Wedding Photography in Ireland
It’s great being a wedding photographer in Ireland. The people are generally very friendly, helpful and good fun, while there are many wonderful venues.
You occasionally get a couple who, for some reason or other, want to be photographed with some special place in the background. That suits me, since I try to combine creative flair with reportage wedding photography or documentary photography – essentially, telling the story of an event in as vivid a way as possible. And the wedding location is an essential part of that story.
There are plenty of great locations: Dublin Bay and the Dublin Mountains seen from the top of Howth Head; Killiney Bay; Enniskerry, Powerscourt, the Sugar Loaf and Glendalough in Co Wicklow; the beautiful port of Kinsale in Co Cork; the mountains or seascapes of the Kingdom of Kerry; the Shannon in Limerick; the magical grey hills of the Burren; Galway Bay and the mountains of Connemara, up to the unique Ben Bulben in Co Sligo and the glorious Slieve League in Co Donegal (among the highest cliffs in western Europe), and so on.
In fact, anywhere along the south and west coasts you can find wonderful backgrounds of mountains, beaches, ocean and islands. In some cases, the landscape is so stunning that you have to tell the bride to get out of the way … eh, I’m joking, of course! As a professional wedding photographer, that would be more than my life, not to mention my career, would be worth.
We shouldn’t forget the north coast, much of which has a different geological history and its own distinct beauty: the Giant’s Causeway, Fair Head, the Glens of Antrim, and so on, with the pale mountains of Scotland in the distance.
Wedding photography in the Midlands
Nor should we forget that there are many places of beauty in the Midlands and inner Ireland: the Rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary, old 18th century bridges along the Rivers Nore and Barrow in Cos Carlow and KIlkenny, the great mediaeval city of Kilkenny, the ancient monastic site of Clonmacnoise along the River Shannon, Lough Key in Roscommon, Lough Allen in Co Leitrim, and so on. In parts of Co Cavan, there’s a lake to left or right at every bend in the road.
The picturesque villages of West Cork with their bright, colourful houses make great backdrops for wedding pictures, as do attractive villages such as Carlingford in Co Louth, Inistioge in Co Kilkenny, Sneem in Co Kerry. (Mind you, in Ireland, it’s hard to get away from the traffic; most villages and towns could be vastly improved if they had a central pedestrianised area, with paving, trees, benches and outdoor cafes instead of a traffic junction).
But the focus is on the bride (and groom!)
When you’re doing the photography at a wedding, of course, you can’t often say “Would you mind standing over at the edge of the cliff there’ (the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare, that is) – especially if the wedding happens to be taking place in Mullingar. And you can’t really ask the bride to climb to the top of the wonderful Skellig Michael in Co Kerry, no matter what the views from the top. (Imagine what the wind there would do to her dress.)
In any case, in wedding photography there’s a subtle art in making sure that the backdrop doesn’t dominate or even intrude. The focus, in all senses, is on the bridge and groom, or the wedding guests.
As well, only some couples want a particular backdrop, such as a place associated with happy memories. In most cases, the wedding photographer has to make do with the backgrounds where the wedding actually takes places. That’s no problem, though, since it’s a rare venue that doesn’t have something to offer.
In September 2011, I had the privilege of being the wedding photographer at the first wedding to take place at the National Gallery in Dublin (where I am an accredited photographer). Fantastic house and setting. But other less well-known venues can be great too – there are lots of hotels with great gardens. I check out the place beforehand so that I am familiar with the place, and on the day I know where to usher the couple or the guests, where there’s a beautiful tree or some fine shrubbery, some fine architectural features, a fountain or ornamental pond, and so on.
That special light – for the radiant bride
Of course, you find the same in most countries. But in Ireland there’s the added feature of the wonderful light – when the skies are not grey and full of rain. Thanks to the oceanic climate, you get wonderfully vivid light, streaks of sunshine emerging from between dark clouds, a vibrancy in the air. And when it’s dull and grey, not to worry – as a professional wedding photographer I can inject brightness into the dullest day!
In any case, relentlessly bright sunshine can be a problem when taking pictures of people outdoors as it can do funny things to people’s faces if you don’t take care to get the angles right or use shaded spots.
All in all, then, being a wedding photographer in Ireland is great. Good wedding photography not only includes images of the couple and the guests but also gives a flavour of the setting. A wedding is a unique event, unrepeatable. To capture it vividly in great images, you need to include everything that contributes to the special atmosphere and mood.
Imagine wedding pictures where there’s nothing to indicate where the wedding took place. Years later, the still hopefully happy couple are looking through their wedding album:
Kilcock or Kinnegad?
Her: “Eh, where did we get the photographer to take pictures of us after the ceremony? I can’t tell from the photos.”
Him (doubtfully): “Was it out in a boat out in Dublin Bay?”
Her: “No! Don’t you know by now that I get seasick? Surely it was after I kissed the Blarney Stone down in Cork.”
Him: “No! That was during our second date. Don’t you remember me getting vertigo? I think maybe it was over in Kilcock, the hotel, don’t you remember?”
Her: “Not at all, it was in Kinnegad … definitely.”
Don’t worry. When you’re looking back at my pictures, you’ll be able to recognise the spot – and I’m not talking about the spot on the bride’s face.
If you’d like to see how the setting makes for great photos, have a look at my Wedding Gallery
If you can’t find answers to your questions on my FAQ page, just get in touch via my Contact page.