The perfect gift this Christmas.

This was one of my favorite images of 2017…

.. which we talked about shooting here: The new & the old – but as you can see from the quick shots I recently took…

.. they were in the poscess of making some changes…

.. and so that meant a new image was required.

However, even on the morning of the shoot…

.. after having looked at it from various angles the night before as well, we still weren’t 100% sure about which was the best single angle…

.. to show this newly refurbished reception area…

.. but in the end, we decided it was basically from the front door this time – looking over their new furniture towards the front desk…

.. and so having all finally agreed on that – the lights went up…

.. and the Christmas tree decorations naturally had to come down…

.. at least until we had finished.

And so once again I was very glad I had brought the full team along to help…

.. which these pictures clearly show they did…

.. in their own special way

Seriously though, one of the things I love to look at afterward is these ‘behind the scenes’ pictures…

.. especially the ones which Claudio takes – like this series…

.. of us trying to reduce the marks on the carpet…

.. as it’s easy to forget how much work goes into each of these images…

.. or how many people are actually involved sometimes…

.. or even stopping to ask “where did that outfit come from?”…

.. because if you are like me, then I’m sure you already noticed that she wasn’t wearing that before

Which in a way is a good thing, because that’s obviously not what we want anyone to notice or even talk about when they look at this final image…

.. of their new reception area.

Still, all this helps remind me as to why it takes so long to pack the wagon…

.. which just leaves me to say a big thanks to everyone at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel for “The Perfect Gift This Christmas”…

from all of us

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New bar and lounge area.

Two of the busiest areas in any hotel is the reception area and the lounge area – plus with the days being very short at this time of year – then bringing the full team along to help…

.. seemed to make sense – because a few days before we were due to shoot this was how the terrace lounge area looked…

.. at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel in County Meath – as it was being refurbished and a new bar was also being built…

.. behind the ‘false wall’ at the back.

And I was glad I did, as the first image appeared on screen…

.. because it was “a bit of a grey old day”, as they would say here in Ireland – which means we didn’t have that lovely sun-lit feel, which one would naturally see on a good day, due to the large windows along the left and skylight windows (above) on the right.

So 3k’s up…

.. as the guys reckoned a bank of these would do the trick…

.. and then we ran through the various “ where to put the people” options…

.. before our models arrived to take up their positions…

.. which was naturally followed by a few more quick shots…

.. and there you have it – the new image of the ​Terrace Lounge & Bar area…

.. at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel – once the top and bottom had been added to make it a square – because it’s easy to crop but hard to add on…

.. especially afterward

Classic design that stands the test of time.

Homes & Gardens is one of Britain’s oldest decorating magazines, which has been in circulation since 1919.

“Aspirational yet accessible, stylish, sophisticated and indulgent, Homes & Gardens showcases classic design that stands the test of time.”

Back in 2015 Jacqui and her husband, Peter, returned to Ireland and bought this large, derelict house…

.. as a renovation project.

Unoccupied for a while it seems, therefore in a terrible state of repair – so they totally stripped it back to brick…

.. and removed virtually all the woodwork apart from the staircase – as it seems they really did want a challenge

Anyway, after receiving a call from Janet McMeekin, a London based writer who also once lived here, we were recently invited to take a look – and the rest is now history, as they would say…

.. because before very long Ivan had the lights up and Dianne had everything, including Jacqui here…

.. looking like something you would see in a magazine.
But not just any old magazine, because yes I’m delighted to say, that 100 years after Homes & Gardens was first launched, you will now be able to see our work in that magazine too

So a big thanks to Ivan & Dianne here…

.. as well as to Janet, because it was “great teamwork” like you said – but most importantly I’d like to congratulate Jacqui and Peter, because if the icing on the cake was winning a heritage award, then this has got to be the cherry on top of that

One to look out for at the start of next year…

.. in Britain’s oldest decorating magazines which showcases classic design that stands the test of time

Lane 5.

