Every now and then, between weddings, I get the opportunity for other types of sessions and I’m always left feeling like I wish I had more time for these. It’s funny how I came to meet this beautiful family. A while ago I left a message on the blog of the very wonderful New Zealand photographer Fiona Andersen. Just saying ‘hi’. About 15 minutes later I got an email back saying. “I know someone whose been looking for a photographer in Ireland to shoot her family. I think you’d be perfect.” About an hour after that I got the email from Carla. I knew I wanted to shoot this family from that first email. They are from New Zealand and now currently residing in Galway. Cory trains in the rugby down there. They decided to take a roadtrip up to the North, which included travelling around the North Antrim coast, seeing the Giant’s Causeway, and then stopping off for a session with me at Murlough Beach. They also managed to take in a trip to the Olympics in the same week :) What an experience!
These are things I always hope for when I’m driving out to meet families for the first time.
I want to do a good job for them.
I want them to comfortable enough to be true to themselves in front of me, so that I can see their REAL connections.
I want the experience of being photographed to be a good memory for them, an enjoyable part of their trip.
I want the rain clouds to clear off and for our Irish weather to just for once behave itself.
With this family session I had all those things and more:) Carla is just the warmest, most easy-going mum to be around. And they were beautiful together. They let me in. They laughed, they snuggled, they kissed, they played, they splashed, they explored. They were all dressed for proper Northern winds but in fact, we could have been doing with swimsuits! I was proud of our wee place in the world. Murlough is the closest beach to me and somewhere I take my own kids. I know it well and I love getting the opportunity to shoot down there.
At the end of the session we said our goodbyes and then they were on their way again. People from opposite ends of the world connecting in life just for a moment.
Carla, Cory, Louis, Delilah and Elodie. Thank-you so much for coming to visit. I wish we could do it all again.
Paula
x
