Storybook Albums from Rachel Fox Photography

There are so many ways to describe a wedding album, but it is not the album that is important, it is the images within.  With this in mind, I design each album myself, using the images I feel best portray my clients and the most memorable parts of their day.  My clients each receive a proof of their album after which they can request images to be included, this means that with both my own unique design and my clients input each album tells the perfect story of the day.

The beauty of the storybook album is the fact that there is no limit to the images included which means that every part of the day can be included in the album itself from preperations through to the end of the night.

Gone are the days where brides need to select a maximum of 30 images to be presented int heir album, giving them a chance to really show, in years to come, how the day unfolded.

These albums are included in the standard wedding packages.

30th birthday present

Yes, the milestone is near!  To celebrate my 30th Birthday I am offering 30% off all rock the frock / trash the dress shoots booked before my big day, November 10th.

Fiona & John

As I pulled up outside the house Fiona came out to greet me.  I waited painfully as her phone rang and she answered flustered asking whats going on, what is wrong!  I thought no, this could not be, but as Fiona laughed those 2 minutes of near heart failure ended.  John had a razor incident and ended up having to shave his hair on the morning of the wedding.  It was not the be all and end all of everything and Fiona took in in her stride.   Forr me the tears started to well up in my eyes firstly as Fiona walked into the kitchen in her dress.  Her gorgeous daughter beaming from ear to ear.  I asked them to dance for some photos and the joy, happiness and excitement melted my heart.  Again my eyes welled up in the church as Fiona glanced at me, with the biggest smile and I could see how happy she was that yes, this was her moment.

There are so many things I can say about a wedding, so many details of the day such as the most beautiful flowers, the gowns, the jewlery, the button holes, the cars, but to me, this wedding was all about those 2 moments when my eyes welled up.  For those 2 moments are what weddings are all about, the moments when the heart shines.  

New Bookings

Wedding photography is not just about the photos, honestly it's not!  Yes the photos are very very important but a couple need to know they will enjoy their day, they need to know what to expect!

Ok so we all know that I love wedding photography by now don't we...?  Well if not, I do, I am addicted, I admit it, it is all I have ever wanted to do and I'm loving it.  To ensure that I can give a good service and experience I like to meet my clients first before taking the final booking where possible.  A face to face meeting gives the security that I am right for my clients and they are right for me.  I love people, I love social interaction and being part of the excitement, I want to continue to love every part of my job for a long time to come, as much as I pretty much get along with anyone if a client didn't feel that they could gel with me then they are much better off booking elsewhere, I am honest about that as I think it is important to show people that to me their enjoyment of their wedding day is paramount.  I have been a bride, I know that although we all want gorgeous images we don't want to spend forever getting them, interaction is they key and setting out the plans you have for the day also. 

So on that note, tonight I met with Mark and Jean.  They are due to wed in November of next year.  I have to say, I usually stay with clients for about an hour during our first meet, going through the details and getting a feel for them.  I stayed with Mark and Jean for 2 hours!!!  I know, when I looked at the time I just though oops, my hubbie is going to kill me but heck I can't wait for their wedding.  I can't wait for any clients wedding but walking away after taking a booking knowing that this is the perfect fir for me as a photographer and them as clients puts me in a damn great mood.

It's funny, I don't know if it seeps out of me or something but anytime I am in a damn great mood people just talk to me, strangers, haha, even the checkout lady in the shop in the way home had a good old story for me. 

Smile and the world smiles with you;)

Classic Black and White or Glorious Colour

It's a hard decision isn't it, black and white or colour.  For years people have enjoyed beautiful colour as it is still relatively new but in this digital age it is so easy for us to choose afte rthe photograph has been taken.

Is it that simple though...?  Sometimes images will work only in black and white for many many reasons, in music it may often be due to colour casting from stage lights, sometimes it may be due to colour balance or a high level of noise form a night time shot but with weddings, well you can pretty much choose colour or black and white.  How do you make that choice?  Why do you make that choice?

Brides spend so much time choosing their colour schemes, from the colour of the bridesmaids dresses, the mens waistcoats, flowers, even down to nails and eyeshadow and then we take it away by transferring to black and white!  Colour photos can be so vibrant and beautiful but we are still intrigued by the timeless feel we get from a stunning black and white classical portrait.

So which would you choose, why would you choose it?  Sure why not just get both, all of my images are supplied in colour and black and white for my couples to choose from themselves.

Suzanne & Peter

So on the wedding day, well there was a nip in the air, a nice bright crisp morning, I arrived in Navan with some time to spare so I stopped off at the church first to get some pics before anyone arrived.  When I arrived at Suzannes house the girls were full of excitement.  Makeup and hair was just being finished so off I went to photograph the dress and details.  I was pleasantly surprised by Suzannes choice of footwear, gorgeous white boots.  Its always nice to be different and this were absolutely stunning.

Peter was waiting for his bride at the church with his family & friends.  Peter is one guy I could not imagine angry, this guy always has a smile on his face and family is obviously very important to him, giving his sons lots of attention throughout the day.

