MONDELLO PARK PHOTOWALK, JapFest 2009

I was recently made aware that I was one of 21 people across Ireland asked to attend the Mondello Park Photowalk that is taking place on the 6th September this year.

I feel very fortunate and honoured to have been picked but had better start practising the various techniques required to get some nice shots.

It is a unique opportunity to get access to a lot of areas that are not normally made available to the general public and to do something I enjoy. The other unique twist to this is that this will be a day off for me from the usual weekend shenanigans and it means taking pictures for personal enjoyment which is something I have been lacking of late.

Continuing the Volvo Ocean Race Festival theme ...

As I indicated in the post below, I have one image selected for the free exhibition being held in Galway this weekend.

However, I wanted to provide a couple, ok more than a couple then, of images I took at the event which I really like and would want to share them with you. The rest of the set which contains well over 100 images can be found here - Enjoy!!

In the shot below you can just make me out. I am under the letters o and n.



This is the view from one of the apartments facing the main stage.



Got to have the Green Dragon boat in amongst these shots somewhere lol



We were also very lucky with the weather during the event with some amazing sunny days and a few drops of rain just to remind everyone of the typical Irish weather system we have here.




Aslan:



The Stunning:



Lucia Evans:



General Band whatnots:

FREE Exhibition from LookWest.ie & Pix.ie Volvo Ocean Race Festival Photo Competition

Today I was fortunate to be asked if one of the images I took during the recent Volvo Ocean Race stopover here in Galway could be used for an exhibition that is being held here in Galway. I obviously said yes as it was such a monumental event which I thoroughly enjoyed being part of.

In a nutshell, over 10,000 images were uploaded and of those 100 were chosen to be represented in the exhibition.

The image in question is this one:-



The exhibition will take place this weekend in Galway (21-23 August) and is free to anyone who wants to see them.

Details can be found here

A tad outdated

I have been sooo bad of late with the blog and there is no excuse for it, it is me just being plain lazy.

So, I am back and will be posting a lot more images to get everyone's juices flowing again lol

The plan is also to convert this to another format that is a lot more pleasing to the eye so watch this space, it has been a long time coming....

Matthias & Kerstin

I was contacted recently to do a portrait session with a couple from Germany. This was the 4th time they had visited Ireland over a 15 year period and it was to be a pretty special trip for them both, more on that later.

One of the requirements was to find somewhere that was romantic and we all know that we are not short of a place or five here in the west of Ireland. The other reason for this request was that Kerstin did not know anything about the portrait session as it was a surprise present for their 25th wedding anniversary they had celebrated just before coming to Ireland.

Here are a selection of images taken.










































































Now this last one is really special to me especially in light of what Matthias & Kerstin did after the session. The last shot of the day was taken on the bridge as you can see below.














However a little while after these were done I had a surprise email from them both with a couple of photo's attached. As part of their wedding anniversary celebrations, they had a party with family and had the images printed to show everyone their fantastic time here in Ireland. One of the images taken at the party was them holding one of the shots and you can see the result in the last image shown.














I just hope that my wife and I will be in love as much are you are after 25 years of marriage!!! More images are on my web site - www.mikepatterson.com

Car Park shoot

I am a member of Galway Camera Club and a shoot was arranged in an underground car park here in Galway. The idea of the session was to get people used to and being more confident using using off camera flash. Some of the members that turned up were very new to photography and using flash, so basic schooling was given showing how things work and what can be done by changing various settings. Everyone was let loose and had a go at working with Nicola and Carl using either standard camera flash on stands with umbrellas or using proper studio lighting too which was great fun.

Here are a small selection of images taken during the couple of hours we were there:

These two are using natural light only.


















Here is one of my shots using off camera flash.


















Thanks to Sean for organising and bringing the various kit for everyone to use. Also a huge thanks to Nicola and Carl for braving the cold too - great sports!!

There are other images contained within the portrait section on my web site that are using similar techniques. Go on, you know you want to go and have a look - www.mikepatterson.com

Oscar Ball

Galway was fortunate to have its own Oscar night recently but with a twist. It was a Make A Wish Foundation charity fundraiser here at the Clayton hotel owned by John Glynn.

I was there to help cover some of the guests with the help of these two old timers who proved to be a real treat and a laugh too. I have no idea how they did the twist the fork trick but it really got everyone wanting to know its secret. I think the best one was the two teaspoons trick, which was hilarious watching when people were rubbing the spoons on their chest trying to generate enough static - yeah right, if that was ever going to work!! lol

There were lots of people here willing to dig into their already deep pockets and provide some help and assistance to a worthy charity so well done everyone who took part. There were also some excellent prizes to be won including a childrens quad bike and protective gear, massive LCD TV, paintings and trips to various amazing hotels in and around Ireland.


For those who were there and want access to see the images via www.mikepatterson.com, please email me directly to mike[at]mikepatterson[dot]com to get the password.

Here are a small selection of images taken on the night.

Maternity SHoot

As my business is growing, I am looking to offer maternity shoots as part of my portfolio of services.

I am looking for volunteer's to try various ideas with and have a specific look in mind for these shots. However,I am always open to suggestions so you can have your creative input too. The shoot will be free and you will be given images in exchange for your time.

Ideally I would like someone who is

*1+ month pregnant
*5+ months pregnant.


Please email me at info[at]mikepatterson[dot]com for more information and if possible please include a photo.

Thanks

Here at last......

Well I have finally got round to setting up the blog site for my new business, a little scary but its all go now.

A little info about myself so here goes.

As the title says, my name is Mike Patterson and I live in a small village called Oranmore just South of Galway. Maire and I were married in September 2005, I don't smoke, I don't drink a lot and don't have any pets anymore, even though I sometimes wish I still do as I miss Wonky a lot. Brown hair, blue eyes .....

Blimey, this sounds like a dating profile (not that I would know of course)!!!

I became a full time photographer a few months back after deciding it was time for me to get more involved with something I really love and enjoy. So now the fun begins.

So why have a blog?? Well it is really a way of me keeping everyone updated of the latest developments and ongoings as and when they happen. It will give you an idea of the quality of work I provide and generally give an insight into this photographers world.

Please visit often and leave comments too as it shows that I am doing things right.