So this is Jodie and Ben and in May of this year I will be their Clonabreany wedding photographer when they tie the knot in the gorgeous hillsides of County Meath. Now I had an instant connection with these two. They are exactly what I look for as a story telling wedding photographer. They’re all about the moments, not too big on being centre of attention and just want to be with their people as much as they can on their day. But like everyone on the planet with a smart phone they are susceptible to the noise that surrounds wedding planning. And oh boy!!! can that be so loud sometimes.

Like every couple in the world getting married, the turn of the new year becomes the time when reality sets in and the oh its grand becomes OH SHIT!!! and the panic sets in. These two were no different.

PING!!! goes my phone. email from Jodie - we are worried about how we will smile on our day are we being silly ?

First of no, no you are not being silly. Cos I think the exact same when I'm put in-front of the camera. I hate my photo being taken, I dont like my teeth so I never smile with my mouth open. But also get off TikTok. Social media is an amazing tool but it’s also so damaging. And in a world where everything is content, the best commodity you can have is to be unapologetically yourselves.

So I pick up the phone straight away and I say to them “why don’t we just go take some photos. Grab a coffee, have some chats, take some pics and you’ll see it’s not so bad. We pick a date, a location (on this occasion we pick Grand Canal Dock) and off we go.

Now what I tell every couple is that pre-wedding photos are a photoshoot theres no getting around that. We are in a public place getting photos taken, it’s not easy but it doesn’t have to be stiff and uncomfortable. Photos are taken every min of every day. Some datasets suggest over 1.3 billion images are shared daily, especially when including Stories. Thats an insane number isn’t it ??

So everyone is doing what we are they just have different equipment to do it. No one cares as much as we think they do and even if they do, it isn’t about you, its about them so leave them to it and if they say something then we let karma take care of them.

My approach is simple. If I'm not telling you what to do it’s because you’re already doing it. I genuinely believe that the best photos come from when you’re just being unapologetically yourselves. It isn’t marketing slang or quirky seo tactics. It’s my whole ethos for photography!!! You can see it in my approach HERE. But if you need a little help I know when to step in :)

I love the photos we got from this session. I got to be creative and use a different skill set. I had an absolute blast getting to know them a bit more. BUT!!! my absolute favourite thing was that they went from the how they felt in the email to lying face up on a bench making faces and pulling each others ears while 10-15 people walked past in a public space and all they did was laugh about it and to me that is why pre-wedding photos can help settle the nerves. Cos if they can do that their wedding day is going to be a piece of cake