Carly's Weddings

The Book

2012-02-08T16:08:00.000Z

At Christmas time I decided to gift my friend Chloe a book filled with all of the best photos from our shoots together. I was so impressed by the quality of the book that I had to tell her immediately that I had got it for her, otherwise I would have kept it for myself. She absolutely loved it and when I saw how happy she was looking through it I then vowed that I really needed my own. It's ridiculous how little of my own work I have in the house.

And so early in January I designed one for me of all of my favourite personal shoots from last year. Last week it arrived and I haven't been able to stop looking at it.

Here's a glimpse inside...

I can't wait for the day I'm able to lift this off my bookshelf and look through it with the grandkids and show them of the times I used to play with a camera.

xox

Lynsay and Michael's New Years Eve 2011 - Part 3

2012-02-02T15:57:00.005Z

As I've said in my previous posts, this was my first New Years Eve wedding. Usually I'm not there for the first dance unless I'm a friend of the bride and groom and I'm there for the party ;)

Anyway, this dance floor was great fun to spend my evening watching...

If you can guess the song to the photo below you get a gold star...

Don't Stop Believeing ;)

The strike of midnight was magical to witness

And right in the middle of the Dirty Dancing mega mix, aproximately in the middle of "Im a Love Man" at 12:15am in the early hours of 1st January 2012 is when my camera died with 5 shots left on my last card.

Happy New Year and goodnight ;)

Lots of love to Lynsay and Michael xox

Lynsay and Michael's New Years Eve Wedding - Part 2

2012-02-02T15:15:00.003Z

Following on from yesterday's post

There was no photography allowed during the ceremony and I have to say it was lovely to be able to witness this one without a camera in front of my face. Vicar Chris Pollock did an absolutely beautiful ceremony and one of the very few ceremonies I have witnessed where the Bride and Groom had to know their vows to heart. They were on paper if they needed them but seeing it done this way was so special.

I look at these now and I genuinely can't quite believe we got these because our light had pretty much gone and we had about 5 minutes. If ever anyone ever asks me what the benefits are to photographing an engagement session with your bride and groom before the wedding, this is the perfect example because Lynsay and Michael rocked this!

The New Years dancefloor action coming up next ;)
xox

Lynsay and Michael's New Years Eve Wedding - Part 1

2012-02-01T22:55:00.002Z

What can I say about this wedding? Firstly Lynsay and Michael were an absolute pleasure to be around on their wedding day, and trust me, I was there through all of it :) This was my first ever NYE wedding and I will never forget it.

You can always tell how a wedding is going to go by how calm the morning is and I'll never forget arriving at the hotel on New Years Eve to walk into quite posibly the calmest room in the planet!

Yes ladies, these were Christian Louboutin shoes! Now, I'm not a shoe person but even I got excited when I saw these

Lynsay is just beautiful

Not only was Lynsay's jewellery gorgeous, but when I saw her mums, it had to be photographed as well!

I promise you that this was not staged :)

When I arrived at the church the boys were waiting for Michael to arrive

And yes, he got the chance to drive to the church!

Part 2 coming tomorrow

January blues

2012-01-21T16:25:00.003Z

I've had the flu.

I'd say twice since January began but I've a sneaky suspicion that it never went away. The first bout of it was that of the coughy, sneezy and runny nose kind. The kind that you despair when you run out of cold and flu tablets and it became time for the hot whisky. Hot whisky is the last resort but it always works. And it did. I remember waking up after a few days and feeling great and ready to tackle the workload.

And then at the start of the week came the 'other flu'. It has no coughs or sneezes but instead seems to be situated behind the eyes and the nose and brings with it exhaustion. Lots of it. And runny noses. The hot whisky was brought out again and I'm sad to say that even it didn't shift it.

So I did some things to make myself feel better. The big cardigan that was bought for my dad for Christmas that he didn't like? Well, lets just say it's now got Carly flu on it. It's saw me through thick and thin this week and it's pretty much perfect. In it's pockets it holds my tissues (the yucky ones and the fresh to be used ones - different pockets obviously). It's waaaay too big to wear outside of the house and yet I have. And haven't really cared who saw me in it. Which tells a lot about my state of flu riddled mind.

Secondly, I got my hair cut. Technically the hair cut was before the 'other flu' really took hold but may explain why I just decided spare of the moment to go from a simple trim to now having less than shoulder length hair. I think my mum had near heart failure when I sent her this picture by text while it was happening.

I've waited for a bad case of shock to set in and as yet it hasn't because I am loving it :)

And finally I've watched some movies. I finally got to watch Captain America and managed to depress myself for a few days afterward (don't want to spoil it for anyone about to watch but I'm a romantic and the thought of no 'first dance' happening RUINED the film for me!!) But I did cheer up when I saw JJ Field on screen.

And P.S If someone had told me that Richard Armitage played a minor role in this movie as well as JJ Field and Chris Evans all on the screen, I'd have made sure I'd have seen it in the cinema! Running along in a Marvel theme I also saw Thor. Now, between you and me I think I must have spent a few minutes longer getting ice-cream from the freezer than I should have because I totally missed the apparent love connection between Thor and Natalie Portman. But I did make it back in time to witness the cringe worthy snog between them. However on the upside Tom Hiddleston has now replaced JJ Field from the top of my celeb man crush list. And no he did not play Thor. He was the baddie with a dreamy voice :) Once this flu is firmly shifted I'll have to see him in the War Horse.

On a final note, this song has been pretty much been played on my itunes while I work away in my office trying to deny all thoughts of flu. I may not be working the pace that I'd planned for January but I'm still making it to the desk. Take that flu!

Anyway photography related news and updates resume Monday! Happy flu free weekend to you wherever you are xo

Chrissie and Fergus - Ulster Museum

2012-01-13T22:11:00.003Z

Three days before Christmas I was lucky enough to be a part of Chrissie and Fegus's wedding. Chrissie and Fergus are just absolutely lovely people and they are such a pleasure to spend time with. A lot happens in a year because when I met them at the start of it at a completely other event they were simply dating, in the summer they got engaged and in winter they got married :)

The morning started at Chrissie's family home.

Make up was done by Deborah Harper who is also Chrissie's best friend

A few minutes after the reception we made a swift exit to head to the Ulster Museum as we were on a mission to catch the last of the light of the day in Botanic Gardens :)

Amazingly we got 10 good minutes of it :)

Imagine how much of a surprise it was for regular museum goers to turn the corner and see this happening. Quite the surprise but lots of well wishes :)

I had been talking to a member of staff from the Museum a few moments before we went off exploring for photos and he told me that he usually doesn't do weddings but when he met Chrissie and Fergus he knew that he had to be a part of their day and to stay on to witness it. He said he had never met a lovelier couple. I entirely agree. Even hearing the love and respect shown in your speeches I have no doubt that 2012 will be filled with love between you both and for you both. xox

The personal shoots from 2011

2012-01-10T11:49:00.003Z

Yesterday was the first day officially back at my desk because I decided to take more time off. A lovely big thank you to everyone for giving me that breather :)

I'm going to be entirely honest and say that I am very glad to see the back of 2011. Certain things happen in life, some of them happen personally and others happen to those you love most and that is very very tough to watch and not be able to do anything about. Our wee family went through a lot last year. Hopefully, if I did things right all looked rosy and happy on the outside and I am very happy and proud to say that professionally 2011 was my best year yet. But I did let some workloads slip so that all changes this year. I still can't quite believe that I get to take photographs of important milestones in the lives of others. That's an incredible thing to be gifted with. I don't take it for granted and I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to all my 2011 clients. I also really want to thank those closest to me for knowing personally what 2011 entailed and for being there.

