It’s not for me to say if I am even a good wedding photographer, let alone the best wedding photographer in Limerick, but it’s nice when you’re work gets recognised and published in the Newspaper!
The Best Wedding Photographer In Limerick? Really??
To be honest i’m having a bit of fun with this. I’m telling you, categorically, that I’m not the best photographer in Limerick. There’s definitely more talented and more experienced wedding photographers out there than me. But let me blow my own trumpet for at least a few minutes and enjoy being featured in the local rag, the Limerick Leader.
This all started when I got a random phone call one afternoon from a chap at the Limerick Leader who had stumbled upon me. He explained they like to do a feature now and again with a local photographer, their back story and some of their favourite images. Being something like this doesn’t come along very often I was more than happy to put something together! Below are the pictures I wanted to highlight as my favourite and a bit of story behind them and me. Please enjoy!
J’aime Jamie’s eye for a photo
WHEN Jamie Gillies first got into photography he thought the last thing he wanted to do was deal with people and photograph a wedding. It is now his passion. “Unposed, modern and creative documentary wedding photography,” is how the Carrigkerry based Englishman describes himself.
Jamie was born and raised in a little town in Kent called Dymchurch – home to the world’s smallest public railway.
“I’ve always had an interest in photography but never took it seriously until I visited the highlands of Scotland in 2015 and was blown away by how beautiful it was. I found that the pictures I took didn’t do it justice and then before I knew it I was out catching the sunrise or sunset in many places around the UK learning landscape photography.”
Jamie said he really enjoyed landscape photography. “The last thing I wanted to do was deal with people and photograph a wedding, how wrong I was! My friend was getting married and didn’t have a wedding photographer
so I offered to do it, loved it and now haven’t looked back.
“As a Jehovah’s Witness a bigger love I have though is in teaching people about the future that the Bible reveals to us. I moved over to Ireland 18 months ago to help the congregation in Newcastle West and ended up marrying a Limerick girl who I’ve known for over 10 years!”
The question we have asked all participants in this series is their opinion on what makes a good photographer? “When I analyse my own photography the thing that I keep coming back to is trying to let go of my fears. To not be scared to try new things, to not worry about what other people think, to get in closer, to not feel bad about standing in someone’s way and not be constrained by tradition. “So essentially what I’m saying is a good photographer is one that doesn’t stand still, is always learning, always trying and doesn’t stop.”
Ballybunion, Kerry, Ireland.
Ireland is honestly so beautiful when it comes to people and the landscapes. Ballybunion isn’t far from me and over the summer I went down one lovely evening with my wife. The camera is more of a reason to get out of the house than to come away with a great picture and it forces me to just slow down and really take in what I’m experiencing. Just after the sunset you can get some amazing colours and combined with a long exposure to really slow down the moving waves of the sea. This picture conveys how I felt that evening – calm, relaxed and happy.
Camber Sands, East Sussex, England.
Before I started wedding photography I was really enjoying landscapes. I chose this picture as it reminds me of home back in England where all my family are and who I haven’t been able to see for over a year now. My parents have this one hanging up in their kitchen. It’s also the first picture I took as part of a vlog I did on YouTube (Click here to watch it!).
Landscape photography has been heavily about finding a composition and waiting for the light to come which has heavily influenced my wedding photography. This shot involved getting up for a 7am sunrise that didn’t happen because there was so much cloud, but I waited and waited and was rewarded by the sun shooting through.
Marousjka & Nikki
Maroesjka and Nikki did things a bit different on their wedding day. They wanted to do all the family and group pictures before the ceremony at the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Dublin. Because of this we did a reveal where they saw each other for the first time which was really lovely. After the family pictures I followed them wandering around the gardens to take their couple portraits. One space we
entered had some fairy lights hanging up and I shot away as they were laughing and enjoying their time together resulting in one of my favourites from their wedding. Must also be one of Maroesjka’s favourites as she has it as her WhatsApp profile pic!
Robert & Tamara
This was the most recent wedding I shot and it was reduced to six guests. That didn’t stop Robert and Tamara finding a way to still include all their loved ones over Zoom. Throughout the ceremony they had over 200 Zoom participants join in from all over the world which was amazing! Later on they and their close family and friends joined Zoom again for speeches and a few little party games. Zoom made the day so much more and I wanted to capture a shot that showed that.
Robert and Tamara played a game where they sat back to back, they were asked questions like “who’s the messiest?” and then raised the shoe of the person the question applied to causing everyone to laugh. This was again a way of finding the composition and waiting, this time for the right moment when Robert’s arm is raised and everyone on the screen is laughing.
Ian & Amy
In the build up to the dancing at Ian and Amy’s wedding, a father and his young daughter were just dancing away by themselves. When I’m capturing these kinds of moments I do love to try and make them something more and to do that means finding a good composition, foreseeing what can happen and waiting for the exact moment.
A lot of people were just sitting on the edge of the dance floor chatting to each other, so I used these two gentlemen as they were engrossed in conversation as a way to frame the dancers on the floor, waited for the father and his daughter to twirl into the middle of the frame and then took the shot.
Grace & Johnny
Family and group portraits aren’t my favourite things to photograph to be honest, but they are a great opportunity to capture some real candid moments.
Before leaving for the ceremony Grace wanted to get some family pictures with her grandad who wasn’t able to attend the wedding. In the moments between taking the family pictures are when the nice interactions happen and this was a great moment. I love pictures when there’s many things going on at once, but also added in is the compositional balance of an “M” shape.
Recently this shot came in the top 10 of the MyWed.Com Award 2020 category!
Wedding photography for 2023 went so fast! Before I knew it its 2024 and another wedding season awaits! Here’s a look back at some of…
Album Papers
Album Cover Embossing Colours
Album Cover Fonts
TEXTILES LEATHERETTES VELVET & SUEDE
