They went out together for about two years in secondary school, but when it was time for Brian to go off to college they parted ways. Despite living only 3 miles away from each other their paths never crossed for seven years. Then one night they were out on St. Stephen’s Night and they started chatting and the rest they say is history….

Brian was under pressure on the proposal. A few years ago he thought it would be really funny to pretend to propose to Berlinda in Rome at the Trevi Fountain with about 1,000 tourists watching! After realising that no man should EVER pretend to propose especially in a large crowd of people, he promised her that when he actually was proposing it was going to be worth the wait! Belinda told him he better make it a good one!

So one Thursday night about 2 years later, Brian asked Belinda to walk their dog Buddy with him. They did their usual route around the Grand Canal Basin. Next thing as they rounded the wall of Boland’s Mills a huge green (for Limerick) heart with ‘Belle will you marry me?’ projected across the water about 20 foot high on the gable end of the Mills! Belinda firstly thought it was for someone else until she saw Brian down on bended knee with a ring in his hand!! It was totally unexpected and she was blown away by the gesture! Obviously she said yes.

The happy couple got married at a civil ceremony in The Castle Oaks hotel, Castleconnell, Co Limerick and a stunning reception in the same venue. They had a mini moon to start off, which took them to the beautiful Sheraton Suites Hotel in Madrid. Then a month later they travelled around South America taking in places such as Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

Belinda's favourite memory of the day was the moment before she walked up the aisle, the doors at the back of the room opened up and 200 people were looking down at her and waiting for her to enter. Belinda had been told that everyone could hear her take a sharp intake of breath. Belinda can remember that moment very clearly as she didn't think she had ever been the centre of attention like that before and it made her so nervous. 

Belinda really enjoyed the ceremony. They had a Spiritualist Ceremony and had written it from scratch and it was very much about Brian and herself. They loved being able to involve all my family and friends in readings and singing. Most of their guests had never been to a non-religious ceremony so they found it very different and unique and they got a lot of positive feedback on it.

Here is a few things I loved about Belinda & Brian's wedding:

• The brides unusual brooche bouquet
• Going up Ballyhoura mountain the morning of the wedding for a photoshoot
• Been greeted at the front door by the 4 Jack Russells
• I loved the wedding cake it was really different and uniquely represented the bride and groom
• The Ceremony was very special

Here is a few of my favourite images of their wedding day:

After 2 years of dating Gearoid knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Marie so while out one day in Curraghchase park he popped the question. The stunning engagement ring came from Matthew Stephens Jewellers and sparkled off the brides finger.

The happy couple got married in the Holy Trinity church in Adare, Co Limerick with a reception in the Dunraven Arms Hotel, Adare, Co. Limerick. They honeymooned in beautiful Croatia taking in some of the magnificent islands.

Gearoid's favourite memory of the day was seeing his bride Marie walking up the aisle and for Marie her favourite memory was walking out of the church to the applause of family & friends.

Here is a few things I loved about Marie & Gearoid's wedding:

• The brides stunning wedding dress supplied by Virginia Bridal
• Handmade lace umbrella given to Marie by Gearoid's mum
• The applause of the Guests having drinks at Aunty Lenas Pub Adare when the bride and groom arrived.
• Photoshoot in the beautiful park in Adare
• Beautiful sunny weather on the day
• The smell of the wedding cake it smelt delicious, it was made by Maries sister in law Noreen O Gorman
• At the reception I loved the centre pieces of flowers on each table floating on the water 

Here is a few of my favourite images to give you a taste of their wedding day:

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On a cold blustery day at the cliffs of Moher Dermot proposed to Lauren, the weather was that bad the ring nearly got blown into the sea!

The ceremony took place in Monaleen church, Limerick followed by a reception in the 5 star Savoy hotel, Limerick. The happy couple went on a luxurious honeymoon to the Palm in Dubai.

Here is a few things I loved about Lauren & Dermot's Wedding:

• The beautiful flowers from Ring O Roses
• Lauren's stunning wedding dress
• Beautiful green 1955 Riley Pathfinder wedding car
• Fantastic wedding reception at the Savoy Hotel

Here is a few of my favourite images of their wedding day:

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Aoife and Stephen got the stunning engagement ring while on a trip to South Africa in October 2014.

The happy couple got married in Monaleen church followed by a reception in Kilshane House, Tipperary, then a fantastic honeymoon to San Francisco and Hawaii.