2012 brings new things. One of the biggest things is that I'll be putting myself first. Even typing that it felt sort of selfish but it's the truest lesson of all those I learnt last year. As the years pass I'm realising just how precious time is. Business wise lots of things are changing and it's getting me very excited so more news will come soon about that over the next month or so.

I was going through 2011 photographs last night as I wanted to do a year in review with some of my favourite shots of the year and there were so many that I've had to split them up. So first up are all of the personal shots that were taken over 2011(and some sneaky ones added from the end of 2010). I have to say none of these shots turned out as originally planned - isn't that always the way - and after the initial disappointment that I didn't capture what I initally set out to get, I realised that they worked out for the best afterall. Shooting for myself was one of the best things I did in 2011 and something I am definitely keeping up in 2012.

Lynsay and Michael's New Year

2012-01-01T16:07:00.002Z

What did you do when the clock hit midnight?

I can bet that if you spent it with the ones you love most, you had an amazing night xox

Happy new year!!

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T23:04:00.001Z

May you be kissing a loved one when the clock strikes midnight

Happy New Year xxx

Repeat the Sounding Joy

2011-12-24T18:01:00.001Z

I LOVE films. What I love even more are Christmas films. Elf, Santa Claus the Movie, Shop Around the Corner, It's a Wonderful Life... you name it and guess what, I've probably already watched it over the Christmas period. In fact, truth be told I was watching some of them back in October. But there is one movie that will forever be a favourite.

I will watch The Family Stone about three different times over Christmas. I just love everything about it. And without a doubt I will still cry at the 'It's a good tree, Daddy' ending. It's about Family. And I've got to tell you, I LOVE this family. Anyway there are so many favourite scenes in this movie, but this part is by far my favourite. Meredith and Ben are lying on his bed and it's snowing outside. The patterns of the falling snow are reflecting off the ceiling and they lay together and watch it. They both hum to Joy to the World and Ben simply says, 'Repeat the sounding joy.'

It's a lovely moment of simply being with a loved one and taking in the moment together. So wherever you are this Christmas and whoever you spend it with, I hope that you too find a moment to take it all in and realise that despite the past year and whatever has gone on over 2011 and whether it found you at your best or at your worst, I hope that you found some magic moments within it.

Repeat the sounding joy

Sarah and Laura in Lady Dixon Park

2011-12-21T23:26:00.001Z

I met up with these two lovely sisters on a very very cold day at the start of December. We talked about this session over an entire year as they had been given a gift voucher for Christmas but pinning down a date took us longer than planned. Finally though a date was set and despite the freezing muddy cold on this particular day it was well worth it :)

You may have spotted trees like this popping in amongst my shoots latetly but I just love the Christmasness of them and seem to make a beeline for them as soon as I see one!

P.S I'd just like to state that in 2012 my twin sister and I are getting a shot like the one below. I just LOVE it

Girls I need to say it again, you made a very very cold day lots of fun, despite making you wander half way around Lady Dixon Park in the mud. Thank you and Merry Christmas!! xo

Riley and Ellis

2011-12-19T22:53:00.002Z

It was a cold Saturday morning when I met with Riley, Ellis and family to go exploring. With the crazy of Christmas season it took me almost a full week before I even looked at the shots. But boy was I happy when I did. These two captured my heart.

This was Ellis's first time walking in wellie boots ;)

Riley is Ellis's older brother and this is his second time in front of my camera. It's so lovely to seen how grown up he has become over the past 3 years.

When I emptied the cards and uploaded them, it was the next series of images that gave me the goofiest smile across my face. LOVE.

XOX

Bear

2011-12-16T01:11:00.001Z

More of Riley and Ellis coming soon xo

Lynsay and Michael - Crawfordsburn

2011-12-10T14:02:00.001Z

Lynsay and Michael are getting married on New Years Eve and they are bringing my 2011 weddings to a close. There's not long to go now so we got together a few weeks ago for their engagement session. Thankfully we got a clear day (few and far between at the moment!) and we headed to the beach at Crawfordsburn. There were quite a few passers by but Lynsay and Michael were fantastic!

I love this wee sequence of Lynsay teasing Michael while he was having his picture taken!

There was lots of giggling and laughter :)

Thank you for battling the cold with me! Can't wait for your wedding!! xo

Sisters

2011-12-07T16:43:00.001Z

In Novemeber I photographed Brooke, Nerys and Fallon :) It is not easy to get in front of a camera with a complete stranger but these girls were great fun! Thank you!!

Lovely Kelly booked their session almost a year ago and I have to say, if you come along to a session then you are not safe and you will be ~~forced~~ asked politely to get into photos ;)

This is Kelly's daughter Sophie...

And Kelly herself who not only is an *extremely* talented singer (she once beat Samantha Mumba on a tv talent contest!!) but also sang at two of my favourite weddings! I am telling you, if she is not singing at your wedding you are missing out on something HUGE!! In fact the day she sang at my sisters wedding was the day of her first date with Davy...

Davy's daughters are the gorgeous girls Nerys, Fallon and Brooke and yes, clearly the love carried on from my sisters wedding to Kelly's first date because they are still together... and if you are a couple and happen to be watching a shoot take place, then you are not safe from getting in front of my camera. They are the rules, poor Kelly and Davy didn't stand a chance ;)

Thank you for being so patient and waiting for these. I had such a lovely afternoon with you all!! xox

Chrissie and Fergus

2011-11-24T17:21:00.001Z

When I look through these images I find it unbelievable to think that a few months ago Chrissie told me that they probably wouldn't be booking an engagement session because they don't really like having their picture taken and they'd probably be too nervous. After some more convincing that the engagement session was really just the opportunity to be in each others company for an hour or so and to have a giggle, they agreed.

And pretty much this was what happened : )

Hopefully you found it as fun and as lovely a way to spend a morning as I did :)

xox

Boudoir

2011-11-10T23:32:00.001Z

I have always loved the moment when you capture a beautiful image of a person and being able to turn the camera round and genuinely say, 'Look at you! You're absolutely gorgeous!' and it's such a lovely moment to be able to share between you and the person in front of the camera. A lot of the times the person is nervous to begin with and has usually just told me, 'I don't look good in photos' or 'I don't feel good about myself today' and seeing that reaction as they see how they've just photographed, and seeing those defences come down through the rest of the time in front of the lens is just a really really lovely experience for me to have.

Over the past 5 months I've been working at exploring a new side to my business. And to be honest it's had it's moments where I've thought that it wouldn't work out and I've come away from a practice shoot thinking I could have done better. And then I'd empty the camera and see some golden shots that I'd have to be insane not to love.

I've showed different types of people some of the sessions and got feedback along the way, continually looking at how I could be better so all of these shoots were works in progress. But despite that, these are some of my absolute faves so far...

These four beautiful women allowed me to come into their homes and photograph them and I want to say a major thank you to each of you. All of them nervous (one even had a few sneaky glasses of wine before I got there but I wont say who ;) and even one who had her friend in the room with her so she wouldn't be as nervous. All of them said that they weren't sure they'd be able to provide the shots I was after and my response was that as long as you can move you can be photographed, so while it may not be noticed at first there was a lot of rolling, dancing, spinning and hair flicks going on behind the scenes ;) Such good fun!

