One Dress, One Woman, One World » Dublin, Ireland

Before marrying Jennifer, I had the opportunity to visit Dublin, Ireland 4 times for the World’s Friendliest Marathon when I coached for the Leukemia Society. It’s odd to have visited a country/city for the 5th time, but since Jennifer had not been to Ireland we decided to go along with our friend Mike who traveled with us to Jordan.

While Dublin is known for many things, it is the home of my favorite beer, Guinness. While one might say I am biased by the creamy goodness in a glass, both Jennifer and Mike were notably impressed by the seven story experience at the Guinness Storehouse. Indeed, even I was blown away by the upgrades to the tour.

Guinness was kind enough to allow us early entry and provide an escort to help us get the photos we wanted. We were met at 9AM by Stewart, who enthusiastically embraced our challenges. Our first, attempt was the dimly lit, majestic waterfall which presented many lighting challenges. Stewart watched and Mike and I set up and adjusted multiple remote flashes to capture Jennifer, the dress and the waterfall in one click. Many clicks later, we got our keeper just as the hordes of people started to mill about.

Guinness Waterfall

Guinness Gravity Bar

Next we snuck into the concierge’s room where they do private tastings. While the room wasn’t open yet, we were able to grab a shot of Jennifer under the hammered copper ceiling.

Concierge’s Room

We then had a unique olfactory experience while continuing to taste Guinness enhanced with a steamy aromatic mist highlighting the notes of the major ingredients. We laid out a bunch of shot glasses for the photo and then of course, couldn’t let them go to waste. This definitely added to the challenge of our shoots.

Scents of Guinness

Fortunately, the last few shots we technically easy. We cruised through the history of Guinness advertising and then stopped an intricately statue. At first the eye is drawn to the horses, but as one looks closer, you can see a Guinness harp. What else comes to mind when you take it all in?

Guinness Turtle

Statue of?

OK, we felt a little dense when we gazed at the photo and realized we were looking at a giant glass of Guinness.

We the finished off with more tastings with a quick attempt at creating a cascade of cascades pouring 8 pints in a row before trying a few other varieties of Guinness. With no chance of finishing all the glasses in front of us, Stewart gave a few away to those around us. Yes, we were very popular! With that we concluded a nearly three hour photo shoot. Anyone else, would call it a day. However, in Dublin when the weather is good, you have to take advantage and we had bright blue skies. We regrouped and headed out again after dinner to get a blue light shot of Temple Bar. We arrived early and Mike split off to get the world famous fish and chips while we hung out in at the Port House Wine Bar. It was one of those convenience stops, because we certainly didn’t need more alcohol. However, we needed a place to wait for the perfect light. We scored on ambience. In contrast to most of the bars, it was quiet with a rustic, subtle décor that was the perfect place to relax before a shoot. When Jennifer went down to the bathroom, I started setting up the camera equipment. She returned with an amused look as she returned informing me I had to experience it for myself. “What I inquired?” “Just go,” she replied. I did and wow. Of course, this added another wedding dress shot. New definition of a throne. See the photos of Temple Bar and the Port House toilets below.

Temple Bar

Port House Throne

Dublin, Ireland – 2016

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