Our studio is based in the Wicklow mountains, a short hop from Dublin city. We love weddings and use a contemporary, documentary approach that balances a wedding day's moments against an experienced backdrop of composition and light. We encourage spontaneity and always seek the new, which allows us to elevate our work with each and every couple. We photograph weddings throughout the island of Ireland from Cork to Belfast along with special destination weddings. Our rates are reasonable and our technical skills, experience, professionalism and good humour are unparalleled.
From the moment I pick up my camera, my goal is to make you feel beautiful and relaxed. I don’t want your day to be a photoshoot, but rather a day you fully enjoy from start to finish. I bring encouragement and positivity that help settle the butterflies, direction when needed and the subtlety to let spontaneity flourish, so your wedding photographs are natural and authentic. Our best images are not staged because our couples are too excited to spend much time posing. Nor are they simply candid moments, we search for images that have added depth and meaning, that captivate and will grow in value over many years to come...
During the week I shoot commercial and portrait images. The commercial images are often composited and Photoshopped, a lot of detail attention is required to ensure the product looks just right. Similarly the studio portraits are fine tuned incorporating tradition posing and lighting skills. Together we decide on the balance of styles for your day.
Every couple is unique and works hard to bring their own personality to the celebration. I look to capture those elements that are special to you. These magical moments are unposed and happen naturally - they are real. My skill is to capture the laughter without disturbing the moment.
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There are a lot of good photographers but none bring our unique ability to connect with clients, getting you to relax in front of the camera and capturing those real moments that can only happen because you are feeling the love. Our technical skills and experience allow us to articulate the raw emotion and beauty of a wedding celebration without turning the event into a photoshoot. Yours is a love story happening in real time...
5 stars do not cut what John’s actual worth & talent is. From the first day I met him I felt completely relaxed & knew he would be the perfect addition to our wedding. We did not want posed pictures, nor the feeling of someone impinging on us or our Wedding party. It was honestly like having one of our guests take pictures of completely unforgettable moments. John, on our day was a friend to everyone, a nerve settler to me & after seeing our photos a natural talent at capturing the best parts of the day that you never want to forget & parts you never even realised happened. Anyone that will listen to me at all I sing his praises & cannot recommend him enough. Thank you for the memories John (Literally)
I never fully understood the importance of wedding photos until after our wedding, even after the honeymoon when it felt a little like a dreamy memory. But when we received our photos from John it all came back to us. The craic we had getting ready, little hugs and kisses along the way and most of all that feeling of happiness that you feel only on your wedding day. The beautiful colours, backdrops and special moments you somehow managed to capture are a gift to us so thank you so much John, you are a magician!
If you want an artistic, beautiful memory of your big day pick John as your photographer. His talent for catching the big moments to the tiniest details is amazing. Thank you, John for photographing our wedding. Your photographic style is beautiful and your pride in your job shows in your work. Everyone who sees our photos say how different our album is compared to normal albums and that's exactly what I wanted!!
Catherine and Paul.
Xx
If I could give John more than 5 stars I would. He's the master of light, a true gent and an all around nice guy. He made us feel incredibly comfortable in his presence and so he was able to capture the most amazing and natural moments. The majority of the day I honestly didn't even know he was there! If we were doing it all again I'd book him again in a heartbeat. John thank you so much for the beautiful images. I couldn't have dreamed better. Oisin & Eimear x
What differentiates you and your style from other wedding photographers? +
I see light! photography is the art of capturing moments in light. My skill is to anticipate the moment and be in the right place to have that moment wrapped in magical light. My images are thus both natural and spontaneous, I prefer not to disturb you but to let you be natural and spontaneous. This style is sometimes called Documentary, like seeing your wedding through the eyes of a guest. Some couples prefer no posed images a pure documentary approach, most like a few family keepsakes, none of our clients want a protracted photoshoot on their wedding day.
What happens after the wedding? +
We back everything up in triplicate. Your images are edited by ourselves and graded into images we like and those we like better, these we also process in B&W. We compile your full image set into both high resolution and low resolution folders, tweaked for print and screen use. You should receive your full image set 6-8 weeks after the wedding. We let you digest your images before thinking about album and print.
Can we still have some family groups and some beautiful portraits? +
I understand the need for family groups and classical portraits - We do studio and corporate portraits all week long!
Wedding time is precious so we do the posed work you need with minimum fuss. This allows us time to capture the fun, drama and romance of your wedding day.
Do we get a mixture of B&W, and colour images? +
For weddings we shoot digital, we can decide in post processing whether an image works best in colour or B&W. We always supply a mix of images and where we decide on B&W we also supply a colour copy.
Are you insured? +
We have full public liability insurance and can supply your venue with a statement from our insurers if needed. Insurance in a requirement for working in public parks and obtaining a licence from OPW
How do we book? +
Contact the office, fill in the booking form. Your booking is confirmed by a small deposit.
What if you haven’t photographed at our venue before? +
We specialise in spontaneous moments in natural light - these change every minute and require skills perfected over years, you can't rehearse spontaneous you live it
What gear do you use? +
We use full frame canon bodies with professional 'L' lenses. For personal use we favour Fuji x series and medium format film cameras. For studio work we use a mix of strobes and flash from a variety of suppliers that offer functional value.
What type of albums do you do? +
We design your album with adobe InDesign and use a Dublin based printer. Our standard album is a 10 inch square format with linen covers. You can specify larger format and leather covers but the heart of any album is the imagery and layout. As part of our commercial work we design for print and web, its all visual communication.
What do your clients say about you? +
Our clients love our work, they choose us because they want something different and unique to them. Look at our reviews and testimonials. Meet us and look at complete wedding image sets...
Each couple have their own individual dynamic that defines their love, style and purpose. We love couples who simply live life to its fullest, who relax and trust us to do what we do best, letting spontaneous moments be our inspiration. Our couples are truly in love and our images capture this honesty and vulnerability.
If you don’t start with a plan you might not get to where you want to go
Weddings are stressful, the wedding business is full of tricks to lighten your purse and test your relationship – with everybody! So start with a plan and don’t pay extra for cutlery, which seems pretty fundamental to the whole dining experience.
Where to start? depends on where you are and where you are going. Of course up the aisle, but which aisle? and why. Knowing ‘the why’- the true meaning, makes ‘the how’ a simple exercise. If your wedding is about close friends and family, or about your extended family and friends, your guest list is decided. You can prioritise and that means you can budget and plan.
Your wedding is a shared experience, creating special memories and images to remember them by, this also means you want to be in the experience - with those special to you. Have a conversation with you partner about the places, moments and things have shaped you as a couple and weave them into your details. This is your story. Decide as a couple what is most important to you. Save brain space and money by protecting your essentials and letting the rest fall away, remember the why. Set one day each week for you and lover just to be - no wedding talk allowed. You’ll thank yourselves when you get to be together on your honeymoon, and your relationship will have grown.
The wedding is not only about you. Think about the people who are travelling from near and far to see you. It may be the only time that you will have everybody you love together in one room. These are the people who have shaped you into the person your partner has fallen in love with. Let the pressure fall off your shoulders as you know that while much of the day is about you, it is also a thank you, a celebration and a start of a new chapter. Your wedding can be a reflection of who you are and what you stand for.
Which venue is best for you reflects both the ‘why’ of your wedding and your budget. We see behind-the-scenes things, often photographing the chef plating up, they are part of your story too. Here are a few venues that left us smiling and well fed :)
I'm always happy to meet for coffee and discuss your wedding ideas. Call me on 087 2549225
Design and images © John Channing 2019
