Lovestills sits down with Ireland-based professional wedding photographers Adam + Grace to learn more about their stunningly moody, raw yet romantic style of photography around picturesque Ireland (Game of Thrones fans anyone?).
Q: Hello Adam & Grace! Tell us a little something about yourselves.
We are both from Ireland. We met 6 years ago and got married 6 years ago :) We met through work, Adam needed some photos taken for his work and we had mutual friend so he contacted me about that and we met at a coffee shop to chat about it. We chatted a lot during that first meet up, almost 4 hours. We knew we wanted to see more of each other and to cut a long story short we got a ring after 3 weeks and exactly 4 months to the day that we met in that coffee shop for the first time we got married! Crazy! But as people say, you know when you know and we certainly did :)!
After 6 months of marriage and trying to convince Adam to come along and shoot with me, he did and now we get to spend our work and home life together shooting weddings both here in Ireland and travelling to shoot weddings abroad as well. We have since had three beautiful children too, Isaac, Anna and Joshua :)
Q: Why wedding photography?
I (Grace) studied graphic design and advertising. There seemed to be more interest in my photography than my graphic design and my design work started to become more photography based than design based so I set up a little Facebook page over 8 years ago and things just grew from there. Adam started with me a couple of years later and here we are finding it difficult to imagine doing anything else :)
Q: How would you describe Adam + Grace's photography aesthetic?
We are all about the romance and fun side of weddings. We love the classic feel but with a contemporary touch. We love to incorporate adventure and wild scenery into our photos too. We love moodiness and to create and capture true raw emotion whenever we can.
Q: Tell us more about the adventure sessions that you offer ? They sound really fun!
Aw we love adventure sessions! They are pretty much a photoshoot but with a little more adventure. So instead of your typical walk in a park, we go exploring into the rugged and wild, unkempt landscape. They take around 1-3 hours depending on locations and how many photo opportunities there are. Adventure sessions are a great way to explore and get some amazing photos with an epic backdrop.
Usually couples would contact us initially and share some of their hopes and ideas for the shoot. They may even have a specific country or location in mind. If they don’t we can recommend some amazing options. Its always good to get a feel from the couple what kind of setting they imagined, rugged Ireland or another country similar. Or somewhere perhaps with a little more sun and mediterranean feel to it. Once we get a good idea of this then we can take it from there and suggest some great spots. If the couple have no idea what they would like we can certainly guide them in what we think would be an awesome place for a shoot. We can also advise on outfits, colors and tones for the couple to wear on the shoot, things that would compliment the overall feel. Cliffs and dramatic landscape work really well, something like the cliffs of Moher (Ireland) or the Isle of Sky (Scotland). If you are keen for more sunnier climate, Portugal has an amazing coastline with cliffs or perhaps Greek islands such as Santorini to name a few.
Q: You guys travel quite a fair bit around Ireland & Europe for wedding shoots. Where are some of your favorite locations to shoot at?
We love Ireland, naturally with it being our homeland but out of all the places we have been to and photographed at, France has our hearts. We love the unkempt countryside, relaxed setting and beautiful soft light.
Q: It seems like many couples travel specially to capture beautiful memories. What do you think is so attractive about Ireland in general as a destination shoot location?
It is funny how you do not appreciate something when you grow up with seeing it everyday but through doing this job and working with so many couples travelling here from overseas it has really grew our love for our little country all over again.
We have cliffs, rugged scenery, old castle ruins and so much history to explore. We have this amazingly epic grey weather that adds so much moodiness and feeling to our images. The air is fresh (very cold at times) but fresh, windy and wild. A rain coat might be a good idea to bring with you (just in case) but aside from that the scenery and weather is what truly makes Ireland as special as it is.
Q: What are some tips you would give couples who are interested in travelling to a destination for their pre-wedding shoot?
Our main advice would be to give yourselves enough time. With the weather especially in Ireland you can never be sure so its a good idea to be flexible as you can. We have had to change the day around in the past to work with the best weather that has been forecasted so if you are flexible for a day or two then this could really help. Plan your accommodations around the ideal photo locations so that you don't have to travel too far, which would help for sunrise shoot or sunset shoot.
Another main tip would be to work closely with your photographer. Travelling to different countries we tend to know the best spots that would be popular but so as we know where to shoot and where would be best for the best light and things we always travel out a few days beforehand to make sure we have sourced the area out really well.
Q: Share with us a memorable story that happened on one of your shoots?
In July one of our lovely couples travelling from America had planned to do a shoot at a cliffside in Ireland on their anniversary but we had weather watched all day and the rain seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. We were in close contact with the couple all day and eventually decided to change the shoot to the next morning instead. The couples laid back nature and flexibility really helped in this situation. Not only that but they had a couple of days extra to spare to we were able to choose the best time for the shoot. This couple then explored with us for just over 3 hours, we traveled up and down the coastline together taking a variety of different shots, they even got up close and personal with some wild Irish horses. The whole shoot couldn’t have went any better! We had great fun, they had a blast not only getting photos taken but they also got to explore the country a little as well!
Q: Is there an ideal client for Adam + Grace?
We love couples who are up for an adventure, have a great sense of style and who are open to exploring with us and working with us in getting them the best experience and images.
Q: Last but not least, what advice would you give to couples to help them to get the best from their overseas wedding photography experience?
Work with your photographer, ask them about styling for the photos, light and times on the day. Ask them for their favorite suppliers to work with and share how you would like your wedding or shoot to be. Between your vision and your photographers experience together you can create something really magical!
♡
For couples looking for a different moody and raw style of documenting your prewedding shoot in Ireland, do visit Adam + Grace's website to see more of their beautiful work (all images in this article has been kindly provided by Adam + Grace Photography) or drop them an email at info@adamandgracephoto.com to get to know them better!
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