Confessions of a thief, tip of the hat to the men with the movie cameras, and is it possible to take the cringe out of wedding videos?

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”

— Jim Jarmusch, The Golden Rules of Filming

As with most people, I have always loved watching movies. My true love affair with the cinema began when I was fifteen. I saw a movie called ‘Medea’ at a film club in a small art house cinema. This 1969 classic film by Pier Paolo Passolini intrigued me with its convoluted plot, psychedelic music and minimal dialogue. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t understood much of the movie, but its dark and weird nature was enough to spark my interest and inspired me to dig deeper. I soon rejoiced in the works of directors like Jean Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Bernardo Bertolucci and Federico Fellini. In a way non-conformism of the Nouvelle Vague and the European Arthouse directors fitted well with my rebellious nature in my teenage years. I also found much needed serenity and escape in the empty-ish movie theatres.

Since my adolescence, my love for films never ceased but our relationship kept evolving. More recently I started focusing my attention on cinematography. The work of cinematographers has a huge influence on my photography. I constantly steal their light, composition, angles and sequencing. Here are few of my old and recent favourites:

The Tree of Life, cinematography by  Emmanuel Lubezki

Lost in Translation, cinematography by Lance Acord

The Man Without a Past, cinematography by Timo Salminen

Twin Peaks, cinematography by Frank Byers

Nymphomaniac, cinematography by Manuel Alberto Claro

Under the skin, cinematography by Daniel Landin

Ida, cinematography by Ryszard Lenczewski & Łukasz Żal

I'm not going to even attempt to single out any of Robert D. Yeoman's breathtaking work - the cinematographer behind most of Wes Anderson's films.

So while modern cinematography is thriving, how does the wedding industry compare? I guess there is even more stigma attached to wedding videos than there is to photography. Cringeworthy staged poses, awful soundtrack and 4-hour long boredom feasts spring to mind. Thankfully, although those associations might still be quite vivid in our memories, the future is hopeful. So today I want to present you with the work of four adorable gentlemen who have been pushing boundaries of what wedding cinematography could and should be. I will start with some local talent and then move onto the rest of the world.

Disclaimer: This list is completely subjective and may or may not have been created under the influence of personal charm and obvious bribery.

Roldolphe / Best Day Productions - Half romantic, half sceptic with an eye as sharp as a knife.

Michael / Story of Eve - All you need is love, love is all you need.

Brian & the team / Shark Pig - If this guy fails to make you smile, I don’t know what would.

Tim / Velare TV - Your video will probably get an Oscar nomination.

I hope this helped you a little bit with your wedding homework and if you haven't had enough of my movie stills, you can view some more on my Pinterest board.

Jean & Lee’s wedding in Dromquinna Manor, Co. Kerry, a recipe for a great photograph and a few words about my new favourite company

The picture on top of today’s blog post is one of my favourite images from last year. Do you ever wonder, how do great images get created? Although often it might seem like it is the photographer’s job, it isn't really that simple.

The morning of Jean and Lee’s wedding was quite misty with short spells of rain from time to time. Although the rain wasn’t very heavy, everything around was quite wet. By the time we got to the couple’s portraits the grass was covered in tiny drops of water. For most people that would have meant that we would have had to stay off the grass. Jean and Lee didn’t mind the water one bit. Jean took off her Jimmy Choos and threw on a pair of blue Toms and ran into the field. I started photographing them just running around and being playful with each other. Then something magical happened. A tiny bit of sunshine started peaking through the clouds and the whole field lit up. The light started reflecting on the dew like drops of water creating such a visually beautiful and unique scene. A very rare sight, really one of a kind.

If Jean and Lee didn’t have the adventurous spirit that they do and were afraid to get their feet wet or rush back to the reception venue at the sight of a rainy cloud the above picture would never have happened. As with many other things on the wedding day, it is all about working together as a team. Have a look at Jean’s pair of soaking wet Toms shoes.

Lee actually works for Toms, back in Amsterdam where they both live now. At the time of the wedding I didn’t know much about that company apart from the fact that they make shoes which are not very suitable for Irish weather. Since then I went to a photographic conference where Toms was one of the sponsors and I found out more about them. And well, I fell in love. Apart from the shoes they also make super cool sunglasses, bags and accessories. Each of their products follows ‘One for one’ initiative where with each product you purchase, Toms helps a person in need. The initiative started with giving out shoes to children in Argentina, but it spread quickly to also providing sight, water and safe birth all over the World.