I have been lucky to meet with this lovely couple again since the wedding, most recently when I shot Suzannes mothers surprise birthday bash this week which I am sure I will post on the blog soon enough.  It's always a pleasure to work with some nice people and not only are Suzanne and Peter very welcoming but so are both of their families.  Best wisshes to you all in the future.

High quality albums

For a long time I have been wanting bigger and better albums, well today I have finally settled on the one.  The Graphi album.  I am delighted, I have decided the cover I am going to run with too and can't wait to order one, I'm really excited to see how my images look in these albums.

So time has come for bigger and better things, the first step has been the graphi album, an album which is made in Italy, one of the most sought after on the market and has the ultimate wow factor combining modern print with traditional classic stylish covers.  Whats next...?  Framing solutions have been put in motion and my ear is stuck to the ground waiting for the best possible location for Rachel Fox Photography studios.  Fingers crossed it doesnt take too long.

Being recognized

This week I covered a birthday bash, which of course is always great fun.  This was no ordinary birthday bash, 2 bands on the main stage with an acoustic corner in another part of the venue there were musicians everywhere and everyone was enjoying the night immensely.  It was great to have the opportunity to photograph both the Blood Brothers and Pat McManus performing.

I was a bit taken aback however at being recognised myself.  Last year I photographed another bash when a girl came asking 'oh my God are you Rachel Fox', to say the very least I was dumb struck, I mean I take pictures of other people so how I was recognised then amazed me.  This weekend I was approached on two occasions, one girl saying oh you're Rachel Fox you photographed my friends wedding and again a couple asking was I the Rachel Fox who photographed Siobhans wedding and would I photograph theirs. 

It was great fun and a change to be recognised myself, thanks guys, you made me feel extra special.  So a picture of Siobhans wedding here since I was recognised for that wedding first. 

Meeting with the client

Today I delivered the disc of images to Mary.  I like actually meeting up with my clients after the wedding day, I love seeing the looks on their faces as they look through the pictures and Mary didnt let me down.  She was absolutely delighted, and with her family around her looking through I was over the moon with their reactions.

I'm delighted with the images and I really enjoyed the time I spent with Mary and Ciaran, and Marys family really are a lovely bunch of people and I look forward to hopefully meeting up with them again.

Cheers guys!

Mary & Ciaran

Well what can I say about Mary & Ciarans big day.  Despite weather forecasts the day was lovely.  I arrived at Marys house early on the day, as I tend to do and I was completely overwhelmed by her family, never mind just the size but the kindness and friendliness of everyone,t hey were all a pleasure to work with.

Mary looked absolutely stunning in her gorgeous white gown and I was delighted to see she had chosen my favourite style of shoe, a simple court heel.  With such a tall strapping hubbie the heels were about 5 inches high but Mary floated around in her dress like the shoes were made for her. 

There wer eno nerves when I arrived at the church and although there were moments when Ciaran looked at me like I was mad he was very co-operative and relaxed to allow me to get the job done with ease.  We had a laugh but we weren't waiting long for the bride to arrive, she couldnt wait to walk down that aisle.

The reception venue was amazing, Westgrove Hotel in Clane and all the staff were a pleasure to deal with.  What a lovely location, the hotel is huge and even though they do not have extensive grounds they have made great use of the area they do have, very easy to photograph in. 

It was a pleasure to photograph this wedding and Mary & Ciaran I wish you both the best in the future together.  Looking forward to meeting up and showing you all the pictures.

Darren & Michelle

Last week I had the rare opportunity of photographing a friends wedding.  The nerves got to me a little bit more than usual, thinking constantly of how all eyes would be on me, more than usual and how I couldnt make too much of a fool of myself.  I tend to get very into photography sometimes and act a little silly. 

Well as soon as I arrived at the house all my nerves were gone, Michelle was a vision.  Having first met Michelle a good 7 years ago I was delighted to be such a big part of the day and looking at how amazing she looked, the fact that it brought me close to tears, I couldn't even imagine how Darren would feel when he set eyes on her.  At one stage I looked at the camera reviewing an image of Michelle by the mirror, and thought to myself, wow today she really is the most beautiful woman in the world.

On to the church it was fun and laughter with the boys as always, dressed in traditional kilts, the socks slipped from time to time and they refrained from using false tan, but lads, you looked mighty fine.  Darren scrubbed up quite well, as did the rest of the lads and stood proudly waiting for his bride.

The whole day was an enjoyable experience but Darren and Michelle put a lot of thought into the evening.  Hiring the best band in town, yes it was my husband so I have to say that, the crowd got into a setlist of pop and rock and Darren even took to the stage to play along for a couple of songs.  What topped an amazing day out altogether was a nice acoustic session in the residents bar with Distraction. 

Congrats Dar & Michelle.  Hope to see you guys very soon.

Wedding Photography Slideshow

Here is the first installment of my slideshows.  Enjoy pictures from the wedding of Erin & Mark in July 2010.

