The weather in Ireland is at best unpredictable. This uncertainty normally casts doubt over long term plans for outdoor activities no matter what time of year. Aoife & Chris however were adamant that nothing was going to prevent them from tying the knot in a forest at Inish Beg near Baltimore, Co. Cork, Ireland, not even the famous climate. So much so that they had sixty umbrellas at the ready for their guests in case the rain came. As it turned out they did not need the umbrellas. Their gamble on the weather payed off in spectacular fashion  with cloudless skies and unseasonably warm weather for April. This is their day …

Wedding Photographer: Shane O’Neill – Aspect Photography
Ceremony Location: Inish Beg, Baltimore, Co. Cork, Ireland
Reception Location: Inish Beg
Wedding Date: April 2011
Client Names: Aoife & Chris

More images can be seen at the Best of Wedding blog

congratulations to Val & Rob, married at Bellinter House Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland in March 2011. More images from this wedding can be seen on the Best of Wedding blog.

Two placings for me in the WPJA 2010 Q4 Contest:

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the above image was shot on a Polaroid 600SE with Type 100 “669″ film - out of date since 03/2009

Here are some of my images which were placed in this round of the ISPWP Quarterly Photo Contest. The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers is an organization of the best wedding photographers in the world.

and here are some that did not make it ….

Some favourite images from Claire & Paul’s wedding. Married in the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore Co. Waterford.

Some images from a recent wedding in Carraigaline in Co Cork. Congratulations to Lorcan & Michelle. Rain is not always a bad thing for documentary wedding photography. It often adds an unexpected dimension to the story telling process.

Ballycotton in East Cork is a hidden gem and I encourage anyone to visit there . Edell & Jonathan tied the knot there last summer. They spent a long time scouting locations and it is easy to see why they chose Star of the Sea Church with spectacular views of Ballycotton Bay and on to the aptly titled Bayview Hotel - about a three minute walk apart. Here are some of my favourites.

The results came through this morning, this was my first submission to an ISPWP quarterly contest. I did ok for an international competition considering the standard is high as are the amount of submissions. Here were my placings:

Bridal Party Portrait, 4th Place.

Pure Art, 8th place.

Venue/Location, 10th place:

Bride Portrait, 18th place:

A few classic reportage shots from the wedding of Eva & Keith married in Castle Durrow & Clough Church during the summer. Full marks for choice of venues.

BELOW: I left a camera with a fisheye lens up on the balcony to capture a dramatic shot of the bride walking up the aisle. The shutter was set up to trip eery 5 seconds, meaning i didn’t have to worry about doing it manually. If you look closely you can see me in the aisle.