The last round of pictures from my Ireland adventure are here! Off to Blarney Castle, to kiss the Blarney Stone. Legend says if you kiss the stone, you gain the gift of eloquence. What legend doesn’t tell you is that you have to climb up a very skinny spiral staircase to get to the stone (claustrophobic people beware)..jpg "irelandphotographer31")
The other thing legend doesn’t tell you is that you have to lie down and lean WAY back over a ledge to kiss the stone (and yes, that guy’s only job is to hold onto people to make sure they don’t fall). I thought about not doing it, but not because of the heights – I was just thinking about how many people were kissing the stone before me. And it’s not like they bust out alcohol wipes between visitors. I got over the yuck factor and just did it:.jpg "irelandphotographer32")
The next stop was Cobh, the last port of call for the Titanic before she sailed on her maiden (and only) voyage. It was also where many Irish men and women left Ireland during the infamous “Potato Famine”..jpg "irelandphotographer33")
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Next, the Jameson Distillery – home of Jameson Whiskey:.jpg "irelandphotographer36")
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The quintessential picture of Ireland: lots of sheep in a green pasture..jpg "irelandphotographer38")
The Rock of Cashel:.jpg "irelandphotographer39")
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A few colorful happy snaps from around Cashel:.jpg "irelandphotographer43")
Stained glass inside The Black Abbey in the city of Kilkenny:.jpg "irelandphotographer44")
And last but not least, possibly Ireland’s most famous export: Guinness..jpg "irelandphotographer45")
LOVE LOVE LOVE the vintage Guinness bottles:.jpg "irelandphotographer46")
I poured a perfect pint of Guinness – I have a certificate that says so. 🙂.jpg "irelandphotographer47")
I loved this sign, seen all over Ireland. It’s their version of an “EXIT” sign. Cracks me up that the little stick figure is running – apparently when you leave anywhere in Ireland, they expect you to go really fast! .jpg "irelandphotographer48")
Hopefully, I can come back just as fast. Thanks Ireland for an unforgettable trip!
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I’ll always remember Blair and Alan’s session because it’s the first time I’ve ever gotten lost going to a location! When my GPS announced I had arrived at my destination, I looked around confused, because I was on the right street – but there was no house there. So I drove a little further, found the next house, and the house number wasn’t even close to the number I was looking for. I drove further, and further, and still nothing. So I called Blair, left a voicemail and waited for her to call back. After a couple of minutes, I looked down at the phone and realized there was no signal (apparently I had gotten lucky and picked one up when I made the call). So I had to drive about 5-10 miles BACK toward Montgomery to pick a signal up, knowing that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to get the call to get more specific directions! Turns out the GPS had me on the right street, I just had to drive several miles past where I had stopped to make the call. Of course the brief confusion was worth it because we ended up with a great location and juicy light to work with:.jpg "austinweddingphotographer4")
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Thank you Mr. Wind, for the hair blowing at just the right time. 🙂.jpg "austinweddingphotographer8")
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Time for more Ireland goodness! Another highlight of the trip for me was our excursion to the Aran Islands, home of Aran sweaters, and one very funny local tour guide. We didn’t get his name, but I had to take a picture of him because he had the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. He won us over with the random animal sound effects he would throw in during our tour..jpg "irelandphotographer19")
The Aran Islands are really small, but everywhere you look, there’s something picturesque:.jpg "irelandphotographer20")
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Our first stop was Dún Aonghasa, a stone fort at the top of a cliff. Hard to believe people were living there circa 1500 B.C..jpg "irelandphotographer16")
If you follow my Twitter or Facebook updates, you might remember me saying I laid on the edge of a cliff to take some pictures. Well, here you go! This view is just off to one side of the fort..jpg "irelandphotographer17")
I love the color of the water. I don’t know why I was expecting the water in Ireland to be dark and murky..jpg "irelandphotographer18")
Next stop: The Seven Churches..jpg "irelandphotographer22")
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It might seem a bit eerie, but it was a peaceful place. Seemed like a pretty nice spot to rest your bones if you ask me..jpg "irelandphotographer23")
The next morning, we headed to the Cliffs of Moher. At the top, you see O’Brien’s Tower, as well as some signs, all with a recurring theme. I think they all basically translate to “If you go over the edge, you’re not coming back, silly tourist.”.jpg "irelandphotographer27")
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Okay, so I was feeling a little rebellious….jpg "irelandphotographer26")
…but only long enough to snap a picture:.jpg "irelandphotographer28")
Next up: Bunratty Castle..jpg "irelandphotographer30")
We found a door around the side that was just the right size for me. I knocked, but no one answered. 🙁.jpg "irelandphotographer29")
To be continued (again)…
When my buddy and photographer extraordinaire Judy Cormier offered me the chance to second shoot a wedding with her in Manhattan, I was thinking, “Like I’m gonna say no to that?!?!” Carole and Steve (and Judy) are Canadian, so they’re no strangers to cold weather – which was obvious considering they planned a late winter outdoor wedding in the middle of Central Park!.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer01")