Here is a few things I loved about Aoife & Stephens Wedding:

• The Vintage ladder made and painted by Stephens parents Connie & Walter and decorated by Aoife's mum Mary.
• Drinks reception in the stunning conservatory in Kilshane house
• The old style Gramophone at the drinks reception
• Aoife's dress was magnificent designed by Maggie Sottero and purchased in New York
• The beautiful venue and the small lake and wooded area where we took the photo's
• The engagement ring was stunning
• Hanging table plans

Here is a few of my favourites images of their wedding day:

Paddy and Cairtriona had just built a new house and 1 month before they were due to move in Paddy got down on one knee and popped the question. :)

Caitriona's favourite memory of their wedding day was when the church doors opened for the ceremony and she seen the church full of her friends and family and also how beautiful it was decorated with the stunning flowers and candles. It was a great wedding with a very relaxed atmosphere and a lot of fun especially with the singing chef at the reception who really got the crowd going!

The happy couple had a stunning honeymoon in luxurious venues such as Las Vegas, Florida and a Caribbean Cruise.

Here is a few things I loved about Caitriona and Paddy's Wedding:

• The 3 vintage cars, Caitrionas Dads Hillman, Paddy's Ford and the Wedding Car the Rollsroyce.
• Caitriona's dad washing the car the morning of the wedding.
• The mens pocket watches.
• The flower's and candles in the church were fabulous.
• The Wedding Cake
• Photo's at the Old Desmond Castle in Adare.
• The Singing Chef.

Here is  a few of my favourite images of their wedding day...

A Portrait session can take a lot of careful planning. The clothing you choose is very important. 

• Keep the clothing simple
• If the photographer suggest full length poses ensure you co ordinate your clothing from head to toe
• Baggy clothes can leave you larger than you are and darker clothing can slim
• Turtlenecks or high necked tops flatter longer necks and slender faces
• Layers and textures are really nice and create an interest in photos, textures such as tweed, crochet and embroidery such as lace, ribbons etc 

• Subtle props for example a handful of flowers that are natural or a neutral colour. 
• Accessories are a great way to introduce a punch of colour. Whether its a bow tie, a hat or even an item or jewellery

• Subtle props for example a handful of flowers that are natural or a neutral colour.
• Newborns generally look best in their natural environment usually in his or her nappy or you can use a special blanket or some props. Depending on the time of year some parents will just leave them in their clothing depending or what we want to achieve
• Complexion, don't worry about blemished etc we offer a full retouch service
• Pets are welcome as long as they are house trained. Treats are essential to reward them for sitting still for the shoot. Its usually a good idea to have someone to take them away once them are finished their shoot or to have a pet carrier to put them in while your been photographed without them

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• If you're not sure what you want in your photographers we are here to advise you and to help choose a background and give you ideas for lighting etc.

We are absolutely thrilled to have won the "Wedding Image of the year 2015" in such a huge category with so many talented photographers in the Wedding Industry Award's with Brides of Limerick.

Below is my Award winning image of our beautiful bride Louise Harrison. Award winning wedding photography - Bride on the pier at Two Mile Gate, Killaloe, Co Clare

Call it vision, imagination, or seeing; it all comes down to the same thing: the ability to envision a final result in your mind's eye, and then to make it so with your tools at hand.

It's never always been about the gear but it does help. It's always been about seeing something, knowing how you want it to look, and making it so. Making it so is the easy part; seeing it in the first place is what makes a photographer. Powers of observation are everything. Snapping a camera is trivial.

Photography and painting are the same. Each renders imagination in tangible form. The difference is that painters can work completely from imagination, although most of us work from life as a starting point. Both can take lifetimes to master the tools to render imaginations exactly as we intend. With inkjet printing they are identical in that each of us is using tools to apply our imagination as physical colors to flat media, often canvas.

The confusion is that photography is much easier for a layman to use and create what looks like a technically passable, sharp and well-exposed image. As most beginners discover instantly, simply having the best tools and technically sharp images doesn't get the glorious, passion-inspiring results they intended.

Painters and other artists often pick up any camera and make excellent images fast because they know seeing, visualization, composition and lighting, and immediately apply basic adjustments to change brightness and to optimise colours.

Artists know they have to drive the camera and make strong changes to basic controls to get their look. Beginning photographers, like me about 10 years when I started shooting I was usually afraid to do anything other than exactly what we thought were the rules. There are no rules other than to make your image as you want it. I often shoot at a deliberately "wrong" white balance or violent exposure compensations.

Photographers and painters both work from our imaginations. Painters can be a little freer with their imaginations, but now with Photoshop, photographers also can render directly from our imaginations into tangible form.

Art collectors and photo contest promoters (but not artists) freak out if they can't define a work by its medium, but art is the message, not the medium. The Clare Glens, Co. Tipperary

I believe photographs are amazing and I believe anybody can take amazing photos!

And the reason I believe this is because I love photography, and all it has to offer. So I just thought I’d write some of them down here…

I love taking photographs

-  the way it makes me feel when I get the shot that I saw…

-  the ability to take my photos further when I use post processing techniques

-  the artistic freedom that it gives me

- each Photo tells its own story

- to capture that moment in time

- capturing that moment of that persons life

- to capture that part of my life.