Each year on the University of Houston swimming & diving team there would have been around 40 of us in total – approximately 10 would have been divers – so in the pool that would have meant there would have been about 5 of us in each of the 6 lanes during training.
Lane 5 was the lane I remember swimming in – along with Billy, who I recently talked about meeting here: Billy, it’s Ashley and Ashley – and Andrew Gray, who was a very good long-distance swimmer from South Africa, who can be seen here…

.. with Christina from Sweden – who I remember we called the “Strawberry Girl” – but don’t ask me why, as my memory isn’t that good

Anyway, since signing up to Facebook back in 2009 and saying “Hi” once again to many of those who were on that team, Christina was obviously someone who I became “Friends” with and have followed ever since – especially since she was clearly still swimming, which in turn (unknown to her) inspired me to get back into the pool as well.
So naturally when she wrote to say that she (along with her husband, Bjorn Hörbäck, sister, Annis, and her husband, Philip Josefson) would be coming to Ireland for a few days, the answer was: “Yes, I would love to meet up” even before she asked

And where better to meet than at McDonald’s…

.. because besides occasionally looking at all the pictures I took of everyone back then – many of which I have posted here on Facebook: University of Houston swim team 1979 to 1983 – nothing reminds me more of all the wonderful times we had together, than seeing those Golden Arches.

Anyway, after booking them into the Europa Hotel – which this book that my work can be seen in…

.. tells the story about how it was once known as the “most bombed hotel in the world” – they all piled into the Land Rover and I drove them along the scenic Antrim Coast Road towards the Giant’s Causeway – where I enjoyed taking lots of pictures of them…

.. taking pictures of themselves…

.. as well as of the Causeway itself …

.. before heading to the Dark Hedges…

.. which has been used as a location in HBO’s popular television series Game of Thrones…

.. as that was on the road back to Belfast. Were we enjoyed a lovely meal in the Europa, before heading across the road to the Crown Bar, as a few pints of Hop House 13 awaited

Next day I first drove Christina and her sister, Annis, to see the Peace Wall…

.. which separates the nationalist Falls Road and unionist Shankill Road areas of West Belfast…

.. which I hadn’t actually seen myself before – even though it’s now a major tourist attraction – before taking them to Titanic Belfast – which is a monument to Belfast’s maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city’s Titanic Quarter where the RMS Titanic was built…

.. where one can hear the many stories about the ill-fated Titanic, which (as you probably already know) hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912.

Anyway, something which I had completely forgotten (and/or couldn’t have told you), was who else swam in ‘Lane 5’ besides Billy, Andrew and myself.
Well now I know, as it was none other than the unforgettable Christina…

.. a.k.a. the ‘Strawberry Girl’ or ‘Wonder Woman’ – which she was also sometimes known as.

Anyway, just wanted to post this to thank her here for the past few days, as it was not only lovely to see her again…

.. but it was also lovely to be able to show her this wee part of the world where it’s believed giants once used to play…

.. which I call my home

Billy, it’s Ashley and Ashley.

Look, it’s Ashley & Ashley…

.. together for the first time.

Because yes, to follow on from Making a wish come true, I felt it time to not only meet Ashley, but it was also time to meet my once ‘best friend’, roommate and training partner, Billy McGoldrick…

.. who can be seen here standing in front of our Motel’s front door, after having shaved his head for the 1983 South West Conference (SWC) swim meet, which was held in Austin that year.

And so it was, some 35 years on, outside in the garden of his fabulous gate lodge…

.. in his Scottish hometown of Dundee. As his daughter, Ashley, was over from Houston for a few days, to let him see her beautiful daughter – who’s name is Roisin…

.. Ashley, it seems

So “I’ll be back”, is how it was left, because the next time I want to meet his son, Billy – so then naturally the title will be “Billy, it’s Billy and Ashley”

Making a wish come true.

Back in the early 80’s, I took this picture of the men’s swimming & diving team in the changing rooms at the University of Houston…

.. which includes many of the guys that I have stayed in touch with over the years – thanks mainly to Mike Collins (who was on the Track & Field team) as he suggested a number of years ago that we all become “Friends” on Facebook.

Which in turn then naturally lead me to open ‘The Box’ which contains all the prints and negative I had taken back then – as well as newspaper cutting, scrapbooks and lots of other stuff from around that time in my life too… which I would refer to as “My swimming years”.

Anyway, after years of saying I would love to meet up with all of these guys again, this year I finally made a start at making that wish come true.

