Blogs

Starting School Portrait Appointments!

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IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!
 
Important message for parents of Junior Infants… Bonane, Kenmare, Kilgarvan, Lauragh & Tuosist.
Normally we have a ‘Starting School’ portrait event which we call ‘Walk In Wednesday’ where new starters can pop into the studio to celebrate the start of big school with a smart portrait.
Whilst this isn’t a normal year, we still want to make sure all new starters have the opportunity of a ‘starting school portrait’
BUT we will not be able to have a walk in event this year.
So here’s what is about to happen. 
If you’d like to have a portrait of your Junior infant we’ll have 6 appointments each day on the 1st , 2nd and 3rd of September.
Your preferred appointment times will need to be pre-booked and confirmed back to you via email to nick@nickcavanagh.ie
The available times are
Tuesday 1st, 
Wednesday 2nd 
Thursday 3rd September.
Morning 8.40 am and 8.55 am
After School 2 pm and 2..25 pm
Mid – Afternoon 4pm and 4.15pm
 
This will give us a chance to keep the studio wiped down and manageable. 
Questions.
Pricing
Our print packs range from €20 for a mounted 10 x 8 to €40 for a 9 print multiple family pack.
 
Can we do sibling portraits ?
Yes but not cousins or friends. In order to stay on the right side of Covid – this will be a single house event. Parents/ Guardians will be required to wear masks.
What about Masks?
I will be masked and gloved – and more than 2 metres away. We’ll wipe down the surfaces after each appointment.
Please wait outside the studio for appointments.
When will the images be available to view and order?
We’ll have the order forms printed within 4 days. Orders will need to be placed Friday 19th September and will be processed together. Any orders placed after this will have a €7 fee to cover delivery costs.
Can we mix different images into the multipacks?
No, the multipacks will all be printed with your single image selection. 

Turn some heads!

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Nobody really knows what is going to happen in the future . At some point we are going to be given some kind of a go ahead. It will be time to wake our businesses up.

Getting your business noticed is going to be key to living life normally again and I’m keen to help you achieve that with fresh and exciting professional images.

I’m offering an opportunity to all local businesses to sit down and look at the kind of images you need and write out a short action plan. This is a complimentary service open to all with no obligation. Just drop me a line and we can chat on the phone!

The next bit is the photography. You might need contemporary team headshots, a B&B room shoot or a full product catalogue. If you are proud of it – customers will want to see it. We’ll organise it that we capture quickly and get them backfire you to use sharpish. Planned images are always better and that’s why using a professional service is advisable. We know that impact is everything and we won’t rest until it’s working for you.

Here’s the encouraging bit – there’s no urgency on payment. In order to take the sting out of things we are offering all our commercial work with 90 day payment terms.

Can we help you and your business ? Whether you operate online or in the real world our studio in Kenmare is there to help you get more from your business. If you think we can help you with your product photography drop us a line, nick@nickcavanagh.ie or call Nick on 0879 491 002

Eyes Closed.

Eyes Closed.

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I once entered a portrait for a national award that I thought was something special. The subject was a young woman whose life story had been harder than I can express with words. Despite the extreme challenges she had faced (and still faces) she was bubbling with joy and appreciation. I don’t think I can recall meeting anyone with such a defining spirit of positivity. She beamed not just with her smile but with her whole demeanour.
I had selected a portrait of her expressing that joy (she had her eyes closed)  but the comment I received from the judge really annoyed me. 

‘Her eyes are closed in this picture. You need to see the eyes in a portrait’.

 

The judge had completely missed the point. As a portrait photographer I don’t want to make people look ‘good’, I want to tell their story. I don’t even like to have to explain an image with words. Having to explain suggests that the image hasn’t  done its job fully.  Portrait photography is about telling stories.

This portrait has had a big effect on me throughout my life. It’s by Gerald Waller and it’s called New Shoes – it was taken in Austria in 1947 and was made famous by Life Magazine. 

The young lad has been given a new pair of shoes by the American Red Cross  and you can see he’s overcome. He’s beside himself and his eyes are closed.
I’m not sure I would ever be able to convince a subject to ‘close their eyes and look happy’- it would be such an odd request and can’t imagine it would work. Those moments just happen and you either capture them or you don’t.

Yesterday I was asked along by the family of Carlos and Joan who were visting Parknasilla on the occasion of their 35th wedding anniversary- they had a lovely ceremony with their three (grown up) children celebrating their wedding and their future.
I was actually capturing a portrait of just the children when I turned to my right and saw them stood by my side. Completely not posed, just a beautiful testimony to brilliant people still in love.
It’s an image I’ll hold on to.  Just look at Carlos’ eyes – there’s a proud and happy man.