Aren’t they amazing? Now, it is probably time to give the stage back to Jean & Lee. In typical fashion, the Kingdom of Kerry  surprised everyone with all four seasons in one day. The weather later in the day changed completely and everyone enjoyed the afternoon of the glorious sunshine. I also must say that I was in awe of Jean & Lee’s killer style, Jean’s boho look and Lee’s embroidered suit jacket looked fantastic. They are probably the type of couple who wins ‘Best Dressed’ competition at every party they go to. *Sigh*

I hope you’ve enjoyed the post, please don’t forget to visit Toms website for more information about their products. Their YouTube channel is also full of inspiring videos so have a gander when you get a chance.

Some personal work and why do I bother with it

I love photographing weddings. I love the fact that someone allows you to come close and take a look at what their life is like for a little moment. The energy of the day, the emotions. The moment when people are truly beautiful inside and out. Moments of great courage and vulnerability. Weddings are incredible and whoever got into planning their own also knows that they are very addictive.

For many years, weddings filled up my whole life. I was consumed by them. I loved observing other people’s friendships and family bonds, but after a while I started wondering, where were my own? I documented so many precious moments in lives of other people and yet my own life was off the record. I started thinking, what if that was my wedding? What would my friends say about me at the speeches? Was I living a good story? Did I bring joy and meaning into lives of others the way people I photographed did?

As you probably can guess, the answer wasn’t exactly a ‘yes’ and I knew I had to make a change. I bought flights to visit my friends who leave abroad the following weekend. I started using my Instax camera to take snapshots of my everyday life.

As a photographer I also decided to put my feelings and what I have to say back into my work and while before then coming up with a ‘personal project’ felt more like a chore it finally started to feel more natural. There were also other aspects to it. Personal work has fuelled my love for photography. It helped me discover my artistic voice and put me in touch with my intuition. It made me more sensitive and helped me understand other art better. It has been therapeutic in tough times and helped me evaluate what matters to me and what doesn’t. I met many like-minded people through personal projects and exhibitions, some of whom are now very close friends.

At this stage I’m working on many different personal projects, but today I wanted to share with you the very first project that I did since I started working as a wedding photographer. It was such an important and ground breaking moment for me that I even decided to have a solo exhibition. Check out this lovely video from it shot by an excellent cinematographer and a dear friend - Rodolphe from Best Day Productions.

I travelled to Greece in the winter of 2012 to document life on the Greek Islands off season. I was enchanted by serenity and peace of the place and at the same time wondered if the Islanders aren't missing some opportunities. I think like with the rest of my personal work, those images represent for me so much more than what you see when you look at them at first. In a way, they are also a metaphor for my own life.

If you’d like to read more about this project, check it out on my personal website and if you are curious to see some more of my most recent personal work you can follow my Instagram account (about which I will write a bit more next week).

Camilla & James' engagement photographs in a secret location in the Wicklow Mountains

The Wicklow mountains are one of my favourite locations to photograph in. You're only a short drive from Dublin, yet it feels like a different world. It is my favourite location to go for a walk or drive,when I need to clear my head.

Camilla and James like myself, live in Dublin, but their true passion is the outdoors. Although they initially suggested to do their engagement portraits somewhere in the city, after meeting them it became clear that this wouldn't really represent them. They love hiking and spend every minute of their free time outside. James even proposed to Camilla on their hike to Camino de Santiago.

I have been exploring Wicklow for quite a while now but I'm still surprised by how many secret places there are. This time instead of picking a location myself I decided to trust the experts - Camilla and James. They showed me this beautiful little spot along Wicklow Way that I would have never found on my own.

This place looks truly magical and has a special meaning to Camilla and James. They actually came here on their first date. They found this amazing tree in which you can climb into and sit inside. We spent an afternoon strolling the fields and tasting some of James’ home grown vegetables. We wondered why the water in the river was black and looked for the last few foxgloves.

I can’t wait till Camilla & James’ super funky wedding in May. They promised there will be candy floss, flaming margaritas and rainbow coloured bridesmaid dresses!