Wedding Photography stories & images taken in Kerry, Cork, Limerick, Clare and Tipperary, Ireland by Pauline Dennigan, Wedding Photographer from Tralee, Kerry, Ireland
A very quick post before I sign off and get my butt in gear for the Kerry Wedding Show this Sunday..
This is a shot from Ciara and Damien’s wedding which was on a very cold but dry day in January. It was excellent weather for me mainly because I wasn’t the one wearing the sleeveless dress. I also had the most perfect cloud cover in the sky to produce even, soft light on the skin of Ciara and Damien.
More images to follow and then I’ll tell you about this funky, green VW Van.
Whether you are getting married or not, November is a time when we could all do with some extra hugs and kisses so why not practice some photogenic kissing…
Rule One – Do not pout like a trout! Partners lips should be just touching and not protruding or squashed against each other.
Rule Two – Do not have a collision of noses going on! Tilt your heads in opposite directions so that you fit together comfortably.
Rule Three – Feel free to use your hands around the face or neck for a more passionate embrace but without squashing your partners skin. Hands need to rest gently or risk distorting your beloved’s face.
Rule Four – Close your eyes when kissing. The rabbit caught in headlights look is not good when kissing your partner! Much more passionate when you allow yourself to be lost in the moment.
Rule Five – You don’t always have to kiss on the lips. Forehead, cheek or neck can sometimes look really good.
Now practice!
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..
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…
A very quick post that I will add to in the coming week. Ciara and James travelled from London to get married in Tralee. James is of Scottish descent so I had not one or two, but five groomsmen (and james) dressed in kilts and furry purses (sporran)! The sporran was very handy for storing Ciara’s lip gloss…
This moment of walking down the stairs of her family home is quite exciting and scary for a Bride for many different reasons…
Ciara and James’ ceremony was held at St. John’s church, Tralee. Quite dark inside but a beautiful stone interior with pretty impressive organ…
The ceremonial proceedings are lost on a tired Charlie..
Sarah reckoned that she had emptied her tear supply before the ceremony but they continued to spill out…
The reception was held at Ballyseede Castle, Tralee. Great location for wedding photographs..
One of my favourite shots, Ciara and James entering the beautiful light filled reception room at Ballyseede Castle..
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…
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….
I had the great pleasure of working with Lorraine & Joe on their wedding day in Killarney. They travelled from Dublin to get married in Kerry because of Joe’s family connections in Killarney. I really enjoyed working with them mainly because I knew that they appreciated good photography. I travelled over to Killarney Golf & Fishing Club and the Aghadoe Heights the day before to scout out the best angles as Joe really wanted to see the incredible landscapes come across in the shots. I like to veer away from the bog standard shots that have been done many times before in these places so armed with my wellies I plodded through the mud until I found the angles that did the landscape justice and boy was it worth it!
