Alan Mooney Photography

Deirdre & Shane got married on Friday last in the beautiful Annacurragh Church in Aughrim, Co.Wicklow, followed by a beautiful and very memorable reception in Brook Lodge Hotel and Spa, Aughrim, Co.Wicklow.

I can honestly say that their reception will live long in the memory, they are a lovely couple who obviously belong together and even I was touched by their speeches and what they obviously meant to everyone in the family.

Here are just a few images from the day.

Mairead & Kieran met yesrs ago while they were both students in Trinity College. They tied the knot on Saturday 25th April 2009 in the Church in Trinity College. They later celebrated the event in some style in Middleton Park House, Castletown Geoghegan, Co.Westmeath. See www.mph.ie for hotel details.

Here are a few images from the day to give you a taste of how it went.

Had a photo shoot a few days ago with a lovely young boy called Callum. The point of the shoot was to get a few images of Callum, it was also nice to get a few extra shots of the family too.

Callum was a little ill on the morning, but nonetheless he was great and I think we pulled it off.

I love Landscape Photography, it was my first photography love, well not exactly my first, but my first practical photography love.

When I was a child, my grandfather- bless his soul, use to have skydiver magazines in his house (I have no idea why) but these magazines were littered with the most amazing images of skydivers, this was the first time in my life I ever wanted to become something, I wanted to be the person who created such beautiful images.

This sank to the back of my youthful mind for a few years and as I grew up a little I used my camera to take images of this beautiful country we live in, as soon as I could drive I would head off for a weekend touring the coasts, mountains, rivers & lakes of ireland looking for perfect images.

Sadly, I didnt have my own darkroom and processing film was very expensive in the early 80’s so a lot of my early work remained un-processed. (maybe not sadly, who knows!)

Anyhow, that love of landscapes has stayed with me and when I get the time I love to get out and head off somewhere hoping that I will find a beautiful location at just the right time of day.

With that in mind I headed to Lough Tay, in Co.Wicklow recently and perched myself waiting for a nice image. This is the result, It’s a stitch of 5 different images, I’m quite happy with the result and am about to get it framed large for my home.

By the way, that love for skydiver images has stayed with me also, I just havent had the opportunity to exercise it, maybe some day!

28th February 2009
Tallaght Church & Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth

28th February was a dry & bright day and I headed to Tallaght to photograph the wedding of Carol & Sean, I’d only met them a week beforehand for the first time, due to issues with another photographer I got a last minute booking. Sean & Carol really seemed to enjoy the day, despite it being cold outside, it was February after all, we headed into Maynooth College for a few moments to try and get a few family shots before heading to the Glenroyal Hotel. Given the big rugby day that was in it, the lads hunched into a scrum in honour of the boys in green.

Sean & Carol and the group were all very brave, but eventually it got too much for them, so we left for the Glenroyal. Here are a few images from the day.

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Everyone’s heard about this recession, after all, we’re being told about it day in day out. Its affecting people in many many ways, and affecting some people in ways that you wouldnt believe. One way that I see this affecting people is that wedding’s become less affordable, you end up having to cut back on parts of the big day that you’d really rather not cut back on.

To try and help people out a little I have brought in a new scheme which I hope people will find helpful, basically it allows your guests and family to pay lump sums off your wedding photography fee’s. This can be against the basic photography of the day, albums, album upgrades, prints, canvases, whatever like.

After you’ve booked me, you inform your guests/family that you would prefer if they could help you pay for part of the day. They contact me telling me how much they wish to pay towards it and I send them a beautiful gift voucher for the value they require. The whole transaction can be over inside a few days and can get a gift far more useful than the endless streams of clocks, toasters and glasses you are bound to receive.

