When Do You Start Seeing Things Differently?

I took these shots at my Parents house quite recently, during the damp, murky weather. Living on a farm, there is always somewhere to wander in all seasons. I have been looking at the same garden, fields, sheds all my life, but two months ago my brain suddenly absorbed what amazing textures and colours there are in stuff that is left to live its own life, remaining untouched. You see, my parents are not into pruning and preening hedges to perfection or painting anything when it starts to look weathered, they just let it be. I suppose what surprised me is that I never saw the beauty in this until now…

 

Add a Dash of Colour to Your Winter Wedding and Flavour With Some Zest…

I recently photographed Niamh & Colman’s wedding at Springfort Hall, a cosy country house in Cork. It was a cold, cold day to be in a dress but Niamh was a star, not to mention Colman who really nailed the shots in the 15 minutes we spent outdoors. I was delighted to find that Mallow had a great blue church, a yellow door (compliments of the Arts Centre) and this stunning rich, red drawing room in Sprinfort Hall. All of these elements allowed me to create some very vibrant, winter wedding shots..

Let’s go back to the beginning…

FAQ: How long will the Wedding Photographs take on my Wedding Day?

“How long do the photographs normally take?” This is the question I get asked the most by wedding couples (sometimes accompanied by a worried look). I always answer their question by talking about the day as a whole rather than just the photography on its own. This approach helps people to understand that for everything to run smoothly, all aspects of the day are to be considered.

For you, I have narrowed these down to the key factors that will influence timing on the day as a whole:

One: It would be the opinion of many that a 2pm ceremony time is perfect as the day is not too long for your guests. Well what about you? Your day disappears rapidly as the Priest may give a longer that expected ceremony (normally 1 hour and ceremonies rarely start on time). It takes at at least a half hour to meet your guests as they come out of the church. Depending on the distance between the church and hotel, it may take a half hour or more to get to the reception venue. We are now at 4.30pm and you still need to allow time for the bulk of the photographs. The chances of mingling with your guests are fast diminishing to make the 5.30pm meal time. Where is the whole day going (a day you spent a year planning)? Remember that your guests have taken the day off to spend with you. Do yourself some justice and plan to have your ceremony at 1pm. An extra hour WILL make a huge difference for all invloved.

Image from http://funnyweddingphotos.net

Two: Be on time for your ceremony. This may be a no-brainer but it doesn’t happen enough. Ten minutes may be okay but remember you will also need to allow time for some shots with your Dad/Mum before  you walk up the aisle. Some time to compose yourself is also important. This is not going to happen if you know you are late.

Three: A major time consumer is how many family photographs you decide to have. I always recommend no more than six formal groups (less would be even better). This frequently gets stretched to many more, and brides & grooms find themselves with a pain in their jaw and wondering when they will be able to mingle with their guests. Be strict, don’t get carried away with these shots. I know they are important but by keeping it simple at least you will have the family groups you really want and a chance to enjoy some drinks with your other guests.

Image from http://funnyweddingphotos.net

Four: The weather. I would consider myself to be a very efficient kind of gal. No stone is left unturned in the lead up to ensure that we (myself and my assistant) know exactly how will get great shots no matter what the situation. We have a wet day and dry day plan but there is no denying that rain can slow down proceedings. Small things like having to place towels on the ground under dress trains will add minutes . Rain can be an inconvenience and cause disappointment but my mental attitude is to be prepared for anything to happen. And remember if you have booked a good (qualified & experienced) photographer, relax knowing that she/he will produce the goods no matter what the weather.

Image from http://funnyweddingphotos.net

Five: Spontaneous or formal shots. I could make this very complicated but I have decided to keep it simple. Both spontaneous and formal shots need time. Approx 95% of my couples want both spontaneous and formal shots in their wedding albums. Spontaneous shots require the Photographer to wait, wait and wait some more for a moment to happen that is worthy of photographing. It is not simply a case of being snap happy. The one trade off however is that you are amongst family and friends as opposed to going overboard on the formal side of being photographed on your own. The more formal shots you have the more it will eat into the spontaneous opportunities.

If you have found this helpful, please add a comment. You can also ask any related questions and I will do my best to help you.

Going Wild in Sneem..

Crazy busy at the moment but I had to post this shot of Elva and Eoin who came from Dublin to get married in Sneem. They have a huge appreciation for this part of Kerry so I really wanted to do justice to the beautiful landscape and to their sense of excitement about it. I am in the middle of editing Elva and Eoin’s wedding and believe me there are many more gems to be posted over the coming week..

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..

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..

Under Pressure…

After being diverted into other projects I am now back on the wedding vibe. In the coming weeks I will showing off some more wedding photographs that I love..

Leah and Shane’s wedding was probably one of the toughest weddings I have photographed which had nothing to do with Leah and Shane but with the severe time constraints involved. The wedding reception was in the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Powerscourt in Enniskerry,  Co. Wicklow. There was the presumption that as we were on the Powerscourt Estate that we could use the grounds around the beautiful Powerscourt House for our shots but this was not to be as there was another wedding being hosted at the house. There is a policy of no two weddings being on the same turf and I agree with this but we had to find a way to get the shots as Leah had her heart set on the old world, stately look of the house and its grounds rather than the very new design of the Ritz Carlton. Through a bit of coercing and our promise that we would vanish from the grounds before the other bride & groom arrived we managed to secure a very short time slot of 20 minutes to get the job done. Although I had been here many times before, I needed to walk the grounds in advance with my camera t0 plan the exact shots I was going to take. In my minds eye  I placed the bride & groom in the best positions within the scene. On the day we all knew what was required to get these beautiful shots that they would have forever. Myself, my assistant and Leah & Shane all concentrated on this one task of being the best we could in all of our capacities and there was something very satisfying in the feeling that all of us, together got the job done. The hotel manager relayed news by radio that the other bride & groom were on their way up the avenue and so we vanished. Leah feeling like Cinderella darting away at midnight except she didn’t leave her Jimmy Choo behind….

Meanwhile back at the Ritz….

This Is Why I love My Job…

Editing, editing and more editing..I am google eyed, sometimes very early in the morning, sometimes very late at night, sitting (slouched would be more apt) in front of the computer to make a deadline. I open up a beautiful image such as this and I know I am in the right job because the joy within me lets me know…