Memories are made of this...

Marian Dennehy and her handsome family met me for a photo-shoot in Colligan woods, near Dungarvan  recently.  Colligan is a beautiful place with dappled light coming through a canopy of leaves, and a river which is just perfect for skimming stones.

(Photographic tip:  There is a rule of thumb that the light under the first tree of the forest is excellent for portraiture as it prevents harsh downlighting which gives unpleasant shadows and also stops the person squinting :-)

Marian asked me to get relaxed and natural family photographs, which is what I love to do, so we started off at the bridge and then went for a stroll into the woods.

 Taking young children out to a place where they can run around and have fun helps them to forget the camera and gives me the opportunity to get natural photographs of them enjoying themselves.

The light coming through the branches creates beautiful patches of light, which Eoin enjoyed running  through (very fast).

It's great to have a Dad to carry you when you get a little tired from walking. 

Out came the ball, the sliotar and the hurley for a few action shots.

Colligan is a terrific place for hide & seek.

The river in Colligan is a lovely spot that reflects the greenery from above and it also produces perfect stones for skimming...

A consultation with big brother on which stone might produce the most 'jumps'.

Wow, that was a good shot....!

The difference a second makes... I always have to be on my toes to capture the moments when a little face lights up with fun.

 A great day was had by all.

We had great fun in Colligan and the time just whizzed by but I think we captured some lovely memories of a fun day out that I hope Marian and her family will cherish for years to come.

Thank you for all the fun and enthusiasm :-)

Blue eyed Beauties.

I had a lovely photo-session with 3 beautiful little girls and their Mum out in Ring.

Ring is the gaeltacht area near Dungarvan and it was lovely to listen to Bríd speaking fluently in Irish to the girls, I'm sad to say the cobwebs are a little too thick on my Irish to be able to communicate well and Bríd kindly put me out of my misery after a few broken attempts that had the girls looking at me strangely :-)

(Photographic tip:  In every family shoot it's good to get a mix of images, funny and serious, editorial and semi-staged, colour and B&W.  If your shoot allows it get a mix, you'll never be sorry you did)

Big sister Ailbhe is a great help to Mum with the twins Aideen and Doireann.

Doireann is now an expert at 'bum-shuffling' and moves around the house at speed, while

Ailbhe is a laid back little person who likes to relax and watch the world rush by.

They are both so beautiful and yet so different.

I love the serious expression on Ailbhe's face, I shot this with a shallow depth of field to have only her face in focus and then converted it into B&W to draw attention to her little face by losing the distraction of the colours in the background.

She wasn't serious for too long though :-)

  Storytime with Mum is special for Ailbhe.

Time for a snack after all that reading.

Hugs with Mum are extra special. 

Then, off for a little bit of exploring.

Doireann loves to see her big sister coming and Ailbhe was delighted when Dad called in to say hello.

Being a model can be tiring work so at the end of the session it's always nice to have Mum to pick you up and mind you.  Go raibh míle maith agaibh a chailíní bhí sibh go hiontach an t-am go léir. XK

Indoor Portrait Photography

Weather in Ireland is so unpredictable that I often shoot family portrait sessions in-door and they are beautiful in their own special way.

The goal is to capture memories and emotions so that in the future the photographs will be more than just a record of how people looked, they will be a record of what people were doing and the emotions they felt :-)

I had a lovely session with a couple of cuties and their Mum in Tramore recently.

Opportunities are presented to get quiet moments with favourite toys.

Big brothers are pretty special to a little girl.

Storytelling time is always a lovely time with Mum.

Time for a little break.

Time to get active again...

The golden wood contrasts beautifully with Liam's colours.

What gorgeous dimples, these appeared after I blew up a balloon and let it off, flying madly around the room.

Why sometimes Black & White?
I love B&W and always give it as an option as I feel it removes the confusion of colour and creates a 'quieter' shot drawing the eye to the expression, body language or emotion in a scene.

A big thank you to the guys for their enthusiasm and energy in the photo-shoot :-)