I'd love to hear what you all think!

xox

Family shoot in Ward Park, Bangor

2011-11-10T23:03:00.001Z

We really lucked out when we picked the date and the time for the shoot because had we shot it a few hours later it would have been an absolute wash out! This wee one was such a firecracker that it was mainly my job to keep up with her!

We had such good fun in these leaves!

Thank you for such a fun morning xo

And in case you missed yesterday's post there are some more of Lucia and her family there too!

Connection

2011-11-09T23:40:00.001Z

Four days before I photographed this lovely lovely family, I woke in the night to hear that my Dad had slipped and fallen while he out was having dinner with friends. We were completely oblivious to the accident and while we were waiting on a call to pick him up, he was being taken in an ambulance to hospital. Yeah, try getting back to sleep after hearing that news at 2am in the morning!

Thankfully, apart from stitches and staples (16 altogether) and a promising scar that we think will resemble Harry Potters (only dad's will look more like a question mark!) He is well, if a bit bruised and milking it for all he's worth.

One things for certain, my Dad has received more hugs from his four grown up daughters in one week that what he'd received in a while. All of them lasting a big longer than necessary.

Which is why I absolutely loved the connection in these next set of photographs and why I had to post these up tonight before the rest of the shoot...

More from this family coming tomorrow xox

A Personal Project

2011-10-26T22:04:00.000+01:00

Over the course of the next year I will be embarking on a personal project where I will be interviewing and photographing people who are passionate about what they do. People who have pushed forward in the quest of their dreams, goals and ambitions and have looked fear and failure in the face and kept on striving because they don't know any other way to be. Then I plan to tell their stories here in the hope that they inspire others to push forward and keep on keeping on.

I've always loved the advertising campaign that Apple launched in the 80's and if you look at the video above and think 'that's me!' I want to hear from you.

Email me at carly@carlyrodgersphotography.co.uk and please put The Passionate Project into the subject line so it doesn't get lost in my inbox. I cannot wait.

Chris and Elaine

2011-10-24T15:35:00.002+01:00

I used to say that October was one of the safest months to get married, weather wise. It can be cold but usually it's dry and the light is just lovely. Well all last week I was watching the weather reports like a hawk because it's just been pretty dismal all of October and it looked like Thursday was going to be rainy and cold. But thankfully it was managable and everyones spirits were high and happy throughout the entire day despite the rainy cold :)

It started at Elaine's house and I'd be as close to saying that this wedding morning was one of the most chilled out I've ever been involved in. So so lovely.

Elaine's dad Ian is just a class act. In fact all of her family were just lovely to be around.

Elaine and all the girls makeup was done by the lovely Fionnuala McKenna from Heavenly Beauty and the hair was done by Lynn Cooper

I loved these bridemaids dresses!

The lovely flowergirl Katie

And Pageboy Jude

Elaine was just the most chilled out and relaxed bride I've met! So lovely!

They were married at Balligan Church in Kircubbin and I *LOVED* it. Anita from Fabulous Flowers not only did all the bouquets but also decorated the outside of the church and the inside, making it look absolutely stunning!

When I visited the Church on Wednesday I was unable to get inside and I realised it would be pretty small and possible pretty dark. But when I arrived on Thursday I was blown away by the light inside, despite the church being lit by candlelight alone. So beautiful. Elaine's brother arrived early and lit all the candles before the guests arrived :)

I was pre-warned that Chris would be quite shy to photograph, but he was just grand :)

I loved this moment!

Elaine you truly did beam all day!

If you've an eagle eye you'll spot just how hard it was raining throughout the rest of the shots, but Elaine and Chris and their wedding party were game and despite the freezing cold, they stood outside with me and didn't complain one bit :)

Congratulations to Chris and Elaine and have a lovely honeymoon!! xox

Best response to a kiss

2011-10-13T17:30:00.001+01:00

Ever :)

xox

Trine

2011-10-05T23:25:00.000+01:00

Trine is an absolutely beautiful mother of two who I had the pleasure to meet and spend time with at her home on Sunday before she and her family head back to live in Denmark. She was so nervous to get in front of the camera and despite not believing she would be confident enough to do it I am so glad that she did. Trine you are beautiful. And I know you're going to shrug that comment off and forget that I said it, but please don't.

Never forget it xox

The night when Carly learned a very valuable lesson...

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000+01:00

When the song Elusive played on my radio five years ago I became an immediate fan of singer Scott Matthews. I bought his Passing Strangers album and ~~became absolutely obsessed~~ played it constantly and told anyone who would listen that he was a Legend. I remember it being around the time I had come across and fallen in love with Nick Drake's old albums and Scott matched his music style just beautifully. Lo and behold a fan was born.

A few years back I remember being in Belfast on a night out and while the evening in question is hazy I still remember coming across a poster of a past gig of his and remembering being absolutely horrified that I had missed it by two days! TWO DAYS!! How could he have been in the country AND I MISSED IT??!!

Anyway my obsession calmed itself down over the years until I heard him playing live on the Dermot O'Leary show on Radio 2 a few weeks ago. I immediately went to itunes and got it on my ipod and I fell in love all over again. The album in question is What the Night Delivers and I cannot begin to even tell you how beautiful it is. I was talking to my friend about it by email and ~~forced him~~ asked him very politely to listen to the song that I had entirely fallen in love with - Walking Home in the Rain - he did, loved it (naturally) and then wrote that he was playing in Auntie Annie's the next weekend and did I want to go.....!!

I didn't even politely hesitate, I think I squealed YES while I typed YEEEEEEESSSSSS at the same time. One week later and Scott Matthews sang soley to me. And um, a packed room... but it may as well have been just for me. As my friend ~~is completely uneducated in fine music~~ hadn't heard too much of Scott's music (shocking) it was fun to see his reaction to him singing live and I have to say it's on my list of favourite gigs. I never believed I'd hear and see him play live so I had the biggest goofiest smile on the planet. He's on tour and I urge everyone to check it out!

As I was working Sunday I left after the gig and arrived home to then be texted by my friend:
'See what you missed lol' and to it he attached a picture of him AND SCOTT MATTHEWS!!!!

Not only did he get a photo with him but they shared banter and had a debate over Dylan and Morrison!! I sent some horrified texts because afterall my friend knew NOTHING of Scott Matthews until I made him listen to his music and there he was CHATTING to him!!! After I huffed up the stairs and threw myself onto my bed in a strop that Scarlett O'Hara would have given me a 10 for, I got a 2nd text: 'He told me to tell you hi as I was talking about you to him lol so there's the message passed on.'

While I'm pretty sure my friend spoke sentences such as 'I'm only here because my truly awesome ledge of a friend Carly made me listen to your music' and 'Yeah, she's got such good music taste, I'm totally in awe of her.' I still think he should have called me and then asked Scott to sing to me down the phone. I mean, it's ONLY fair right??!! ;)

So here's my lesson: Even if it's a work night, never ever EVER leave a Scott Matthews gig until after you've met him.

Anyway, here is the song that got me my lovely ticket to see the awesome Scott Matthews.
(Thank you Anthony :) !!)

<a href="http://scottmatthews.bandcamp.com/track/walking-home-in-the-rain">Walking Home In The Rain by Scott Matthews</a>

And one more. You know you want to! :)

<a href="http://scottmatthews.bandcamp.com/track/obsession-never-sleeps">Obsession Never Sleeps by Scott Matthews</a>

**Note added - Should these songs find you heading to youtube to hear more you should at least check out: Dream Song, and his cover of Bob Marley's Is this love**

Joleen and Chris

2011-10-04T16:21:00.000+01:00

What can I say about Chris and Joleen? Where on earth do I start?!

