As a photographer that is. Yes, today is a special day. I got to shoot my first gig. After an inquiry a couple of weeks back to Whelans they were kind enough to offer me along to whatever gig I was interested in shooting. When I saw Crooked Still on the lineup for July I couldn’t believe my luck! I queued up tonight along with the rest of the punters – a right old mix I have to say – and waited patiently and a little nervously to what I knew would be a great show but also for what I hoped would be a successful shoot.
As I went inside I seen that chairs where setup on the ground floor. My instructions had been clear – shoot for the first 3 songs, no flash and most importantly – don’t get in the way of the paying customers. I knew that the chairs would restrict me somewhat and to get in front of them would be breaking the 3rd rule. So I went upstairs for a look, found a spot (and chatted to an excited and very proud bunch of Aoife’s, the lead singers, relatives) and waited for the band to take centre stage.
I came back downstairs for a closer vantage point after the first song and hope I managed to stay out of the way. After a while it was time to put the camera away and just the enjoy music.
What can I say? It was an awesome gig and it was great to get to meet Aoife (Lead vocal) and Gregory (Banjo and poet!) afterwards when I bought a few cd’s from them. You wouldn’t see Bono doing that outside Croker…
Check out the band at http://www.crookedstill.com/ and also on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/crookedstill
Loved it. Thanks Whelans!
EDIT : I also took this video of the band performing the song ‘Tell Her’ from the Still Crooked album.
When I put up these wedding posts I always ask the bride and groom if it’s okay that I share a little snippet of their day in the form of a mini slideshow. These slideshows usually have 40-50 pictures and cover the main sections of their day – preparation, church, informal shots after the church, reception arrival, speeches and then dance. So when I went to upload this ‘mini’ slideshow I was a little bemused to discover that it’s a total of 100 images. Too much I thought, so I went back through the selection and removed a few of the more obscure shots (chickens and old fashioned telephone boxes – long story) and have now narrowed it down to….. 95 shots. Problem was, it was just such a nice day, the location was beautiful and lots happened, and sorry if this sounds cheesy, but it was just a really beautiful day. The hotel was the Brooklodge in Mecreddin village and it really is so picturesque. Loved the two big soft gentle labradors that they owned too. Walked around like they owned the place, and if you petted one you had to pet the other as to not offend. Probably lucky I did stop and pet them for a bit or there would be even more pictures in this slideshow….
Great wedding Michelle and Barry. Oh, and great band!
This is not normal. It’s 2:30am, I’ve just returned to Dublin from a long, slow drive home in non-stop rain after shooting John and Mary’s wedding in Claregalway. Yet, rather than currently being in bed I’m sitting here updating my site. Mind you, this is no normal update.
John and Mary approached me before their first dance and gave me a tip off that their first dance was a going to be ‘different’. “Make sure to take plenty as we don’t have a video guy. It’s a big surprise and we’re going to make sure the band call everyone to watch”. So while I knew I’d take plenty of stills I decided to setup my little Lumix camera on the tripod to take a video. As John and Mary were called to the floor, I pressed record and and left it running….
To see just what was so special – click on the picture below, which by the way is the crowds reaction to the end result. I’ve never heard bigger cheers for a first dance in all my life. Truly Superb!
I had the pleasure of photographing Barry and Sarah’s wedding back at the beginning of June. It was one of those days that’s just perfect. Clear blue skies with a gorgeous location. This was my first wedding in Glendalough so it was all a bit of an adventure – especially when we tried to find the lakes – we never did. Those bidal shoes just aren’t made for walking but Sarah gave it a great shot all the same.
When the meal started I kept myself busy by taking a walk around the old cemetery. I stood and watched as birds flew in and out of the small Round Tower windows. I sat with my camera on the ready and just waited until I got a shot I was happy with. Not your usual wedding photography but it’ll be something different for the wedding book. You can see the result in the slideshow.
Thanks again to Barry and Sarah for allowing me to share this little mini slideshow of their day.
I love churches with balconies. To me, that view of the aisle is the best. You get to see the groom looking back over his shoulder excited to see his bride for the first time that day. All of the guests with cameras at the ready, big smiles and the odd dropped jaw as the bride enters the church and best of all, the brides beautiful dress as it trails behind her as she proudly walks towards her man. So when I enter a church the first thing I usually look for is a balcony.
Last weekend was no different but what made it special was that there was a lovely big old fashioned clock right at the back of the church just over the balcony wall. The bride was a little late but not by much yet there was a little sense of urgency and nerves crept in as she arrived at the church. Time was ticking. When I saw that clock I knew the shot I had to get, made sure I had the camera ready to fire and just waited.
I’ve added a new video to my site which hopefully will give everyone an even better idea as to what the finished wedding books look like in the flesh. I shot this using my Canon 5D MKII and just love the HD output that it gives so it should present you with a must better representation than the older video did (just press the little HD button on the timeline) – better soundtrack too….
This video is also located under the Complete Books link which, incase you didn’t already know, contains several books which can be viewed from cover to cover.
It’s been a while since my last update but with good reason. Wedding season is now in full swing and getting around to updating the site has had to take a back seat. I’m currently in progress of working on a handful of weddings but I’m getting there.
The latest one I’d like to share was a wedding with a difference. A wedding with a baptism to be exact.
Chris and Kirsten had little Zoe a couple a few months before their big day and wanted to hold her baptism on their wedding day. The ceremony was beautiful and it was obvious to see that it meant so much to Chris and Kirsten to have so many of their friends there, not only for them, but for Zoe.
Chris and Kirsten, it was good to meet up with you again recently and I hope you like this little mini slideshow which I hope gives everyone a little taster to what was a very special day*.
