As I sift through everything that has built up over the weekend, behind me I can hear snores and contented stretches as Molly adjusts her sleeping position. There are days I would happily swap with her. And the only one ‘chasing their tail’ around here is me.

This is not my favourite time of the year. It’s all about the admin and paperwork.  There is a 5d tucked away in my bag feeling very neglected.

Apologies to all the super-organised blog readers beginning to twitch over the state of my desk. Don’t panic. I know exactly where everything is and it’s being sorted.

paula~

“I plant the kind of kiss that wouldn’t wake a baby
On the self-same face that wouldn’t let me sleep
And the street is singing with my feet
And dawn gives me a shadow I know to be taller

All down to you, dear
Everything has changed

My sorry name has made it to graffiti
I was looking for someone to complete me

Not anymore, dear
Everything has changed

And we made the moon our mirrorball
The streets, an empty stage
The city sirens violins
Everything has changed

So lift off love
Lift off love

We took the town to town last night
We kissed like we invented it
And now I know what every step is for
To lead me to your door

Know that while you sleep
Everything has changed

We made the moon our mirrorball
The streets, an empty stage
The city sirens violins
Everything has changed

So lift off love”

Elbow

~

Before Christmas, my good friend Sarah Fyffe and her man Troy took me on a tour of the city that’s been their hometown for the first ten years of their life together. Derry is one of those cities you could fall in love with easily in a day. It’s steeped in history and character.  I couldn’t have had better company. Love these two :) This is a very special session to mark those ten years and the closing of a chapter . They now have embraced the country life in Omagh and left the city behind. I think Derry will always have their hearts though.  I am so delighted and honoured to have been the one to do this for Sarah. It’s wonderful that she has these now to remember their time there together. And to yet again be asked to do this by a friend and a photographer that I admire so much is awesome.  Check her work out here. She is such a talented photographer in her own right, and for a long time Sarah has been behind the camera, making other people feel special. Now it’s finally her turn. I absolutely love their style, the hats, the coat (that Sarah’s had from student days!), the vintage powder blue frock. This could easily be 1969! Styled to perfection and fantastic to shoot. A perfect match in a perfect place.

p~

I’ve had the most special Christmas holiday of my life over the last three weeks.  I thank you all for giving me time to enjoy a complete break with my family. Thanks also to those clients who sent me special Christmas and New Years wishes and of course all the facebook chat! I find it strange to call some of you clients, we have become so close in 2011. I did not switch on this computer once. I’ve now realised how very important this break was for me. Sorry I didn’t blog once over Christmas. Most years, I take pictures on Christmas morning as the kids come in to see what Santa left under the tree, but this year I didn’t.  I wanted to experience it with my own eyes, without the camera, to be there in the moment.  Just this once, I wanted it to be our time. There will be lots more personal blogposts throughout the year to make up for it.

Family time consisted of lots of excited preparation for Santa coming, writing to Santa, meeting Santa, tracking Santa, feeding Santa, singing about Santa. I’m all Santa’d out. Also cuddling on the couch watching movies, last minute panic-buys, cold remedies and nose-wiping, cooking and baking together, playing games, fighting over games, cinema trips, way too much chocolate, chocolate highs, comedowns after chocolate highs, discovering thermal heaven in the form of a new electric blanket, walks in the freezing cold and rain with Molly, painting rooms, and get-togethers and, eh, lots of ‘wine-tasting’ with the rest of the clan. And… *whispers* a tiny wee bit of Mulberry shopping at the end. Would it be wrong to say I eagerly awaited the Mulberry January sales more than Christmas itself? Yes? Ok, let’s never speak of this again.

And for the New Year? I’ve decided I would like to cook more at home in 2012. Seanan loves Masterchef, so we’ve been having our very own Junior Masterchef nights and it’s been a big hit. Niamh tastes all the food and tells Seanan how wonderful he is at cooking (charm offensive) and Seanan tries very hard not to smile. They are even eating green food – result! The plan is, the time I usually spend looking at what everyone else is doing with their lives online is being sacrificed for the necessary cooking time. I think its good trade. I’m on a roll at the minute. I made a dinner tonight and everybody ate it without complaint. And just because you have lots of spices in the cupboard, doesn’t mean they have to go in every single dish. Less is more. It’s a revelation!

Before I move on into 2012, and all the promise the new year holds, now is the time to look back over the year that has just passed. A great year. Highlights for me were all the new babies that arrived in 2011, photographing other photographers, revisiting families that I’ve captured before, shooting two bridal editorials with Wedding Journal and making the cover the Autumn issue.  What an adventure! And of course, most important of all, the 2011 Weddings. The people, the love stories, the connections with their kin, the places, the beauty and the details… *sigh* all those things have me still obsessed with this work.

It’s been a fantastic year but  I’m more than ready for 2012 now. There are some really exciting developments going on which I’ll be revealing more about later in the year hopefully. I have my first international Wedding in April. The tickets are booked! There will also be some changes this year as I try to find the perfect balance between work and homelife and the cooking time of course. Unfortunately, I can only take on a small number of portrait bookings and these are usually in the winter time when I’m not shooting weddings.  I would take on more if I could but I have to be realistic about the ’24 hours in a day’ thing. I keep thinking there’s more.

I’ve just opened my inbox this evening. Eek! It’s definitely going to take me a week to get through these so I promise replies soon to anyone who is waiting.  I just want to mention again at this stage, email is the best way to reach me so if your texting, calling, or messaging me on facebook, drop me an email on: info@paulaohara.com just in case I miss it. Plus if your enquiring about 2013 Weddings I can attach the brochure easily.

This blogpost is way too long. Too much information but I’m making up for the weeks off. You probably stopped reading about three paragraphs ago.  For those of you who just like to look at the pictures, here are some wedding moments from 2011…

p~

The time has finally come oh furry one. Move over, there’s a spot on that couch with my name on it.

Wishing you all a very Merry couchtime, Christmastime!
Paula x

At this time of year I couldn’t resist a slideshow like this. Babies from last winter and this one…