- to look back and remember, once that photo is taken its a piece of history

- the way cameras are now gadgets

- anybody can take photos

- the importance of photos throughout our lives

-  teaching others how to use their camera

- learning new things about photography

-  I view things in a different way and and beauty in everything

- it’s a journey that travels with you

- the emotions it evokes in people when they look at photos

- that you can have a 100 photos of the same place and they can all be different…

Flowergirl and the Bluebells at Kilshane House Hotel, Tipperary

1. START SEARCHING IMMEDIATELY

   So, you just got engaged—Congratulations! Now start looking for a wedding photographer. The truth is, the best professional photographers book their schedules at least a year in advance, so hiring someone is one of the first things you should do after you've set the date along with booking your church and venue.

2. TAP INTO YOUR NETWORK

   Good wedding photographers have a reputation for success and can even be local celebrities. They should be the easiest to find, but that doesn't mean they're the best for you. Start your search by crowd sourcing recommendations from friends and family who have planned weddings in the last few years, and ask your married friends if you can peruse their photo albums. Look to Facebook pages and professional websites for samples of work, blog posts, and client reviews.

   The other professionals involved in your wedding day festivities will have worked with various photographers in the past. Ask for recommendations from your wedding planner, venue manager, caterer, videographer, florist or limousine driver—it's (literally) their business to have such contacts.

3. NARROW DOWN YOUR OPTIONS

   Once you have a list of your top choice photographers, take an in-depth look into their services to begin eliminating candidates who aren't a good fit. Determine which photographer will meet your budget as well as your specific needs and style. Consider how well they perform in different settings and environments. For example, if you are throwing a beach wedding, it makes sense to find a photographer who is proficient at outdoor photography.

   Think about the emotional tone that you want your photos to express. Are you and your fiancé serious and traditional, or do you prefer a more light-hearted and playful theme? A talented photographer can listen to your vision and articulate it perfectly, so you should see tonal variation in their sample work. photographers style.

4. CONDUCT YOUR INTERVIEWS

   After narrowing your selection of wedding photographers down to around three, make appointments to interview the candidates. Likely, the photographer will have two or three wedding albums available to show. Make sure you see at least one album of an entire wedding, from start to finish, preferably something that is comparable to what your wedding will be like in physical setting and emotional tone. After examining all of the sample work closely, request to see another set of photographs from a recent wedding. This will enable you to see both his best work from the pre-selected albums and his average daily work. Some things to keep in mind:

   • Examine the basics of the pictures such as color, clarity, exposure, graininess and composition.
   • Determine the photographer's style—does she shoot photos that are adventurous and artistic, or are they standard and ordinary?
   • Do the guests look natural or self-conscious?
   • Do the photos capture the emotional tone organically, or does do the couple's poses feel forced?

   Be sure to leave the interview knowing the highest vs. average quality of the photographer's work, her visual style, and if she will adjust her style to your individual taste. His/Her willingness to work closely with you to satisfy you as a client is key to producing an exceptional result, and a professional knows that.

5. GAUGE THEIR PROFESSIONALISM

   While not all amateur photographers are created equal, the best way to guarantee that you will receive a quality wedding album is to hire a seasoned professional with a solid and varied background of nuptial experiences from which to draw.

   During your interview, find out how many weddings the photographer has shot over how many years. He may have been a professional photographer for 15 years but only doing weddings for the past year. Remember, wedding photography is much different than any other type of photography; the pressure is high and the emotional energy is not suited for everyone.

   Be sure to ask if the photographer has shot at your wedding venue before. If he has, he may already know where to stand to get the perfect shot or how to incorporate the church's ancient stained glass in a uniquely engaging way.

   With such experience comes not only the knowledge of how to photograph a wedding, but also how to act during the ceremony and reception. For example, how will he dress and how will he act around your wedding party and guests? Beautiful photos capturing the smiles of family and friends are just as important as the multitude taken of the bride and groom. And speaking of which, he'll be by your side just about as much as anyone in the party, and then some—how well do your personalities mesh? Will his presence be an asset or a burden? Truly, a wedding photographer's charm and ability to put everyone at ease is as important a skill as the actual photography.

6. DETERMINE COSTS AND SIGN THE CONTRACT

   While you want to book your photographer for the date of your wedding immediately, make sure you read over the legal details of exactly what you will get before signing the contract. Ensure the photographer you meet with is the photographer who will show up on your wedding day and if you should expect a second camera person or assistant. Determine what parts of your wedding day will be covered and how many hours you have with your photographer. Clear communication and reiteration of the details of the ceremony, the reception, and the specific types of photographs you want is crucial. In all, the contract is in place to remind both you and the photographer of the services you agreed upon. Also ensure your photographer is fully insured and it also helps when they are a member of  a professional body. Like with Cardam Photography we are fully insured and a member of the Irish Photographers Association.