I stuck to the city centre, starting off in Temple Bar, then working my way up to Palace Street, which always has some interesting graffiti. It was there where I noticed a little post box on the wall with a note asking you to post a drawing of your inner child.
The post box is actually opened every so often and the contents are scanned and put on the web. There are no drawings yet of any ‘inner children’ but there are some letters to God which they had been asking for previously. Makes for interesting reading – Letter-box Dublin
I headed over to Dame lane and then realised that I was missing the rugby. So it was into the stags head for the first half to soak up the atmosphere, which in the end was slightly lacking, so I went over to the Mercantile for the 2nd half. Maybe it was due to a better, or at least more exciting 2nd half: it was brilliant. I tried to take a few sneaky shots near the whistle but focusing from the hip aint easy.
Once the match was all over I continued with the pottering and eventually found myself over in the Italian quarter on what I think is called the Millenium Walkway. I noticed a place called boojum. It had posters on the window which mentioned that they’d be coming soon; however inside there was a dozen people tucking to pretty hefty looking burrito’s! A guy approached me and told me that they were having a staff training day and that food was free. It wasn’t long before I was tucking into my very own burrito prepared with loving care and served with a smile. Gorgeous! I’ll be back, probably on open day which I think is Monday 1st March!
They can’t come soon enough!
I headed back to Temple Bar where the car was parked and took a few more before finally putting an end to this little walk. It didn’t quite reap the same rewards that I got in Trim but Dublin isn’t going anywhere – there will be plenty more oppourtunities
I’ve also included some shots that I took the other night on my walk home from the exhibition at The Observatory. Enjoy.
Click to here or on any of the photos to enter the slideshow.
]]>I arrived early with the thought of capturing some of the exhibts and rooms without many people and it was lucky I did because there was a massive turnout. One of the rooms showcases work commissioned by Absolut so they were on hand to offer a steady flow of drinks. The servers never had to go too far before their trays were cleared.
“Will you have a drink sir?” - “Absolut-ely!” (sorry…)
It was a great evening with some great pieces on display. Well worth a visit. It runs untile the 20th March so give it a shot.
To see my shots from the night click here or on the photo above.
Post Update : That night there was a performance put on by guy called Larry Beau. He had a small group of backing singers and a few musicians to accompany him. He wrote this piece especially for the night of the opening. It’s called “Last night I dreamed of New York City” (at least i think that’s what it’s called…)
I’ll apologise now for the shaky cam – all I can say is that I was in a very awkward position. Oh and I should also apologise for the fact that you’ll see the odd freeze and sound of a shutter – this is what happens when you shoot video on a 5D MKII and take photos at the same time
Wildly Different Things: New York and Dublin
A BlueLeaf Unlimited Project
Opening Hours: 10am-6pm Tues-Fri; 12-5pm Sat and Sun
The Observatory, 7-11 Sir John Rogersons Quay
Dublin, Ireland
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Anyway – through twitter I heard that all of these people and more would be meeting in Trim to go on a Photowalk. They’re organised through Photowalk.ie and everyone is welcome regardless of skill level or camera size. The more the merrier as the saying goes. I thought I’d give it a go and use it as a great opportunity to meet plenty of like minded nerds folk.
Photographers just love those horsies
We all met up in the Trim Castle carpark and after brief introductions that closely resembled an alcoholics anonymous round table, it was off to the castle. Lovely castle it is too but I tell you what, it was absolutely freezing! A good walk was what was needed, after all we were here for a photowalk. So Dannie, who’s from Trim lead us along the Boyne, through Porchfield (where his site gets its name) and down to the old ruins of Newtown. As light began to fade and the temp dipped further it wasn’t long before we all had one thing on our minds. Brogans.
The less said about what happened next, the better.
To see my shots from the day click here on the photo above.
Big thanks to Ryan, Dannie and Stephen for organising a super day.
Now then.. all those fab photographers! Check them out!
]]>The preparation shots in Debbie’s that morning were a great laugh. Multi talented Nikki Kavanagh was on hand with the makeup brush and every other piece of makeup applying equipment you could fathom, not to mention her wicked sense of humor which kept everyone at ease.
Various friends and relatives were dropping in and out while the girls were busying themselves with nail painting and teeth brushing… It was at this point the glamourous Nicola arrived into the kitchen to show us this seasons up and coming toothbrush trends… (She’ll never forgive me for this..)
Ohh c’mon, she still looks great!
Debbie and Phil had booked their wedding day over 3 years ago so Debbie has had lots of time on her hands to think of exactly what she wanted. One shot she knew she wanted was of her coming down the stairs in her dress. I however, didn’t know this. So there I was, hiding, camera on the ready, waiting to capture what I though was going to be a perfectly candid moment. I could hear the girls at the top of the stairs, readying themselves for the grand entrance, and unbeknown to me, wondering just where on earth I was. After a couple of minutes I heard “Where is he? Is he there?”… I had to show my face. “Oh.. are you girls waiting for me? I’m down here hiding waiting to snap you all coming down the stairs”. Sometimes you just have to do it their way
A not so candid moment
Outside, neighbours had gathered and everyone wanted a photo of the beautiful bride.
I just love the proud beaming smile on the drivers face in the background
A few days before this wedding I picked up my new tilt shift lens and I just couldn’t wait to get to the church to try it out. The lens works best from a height, but as I couldn’t get up to the balcony (see previous post) I had to make do with shooting from ground level. Still, I love the shot below as it just focuses all of your attention on the the bridal party.
The tilt shift lens in action
It was a lovely ceremony with beautiful music from Nikki Kavanagh – yes, that’s right, the makeup artist! Well, I did say multi-talented! The girl has an absolutely beautiful voice, worth checking out her site to hear her samples.
