I was very fortunate just the other day when Stacey and Declan drove up to to meet me in Mullaghmore in Sligo. They travelled all the way from Dublin. At this time of year on the West Coast of Ireland, huge storms ravage the coast and along with it heavy wind and rains are common conditions almost every day. I was really hoping that we would have nice weather – or at least a break in the storms….luckily on this day we did!!
Mullaghmore has some kind of mystical lure to it. It just pulses, from sky to sea. It’s hard to describe this unique majestic. Unless you have been there yourself, and stood upon the cliffs and looked down upon the roaring mother ocean…it really can not be accurately described. A beautiful place that will consume you in a heartbeat – if you take one step too far, or dare wonder too close, yet so peacfully and beautifully perfect. A magical place to capture and create imagery, to say the least.
I don’t get to do to many pregnancy/maternity shoots….not because I don’t want to (I love doing them), I guess just because I don’t get asked to do them that much. I hadn’t met Declan and Stacey before the shoot as we were just liaising on emails and online. Ive been doing this photography thing a long time now, and Im pretty open to everyone and all personalities – as soon as I met them though, I could instantly feel their warm spirits – and Stacey brought along so many cool little things for the shoot. I was super amped and instantly inspired. I get the same feeling when the waves are perfect, its almost like you want to do a hundred things at once, but you need to “Stop, Breath, and Think”…and then act, or in this case, Shoot!
We met in Mullaghmore harbour, and shot around there for a while, before heading south along the coast where we came across some seriously amazing spots near the famed Mullaghmore Head. While shooting, I saw all these rocks below a cliff, and thought it would be so great to somehow get down there, but I realised that I cant ask a pregnant girl almost ready to pop, to hike all the way down there…It’s a bit dangerous. I mentioned it anyway, and before I knew it Stacey and Declan were scaling the cliff. Ya know, It is true that the subject of a shoot makes up for the result as much as the photographer, when the subject is prepared to work for the images – then better results are commonly the norm. I wish I could say that shooting with me is a breeze, but it isn’t….we climb hills, we get wet in the sea, we change outfits on the side of the road, and we mission and travel. Thats what we did after we spent some time along the Mullaghmore cliffs when we headed up to Bundoran. I was in Bundoran a few days before the shoot, and saw the most epic beach ever (later I learned it’s called Tullan Strand), and thought I must come here and shoot one day soon.
I really had fun working with “Dex and Stace”, they are kindred spirits and exciting people – and are destined to be amazing parents.
I wish them the best with the new addition to the clan. I really hope to do some more creative pregnancy shoots too, soon…for me these kinds of shoots are a lot of fun, and now that I am a father of two, I feel that I have more of a connection and understanding for the meaning of what this kind of image creation is all about. I hope you take a look at the images and hope you can catch a glimpse of who these people are.
