Welcome to the blog of Mike Patterson, a lifestyle photographer based in Galway, Ireland
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This shoot was a pretty exciting day all round as it was quite unusual in that Jessica until the day of the shoot had never had professional pictures taken of her before. Judging by the images we managed to get from the day it would seem like the total opposite, such a born natural!!!
We took these images at the beautiful Coole Park by Gort.
A huge thanks must go to Maja who helped in getting this day sorted, thank you Maja!!!
I was looking to do a few portrait shots recently as I wanted to try out some new techniques and add some new images to the portfolio of course. I asked my good friend Maja, who is a great photographer in her own right, if she would be up for having a go on the other side of the camera for a change. She jumped at the opportunity and the day we decided to do the shoot she even brought a change of clothes which meant we could try some different styles. The shoot also served another purpose as as we wanted to get some shots of her so she could use them in the “About Me” section of her web site.
We had such a blast that we decided that another one was going to have to be done in the near future. The biggest difference with the next session is we are going to swap places with me on the receiving end of the camera especially as I mentioned I needed new pictures for my section too.
A little while back I posted Majella and Patrick’s sneak preview and to be honest I totally forgot to continue the original post and add some more images. I was reminded today after speaking with Majella about another totally unrelated topic of discssion.
So without further delay, I present the star of the day, young Patrick.
I was first introduced to Majella and the rest of the family almost a year to the day when I was asked to take some portraits by a friend.
To my surprise I got a call about 2-3 weeks back from Majella to say she had had a baby and would I come out to take a few snaps. It was good seeing everyone again, especially the little princesses, who had all grown so much since I last saw them. When I got there Majella and one of the girls were feeling a bit rough around the edges so I took a couple of snaps but decided to come back when everyone was on top form.
I thought a quick sneak peek was in order of the cute Patrick with his saucepan eyes! Girls, you had better watch out when he is much older as no doubt this young chap will break some hearts for sure.
The shot was taken using only natural light with a 50mm f1.4 lens on my 5D. Any other questions, just leave me a comment and I will answer soon enough.
I shot Rachael & Glynn’s wedding on New Years Eve 2009 and was over the moon when I heard they had a new addition to the family. As Rachael is back in Ireland for a few days to see her family and friends, I was asked if I could take a few snaps whilst she was over. I had heard that Rhosyn had the most amazing eyes and boy, she did not disappoint.
So without any further hesitation I am proud to introduce to you the delightful and gorgeous Rhosyn.
The shot was taken using only natural light with a 50mm f1.4 lens on my 5D. Any other questions, just leave me a comment and I will answer soon enough.
Let’s keep the momentum going here and add another portrait session I did very recently.
Katherine McGee, who I know through Bualadh Bos, the Oranmore Music & Drama Group has been asked to do a presentation in Dublin in the near future. She was asked by the organisers to provide a head-shot which is to be used in the programme and for the web site. As she did not have any new or decent images to hand, this is where I stepped in to help out.
I was also recently asked how I achieved the above shot when I showed it to another photographer friend so I thought I would let you know. In a nutshell, it was done Strobist style!! I used a Canon 580EX Mk1 flash (at 1/8th power) on a light stand using a small softbox on camera left to help soften the light. By keeping the shutter speed at a decent enough speed, it ensured the background light came through and provide nice ambient background light. I also used my super duper 85mm F1.2 L II lens which I have started using again with great results.
The second shot below was just something we did in the back garden of my house as Katherine had her lovely dog, Oskar with her to keep us company and we wanted to make sure he was in on the action too.
As most of my friends and family know, doing portraits is a passion of mine. So when Hildegarde Naughton rang and told me a regional newspaper were about to publish an ‘In Profile’ piece on her and asked would I do some shots of her, I jumped at the opportunity to help out. As well as trying to find out a bit more about Hidegarde, the article was also touching on the new Gilbert & Sullivan musical, The Mikado, which she is involved with taking place at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway.
As she has recently been elected to Galway City Council, Hildegarde was looking for the shots to be less official or formal looking which suited me to the ground. We headed into Galway and ended up at the House Hotel which is a cracking boutique style hotel in the city centre. I have used this hotel on numerous occasions in the past so it was a bit of a no brainer heading there again.
Here are a couple of the shots I took and I will add a copy of the article to show you how it ended up when I get a copy.
