I took this photograph nearly 5 years ago at Róisín and Graham’s wedding. Their reception venue was pretty unusual; a youth hostel, located in a remote and rugged part of the Wicklow Mountains, on the east coast of Ireland. The hostel was mainly used by mountaineers and hill walkers but on this beautiful autumn day on 29th September 2013, it became an idyllic location to celebrate a wedding.
The building had an industrial feel to it, which I loved. Bare concrete floors, grey walls and of course that very large blackboard , wishing Róisín and Graham a ‘Happy Wedding’.
At 5pm dinner was called and all guests were seated in the dining room, except for this one little girl who remained alone at the blackboard, drawing away, oblivious to the world around her. Without disturbing the scene I entered the room she was in and quickly took three frames and then she was gone. Like all my wedding images, this wasn’t planned or thought out. There is no complicated or scholarly explanation as to how this image came together. I’m just an instinctive photographer who enjoys capturing moments like this without controlling them. If the image is a success; that makes me happy.
This photograph always makes me reflect on my own artistic childhood and maybe that’s what drew me back into the blackboard room before departing for home. My working day was technically over and this is when many photographers might quickly pack their bags and run, but that’s not how I work. My artistic eye never switches off and I couldn’t walk away from this visual story once it presented itself to me. I often think it looks very staged; maybe something you’d see orchestrated by a photographer on a magazine shoot, but it isn’t, and that’s what matters most to me. It’s an authentic image reflecting what really happened at Róisín and Graham’s wedding that autumn day in 2013.
I’ve always been drawn to black and white photography and the majority of my work today is still presented in monochrome. However, I’ve always felt this image is best viewed in colour. I fully embraced the vibrant hues and flipping to monochrome would have been a visual tragedy. I also refrained from cropping the image and this is exactly what I saw through the lens when I took the original photo. The only Lightroom adjustments made to this RAW file were some colour corrections along with an exposure tweak and a contrast boost.
I’ve never had an interest in camera gear as I’ve always believed a good photograph can be taken with just about any camera. However, some of you camera buffs may be curious to know this image was taken on an aging Canon 5dMk2 paired with a Canon 16mm-35mm f2.8 lens. This same camera body is now close to 10 years old with thousands of shutter clicks on the clock and I’m happy to say it still remains my main wedding camera today. Touch wood, it’s a tool that continues to serve me well and I have no desire to replace it.
Finally, I still look back on this image with fond memories. To me it’s a unique story shot that I will never replicate at another wedding again. It was also one of the last photos I took that day which makes me realise how lucky I was to be in the right place at the right time. I’m not the biggest fan of my own work and I can often be my own worst critic but I’ve never tired of this image. As a humble photographer I guess I’m both proud and happy to say I took this photograph, which will always remain one of my favourites.
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‘Photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.’ Elliott Erwitt.
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