I will never forget meeting Joleen a few years back at a party and her telling me about a guy she'd recently met. It was all early days but he was 'just lovely'. Fly forward a few years and I was photographing their wedding. Isn't that magic? I love it. :)

Chris and Joleen light up a room when they are in each others company. It's the best way to describe them. You would think that they have been together forever.

The day started at Joleen's house after I managed to get lost in Saintfield! I always take emergency phone numbers before a wedding day but have never had to use them - until Joleen's wedding! So a special hug goes to Joleen for not only having her phone right beside her while she was at the hairdressers but also for talking a very ditzy me through driving directions!! Give the girl a medal.

Gorgeous Joleen

Flower girls were so cute!

Adam is the spit of his Mum!

Chris is just lovely. He is the major reason as to why I shed a tear during their wedding ceremony. Chris was in a bit of a panic before the ceremony as he felt he was running late, and because of that his nerves had got the better of him and he was shaking. On top of that the ceremony room was very warm but he kept this big massive smile on his face, and if I hadn't been taking this photo I think I would have been hugging him.

And then Joleen was there walking towards him and when she saw him she gave him the biggest smile. Chris's reaction was tears. Proper real big tears which set everyone off and I'll will never forget witnessing Joleen's surprise and then watching her hold his hands in hers at the top of aisle. Those hands never left each others until they exchanged rings and to me that moment is Chris and Joleen.

Further proof that I am hilarious. (I like to think that they were laughing with me instead of at me ;)

Seriously gorgeous Joleen. In fact Chris and Joleen are RIDICULOUSLY photogenic!! Such a pleasure to photograph

This next shot isn't perfect but I had to sneak it in - they did this so many times on their wedding day ;)

This shot happened because of Chris ;)

The talented girls at Charm Wedding Studio designed the reception room and all of their little touches were fantastic!! They even had a box of slippers so that there were no excuses for not dancing the night away on the dance floor. Chris and Joleen also decided to name their tables after famous movie quotes. I loved their top table name!!

Not only was being a part of your day lovely, but being with the two of you was an experience I just loved. Thank you so much for asking me and inviting me to be a part of it. You are just two beautiful people xoxox

Thoughts

2011-09-19T10:44:00.000+01:00

There were two things that found me yesterday when I least expected them but exactly when they were supposed to.

The first was this brilliant blog post by Ken over at MildlyCreative.com and it struck me how someone elses words summed up exactly how I've been feeling lately. I want to be the best that I can be, especially when it comes to my work. But there are times where I don't think I match the expectations that I have built up for myself in my own head and feeling that I'm failing myself is the worst feeling. Despite that, I also know that that feeling is also a good sign that I'm not willing to settle and that I will always be striving to be the best photographer and person that I can be. It also reminded me to give myself a break.

Secondly there was this campaign below. The genius who decided to put Charles Bukowski's The Laughing Heart poem in a Levi advertisement needs a medal. It makes me want to get my camera and capture beautiful thoughts, feelings and moments...

The Horse Tamer

2011-08-28T20:50:00.002+01:00

I'm aware the blog has been pretty quiet lately. Apologies! I don't know what's happened to me this week but I've been utterly exhausted. In fact, so tired that I've found myself heading to bed just after 10pm all this week. Which, if you know how prone I am to my late night editing sessions, is completely unlike me!

So, absolutely aware of my lack of blogposts I've decided to post a shoot that happened a few weeks ago.

I give you The Horse Tamer...

Much thanks to the gorgeous Denese McCready who having not ever been this close to horses did an unbelievable job. Isn't she beautiful? If you've an eagle eye you may have seen her on the first series of Game of Thrones. It was an absolute pleasure to get her in front of the camera. The fantastic and ever lovely Deborah Harper did the makeup on this shoot too. Thanks also to Cheryl for letting us explore her farm for the morning and her lovely horses Buster and Wee Man.

Fiona and Alex

2011-08-20T14:30:00.002+01:00

There is just so much to say about Fiona and Alex's wedding day that took place a few weeks ago. I have to say that when I first met with the two of them I knew pretty much there and then that I wanted to be booked for their wedding. In fact not even 'wanted' but more so 'HAD' to be booked. And I am so very glad that they did! Fiona and Alex's wedding day was vintage themed and they got a cracker of a day for it.

Never had I shot a short wedding dress until this summer where I've been so excited to see two being worn by brides. Fiona's dress was a Lizzie Agnew creation.

I also *loved* her birdcage veil with a little bit of 'something blue'

Deborah Harper did the make up on Fiona and I know how exciting it was for her to be able to go so red and vintage with the make up.

Kelly McLean of Ashby Hair Lounge did an amazing job with Fiona's hair. I think this may be the only time I've ever heard a bride say 'Can we go bigger?' and it was so lovely to see Kelly get excited about the style she was creating with Fiona on her wedding morning.

There were so many lovely touches with Fiona's outfit. I loved her lace gloces and her shoes were a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choo's

Their wedding day took place at Clandeboye Estate. When I asked them why they chose their venue they explained that they truly wanted the day to be theirs. They wanted to go with their own schedule and their own plans and more so to be able to add their own touches to the day that you wouldn't necesarily have the freedom to do in a hotel. And I have to say that when I saw how their day unfolded, how absolutely genius that decision was.

Alex is Scottish and I let out a wee whoop to myself when I saw the men in their wedding atire ;)

Alex is just absolutely lovely.

Never before has a wedding car got me so excited!

Alex and Fiona planned out lots of time to share with their wedding guests in the gorgeous sunshine

And then they did another genuis move. They cut their cake surrounded by all of their guests so that when we sneaked off to take wedding photographs their guests could enjoy some cake with their drinks. See! Genuis.

And yes it was this moment I FB and tweeted that I was riding in a VW camper van :)

Gorgeous Fiona. Some of these shots never happened thanks to a very random but friendly collie who wouldn't move out of the shots until he'd been sufficiently petted and played with! It took the driver of the camper van to play with him just off the side, that we were able to keep going :)

The wedding party - who knows whether is was the sunshine, the drinks or the general all round happiness of the day, but by the time we came to doing their shots they were all positively hyper!

P.S This will be an inside joke, but I'm amazed that the 'melon cam' remained out of shot in all of these pictures!!

When I went into the banquetting hall to take some detail shots, my chin hit the floor. The set up and the details were incredible! Vintage tea cups and birdcages galore :)

Posh Nosh did an incredible job with the food. In fact each table had a picnic basket, filled with lots of lovely things so that all of the guests could enjoy a picnic while the speeches took place.

What a beautiful day that I will find very hard to forget. Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of it and lots of love to you both XOX

Laura and Russell

2011-08-16T16:56:00.002+01:00

Four years and 1 day ago on the 15th August 2007, Laura and Russell were married! I had only photographed a few weddings at that stage and I was still pretty green about the whole thing to be entirely honest with you. But Laura believed in me and I've never ever forgotten that.

How I photographed then is pretty different to how I photograph now but there was one standout image from their day that I have always loved and still even now it's one of my favourites because it was the feeling in this photograph that I would go on and set out to capture at every wedding and every couple shoot since. It's the photograph that has lead me to always tell Bride and Grooms to 'pretend I'm not here!' and it was this photograph that would go on to launch the style of photography I do now :)

A few weeks ago Laura and Russell were back in front of my camera again and despite the biggest downpour we had great fun!

