informal wedding photography

by

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.

by

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.

by

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.

by

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.

by

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