Kerry Wedding Show 2011 in Tralee

It has been a while since I posted thanks to a water damaged broadband cable and the slow arrival of repair men, but I’m back, connected to the world again. I am delighted to say that I will be taking part in the Kerry Wedding Show this coming Sunday, 20th Feb at the Brandon Hotel, Tralee. Last year was a brilliant show and packed out. If you are getting married soon or in 2012, you would be mad not to take the opportunity to see some very talented people and the work they produce, in the flesh.

I will be selling me soul at stand 20. By the way, this is the only large wedding show in Kerry, so if this is where you are getting married, get your butt over to the Brandon on Sunday!

Check out my work in advance www.denniganphotography.ie.

The Girl With the Golden Shoes – San Francisco to Castle Leslie..

This is just a very quick taste of Nikki & Ed’s wedding in Castle Leslie. Yes, Nikki did wear gold runners (sneakers) with her dress and it totally worked..

The next shot was taken on a very majestic toilet!

Miss Bossy Boots in Action…

I was kindly given this photograph, taken by a wedding guest at Jamie and Myrna’s wedding. So now I know what I look like when I am giving orders. It’s not very pretty. Mind you, this photograph was taken at my only truly vocal time of the wedding day, when I need to herd (encourage) the wedding guests into one big group. It is not a major problem to do this, but boy are you wasting your time if you think it can be done from the ground. There is a specifically Irish trait of not wanting to appear too enthusiastic about having your photograph taken because you might appear too confident. We are very good at acting not worthy. Why? I have no idea. All I know is that it takes one or two people to break from the pack and put themselves into the photograph and then the rest will follow…

 

 

When my Wedding Photograph Plan does not go to Plan…

The landscape shots from my last post were a result of research done for Niamh & Tom’s wedding which was happening in Lispole. I felt great excitement at the potential for their shots. Visually I knew exactly what I was aiming for. Well to get to the point, none of this happened. It rained sporadically throughout the day and in fact every time I even suggested we put a toe outside the door of the church, the clouds would systematically spill down on top of us. Finally, I was given a 10 minute reprieve and this was what we got…

Oh and it wasn’t just the rain.. The tide was in with no sand left to stand on, the rocks were slippy and my feet were buried in slimy seaweed (I was hauled out by a gallant groomsman). The funny thing was that we were all happy to work with what we had and there was no disappointment to be seen on Niamh & Tom’s faces. The beach below these rocks was where Tom proposed to Niamh by writing it in the sand. They were happy regardless..

 

A Canadian Wedding in Cork…

I have been itching to edit this wedding of Jasmin and Danny who came from Alberta, Canada to get married in Cork. They came, not to have a big Irish wedding but a nuptial event that I would consider to be true to their character. No fluffiness but big on quality where it mattered…

Jasmin and Danny had cycled around the West Coast of Ireland a few years ago and were enchanted by the landscape. They hadn’t been to Cork so I did the research on the ground. I decided that some cityscapes, along with the cliff tops of Inchydoney and the beautiful doorways of Clonakilty would encapsulate this amazing part of Ireland…

At Cork Registry Office…

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..

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…

Tralee Leads the Way for Happy Faces Day!

Today my fabulous models, Aishling Spillane (age 18, just completed her course in Broadcast Journalism, deals with Cystic Fibrosis and has the makings of professional model), Fiachra O’ Connor (age 14 this Sunday who fully cooperated with me when I asked him to wear a pink t-shirt. What a professional!) and Holly Smith (age 5, on a promise of Jelly Tots and staying up late tonight in return for some smiles!) and finally the very kind Pamela Lucey from the Meadowlands Hotel in Tralee who has given me some space and her time to allow Happy Faces Day 2010 to happen.

So let me remind you…This really great portrait day is happening on Sat, April 3rd in the Meadowlands Hotel from 11am til 6pm. Anyone from age 4 to 99 is welcome and 100% of the proceeds on the day go to the Cystic Fibrosis Assoc. of Ireland to help provide much needed isolation facilities for people with CF.

You are the first to see these before going to press. Enjoy!

I’m bored!

Children get very interesting when they decide that they have had enough of the adult scene at weddings. I could spend ages just sitting, watching and waiting for great moments to happen when they create their own party. Sometimes it all kicks off in the church. They don’t care, they are just being themselves. I will be adding to this collection frequently.

Photographing a wedding photographer’s wedding!

So far I have photographed 4 photographers weddings from around the world but the one that meant the most was my good friend Eva Power’s wedding. Eva is also a wedding photographer. We studied photography together for three years and have known each other through good and bad so this really was special. I arrived at Carton House, Maynooth the day before the wedding as I wanted to do my usual scout around the beautiful estate. It was absolutely lashing rain so I decided I would go for a run while I was checking out the area. Running in the rain is a tad more exhilerating than plodding along and feeling every drop fall. I got lost, ended up running through a golf course but found some great locations along the way! 

I should also mention that Eva had Shane as her one and only bridesmaid/bridesman (to the right of Eva). He took the job seriously and really was a great help to Eva. Paul had 6 groomsmen so Eva was truly surrounded by men.