Blast from the past – Donegal wedding of Enika & Conor
One thing about (work related) housekeeping is that you get to revisit weddings from way back. Although it can sidetrack you, the memories of these special days are great to have. One wedding which sticks in my mind was that of Enika & Conor back in July 1997. The couple travelled from Australia to get married in Ballyliffen (way way up in Donegal) and it was one of those days when everything just fell into place. Leading up to the wedding the weather had been horrific, and, even when I was driving up the day beforehand it was still lashing out of the heavens. On the morning of the wedding, the black clouds were replaced by white fully clouds & deep blue skies. Enika & Conor had hired a local mini-bus to ferry the bridal party, myself (and a slab of tinnies !) to nearby Pollan Bay where I was able to capture the beauty of the area and the afternoon made for a very special photoshoot. The gang were all so laid back and we had an absolute blast before returning to the hotel. I have uploaded a few of the pics below, hope you enjoy.
2011 – Your wedding through pictures
Firstly, a big thank you to all my friends, family and of course wedding couples, for their help & support throughout 2011. Yet again, it was a privilege to be such a major part of so many weddings - thanks for putting your faith in me to capture your day through photography. I can’t say that my style of shooting weddings has changed too much over the last 12 months - I still focus on reportage and informal photography, but, I also understand the need for a few nice family shots and some bridal party and bride & groom portraiture - although I do try to make these sessions as informal and painless as possible !! I know that for most couples the day (apart from the marriage itself) is all about having family & friends close, so why would you want to spend most of your time posing in front of a camera ? Whereas my style might not have changed too much, my awards tally for the year did - for 2011 I received a total of 12 gold, 19 silver and 2 bronze awards, mainly for my reportage work, but also a few for classical wedding, and even a couple for landscape ! I have uploaded a selection of images below, from various weddings throughout the year, in an attempt to show a typical wedding day as told through photos, some of which will be familiar, some are making their “blog” debut.
Hope you enjoy and I look forward to plenty more blogs as well as some new & exciting developments over the next 12 months.
Christine & David – Curracraigue Wexford & Step House Hotel, Borris
When I met up with Christine & David their brief was simple, mainly reportage shots, but a small bit of time on a few family shots, neither wanted to spend too much time in front of the camera. At that stage I knew the day would go well as that is exactly what my style is, and the the day did indeed go great. There was fantastic light in their house for the preparations (and a very calm atmosphere) the priest was a real charachter, had everyone in giggles but still managed to retain the solemnity of the occassion, the Step House Hotel is a real hidden gem, lovely interiors, great gardens and the staff were ever so helpful. Also, Borris Castle, which is across the road from the hotel, had its doors open (only does this on a limited number of days each year) and I heard from a colleague who was shooting a wedding in neighbouring Wexford that there was torrential rain - we had a nice, bright (but very cold !) evening. So all the pieces fell into place nicely, Christine & her bridesmaids looked stunning, herself, David and their families were an absolute pleasure to deal with, and I'm thrilled to say, they were delighted with their photos - and I'm fairly happy with them myself (although I am biased !!). I have uploaded a small selection of shots below. Feel free to have a look and just click on any image for a slightly larger version.
Prima Vera Album
With the New Year there comes some "new" products etc. The Prima Vera album has been one of my offerings to couples for a short while now but I never pushed or promoted it as it is quite an expensive option. However, having discussed it with a few couples recently they have all advised that although it is not a cheap option, the album represents great value for money due to the workmanship, quality, design and album layout. In the last 2 months I have received orders for four of these albums and the other day my first one arrived and I was thrilled with the final product.
Hand crafted in Italy, and coming in at an impressive 12*16 inches, each page is individually designed and then each image is printed, mounted & the mount then sealed to each page. The leaves have a metal surround for protection and ornate silver corners for an additional touch of class. Each album has a choice of cover colours & design and the albums have been described to me by one couple as "not just an album, but an heirloom". I have attached a few pics of my recent delivery (Eimear & Ians wedding from early 2011) and, should you want to view a sample album just let me know and we can arrange something.
Prices for these exquisite albums start at €1,995 and include a disc of all your images fully edited, enhanced and print ready so you can print off your own re-prints as and when you wish.
Marie & Dave – 28th December
I had the pleasure of shooting Marie & Daves wedding in Clane on 28th December. The ceremony was in the lovely chapel in Clongowes Wood and the reception held in the Westgrove Hotel where the staff were ever so helpful. Marie & her bridesmaids looked fab and, despite the gale force winds and cold, managed to hide the goosebumps and look warm for a very speedy photoshoot of the bridal party (I think about 5 minutes !!). On arrival at the hotel the mulled wine reception went down a treat with the guests, and everyone was in great spirits heading for the reception suite. I have a few pics uploaded below so feel free to have a look (just click on any image for a larger version) and, if you know either Marie & Dave leave a message for them as they will be checking in while on honeymoon.
