event

DeVreeze Wedding

IMGP2166-90

Earlier this year, some very wonderful friends of mine finally decided to tie the knot. Knowing that I enjoy photography, I talked things over with H & J and offered that instead of actually buying them a gift, I’d save them some money and do both their wedding portraits and the wedding event photography. I wanted to document the day from beginning to end – and make sure that their memories were saved – and also not based on a time limit. (Here in Dublin, for 5 hours of wedding event photography it costs about 600 Euros – and that doesn’t even include prints nor a cd/dvd of the images taken!)

IMGP2054-60

It’s not the first wedding that I’ve photographed – but it was the most intense and wonderfully gratifying experience that I’ve had in a long time. I got there at about 10 am, and left around midnight. Over the course of the day, there were some 1500 pictures taken – which were later parsed down to about 350 that were kept as good enough to put in the photo book of the event. I think they were delighted – because I managed to cover everything from the moments of the family getting ready together, through the bus to the registrar’s office, to the first kiss.

IMGP1921-112

I also remembered to get the decorations, the cake (which was decorated by a baker in the family), and then both the wedding brunch at the Crowne Plaza and the Barbeque in the backyard where the first dance, flower toss, and cake cutting ceremony was performed.

IMGP6089-1-2

I also found the opportunity to get the quirky things that perhaps another person would have missed, but that I really was able to pick up on because I know them as individuals and as a couple. Things like the two of them kissing – and their shadow merging into one, The bottom of H’s shoes as she went into the registrar’s office (she’d pasted stickers of hearts and the words I DO),

IMGP1988-134

The teasing that happened at the wedding brunch (balancing spoons on their noses)

IMGP2051-1

And the naturalness of them walking down the street, holding hands – J carrying the picnic blanket and H carrying the beautiful red cups – as if they were walking into the rest of their lives.

IMGP2114-56

Sure, I was exhausted when it was all over, but after 2 days of photo processing and then turning over the photos to them- I feel not only blessed to have been there, but also blessed to have been allowed to take the photographs of such an amazing event in their lives.

Congratulations, H & J.

Share

St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland

IMGP0795-51

March 17th in Ireland is a huge Day. It’s a day of National pride as not only is Saint Patrick the patron saint, it’s also an “unofficial” day to celebrate all things Irish. Everyone gets in on the act – from kids to adults, businesses and private homes alike. The day is one of great festivity.

IMGP0576-15

For my first St. Patrick’s Day, I decided that I had to go to one of the biggest celebrations – nearly half a million people turn up – and see the Parade in Downtown Dublin – with the city turning into a mass of people all dressed in green,orange, and white.

The Aftermath of 200,000 from the parade.. a flood of green

All my life I’d heard how crazy the party was and how great the Parade was, and while it wasn’t what I was expecting (I was thinking something more along the lines of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City or the Rosebowl Parade in California), it was still a very spectatular event.

IMGP0638-59
Hanging above the street… she performs with no net.

For comparison, the parades in the states have huge floats and giant balloons that float over the city and the spectators down below. The Parade here has some large floats – but mostly it’s about the color and the people participating in the parade. You can’t quite get the blimp or helicopter views like you can in the states – but it’s a stunning event just the same – because as a parade watcher – you’re just as much a part of the spectacle as the Parade itself. This year, there were some 4000 street performers most in costume – and many of whom were from the Dublin School of Art and Design (this was their final project, can you imagine!!!).

IMGP0689-104
(One of many representations of the “black dog”)

This year’s Parade theme was based on a competition to write a short story – the winner was Booker Prize winning author Roddy Doyle’s story “Brilliant”. (You can read the story here) The story is about how all of Dublin was depressed due to the recession and how the “black dog of depression” needed to be chased away by a group of well meaning children. As they race about the city’s famous landmarks and places, they encounter fantastic characters and eventually (chapter by chapter) bring back sunshine, rainbows, and happiness to the people of the city.

So, how about a few pictures? You can see more of the flickr set here.

IMGP0657-76

IMGP0671-87

IMGP0678-94

IMGP0750-10

IMGP0731-141
Check out the makeup!

IMGP0735-145
At the end of the Parade, The Phoenix Carries off the Black Dog… and the city re-emerges anew

Share

At the Races – take 2… This time, the Horses!

100_1376-25

A couple of weeks ago, for Jacqui’s birthday, I went to my first outing to the greyhound races at Harold’s Cross. I didn’t do too badly, and on Saturday, at the pub, I was telling about the event. The folks that I met up with were fairly receptive (as I told the story and crocheted on my Ambitious Project at the same time) and we had a few good laughs.

Well, I had mentioned I needed to go sort of early because I had to work on Sunday – and shortly thereafter, the place became more crowded and the bartender came round and put a flyer on the table. Little did I know, I’d popped down to the Bell on the Boys and Girls club Annual “horse race” fund raiser.

How it worked was that they had several races from a few years ago – and had edited them in such a way that they would be played on the big screen that they had set up at the back of the bell. Each horse was given a “new” name, and we would place bets on the horses according to which ones we thought would win. The pre-recorded races were run, and the local DJ announced the race over the speakers in the Bell – from beginning to end. The races didn’t take long – and the betting pool and prizes varied depending on the race chosen. There were 9 races in total, with the last race being the winners of the previous 8 races – and the grand total prize being ~300 euro.

Me personally, I only bet on the first race – horse number 3 – because I liked the randomness of its name – Sherry Baby.

100_1377-26

The horse started off strong – and led up until the last seconds of the race – and then lost by a nose. The folks that were at my table were rather flabbergasted that my “random funny name” picking technique really did work – and congratulated me on the fact that the horse I picked was winning for 99.9% of the race. While they thought I should bet on the next couple races, I declined – and headed home, well satisfied that despite winning no money, the Boys and Girls Club had gotten a small donation.

Share