Debbie and Phil both said ‘I Do’ – always a good thing at any wedding and so it was off to Finnstown.
Follow that car!
On arrival at Finnstown aside from the tea, coffee and mulled wine, I saw a table that was just calling my name, and everyone elses now I come to think of it. It was a table filled with pic-a-mix! Just the sugar rush I needed! Guests first, guests first… yes, yes, I know… Who am I kidding? Hurry up! Oh flying saucers! You can eat hundreds of these things without ever getting sick
And not a weighing scale in sight. This was a good day.
It didn’t take long for the party atmosphere to kick off and no sooner was the meal over when I was being asked to stay and join in with the celebrations. I’d have loved to but with it being New Years Eve I had my own plans. So once the dance was well and truely underway and the Irish dancers had entertained the crowd I packed the camera away and left what would have been one almighty party. Lucky I did too, when I went outside there was about an inch of snow and we all know what happened next! That’s right, snowmageddon!
The first dance
Thanks Debbie and Phil for letting me share you day with everyone.
To see more from Debbie and Phil’s wedding just click here!
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So, why is this being mentioned now? Well, when it came to Carol and Ken’s wedding I thought I’d give Eoin, a smart young fella who showed an interest in the camera a crack at taking some shots. I always carry a backup camera so I gave him that, stuck a memory card in there to last him a while, ran him through the basic controls and told him to come back to me when he’d run out of space. Before long I could see him lining people up, taking their photo and then showing them his instant results on the camera screen to much ooing and aahing. I may just have trained up a guy to one day put me out of a job.
Running rings around me…
I’m sure he wont mind if I share one of his shots with you.
Not bad eh!
Right, now Eoin, go and get your own website.
So, back to Carol and Ken. I went over to Carol’s house a couple of hours before she was due to head to the church. Preparation was already in full swing. Hair and makeup was already all under control so it was a matter of playing the waiting game and more importantly entertaining the neighbours! Carol’s folks had put on the biggest spread with sandwiches, crisps, nuts and not to mention every drink you can imagine. Word obviously got out and and it wasn’t long before the doorbell began to ring, drinks were put into peoples hands and everyone cooed over the beautful bride.
A hive of activity
Outside, children from the area had gathered and waited patiently for what’s called ‘the scramble’. I had never seen this before but apparently it comes from an old Scottish tradition. As the couple come out of the church after getting married the groom will dip his hand into his pocket and throw a few coins to the local kids. Nowadays this is done as the bride leaves the house. So they waited and waited and eventually their patience paid off as out came one of Carol’s relatives with several big handfuls of change. It didn’t take long to see why it’s called the scramble…
Get Ready!!
Scramble!!!!!!
After all that excitement it was time to get to the church. There was a wedding to go to!
Carol is given a few calming words before getting out of the car.
And by the way… what a church it was. The Immaculate Conception Church in Clondalkin is absolutely gorgeous inside. I’d love to have gotten up into the balcony but when I inquired I was told that a previous wedding photographer went off with the key! tsk.. Pesky photographers…
The beautiful church interior
The media scrum! Okay, it’s just friends and family.
After the ceremony it was on to Finnstown house to kick of the celebrations and where I hired my first assistant
You can see the rest of the shots from the day in the slideshow right here or by clicking on any of the images above.
Congrats Carol and Ken and thanks for a wonderful day and Eoin, I’d hire you any day.
By the way – coincidentally the next real wedding post will be from exactly the same church and reception. It should be online tomorrow
Click to see more from Tia and Jim’s wedding
A short time later I was back on the ferry along with a bus load of wedding guests to go to the church and then after the ceremony it was back onto the ferry to the reception at Moville. I’d have got the ferry back home too but it was too late.
Sounds exhausting, but it was just brilliant. All that sea air blew away the combwebs, the sun was out and everyone was up for having a good time. Those Finns know how to party!
Click to see more from Tia and Jim’s wedding
One thing I have to mention…. After the speeches Tia’s dad and a few close friends and relatives went off to the side of the room, picked up some instruments, came back to the front of the top table and sang a lovely song in Finnish. The song was called ‘Jag väntar vid min mila’ by Dan Andersson. At the time I thought to myself…. these guys are good! Well, it turns out, Tia’s dad is in a band called Pihasoittajat and they preformed in the 1975 Eurovision! Back in the days when the Eurovision was good!
And here they are! Tia’s dad is lead singer.
Thanks Tia and Jim for a great day and for being invited to your own private concert!
For the stars of the show, the bride and groom usually get that little bit of peace and quiet as the bell is rung and the guests are called upon to take their seats in the dinning room where dinner will soon be served. This gives the happy couple some time alone to relax and just enjoy each other’s company before making their grand entrance to much whooping and hollering.
I caught this little picture at today’s wedding of Marie and Tony. A truly wonderful wedding with the nicest bunch of guests you could come across. They had all just gone to be seated and I seen Marie sitting there quietly on the couch alone, probably just going through her thoughts on the day and wondering where Tony was. He was just out of shot – still talking.
They’ll get a laugh out of that – he never stops
Congratulation Marie and Tony, it was an absolute cracker.
]]>I tell you what though – there is one word that is the same in all languages. Ferrari. When that thing pulled up at Conall’s home, us blokes literally poured ourselves over it. Superb machine. I wish I’d taken a sound sample of that engine. What a car to arrive in! Mind you, you need to arrive with some class when your bride has movie star appeal. Surely I can’t be the only one to think that Karina has a bit of Uma Thurman in her?!
To see a little selection of their day click here on on the images below.
