Archive for the ‘Commercial’ Category

Ballydougan kids

Here are some shots of my recent shoot at Ballydougan Pottery. This time it was the kids who were in on the action. Ballydougan offer ‘paint a pot’ and ‘clay-throwing’ parties for kids parties and special events. Ciara is on hand to guide them and help out with the difficult bits. I think its a fantastic idea. Their pots are then glazed and available for them to take home and keep. I was soooo tempted to put the camera down and have another go on that wheel myself!




I’ve been MIA on the blog this week I know.
Lots of things going on behind the scenes at the moment so its been busy. Blogging a session is usually the last thing I do in the week! Also I’ve been trying to shut the computer down before ten most nights so that I can chill out for a while on the couch. We’ve just got the movie channels switched back on again so I’ve lots to catch up on. Plus, I managed to finish some books I’ve been reading for about a year. I’ve just realised how much I miss my booktime!
Apart from getting some wind-down time my head is now filled with lots of inspiration and new ideas. I must admit, I was starting to get a bit grumpy and worn out. Working from home all day is new to me and I just haven’t got the balance right yet. I’m making dinner and checking emails at the same time.

I’ve also been missing the girls in the GMINI office. Facebook and twitter are just not the same for getting that daily gossip fix. I’m still teaching at the school but conversation with teenage boys about cars, ferrets, Premier League football and Playstation 3 just ain’t filling that gap at the moment for some reason.

On the plus side, my weeks are never predictable. I’m always meeting new exciting people, I get to spend more time with the kids, and I’m concentrating on what I love doing – taking pictures. If only this miserable weather would change soon as I’ve lots of outdoor work planned and it just ain’t happening at the moment.

Here are few more shots from the recent issue of ‘Getting Married in Northern Ireland’.

We went to the Lough Neagh for the bridesmaid shoot and there was a crowd of flies following us the whole day! The good news is we had lovely warm, dry conditions so it was safe enough to take the dresses into the beautiful meadows down there. I seriously need new clothes as everything I own has grass stains on it from crawling around on my belly all summer. There are always some strange looks from Dessie when I get home too.

Of all the dresses that were supplied I think the claret red dress was my favourite on this model and the colour along with the golden grass suited the autumnal theme.
You will find the photos on my blog are from my favourites, and are not always the ones that get featured in the magazine…

I’m working like a demon tonight to catch up on shoots from months ago.
Its late but I’m up anyway because poor Niamh is suffering from a bad cold and isn’t sleeping so well.

So between calpol, cuddles and soothing words for the little one I’m just going to say a few words about a wonderful shoot I had in July on a warm, sunny afternoon at Larchfield Estate. Emma, the editor of GMINI, actually discovered this place and I’m glad she did.

I found the secret gardens of this old manor park to be a dream location. I’d highly recommend it as a wedding venue for brides in Northern Ireland and abroad. Collette, our model, was like a perfectly delicate china doll among the woods and flowers of the estate and we thought her auburn hair would be so fitting for the seasonal tones of the Autumn issue. The beautiful dress was supplied by Perfect Touch Bridal in Lisburn.

Fashion Shoot Workshop

When I heard Agata Stoinska was running workshops in her Dublin studio for fashion photographers to say I was a little bit excited would not quite cut it. I am a big, BIG fan of Agata’s work. I can often be found with a cup of coffee sitting in our lounge drooling over her bridal shoots for ‘The Wedding Journal’ and ‘Confetti’ Magazine. I have quite a few of her shoots cut out and stuck into my ‘Big book of Ideas’!

Her editorial work is a favourite of mine. There is the quality of film stills and she has a great eye for storytelling and emotion, a very unique and rare talent. She also knows exactly how to communicate with her models with amazing results. It was an even greater joy to find Agata a warm and sharing photographer, completely unaffected by her evident success in Ireland.

The workshop was so worthwhile for lots of reasons. I got to meet other photographers working in different parts of Ireland, there was a buzz of excited chat about lenses, apertures, light, long hours, models, styling and lots of nerdie stuff that would bore the life out of all our friends and family back home!

I also ventured into the world of studio lighting, softboxes, strobes and beauty dishes with tentative steps. But it was a real thrill. We had amazing models on the day, the very patient and talented Catherine from Morgan The Agency made a big impression on the gang – well, she was making us all look good and when we weren’t sure what direction to take next – she knew what to do!

Here are some backstage shots.

Catherine in make-up

Agata shooting Jayne with Nikki working the reflector

Me shooting Agata shooting Jayne with Tanya the stylist looking on…

Our first shoot was styled with an ‘Audrey Hepburn’ look in mind shot with a beauty dish and softbox behind. For the day I brought my 50mm 1.2 and my personal fav the 85mm 1.8 Here is my shot with this lens…

Our second shoot was shot using natural light and reflectors only and the model was Catherine. I just loved the Dm boots and they reminded of my ‘ska days’ when this was all I ever wore on my feet. Maybe its nostalgia or I’m having some mid-life crisis but this look totally sold them to me all over again and now I’m waiting for my new pair to arrive in the post!

Lastly, we shot Catherine again with a high-fashion look using studio lighting.

It was a privilege to be asked to photograph and document the Stargaze event which is happening in the studio this weekend and I’m so gutted I’ll not be able to make it. But no doubt I will back down again as soon as I can find some time for another one of these fantastic workshops.

Megan

You never know how your day is going to go.

Megan has been on work experience this week in the GMINI office. She is studying media at a local college and may very well end up as an editor of a magazine when she’s finished her studies. She has been a great help to our Claire this week but we noticed some other fine qualities in her which would be hard to overlook.

Today was Megan’s very last day in the office so I took ten minutes out of my very busy design schedule (deadlines looming!) to photograph her. Basically, I just told her that I thought she looked great and would she mind coming out to the back of the office for a few shots because we are always on the look-out for new models. I just wanted to see how she was with a camera directed at her. Turns out she was pretty amazing and had no problem at all taking direction. Megan didn’t have time to get make-up or hair done, or even worry about styling. She didn’t even have time to look in the mirror! But I think she looks great in these shots and I would love it if everyone who visits my blog would leave a comment for her to let her know well she did!

You can also see Megan as a leg/shoe model in a Panache advert in Gorgeous magazine. We had a little episode earlier today when Julie came in with some fantastic looking shoes hoping someone would put them on for the advert. Of course we were all standing about complaining about our legs. “My varicose veins are terrible”, “I have ankles like tree trunks”, “I haven’t shaved my legs!” “My legs look a bit purple” were just some of the complaints that I heard. Lucky enough we had Megan there to bail us out, totally calm and collected, and fuzz-free.

If I asked Megan how she felt about working in magazines, I’m sure she would say “It ain’t as glamorous as it looks!”

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