Russell, I want to say a wee extra special thank you to you too, because I know how much you absolutely *hate* having your picture taken - and I know what I was saying to you and what I was making you do to get some of these shots - thank you! :)

And Laura, you are just as gorgeous now as you were on your wedding day.

I hope even more happiness is in store for you both over the next number of years ahead. xox

A little sweetness

2011-08-12T22:26:00.003+01:00

In the midst of this very depressing weather we've been having lately, here's hoping a little bit of sweetness comes your way this weekend :)

Debbie

2011-08-10T00:11:00.003+01:00

Yes it is after midnight and yes I am blogging. But I had to blog these shots of the very gorgeous Debbie. Debbie and I met through the internet and I have to say I am *so glad* our paths crossed. I was even more excited when she agreed to get in front of my camera last week.

You see here's the thing, I love my job. I really do love that I get to photograph couples madly in love and I get to capture their wedding days. I also love portrait sessions of families because what are we without family? I love their interactions and their love for each other. But where my passion truly lies is photographing women. It's truly something really close to my heart and I really think these photos express that.

All of the shots in this blog post were taken all in the comfort of Debbie's own home and we got treated to tea and met Debbie's gorgeous daughter and mum as well! I also enlisted the make up skills of wondergal Deborah Harper and what a lovely morning we had.

Debbie, thank you so much for inviting us into your home. It tickles me no end that one day your daughter will see these photos and ask where were they taken and you can tell her the story of how we changed her bedroom into our studio for the morning ;)

XOX

P.S Deborah Harper and I are pairing up to bring these sessions to women and we cannot wait!!

An open letter to Chloe...

2011-08-04T21:37:00.004+01:00

Dear Chloe,

Has it really been only eight months since you stepped in front of my camera for the first time?

Because we were talking about this the other day and to be honest I can't quite believe it! It's truly hard to believe that last year I did not know you!

And I just think it's about time that I reminded you of the reasons of why we love you...

For starters you are ridiculously funny...

I can't count the amount of times I've missed shots because I am bent double and laughing my face off...

Even when you've made us laugh unintentionally ;)

Which actually just makes us love you more because you will literally risk falling on your bum for a good photo...

Not to mention even be there in a swimsuit and dancing about a beach in the first place. Especially on a cold Sunday morning in May!!. (even when a lone man and his dog sat and watched THE WHOLE THING!) All because I had an idea and thought it could work.

You've even danced about in the rain because you knew the rain wouldn't show in the shots. In fact you were out the door and in it, before I was!

So just to remind you Chloe...

In case you should ever forget...

We love you.

Even despite the fact that you made me walk 12 miles with you last week by telling me we were just going for 'a quick walk' and we'd be one hour tops... three hours later

And the fact that you keep asking us to give you beauty spots in your photos (both at the make up stage and in post production)

We still love you.

xox

From all of the above shoots:

Hair: Dyanne Sweeney and Janette Mcinerney-Iglesias

Make up: Deborah Harper

Clothing: For Luna Swimsuits, Re-Creations Donaghadee, Models Own.

Yesterday

2011-08-04T09:59:00.002+01:00

A sneaky peek of the fantastic morning I had yesterday with Debbie. I have wanted to set up sessions for women for a long time, and yesterday it all finally fell into place.

Charity Match for the NI Childrens Hospice

2011-08-02T14:35:00.005+01:00

Last week out of the blue my friend Jordie contacted to see if I fancied taking some photos of a charity cricket match that he was organising, all in aid of the Northern Ireland Childrens Hospice. Definitely not one to turn down something for charity I said yes and I found myself at the side of the pitch on Thursday evening.

The match was Donaghadee Cricket Club XI v Belfast Telegraph Select XI. Now don't even ask me what happened during the match because my knowledge on the game of cricket is as good as my knowledge on quantum physics so if you want to see who did what and who beat who, head here.

Usually I like to shoot up close and in the thick of it, but with so much going on (and more importantly I didn't want to get hit by a cricket ball) I decided to dust off my old zoom lens and shoot from the side. Here are some of the match.

As the light was fading, I decided to stop shooting before the match had ended but as I was getting into my car I was absolutely positive that the Belfast Telegraph team had it in the bag. When I asked Jordie who won (he was on the Belfast Telegraph team - which lost! lol) he told me that the Children's Hospice did. And sure enough with a whopping £1400 raised (so far) charity really was the best winner of the night.

With that much banter happening on the pitch on Thursday eve I wouldn't be surprised if this match turns into an annual event! Well done to everyone involved!!!

If you've been inspired to donate direct to Northern Ireland Children Hospice or set up a fundraising event for them you can head to their website.

Yana

2011-07-25T21:46:00.002+01:00

Who remembers their 18th birthday?

Despite mine being more than 10 years ago (crikey I feel old) I still have the necklace my mum gave me which actually proved her gift thinking skills right because she wanted to give me a present that I could keep forever (thank you Mum xo).

Mums really are pretty clever because I really think Yana's mum did something really special for her too. She booked a portrait session for her so that 10 years down the line she could remember how it felt to have one year of school left, to be spending the Summer of 2011 surrounded by the friends she went to school with and to remember the year she began putting plans in place for her future life ahead.

I completely loved every part of our Saturday morning together and I truly hope these photographic memories of your eighteenth year are just as fondly remembered as my own in ten+ years time xo

Hilary and Malachy

2011-07-24T22:47:00.008+01:00

Get yourselves a cup of tea because this is going to be a big post!!

Hilary and Malachy's day blew me away because I've genuinely never experienced anything like it. I truly wish I could gift you all with a time machine and take you all back to Friday because if you weren't there you really missed out on something very special indeed.

The day began at Hilary and Malachy's...

Hilary's dress was just gorgeous! This was the first time I've been to a wedding where there were no bridal flowers because Hilary decided she wanted to have something that she could keep forever so instead she carried a beautiful ostrich feather and pearl creation that was attached to her wrist. Totally unique and totally Hilary ;)

She also attached the date to her wedding shoes

Hilary and Malachy own 4 gorgeous dogs who are very much a BIG part of their lives. They too were guests at the wedding!

Hilary you were the calmest and most chilled out bride I have ever witnessed. Just beautiful.

5 minutes before I left and less than an hour before her wedding, Hilary was happily sitting in her kitchen having a giggle with her friends and family and eating a sandwich, and I couldn't resist this snap

This was my first time photographing at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and it was an absolutely fantastic settingGot to love it when a bride and groom use one of their engagement pictures for their order of service ;)

What can I say about Malachy?! He took on the role of a dapper gent on Friday (although of course he's like this all the time ;)

As soon as Hilary arrived so did the rain but not once did that smile leave her face! She was truly excited rain or not.

Right after the above photo was taken Hilary had to walk to the main door of the church which meant passing a side door which was wide open. And of course Malachy had chosen that moment to chat to friends right beside the door! So while I shouted for Mal to turn away, Hilary couldn't wait and decided to use her umbrella to hide behind and ran past. Anyone watching would have seen a flash of white and heard the loudest shriek of laughter coming from behind it! Love you Hilary!!

I TRULY wish I had the ability to bring every person back in time to experience what happened inside the church that day and since it I have tried to explain to friends and family, and even in doing so the hairs on my arm stand up and I get the goofiest smile on my face - and EVERYONE has had the same response

"Wow!!"

Hilary and Malachy decided to have Belfast Community Gospel Choir sing throughout their wedding service. In fact they joked beforehand that it was a ceremony within a show - and it truly was. The result was absolutely breathtaking. Never in my life have I witnessed anything like it and I would highly recommend witnessing them in person. When you look through their service photos, look at their guests - they never stopped smiling.