Introducing Me!

Well folks, the time is here, Iain has done a fantastic job.  The new website is up and running after less than a week and I extremely grateful for all the work that has been put in so if anyone out there is looking for a new site I would highly recommend Iain Nash.

Let me know what you guys think, I like it but more importantly, do you like it?

Some more recent images in there also and it should be updated regularily.

Enjoy.

http://www.rachelfoxphotography.com/

Sunday relaxation

I just sat down to watch Jasmine Stars last session on creative live as they were taking their break so this is a good time to take a moment to write.

I am completely over the moon that a new friend has put so much work in over the last few days building a new site for me.  I didn't even ask so I am astounded that the lovely Iain Nash just decided to give it a go, fair play, the world is full of good people, unfortunately we don't hear too much about them.  So here's to you Iain, you rock!

Last night I had a child swap with Ruth, a good friend of ours.  Ruth came around today to swap back and sure ended up staying most of the day, my rock wife, aka Kev, made dinner for the 5 kids that were here, myself and Ruth.  We had hours of kids coming and going but it was a nice relaxing Sunday. 

I didn't even take the laptop out until about an hour ago, which is when I decided to show Ruth the preperations of my new site, again, thanks Iain.  Whilst going through the site I kept going back to this one picture.

This is Fidelma and Dave.  I shot their wedding last August (2009) and really enjoyed it.  I love Fidelma, we chat all the time and really hit it off.  This is one of the great things about my job, yes I go out and do some work that I enjoy but from time to time I also make good friends through it.  Dave recently went through an operation on his knee and suffered some complications.  Last I heard he was hoping to get out off hospital tomorrow so fingers crossed that goes well.  Best wishes to you Dave for a speedy recovery.

Jasmine Star

I am loving the Jasmine Star course streaming.  I love how relaxed she is with her clients, I dont think wedding photography is an area where you can be overly professional.  I feel my clients relax more when I behave like me, there is no point in pretending to be something you are not, others will pick up on that and often dislike you for it.

I am me and I hope this plays a part in why my clients book me and not only because of the style and images.

Has anyone else watched?  I'd love to hire her as a husband trainer, seriously that JD rocks, he follows her around like a puppy.  Jasmine, train my hubbie!  Haha, no Kev you rock too, thanks for doing the rock cleaning and making me dinner when I came home from work today!

Go Jasmine!

My 3 words

Romantic, Fun & Relaxed.

Sinead & Liam

Sinead & Liam, yes it was in April but this couple have really left an imprint on my memory.  

So I'll start with Liam and the boys, wow what fun I had, I love meeting a nice group of lads and these lads were great.  These 3 brothers were complete jokers, I like to have fun so we got along just perfectly and well you know what, they scrubbed up well, didn't you boys!

When I reached Sinead, well what a laid back girl, there was no rush whatsoever in preperations, this gorgeous bride was in no rush at all, sorry Liam.  In this stunning gown Sinead really shone as the perfect bride to be. 

The girls travelled to the church in Sineads fathers old limo, with the large windows it was oerfect for getting a shot of the girls as they pulled up outside the church.

Pink tulips hung fromt he pew ends in the church where the altar was decorated by flowers.  Liam stood anxiously waiting his bride who walked up the altar on the arm of her father. 

With many guests bring part of the deaf community Sinead and Liam had a sign language interpretor on the altar.  I loved when one guest came do to a reading and the interpretor read the words as the guest signed.  The fact that when this couple look back on the pictures of their vows they know the exact words coming out of their mouths at that moment because of the sign, this is so romantic.

After the ceremony guests gathered outside the church to congratulate the happy couple.  I loved the confetti, in this day and age it is more unusual especially with some officiants regretfully disallowing the use of confetti.  I love the results from confetti, from time to time I come across images with digital confetti scattered across the picture and there is absolutely no comparison. 

Sinead and Liam were both completely at ease in front of the camera, I enjoyed every moment photographing them as I did with the rest of the bridal party.  We had great fun and even though at a time the lads were worried about their knees, I still can't understand that lads, embrace your youth, we still got the shoes off and got on with a bit of fun.  So all in I enjoyed the whole experience of dealing with this lovely couple, from our first meeting to delivery of the finished album I would do it all over again.

Lots of love to both of you guys and enjoy the rest of your life together. xx

 

 

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Weddings

I'm not the best blogger in the world am I? Sure that is going to have to change, I have been spending sooo much time on facebook I have completely forgotten about my blog.

So I have titled this entry weddings, why you ask, well because I love weddings and that is all I have been focussing on this year, well apart from the odd rock star or two but wedding photography is where my heart lies.....

I love my name, it's cool but I sometimes think should I have used my maiden name for photography, Harte Weddings would be so cool, photography from the heart, excuse the pun, haha, well with Rachel Fox you still get photography from the heart (or Harte) so it's still cool and I dont want my hubbie to divorce me so Fox it is!