Yesterday, Saturday 12th Feb, was the first time I felt really nervous on the way to a wedding. We’re not talking about a little bit of nervous energy (always good to keep you on your toes), but real, white knuckle, brown trousers nervous. The reason ??  The last 6-7 miles of road to Siobhans parents house were full of the biggest, and most bone crunching potholes I have ever encountered. Like most photographers, I have all manners of spares with me in the back of the car, but a spare suspension system ??  ‘fraid not !! I had visions of the wheels disintegrating, the steering wheel coming off in my hands…you get the picture. Anyway, made it to the house, shaken & stirred, and entered an oasis of calm. Never before have I been in such a relaxed, calm & organised house on the morning of a wedding. Weather was kind to us, from a very sunny morning a small covering of clouds emerged, just right for photographs, but the clouds also brought a bitter cold, and after the ceremony in St Feichins Church both Siobhan & John braved the elements and we headed down to the beautiful Fore Abbey for a few shots. Then off to the Hamlet Court Hotel for a hot drink. The staff in the hotel were extremely helpful & attentive, Siobhan & John and all the bridal party were so pleasant and easy to work with, the guests were all very friendly and enjoying a few glasses of mulled wine in front of the huge fireplace, while listening to the jazzy tones of singer Stella Bass. What a nice way to spend an afternoon. A few draft pics added below, hope you like them.

January is a peculiar time of year workwise – not many weddings, but time to clear the backlogs, confirm new bookings, take stock of what to achieve during the coming year etc. It also gives me some time (sadly lacking for most of the year) to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes – Landscape Photography. This time of year is ideal, not only do we get dramatic skys, choppy seas, but you don’t have to get up at stupid o clock to catch the pre-dawn light. It also differs completely from wedding photography in that if you get one or two keepers from any sortie – thats a good result. Serious & professional landscapers have often been known to wait a week (or longer) for a particular shot. Can you imagine asking a bride to hang on for about 30 minutes till the light changes !! Or that I got 5 or 6 great shots on your day, an excellent result !! I am lucky to live where I do with forests, beaches, cliffs etc. on my doorstep, and one of my new years resolutions was to make the effort to get out on the landscape trail a bit more. I have had to do a quick commission of 12 local B&W scenes which I hope to have completed today, and, I have another, personal project running which will take me up to December to complete, but, in the meantime, I have uploaded a few of my draft images for the current job (complete with watermark !). Hope you enjoy.

This year brought a number of developments, firstly it was my busiest year workwise so far, I also (finally) embraced, just a little, social media with the start of my facebook pages & blog. I covered the first ever civil ceremony held in Kilkenny Castle, travelled up & down the country visiting 20 of the 26 counties and had the priviledge of photographing weddings in everything from tiny churches to cathedrals, hotel lobbies, country houses, castles & even a theatre. I met some fantastic couples who made me feel very welcome and a part of their special day. There were ups & downs, but, on the whole, 2010 was a great year and I am very lucky to have a career doing something I love. I am hopeful that 2011 will bring further changes, I have new branding & packages lined up, am hoping to have more varied & regular blogs including guest writers, and who knows, perhaps I’ill get to cover all 26 counties this year. Despite the emergence in the last few years of reportage photography (of which I am a huge advocate) most couples, when it comes to choosing their final pics for an album, tend to go for the more traditional photos. The trick for a photographer is to try as much as possible to avoid wooden poses and excess cheese ! I have uploaded a small selection of more classical & relaxed wedding photography as opposed to the reportage shots in the last blog.

Finally, and most importantly, a big thank you to all the couples who had me as their photographer this year, without you I wouldn’t have a job !! And also thanks you to everyone who supported me in so many ways throughout the year, it is very much appreciated. Best wishes to all for 2011 and, in the immortal words of Dave Allen – May your God go with you.

With only one wedding left this year, and New Years Eve off for the first time in a while, I thought it was time for a look back on 2010 and ask myself how/have I developed as a photographer. My first major achievement was getting my licentiate with the IPPA, its great to get some recognition from your peers, and then, throughout the year to get numerous awards, culminating with a diamond award in the final awards of the year. My style has also developed this year with my focus (no pun intended !) being on a more documentary/reportage style of photography.  A true documentary/reportage photographer does not pose, or interfere in any way on the days proceedings, he/she is there purely to record the events as they happen, to capture the emotions, the laughs, the tears, the unexpected moments. I can’t place myself fully in that category as I do like to set aside some time for a few family shots & some bride & groom portraiture, but I do try to make it as informal as possible. To be honest, I don’t think I will ever be able to class myself as a purely documentary photographer as there will always be a bit of a traditionalist inside me (years & years of my dads wedding photos have been ingrained into me !!) but, given that most of this years awards came in the reportage category, I would certainly have the confidence to shoot weddings in this style if the bride & groom requested. I have included a selection of reportage photos below and have purposely left out most of my award winners as you are probably sick of seeing them !! These are just a few of my favourite moments, nothing outstanding, just blink & you miss kind of thing. Before the end of the year I will put up another blog, this time with some more classical style images, along with some firsts during this year, and hopeful developments for next year.

Yes, I know that snow can be a royal pain in the a#se – but it can also add to the most stunning of landscapes. Early this morning, with the kids wrapped up in bed, I decided to take a bit of “me-time”.  I put on my waterproofs, packed up the camera in my bag and headed off into the snow.  I started just around the corner from my house, heading along Ballymastone Lane, then up Reillys Hill and into the grounds of St Itas. From there I headed down to the cliff walk between Donabate & Portrane and on to Tower Bay. Despite living out here for 15+ years, I think that this morning, I got my favourite pic of Lambay Island. I was in my element, but then the reality kicked in as I saw the sky turn black and copped on that I now had a 45 mins walk home, facing into a blizzard !! Was it worth it ? I think so, and have attached a small sample of my pics below. Hope you enjoy them.

Things have been a bit quiet on the ground recently in terms of wedding photography. Was able to put a bit of time into choosing & submission of pics to the IPPA for the final competition of the year, and it paid off. Received a couple of bronze, seven Silver, a Gold, and an ellusive (and my first) Diamond award. Was having a stressful morning but news of the Diamond perked me up a bit ! Have uploaded the Silver, Gold & Diamond shots below. Workwise I had a corporate gig and a school shoot but a lot of my time recently has been clearing backlogs (on their way soon for anyone waiting !!) and re-aquainting myself with needles & threads for the kids Halloween costumes. I think I pulled every muscle in my body getting up to, and around the attic, searching for the decorations so was off down the gym to try get back into shape!! Back into the saddle next weekend with a wedding in Barberstown Castle so looking forward to that.