There was a huge snowstorm the day before the wedding, which blanketed everything in a thick coat of white. Carole’s two boys made the trek through the snow and ice to walk their mom up these steps and down the aisle..jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer02")
The ceremony was held just outside Belvedere Castle. Apparently the sight of a wedding taking place attracts a lot of attention from tourists – we were surprised at how many people took pictures!.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer03")
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Love the tall buildings in the background of their ceremony site. After the kiss = time for pictures!.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer05")
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Picture time is all fun and games until snow randomly falls from a tree limb above you and goes straight down the back of your dress!.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer07")
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The boys were looking forward to the snowball fight they had all planned ahead of time:.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer09")
Did you catch the little tribute to Canada (hint: check out the Vancouver Olympic mittens)?.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer10")
Gotta love people who make time for great pictures – Carole and Steve rented a limo and planned some time between the ceremony and dinner so that we could go around Manhattan and take pictures at some of the most famous spots in the city..jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer11")
Hello Brooklyn Bridge!.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer12")
They attracted a lot of attention in Times Square. There were a lot of “Congratulations!” and “You look beautiful!” being called out, which was really nice. Someone even asked if it was a real wedding or if it was a model shoot..jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer13")
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One of the prettiest (and busiest places) in the city, Grand Central Terminal:.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer15")
This was a really difficult shot to get. We needed people to walk by to get the sense of motion around Carole and Steve, but people were actually stopping and avoiding us because they thought they were getting in the way of the picture. And who says New Yorkers are rude?.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer16")
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After an intimate dinner with their family and friends, the happy couple treated everyone to a private tour of the city on a double decker bus. We were invited along, which made me happy because I got my favorite picture of the day. 🙂.jpg "newyorkweddingphotographer18")
Special thanks to Carole and Steve for letting me be a part of your very cold and awesome day, and to Judy and Darsi for letting me climb the icy stairs of death with them!
When you run your own business, one of the unfortunate side effects of going on vacation is that you end up with double your normal workload when you get home – which means going through your vacation pictures often ends up at the bottom of the to do list. But FINALLY, I had a chance to do just that (those of you who have been waiting for pics can breathe easier now – yes, I’m talking to you Alison and Jennifer!). This will be a multi-part post, since a single post couldn’t possibly do this trip justice. The 9 day adventure to Ireland is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, so I hope you’ll enjoy a peek!
After a long flight to Dublin, my friend Leah and I hopped in a cab to check in at the hotel and then take a stroll around the city..jpg "irelandphotographer1")
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The gorgeousness of Christ Church Cathedral:.jpg "irelandphotographer3")
Before I left for Ireland, my friend Kamee put in a request for a somewhat abstract black and white image to hang in her new pad in Nashville. I thought a unique angle of the cathedral ceiling fit the bill. 🙂.jpg "irelandphotographer4")
In my opinion, one of the best ways to get a feel for a city or country is through its food – and the best way to do that is at a local market. We happened to find an open air market in the Temple Bar area of Dublin, filled with fresh Irish cheeses, breads, pastries, and produce..jpg "irelandphotographer5")
Four words: organic banana, Nutella, crepe. Street food awesomeness..jpg "irelandphotographer6")
The River Liffey:.jpg "irelandphotographer7")
A few fun snippets! Just for my Canadian friends: yes, there is a Tim Horton’s in Ireland! According to my new Canadian friends (hi Mary and Michelle!), the concoction that came out of the automated machine tasted nothing like the real stuff, and it was promptly tossed in the trash. And for Pulp Fiction fans: there really is such a thing as a Royale with cheese. A processed chicken patty, lettuce, cheese and way too much mayo on a roll. You’re not missing much..jpg "irelandphotographer8")
The Giant’s Causeway. One of the highlights of the trip for me. It looks like a bunch of rocks until you get a little closer….jpg "irelandphotographer9")
…and you notice that the rocks are actually thousands of hexagonal columns. Blows my mind that this was a NATURAL occurrence, not manmade. There are a lot of theories, but most say it was formed through lava flows millions of years ago..jpg "irelandphotographer10")
A little self portrait. 🙂.jpg "irelandphotographer11")
The city of Derry in Northern Ireland:.jpg "irelandphotographer12")
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I’m fascinated by signs, especially ones that are old and weathered, or have character. The “gas and eggs” is one of my favorites. Who goes to get gas and thinks, “hey, I’ll pick up some eggs while I’m here”???.jpg "irelandphotographer14")
To be continued…
Cool detail work! You have an a great perspective!