Lisa & Andy – Barberstown Castle
On Sunday 18th December I had the pleasure of shooting Lisa & Andys wedding in the stunning Barberstown Castle. As a venue I love covering weddings there as it has great grounds, great indoors and very helpful staff. I arrived at Lisas house and everything was nice & calm, but, as often happens on the mornings, the time just flew, and before long everyone was milling around and the rescue remedy was out !! Barberstown was done up beautifully and the ceremony took place in the conservatory. Lisa, Andy and little Jamie all took part in a lovely sand ceremony and before long they were marching down the aisle as Mr & Mrs. My brief for the day was quite simple (and suits my photographic style) - very little time to be spent on posed shots. They wanted relaxed & informal photos and with laughs aplenty and a magician (Magic Daniel) wowing the guests there was plenty of scope for this. For a change I hung on for the speeches & first few dances but it was well worth it for the extra photos. I have uploaded a selection of photos below (had trouble whittling them down) and, if you happen to know Lisa or Andy please feel free to leave a message for them. Just click on any photo for a slightly larger version.
Sarah & Oliver
Saturday 10th December saw me heading off to the small village of Kilkerrin, Co. Galway for the wedding of Sarah & Oliver. The priest mentioned in his ceremony that they did things a little different around there and he was right. When driving from Sarahs house to the church the roadside had lots of posters, balloons wishing them luck (think Tour de France !) I was also perplexed at how neat & tidy the litter was. Outside every house on the road were little stacks of rubbish. I didn’t know at the time that when Sarah left her house these were all set alight by their neighbours for good luck. We also had some fun when a wet sheepdog joined the greeting line in the church !! A more relaxed & unfussed couple you could not meet, with a bit of rain & failing light they hit the pub instead of heading off for photos, but despite the long drive to the Lady Gregory Hotel in Gort, we had just about enough time to get a few family shots before the meal was called. Have a few pics below, just click on any for a larger version.
IPPA – Photographer of the year 2011
The final round of the IPPA photographer of the year has just finished. This year, I have managed to achieve 12 gold, 19 silver, and 2 bronze awards. The vast majority of the awards have been for my wedding reportage work, but a few classical wedding images did sneak in there, along with a couple of other, non-wedding related categories. Overall I am quite happy with the results, but also determined to achieve more next year !! Next up are the annual awards, I can enter up to three images for the individual awards, and, at this stage, I have qualified to submit a portfolio selection in both reportage and classical wedding. I have uploaded the gold award images below (will bore you all with the silver at a later stage !!) so feel free to take a look. You can just click on any image for a slightly larger version. Thanks & regards - Kevin
Catriona & Chris – Darver Castle 31st Oct
Monday 31st saw me heading up the coast to Balbriggan for the wedding of Catriona & Chris. It was also a case of meeting up with old acquaintances as I knew the celebrant, Fr Eugene, from my days in the folk group in Rialto (25 years ago !!), I also teamed up with videographer Cyril Fox for the first time in nearly three years, and I met Marie & Mattie, a couple whose wedding I photographed last year.
The girls were so calm & collected when I arrived (and looked stunning thanks to the Powder Room Girls), and despite the constant threat of bad weather, I had a feeling that the day would be a great one, or, as Chris would say - 100%.
Sure enough, after the lovely ceremony in Balscadden Church, the heavens opened. We had to leg it to the cars (thanks to Cyril Fox for sharing a brolley!) and it was off to Darver Castle. I was blown away by the venue & staff, nothing was too much for them (apart from stopping the rain !). Due to the bad weather we didn’t get a chance for photos in the grounds but we did have a nice spot indoors. After a short while the kitchen in Darver was hopping to the sounds of Tropical Storm which went on till mealtime.
After the meal & speeches there was a special treat, not only to celebrate the wedding, but also for Halloween, there was a huge & impressive fireworks display in the castle grounds, after which the happy couple hit the floor for the first dance.
All in all it was a great day, the one problem I had was that I normally put around 12-15 shots into the blog, and I had a terrible time cutting down on pics for this one, I went a bit over my limit but I hope I have managed to capture some of the atmosphere below, and, if you happen to know the couple feel free to leave a message for them as they will be checking in on a regular basis. (just click on any photo for a slightly larger version).
Sinead & Jason
Its hard to know where to start when describing Sinead & Jasons big day ! The heavy rain had been so persistent that I had Captain Nemo on standby to make sure I could get where I needed to be. Sinead looked stunning in her 1920s inspired wedding dress (and super hair & make-up) and the bridemaids weren't half bad either in their Charleston styled dresses !!! Things got a little confusing on arrival at the church as there were six of the main guests called Kevin, so, including myself, that was seven !! Every time the name was called, we all answered. After the lovely ceremony in Clondalkin church it was off to the stunning Killashee House Hotel in Naas. With the rotten weather we couldn't use the fantastic gardens for photos but everyone was in great form and it was the little touches that made this wedding so special. Along with the 20's theme, the reception had an 80's vibe going through it, lifesize cutouts of Rambo & Michael Jackson stood by the dancefloor, along with a particularly scary one of the Hoff, He-Man & She-Ra guarded the loos, the placenames were among the coolest I have ever seen, the favours were little boxes of retro sweets, and the caketopper was made by Sinead. Jason told me that Sinead also made each of the placenames, favours etc. so perhaps a career in wedding planning beckons !! I have uploaded a few photos from the day below, and, if you happen to know the couple, please leave a comment as they will be checking in while away on honeymoon. Just click on any photo for a slightly larger version.
