a ton of hair spray but great for veils…

Love the Happy Face in the background. This was our last shot and it just sums the day up..

Shortlisted for the IPPA Canon Portrait Award…

Just found out this photograph taken by ME, ME, ME of the gorgeous of Helena Hanbidge was shortlisted for the IPPA Canon Portrait Award. It was taken at the recent Happy Faces Day Event in Tralee in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Assoc. of Ireland (CFAI)…