Hello! My name is Tadhg. For over 10 years I have been delighted to work as a full-time wedding photographer. Photography for me is all about connection, presence, feelings, and memory. I believe human “connection”, and a sense of belonging is part of our deepest human desire. “Presence” to me means being there fully for you, bringing my eye, heart, and mind to every moment. “Feelings” is about paying attention and capturing the emotional moments and key events of the day. Finally, “memory” is the feelings that you will feel again when you see your natural wedding photos. This philosophy and my relaxed manner help me create reportage wedding photos that you will always treasure. I’ve been taking photographs since I was 9. As a boy, I took photos of my pet cat, nature, my friends, and time in the scouts. I’ve always loved the craft of it. I got to learn how to take photos fully manually. There were no digital screens to check. During school, my work experience was in a pro lab. I developed and printed commercial photography work. A few years after college, while I was working in the US in 1996, a friend took me to see a photography exhibition in New York City. The photographer was Henri Cartier Bresson. I was blown away by his photography and it rekindled in me my long-term desire to earn my living as a photographer. Before I made the leap to full time, professional photography, I was working as a manager in a tech company. I was fortunate to take a few courses at the Irish Management Institute related to people skills and emotional intelligence. These courses opened the new world of psychology to me and were life-changing. Little did I realise at the time how important people skills are in getting natural wedding photographs of people! In late 2007, there was a big change in my life circumstances. The short story is I found myself juggling a very demanding management role and spending considerable time minding my 4-year-old daughter. I took time out from all the noise to reflect and I decided family comes first, and also, to go full time with my photography. Working from home meant I could be there before and after school and have more harmony in my work and home life. Since those early days, I’ve concentrated on developing my ability to shoot weddings without interfering with the natural flow of the day. Robert Capa (founder of Magnum photo agency with Henri Cartier Bresson) said’ “if your photos aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough”. Close enough means physically close as well as emotionally close. I believe the only way to get natural wedding photos is for the people being photographed to feel comfortable being themselves in front of the camera. No techniques to create the same photos at every wedding. Real and natural photos that capture real moments will always resonate more personally. I love connecting with engaged couples, gaining their trust, and photographing their wedding days, capturing images that will always connect them to their deepest bliss. Connection is the only way that natural and real style photos can be captured. My philosophy in life is harmony. Harmony in my work, my relationships, hobbies, and spiritual side. The presence that arises from this is what I bring to all my weddings. [County Kildare Wedding Photographer]