If you have any questions regarding this please dont hesitate to contact me on alan@alanmooney.com or via the website at www.alanmooney.com

Best Wishes,

Alan

As a Photographer Im continually striving to improve the service I offer to people, as part of this I like to offer new services to my customers.
With this in mind I have just started doing “Fairy Portraits” for the girls and “Dragon Rider Portraits” for the boys. You can see a few small samples on my main site at http://www.alanmooney.com/fairydragon.html and if you like what you see and would like further prices and information contact me using the contact page, or drop me a line on alan@alanmooney.com
The portraits are also available at the moment as Christmas or Birthday cards, and as Christening or Communion Invitations. The idea can really be extended to suit any need you have.

I recently photographed a “Thrash the dress” shoot.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the idea, here’s an explanation:

Thrash the Dress is a growing trend. It is already very popular in the States and Europe.

Contrary to the Name, the Dress is not ruined (unless you really want to!). Typically brides will have their dresses dry cleaned after the shoot.

So what is it?

Basically it gives the couple the chance to take alternative photos that would not have been available on the day for fear of ruining the outfits. It has also been called “Express the Dress” or “Drown the Gown”. The shoot can take a few directions, Romantic Contemporary shots (see my Gallery), Funny, Industrial or on the beach etc.

Typically the shoots are held a few weeks or months after the big day, which gives the couple a chance to get dressed up again. The shoot can include the groom or just the bride.

 For the more extreme of you out there, you can roll around in mud, go horse-riding, have a food fight with your better half or jump in the sea together! Basically anything you can think of!

So why do it?

Firstly, it’s just a bit of fun! It gives you the opportunity for a very different addition to your wedding album!

Secondly, you’ve married the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, so you’ll never use your dress again. With the way fashion trends move these days, your daughters probably won’t want to wear it in 20 years time either! You can have the dress dry cleaned afterwards and save for a christening robe though perhaps!

So what’s next?

If you think you are interested, drop me a line and we’ll discuss the details!

Now back to the recent shoot!

The idea behind this TTD shoot was to show the more romantic contemporary side. This is very much a fashion shoot as you can see from the shots in the Gallery.

Some advice from the bride from the last shoot:

Bring a good pair of walking boots or Wellies (especially if you want to do any water shots)
You should wear leggings of some sort under your dress to keep you warm.
In cold Weather, Bring a warm jacket – you’ll just need this between shots
Some make-up & mirror if you feel you’ll need a touch up
A white or ivory Umbrella if it’s raining –( this can look lovely in shots)
A big fluffy towel or 2 – one for drying off afterwards and one for sitting on so you don’t dirty the dress too much
Talk to your photographer beforehand regarding what shots you want and where you want them!
 

It was a very cold and mucky early morning in the Forest at the location we chose.  I had picked several locations on an early scout out for some really great shots. This really helped on the day as it meant the shoot was quite quick. The bride was interested in a romantic contemporary style.

We had discussed some different types of shots and selected several together that we thought would work. We did all the dry shots first which was great fun and then decided to be brave and try the river. This was a little slippery and very cold! But I got some really nice shots here! Check my Gallery Here

No Wedding Dresses or veils were harmed in the making of these images:)

Still a pretty new concept in this country, Im glad to say that I have 2 Trash the Dress photoshoots lined up for the coming weeks. Its an exciting prospect to say the least. I’ll post pictures as soon as they are available. Update - HERE

Being a Wedding Photographer, and a relatively new one at that, I run into other professionals in the regular course of my work. This weekend was no different than any other and I had the privelege of working alongside a guy who is considered to be at the top of his profession.

This is Keith Malone, Wedding Videographer. You can view Keiths work on www.keithmalone.ie and I would suggest to you now that you do just that.

Keith works in a similar fashion to myself, low-key, out of sight and non-invasive. He has perfected this style to bring top quality wedding dvd’s to Brides up and down the country. He works with the utmost of professionalism and confidence and is highly regarded in the world of wedding dvd’s.

Check out the long list of satisfied customers on Keiths testimonials page www.keithmalone.ie/testimonials.html