And if that wasn't enough, Hilary's nephews and brother in law had brought along instruments and they played two songs for them. During the last song - Elvis's Can't Help Falling In Love With You - I don't know who started it but spontaniously some of Hilary and Malachy's guests quietly began to sing along to the music! And then their voices grew louder and the gospel choir decided to join in too, until everyone in the church were fully singing along to the music. Absolutely Magical :)

When the time came to walk down the aisle as Mr and Mrs, Hilary and Malachy didn't want to leave without hearing their final song (Oh Happy Day) and instead decided to hug their guests and dance at the top of the aisle!

And as the song was coming into it's final notes and the crowd were cheering, Hilary and Malachy grabbed hands and left the church to loud applause, music and happiness!

What a way to go!!

Afterward we photographed around the park and had fun in the beautiful weather

After a while Hilary and Malachy decided it was time to party with their guests on the roof garden at The Merchant Hotel.

There were so many moments captured on their day and even typing this I can't help but have a massive smile on my face just thinking about it. Hilary and Malachy totally went for it and truly enjoyed every single second and it was so refreshing to see. Their day was captured on film by Bobby at Motion Media (highly recommend them!) and we were laughing that they were truly like two hyper kids. And you know what? That's exactly as it should be.

Out of all the photos taken, to me this captures the very nature of Hilary and Malachy - and no, this was not posed, they did this all on their own ;)

I'm going to be extremely jealous of the two of you as you're just about to embark on my dream trip of touring across California, but I hope you attack your honeymoon with as much joy, happiness and all round hyperness that you had on your wedding day. Thank you for gifting me with an experience I will never forget xox

Beautiful

2011-07-18T23:40:00.006+01:00

This was taken in the rain.

Which just goes to show that even in the midst of this rain filled 'Summer' we're currently having, you have the power to go out there in the middle of it all and make it beautiful.

Go do.

Model: Chloe Curran

Make-up Artist: Deborah Harper

Hair Stylist: Janette Mcinerney-Iglesias

Katie and Johnny

2011-07-05T17:04:00.006+01:00

I apologise in advance but this is gonna be a biggie post! In fact this is me cutting it down!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it really is such a pleasure to be able to photograph a close friends wedding day. Katie and Johnny's day was no exception. I had to pinch myself when I looked at Katie as we have talked about her day for so long, both as friends and as photographer and bride and to see it unfolding in front of me in such a lovely way was just brilliant.

Saturday was gorgeous in the weather department and the day started at Katie's house

Katie's hair was done by June Robinson and her make up by Deborah Harper

Before I left to see the boys Katie got into her dress and I think I spent my time being more in awe of seeing her all gorgeous in her dress than photographing!

There have been times on a wedding day when we've been able to work the times out for me to photograph the boys getting ready too. It doesn't happen too often but it never fails to make me chuckle at the differences between boys and girls on wedding mornings. I arrived 20 mins before the boys left to head to the church and there was still one of them in a towel (Johnny!)

Johnny and Katie are both teachers and they met when they were made lab partners in University! Johnny is just as lovely as the first day I met him.

The bridesmaids and flowergirls looked gorgeous!

I knew Katie was arriving by horse and cart. Me and my Carly'ness assumed it was going to be a wee wooden horse and cart. Imagine my surprise when I saw this coming towards the church :)

Sneaky looks at each other through a service are my favourites ;)

It would have taken a long time for the horse and cart to get them to the Culloden so Katie and Johnny did part of the journey and then they switched to a good ol classic to get to the reception

Stunning!

The cake was decorated by our lovely friend Loren. Didn't she do an amazing job!!!

The dance floor was a very fun place to be. Katie and Johnny had strictly told me that my evening was to be spent dancing and not photographing, but how could I miss not getting some romance on the dance floor?!

Absolute and MASSIVE congratulations to you both! Have an amazing honeymoon as you jet off on your cruise tomorrow! Cannot wait to see you for a catch up once you return xoxox

P.S I couldn't resist getting a photo with two of my previous brides and friends and current bride ;)

From left Caroline, Me, Katie, Loren (who jumped into the picture for fun) and Lara xox

To see more updates check out my facebook page

Laura and Michael

2011-06-28T14:56:00.003+01:00

I've known Laura for a very long time as her mum and my mum used to work together and are very good friends. Laura is just lovely and it was such a pleasure to be asked to photograph her marriage to Michael.

We started off the morning at Laura's family home and despite it being a hub of activity it was the most chilled out wedding morning I think I've ever encountered!

Laura is very creative. She had come across these shoes and fell in love with them due to the heart in the heel but didn't like the front so she made these wee flowers for the front instead. She also made all the jewellery for her bridemaids, flowergirls, her mum and for herself.

I LOVED Laura's hair on Saturday! Her hair was done by the very talented Janette and let me tell you, it stayed as it was throughout! Gorgeous!

My sister Kirsty helped design the headpiece in Laura's hair too and it shone throughout the day

For as long as I've known Laura, I've known Michael. He is just lovely and I've never seen him without a smile on his face! I'm so glad these two found each other!

In all the weddings I've been to, this one will forever be memorable. First of all for obvious reasons, it is always so lovely to witness two people get married to each other.

Secondly, it was Father Martin O'Hagan who married them. He is one of the trio from the classical musical group The Priests and so he sang throughout parts of their ceremony and it sounded absolutely beautiful

I couldn't resist snapping these shots of the dance floor and of Laura's niece and nephew. What's the saying... 'dance as if no-one is watching...'

I had to include the most photo stealing opportunity I've ever come across! Laura and Michael had just finished dancing with their wedding party on the dance floor and they saw me with a camera, so Michael quickly kissed Laura...

Yeah, that made me laugh at the time too ;)

Have a fantastic honeymoon in Croatia and I'll see you when you get home xox

Tuesday

2011-06-28T11:36:00.002+01:00

Good Morning :)

Lots of things to mention on this fine Tuesday morning!

First of all, if you don't follow my Carly Rodgers Photography Facebook Page you'll not have heard that I dropped my phone into water on Friday. The toilet to be precise. Pretty gross, but thankfully the toilet was not in use at the time. (promise). I do have a new phone but apparently the sim card was faulty so I'm just waiting on a new one arriving tomorrow and then I'll be letting everyone know of my new business number. Apologies for anyone who has been texting my old number and not receiving a response.

Secondly if you've been contacting me through my email address over the past few days and not heard from me yet, don't panic, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. But I have been submerged under some very heavy duvets and leaving a trail of snottery tissues in my wake. Last week it started with a nasty throat which turned into a nasty cold which was mostly kept on top of thanks to the healing powers of soup, ice-cream and antibiotics. However if you'd been in the car with me on my journey home from photographing Laura and Michael's wedding on Saturday, you'll know I deserved a round of applause for not vomiting on you but I did spend Sunday and Monday recovering and I'm feeling much better!

Here's what cheered me up over the past few days:

1) The best blog post you may ever read. Janine has been the main source of happy tears in this household over the past month and I am so SO happy for her xx

2) Coming across this and realising that no future home of mine will be complete unless it is on my wall - Created by Danny Haas

3) The awesome sauce that is Scott Grimes in Band of Brothers. 10 years later and I still think this is one of the best things that ever hit my tv screen. You tell it was watched during my recovery. I also think I was the only person in the cinema more excited to see him as Will Scarlet in Robin Hood than I was about seeing Russel Crowe in chainmail again. And if you don't know who Scott Grimes is then I'm afraid that you and I cannot be friends anymore. And he can sing. Yeah, legend.

