It is safe to say documenting moments as they happen is my favourite way to photograph - that's not to say there's a time and a place for something a wee bit more structured, especially for bigger family groups... ironically in a roundabout way the moments in between those 'posed' shots can get the most natural results of all as everyone lets their guard down...
​
I had all this in mind during a recent family photoshoot in St Columb's Park - Ruairi was on his first visit to Ireland to meet the family, and his mum wanted to make sure to get photos with his wider family - especially him, his grandparents & cousins... so we all dandered the park, in the good weather, stopping a few times to get everyone together in the one spot; all the while I, happily, shoot the moments in between too... here are a few of my personal favourites...

Laura and Michael gathered their friends and family together at the Beech Hill Country House Hotel Derry to share in their intimate wedding; with many personal touches such as hand fasting as part of their ceremony, and the most unique cake stand - lovingly crafted from horse shoes by Laura's Dad. Here's an overview of their day....

Florist - ​John Paul Florist
Cake - Funky Cakes
Cake Stand - Irish Horseshoe Gifts

Emma and Robert got married in Our Lady of Lourdes, Steelstown, before making their way to the Beech Hill Country House where they celebrated with family, friends. and a DeLorean DMC-12 time machine!

In Robert's own words it was a day with 'plenty of craic, great food and of course many pints.' Unbeknown to them beforehand it also contain the previous mentioned, fully loaded Back to the Future DeLorean that Emma's Dad had arranged as an extra surprise, and which provided the backdrop for a constant stream of guest selfies and photos.

The evening's entertainment was provided by The Hitmen & Her, and it's fair to say they kept the dancefloor filled from The Darkness penned first dance onwards - I should add their version was a lot louder than that on the slideshow!

A few extra wee details - Emma's dress (pockets included) was from Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage and selfie mirror was from Walled City Photobooths & Selfie Mirrors. With Eugene @ Emerald Videos recording proceedings throughout the day. (apologies to the people I've not mentioned, fire me a message if you'd like the link added)

​We were lucky enough to get, possibly, the last tickets to The Zombie Apocalypse at Foyle Arts, Derry - although I'm now wondering if lucky is the right word to describe being in the middle of a Zombie Apocalypse... anyway, we made it through safely due to the amazing Zombie Resistance Force who were running the show - which was fantastic from start to finish.... (I should add all photos were taken while hiding from or trying to outrun the zombies...

It was a very enjoyable experience to wander around the town with the performers taking part in Echo Echo's Together Alone: Solos In The City - part of their annual Festival of Dance & Movement.

​The four performer each chose three spots around the city with meaning to them where they danced - without music. The performances were recorded, before made into a short film - Amid The Noise & The Haste by Colin Norrby, a local musician and filmmaker.

I was, predominately, there as a proud parent with Emma being one of the performers, but couldn't resist taking my cameras along to document the day...