Pierre& Karen

At around11.30am yesterday Pierre & Karen became Mr & Mrs Conlon.
They were married at Ballydown Pres Church and then had their reception and wedding party at the Ballymascanlon Hotel in Dundalk.

Some things that you never forget and one of them was taking Jo-Anne and Karen to Belfast to find a house to live in, for their first year at Queens. So full of excitement and out going and yet inside so unsure of the big bad world they were about to become a part off. Karen was a great friend to Jo-Anne and they had some wonderful times together and I am sure some I didn't get to hear about.
Now in what seem such a short time Karen has graduated and is now Dr Karen (well done Karen).

Best wishes to them both and I hope they will be very happy together.
Some snaps from the wedding, Karen arrived in a horse drawn carriage hence the Horses.

(as always click on the photo to see a larger image)

It's that time again

This is the time of year when I can combine my two favourite activities, Horse riding and Photography. last year around this time I went to the my riding school just to take a few photos, but it turned into something rather different and the kids were lining up to have their photos taken with their horses and ponies. So the weather was good and the cross country was on, and I was free so time for a bit of fun.

Apart for a few older, sorry more mature riders this is a fairly young group. Although they are young their level of skill and determination is something to be admired. It is very exhilarating to watch them gallop from jump to jump and just have a great time,I just love the sound and the vibration of the horses on the ground as they go by. The group have a great social thing going as well, and the potential for some of these kids is enormous.

(As always click on the photo to view a bigger version)

I know that this photo is not perfect but I just love the speed and energy of Sabine (not sure if that is the correct spelling) riding Spring. This was an attempt at panning with my subject. Needs a bit of work but this is something I will work on over the coming weeks.


This is Wendy's pet cow Petunia. I saw her standing on the hill and the light was high-lighting her against a blue sky, so got a bit closer and took a few snaps.



I took loads of photos of the guys jumping so more to come when I get time to process them.


I love photographing people and a 200mm lens lets you get real close without being obtrusive. This was taken outside the stables as the kids were un-tacking the horses, I think the young lad was riding Jack today.
MTC..

Katelyn

This is my wee cousin Katelyn. Katelyn is only 6 and a bit years old and in that short time has gone through more trauma than most people do in a life time. Thanks to much Prayer and the skill of the medical staff at The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast. Katelyn is an example of sheer determination and human endeavor, and it was a pleasure to take her photo.

What a busy week

Started off doing a family portrait with the Casements, shot my first wedding on wednesday and shot some photos of Ballydown Music Team at Lisburn.


My friend Laraine had asked me for some time to take a photo under the Palm tree. So given the weather that's just what we did. It was good experience for me especially just a few days before the wedding.










A friend asked me if I would take some photos at a wedding. Turns out that it was Charlene, one of the first people we met when we moved to Banbridge. Charlene was a good Friend to my daughter Jo-Anne so it was a pleasure to be involved in their special day. Andrew and Charlene were a super couple to work with and we had a great day.









Railway Street Church in Lisburn just finished refurbishing their Church and the Ballydown Music team were asked to play at the Sunday Evening service to celebrate the re-opening of the Church. Its always great to be asked to get involved in something creative.
Harry asked me to do the technical stuff. The choir sang a piece in sync with a video background and Alice sang a solo "Don't ever let me loose my wonder" and it was simply brilliant. A lady from Railway street called Janet played the Cello and I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up, well done everyone.