4) Lastly but by no means least, Michael and Laura's wedding which will be hitting the blog shortly ;) xox

Samantha

2011-06-21T18:17:00.005+01:00

Well, as Woody Allen famously quoted 'If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans'.

I had 'planned' my week to be a whole lot differently to how it's currently turning out. I had planned 3 days of solid office work to clear everything so that I could have my Thursday and Friday free to do some personal things. I was so excited on Sunday evening when I was planning it all out that I couldn't wait to get started. Yesterday however I could not get flowing with my workload. I got work done but not at the pace I had planned and I switched the computer off late last night frustrated and cross with myself. There has been a cold bug going around the family and I had been feeling pretty smug that I hadn't caught it but last night after feeling achey and sore most of the day I knew something wasn't right. That was confirmed when I went to bed and I ended up sleeping with my dressing gown on top of my pj's and under two duvets. And I still was shivering.

This morning I woke up feeling rotten with a yucky swollen throat so after a call to the doctors, lots of vegetable soup and bed rest I'm feeling more on my feet than what I did this morning, thankfully. So don't panic Michael and Laura, i'll be fighting fit for your wedding on Saturday! :)

ANYWAY. To feel in some way better for having to go back to bed and miss out on my workload, I got on the computer this afternoon to free up some work space. It was then I came across some of these photos I had taken of Sammy a few months ago. Sammy and I studied Media together. We were in different years and although it was 10 years ago I remember Sammy as she was back then. She was brim full of confidence and the life and soul of the party. She knew herself too. At least that's how I felt when I saw her. We weren't really friends back then because we didn't know each other very much. Things changed when she came to the house one fateful day a few years back to get reflexology from my sister.

10 years on and I am so very fond of her. I thought Sammy would be huge in the media world by now. She was full of such fire and determination. Turns out she's turned that fire and determination into midwifery. Her life took that course after a life changing trip to Ghana in 2009 with Platform2.

When these photos were taken we were in my backgarden and she was talking to me about her journey since then and what had happened in Ghana to move her to go back to college and get everything she needed to do midwifery. I was and still am in total of awe of her. Throughout all of the photos that were taken, there was something that kept bringing me back to these ones. To me, these images show Sam as she told me her story throughout our time together.

A reflective and determined force of nature.

xox

Chris and Natalie

2011-06-20T20:27:00.005+01:00

Chris and Natalie's big day was just LOVELY. Natalie had been following my photography work from the very beginning. Like, waaaay in the beginning when I wasn't even sure if I was going to make photography a career. Even back then she was saying to me that should she ever get married I would be photographing her wedding. 4 or so years later, that's exactly what happened!

Natalie made a gorgeously happy bride

And her groom wasn't too bad on the eye either ;)

Chris is not camera shy. At all. In fact when I was photographing some moments before the ceremony, Chris totally walked into the shot and got himself into some more of the photos ;)

When Natalie arrived, she looked absolutely gorgeous

After they were married, the minister introduced them as Mr and Mrs for the first time. This was their reaction :)

After the ceremony it suddenly began to get very windy and cold so we decided to do their family shots inside the church. When we came back out it was raining hard. The one thing Natalie and Chris dreaded was a rainy wedding day. Thankfully when we reached the place we were going to do their couple and group shots the rain had eased off for a few minutes, only to hit us a few minutes later out of the blue. But Natalie and Chris smiled throughout and made the rain such fun to photograph in.

P.S You wouldn't know it, but when the rain was at its hardest we decided to keep shooting so we ran for cover in a shady bit aka 'The Hole'. It genuinely looked like a dark tiny hole and none of us had any clue whether it would work for photos or protect us from the rain but Chris and Natalie were so willing we went for it. It ended up being so good we were able to throw the umbrella and coats to the ground and shoot away! Massive thanks to bride and groom for going for it :)

The wedding party were great fun and a gorgeous bunch of people!

Chris and Natalie, it was such a pleasure to join you for your big day. Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration. Good luck for the future ahead xo

Johnny and Katie

2011-06-17T11:56:00.002+01:00

Katie and I have been in the same circle of friends for a long time and as the years have gone by I have become so fond of her. I am so excited and honored to have been given the opportunity to photograph a friends wedding this summer!

Katie and Johnny are just lovely together. They bought a house last year and although Katie doesn't officially move in until after the wedding there has been a long running joke that the photo frame that sits pride of place on their fireplace still contains the insert photo that comes with every photo frame! To solve that I convinced them both to get in front of the camera before their big day.

Anyone who knows Katie will know that she *hates* having her picture taken. No matter what party we are at she always is the one to be saying to not point the camera in her direction, so I knew there were some nerves when they first arrived for it but I am delighted with these results! And I hope you found it completely pain free and fun!

Cannot wait to have the best seat in the house at your wedding ;) xo

Fiona and Alex

2011-06-14T19:14:00.009+01:00

I am so excited for Fiona and Alex's big day for a number of reasons...

1. I love their connection - they just make each other laugh so effortlessly

2. I love Fiona's style. She's given me some hints into the ideas and plans for their wedding day and it's gonna be a cracker! ;)

3. Alex is Scottish and he will be my first groom ever in a kilt!

4. The day we shot this it was an absolutely gorgeous, GORGEOUS day. So I took them to a pretty spot which also happened to be the most open to the elements location I could have picked and subsequently may have given them hypothermia by the chill of the wind... (oops) but they trusted and smiled throughout and for that they are - see 5

5. Awesome

See for yourselves :)

xox

Joleen and Chris

2011-06-14T14:21:00.003+01:00

Joleen and Chris made me laugh very much whilst being in their company. A number of years ago I met Joleen at a party and I remember her telling me she had gone on a few dates with a guy who she thought was lovely... imagine my excitement to know I'm photographing their wedding in the summer :)

I'm not showing too many images on the blog as they've got a guestbook and I don't want to spoil the surprise but here are a few of my faves!

Really looking forward to the big day!! xo

Adventuring with Amy and Michael

2011-06-12T10:42:00.005+01:00

I'm going to be completely honest and say that these photographs of Amy and Michael almost didn't happen. We had been planning a catch up for weeks and I was so looking forward to it. I completely adore Amy to bits and I thank my lucky stars that Laura and Andrew (my gorgeous wedding couple from 2009) came into my life, because not only would I not have met them but I also wouldn't have met Amy.

Amy is a very talented photographer and I see so much of myself in her because we are very similar in temperament and nature, and those qualities combined lead to her joining me on a couple of weddings last year. I loved working with her! She has now launched herself into her own photography career and it's so lovely to see her do so well.

Michael, another extremely talented photographer from Canada, met Amy on a very fateful night at Christmas and in his own words said that 'It was her cuteness that caught me and her kindness that kept me'. And since that evening they've been flying to each others companies every couple of weeks. Ah, romance :)

When we arrived together and greetings and hugs were over we went for a walk with our cameras. I totally wanted to take photographs of them both together but was hesitating. I took photographs of sky, flowers and wheat and it reminded me of the times I was so nervous to begin my driving lessons that I successfully used to chat to my instructor for 10 mins at the start of every lesson to distract him from making me drive in busy, scary traffic. He caught on to that about 4 lessons in and made me start the car and talk at the same time....

And then... thanks to heavy rain, a very big puddle under some very big rocks, a pretty sunset, and two very fun people, the photographer part of my brain decided to join the party...

