My best placing so far - 2nd in the AG|WPJA Creative Portrait category:

AG|WPJA Q1 2011 CONTEST

Also, the The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers Spring 2011 Contest results came in. Here are my placings:

I love shooting in kitchens. The manic activity is always a great environment to photograph in. Few are as active as the Cliff House Hotel’s Michelin star restaurant run by Head Chef Martijn Kajuiter. I was delighted to cover the story of journalist Alex Meehan as he went behind the scenes for a day - “exhausting and exhilarating” is how he described it! I used lots of dragged shutter with a pop of fill flash to bring out the energy of the kitchen. Here are some of the shots which were not used. (special thanks to Gillian Nelis, Bryan Walshe & Adriaan Bartels)

The Diana F+ is a box camera made entirely from plastic. Results from this basic tool are often erratic as the camera only has two shutter speeds - (approx) 1/60th of a second and bulb (this allows the user to determine the length of time light is allowed to fall on the film). There are four apertures again approx f11, f16 and f22 with a “pinhole” aperture which is said to be about f128 It is constructed primarily of low-quality phenolic plastics of the type commonly found in toys imported from Asia during the 1960s. Because of wide variances in production quality, combined with a poorly-designed camera body latching mechanism, Diana cameras are predisposed to light leaks onto the exposed film. However these “happy mistakes” are what has made the camera the cult classic it is today. I have had my Diana+ for the last two years and (eventually) I’m a big fan. It “stimulates creative vision without undue reliance upon camera features and technology” Previously I used a 35mm film back with the camera as this film is easy to obtain, develop and even exposes the sprocket holes above and below the main frame. So recently I decided to try 120mm film with it. I’ve always loved the square format which measures 6×6cm. Here are some of those results. All images are straight from scan. The film used was Kodak Ektar 100.

The blaa has a very unique place in Waterford culture. The small, square roll dusted in flour has been produced in Waterford since the 1600s but, because it is preservative-free, it has a very short shelf life and has not travelled beyond the county. This morning at 7.30am I photographed blaas being made using traditional, handmade methods at M&D Bakery on Mount Sion Avenue in the City. This bakery is named after two brothers, Michael and Dermot Walsh, who are third generation bakers in the family, recently won the prestigious Eurotoque award for uniqueness and quality. Here is look at the process:

One of my images was placed in the Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalists last quarter.

On December 30th, Genevieve Sheehan from Tampa Florida & Troy Meyer from Brecksville, Ohio were married in St. Mary’s Church in Navan, Co Meath, where her grandparents had tied the knot 56 years previously. They met through the TV show Jeopardy! - the story behind how they met was so special that that New York Times sent a photographer and reporter to cover the story. Take a look here. These are some of my favourite shots from the day:

the above image was shot on a Polaroid 600SE with Type 100 “669″ film - out of date since 03/2009

Rodolphe from Mary Best Day Productions sent me brilliant video he shot behind the scenes at Bantry House for the Pearl & Godiva shoot. He called me a few weeks prior to the shoot asking if I had any interesting projects on the horizon which he could shadow as he wanted to test out a Canon 5D mkII for video. He did a great job, his take on the day can be seen here. The low dept of field looks great in video and it gives an insight into the approach we took. You can see me fiddling about with the Polaroid 600SE. There are so many things to check before you take an actual shot but thats why I love it. I should point out that I have since had a hair cut! I’m sure Kate Rose & Sarah will be delighted with this video too.

Well done Rodolphe.

http://vimeo.com/19250781

“FWA Photo, a daily showcase highlighting some of the world’s most inspirational photography”

Here is one of my submissions which made Photo of the Day on the 27th of January. This is the second time my work has been showcased on the popular site, the last time was this image of John Cooper Clarke.

The image can be viewed here: http://www.fwaphoto.com/#/2011-01-27/

Last week I travelled to Bantry House in Co. Cork for a location shoot for Pearl & Godiva -a vintage china hire company. Accompanied by the sleepy make-up artist Kate Rose Crean, we had a two fold approach to the day - product and a seperate model shoot. The latter would be used to establish mood on the Pearl & Godiva website and it proved to be an excellent idea. Lockdown provided the models Maedbh & Ronan.

The shoot itself was almost entirely captured with the amazing natural light in Bantry House. I brought along the Polaroid 600SE and fired off some of the last batch of the legendary Type 100 669 bought from The Impossible Project. The surroundings were very conducive to the film, even if some exposures were 20 seconds+

Others involved in the shoot were:

Hair www.sobebrown.com

Flowers www.hanako.yolasite.com

Clothes and Accessories by www.dirtyfabulous.com

Beaded Bridal hair jewellery by www.staceyhannandesigns.com

Cupcakes by www.be-mycupcake.com

Macaroons by www.petitsfours.ie/

A big well done to Sarah from Pearl & Godiva from bringing it all together.

Here are some images:

(above - Polaroid Type 100 - 669 film - 20 second exposure @ f8)

(above - shot with a Camera Diana+ lens and Nikon adapter)

It is not often that I spend a lot of time capturing epic post-ceremony wedding shoots. This is mainly because I am primarily commissioned to document. However, some clients are more adventurous than others and are willing to invest the time to get something a bit different. Introducing Will & Amanda, married last September in Wexford. The plan was always to take a quick trip to Hook Head, Co. Wexford to get some images. We scouted locations is advance of the day and planned meticulously where we were going and what we were doing - all to save time. We spent a total of 45 minutes there. Here are some of the images we got  …