And so began Michael and Amy in front of my camera.

It was such a fun evening to spend in your company and to enjoying playing with the cameras. Much love to you both xox

Behind the scenes of a vintage garden wedding...

2011-06-07T12:52:00.004+01:00

Last week I was involved in a wee creative vintage garden wedding shoot with the ever lovely Janine Walker, Cathy Best, Dyanne Sweeney and Catriona. To see and read all about it check out Janine's blog and do some oohing and ahhhing over her gorgeous images.

I didn't take too many shots, but out of all of them this still remains my favourite. Claire and Mark being all gorgeous and genuinely, wholeheartedly in love. So much so that when we were leaving an elderly man approached to wish them congratulations on their wedding day (which happened about 3years ago ;)

xox

Hannah and Greg ~ The Wedding

2011-05-31T15:02:00.003+01:00

I'm at a loss for words when I try to explain what Hannah and Greg's day was like. They lucked out with the weather and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Good thing too because a very big percentage of their wedding guests travelled from across the world to get there and our weather didn't show us up ;)

The best thing about Hannah and Greg is that they are completely chilled out and they are a lot of fun, as you are about to see...

The Mill at Ballydugan in Downpatrick looked gorgeous

I don't think I saw Hannah without a big massive smile on her face all day!

With Greg being from New Zealand, a lot of his family and friends had flown over for the celebration

And I will say this now, I have never met a set of guys so hyper on a wedding day. These guys were a LOT of fun!

With the way that the Mill is built, despite the sun blazing outside, they were able to have a candle lit ceremony indoors

I think I know where Hannah gets her big smiles and laughter from...

Before the next set of pictures are shown I would just like to publically thank Hannah and Greg for actually managing to look at the camera. Usually when I do couple shots, I take them off on their own and it's all lovely and romantic and intimate. With Hannah and Greg not only were their wedding party standing directly behind and to the side of me shouting, jeering and making them laugh but they were also creating the biggest party atmosphere on the planet. I guess that's what happens when the wedding party alone contained N.Irish, New Zealanders and Americans. In all the weddings I have shot I have never witnessed anything like it!

I know this next shot isn't perfect, but I like it!

Congratulations to the both of you and lots and LOTS of love xox

Peter and Annie - My newborn niece and nephew

2011-05-26T16:24:00.007+01:00

Today my niece and nephew are two weeks new :)

Yes...You did read that correctly! Twins :)

As a twin myself, I know how that twin bond feels and I get so excited to think that it's beginning once again within the family. Twins who will have twin aunties!

When the first set of pictures were taken Annie and Peter were less than a day old. My brother in law took this picture of all the twins meeting each other for the first time.

Annie meeting her Papa.

She just looks so much like my sister in this one!

Peter with his Daddy

My Dad reliving the moment when almost 29 years ago he held Kirsty and I. :)

To our surprise the hospital said my sister could go home with her babies only two days after they were born and after a C section, so when we heard the news all stations were go to make sure the welcome party was ready for their arrival. The two people who couldn't wait the most were Annie and Peter's big cousins Darcey and Evie. Thankfully they were on hand to blow (slabber) up some balloons!

Then the moment Darcey was most waiting for. Holding the babies!!

This was a split second moment, but it's been caught on camera, and since then Kirsty and Matt have been given a lot of abuse on how broody they both look. So I'd like to tell you now, don't even think about it for another few years yet!

Peter has the cutest frown lines in the world!

Annie and her mummy

It's now been 12 days since you've been home and I just can't wait to watch you grow up xox

Beach Belle

2011-05-18T01:16:00.004+01:00

Today is my 29th birthday. Well, I'm writing this at 01:22am in the morning so technically my birthday ended just under an hour and a half ago. But still, as a wee birthday treat to myself I am letting this blog post skip the queue! It is my birthday afterall :)

Being a photographer is not easy. There are so many people who believe that taking photographs is a just simply a click of the button and as if by magic their images appear before them looking all gorgeous and perfect straight out of camera. I wish that was the case but there is a lot of behind the scenes work involved. A lot of late nights and early starts in front of the computer. When that time and energy builds up it's so easy to get completely and utterly burnt out. When burn out hits, it would be very simple to set the camera down and not pick it up any time soon. Because of this it is so important to jump out of my schedule and my to-do list and head out with my camera and shoot entirely for myself.

And with that I am very very pleased and excited to introduce the results of a fun day I had recently with a bunch of my favourite people. Everyone gave up their free Sunday morning to do this and I can't thank you all enough.

The inspiration for this shoot came from a simple photograph of Marilyn Monroe playing on the beach. But where on earth would we find a vintage swimsuit? Thankfully we completely and uttery lucked out when I came across For Luna Swimwear, a UK based company (hooray!) whose aim it is to bring glamour, sophistication and femininity to the beach. I contacted them and told them my idea and they offered some of their swimsuits for the shoot. So I would like to tell everyone now that should you like the look of the swimwear in this shoot, check them out!! I cannot recommend them enough!

And without further ado I'd like to introduce our team and the results!

Our Team:

Photography: Carly Rodgers Photography

Model: Chloe Curran

Make-up Artist: Deborah Harper

Hair Stylist: Dyanne Sweeney

Swimsuits: For Luna Swimwear

On a final note I would like to point out that these gorgeous photographs were not shot shot on some gorgeous island in hot temperatures! They were in fact photographed on a beach beside the main road into my home town of Donaghadee in typical N.Irish May weather! Which is why Chloe requires the biggest medal on the planet! ;) xo

Ruth and Mark's Engagement Session

2011-05-17T18:11:00.004+01:00

Wowzers I'm on a blogging roll today!! :)

Ruth and Mark came to their session pretty nervous but they had no need to be as we had such a blast! It's funny as Mark and Ruth are also from Donaghadee and so I have seen their faces about the town for years but never knew them. That was until my gorgeous twin sis happened to become best buds with the gorgeous Miss Ruth and the rest is history!

Hope it wasn't as scary as you thought it would be!!

LOTS of love!! xox

Chris and Natalie's Engagement Session

2011-05-17T17:50:00.003+01:00

Chris and Natalie are getting married on Friday so here is a wee peek at their engagement session!

We had such a giggle and I cannot wait to see how their big day turns out. One thing you can guarantee with these two is lots of fun!

If you're a guest at their wedding you'll see much more of their pictures in their guestbook! Be sure to sign it!!

See you on Friday!! xo

Family Portraits in Hackney

2011-05-17T12:37:00.004+01:00

I was on my way out the door to photograph when I got the email from Andrea enquiring if I would be interested in coming over to London and photographing her and her family in all their favourite places in Hackney. They were due to move house and Andrea wanted to capture where their children have grown up over the past number of years.

Er, HECK YES!!

We finally got our schedules together and I braced myself for two flights in one day (I've mentioned I hate flying, right?!) and I have to say I have never been so happy to see glorious weather when I stepped off that plane :)

I have never been to Hackney before, and I have to say I loved being toured around it by two people who are so passionate about their memories there.

Aiofe was born on this very couch

After being given the tour of their home the girls got on their bikes and we headed for a walk

Aiofe is certainly a wee character! I love these!

And I love this picture of Andrea and Marcie so much, taken right on their doorstep.

In this very doorway Andrea and Richie decided that their lives were to be together. Only natural we caught another new memory for them in it.

You have no idea how special it was for me to have been involved in creating placeholders for your memories of your life in Hackney. I also am delighted to welcome you back to Northern Ireland for however long you intend to stay here xox