Tom Cook, who can be seen here on the pool deck at the Universtiy of Houston…

.. is definitely one of the guys on that list – and so when he contacted me to say that his wife, Lisa, and son, GreySun, were coming over to Ireland for a few days, the answer was “Yes, I would love to meet them” even before he had to ask

And so it was, as you can see at the Old Bushmills Distillery…

.. in County Antrim.

“Bushmills Irish Whiskey is made at Ireland’s oldest working distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland on the beautiful North Coast. Our original grant to distil was signed in 1608 by King James 1st and there has been distillation on this site since then, using the unique water from our own stream and Irish barley.”

Plus, at the Giant’s Causeway…

.. “Shaka Brah!” Tom.

“Flanked by the wild North Atlantic Ocean and a landscape of dramatic cliffs, for centuries the Giant’s Causeway has inspired artists, stirred scientific debate and captured the imagination of all who see it. Is it the handiwork of legendary giant Finn McCool or the result of volcanic fury millions of years ago?”

Ashley Morrison: It was an honor and a pleasure, Tom – just wish you could have been with them.
So time to work on Plan H… which I will keep you all posted on 🙂

Lisa Tanner Cook: … And maybe Plan C 😎🌊🏄‍♂️

Tom Cook: Plan C – California Cook’s

Time to make another wish come true

The Duchess Slant.

With the Royal Wedding coming up, naturally, there has been a lot in the news about Meghan Markle recently and how she is quickly learning her future ‘acting’ role – and who better to learn from than Kate Middleton: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Anyway, one of the things which I found very interesting, which I hadn’t actually picked up on before, was the ‘duchess slant’.

“The knees and ankles are clasped firmly tighter and the legs are slanted to the side, creating a flattering silhouette.”

“Typically the ‘duchess slant’ is used when a lady has to sit for an extended amount of time while keeping poise and posture,” says Myka Meier, royal etiquette expert and founder and director of Beaumont Etiquette. “It is the perfect pose for when a camera is shooting directly in front of you because by slightly slanting the knees to create a zig-zag effect when wearing a dress or skirt, your legs are angled so that the camera only shoots the sides of your legs and protects your modesty.”

And so with that in mind, it was time for some Afternoon Tea…

.. in the Drawing Room…

.. where one practiced…

.. and practiced…

.. and practiced one’s pose…

.. before the ladies arrived…

.. to show us how it was done…

.. to perfection, at the Killarney Park Hotel in the Irish County of Kerry – from Dianne, Claudio…

.. and me

The ironing board

The ironing board was put to good use – so here are some pictures to show how we used it to produce this image…

.. in the Innisfallen Suite…

.. which can now be seen on their website…

.. and this…

.. .. at the Killarney Park Hotel…

.. in the beautiful Irish County of Kerry

Total tranquility in Killarney.

Keeping it simple…

.. so it was Lights…

.. a few candles…

.. a Camera…

.. a quick check…

.. Action…

.. and then basically repeat…

.. in the Spa & Wellness centre.

“One of the finest spa hotels Killarney has to offer, the Killarney Park Hotel Spa is the perfect place to unwind and luxuriate. Devote a day to your relaxation and regeneration or indulge in some post-sightseeing pampering; however you decide to use our indulgent Spa facilities, you will emerge refreshed and renewed in our oasis of calm.

You will find a wellness space that encourages total escape from the pace of everyday living.”

Five-star massages & reviving treatments…

.. at The Spa…

.. your haven of peace and total tranquility in Killarney – by Dianne, Claudio & me

The Whiskey Room.

The picture the Killarney Park Hotel sent us a few weeks ago to let us see the area they wanted us to shoot…

.. and the first picture I took last week, didn’t really look that different…

.. so that was basically our starting point…

.. as John, who is the hotel’s Marketing Executive, looked on…

.. and this week you can actually see the final image that we created…

.. on the hotel’s homepage

So below are some of the pictures to let you see what all happened in-between – both inside…

.. and outside…

.. as tables got moved…

.. test shots were taken…

.. and Claudio had to be reminded it was only 10 O’Clock in the morning…

Seriously though, we wanted this image to clearly let the viewer know that this was the “Whiskey Room” – so with that in mind, the placement of some of the whiskeys one could sample; as well as the placement of the people within the room…

.. was all important in my opinion.

Well, the look on my face here says I wasn’t convinced we had still got it right…

.. as the first of our models arrived…

.. but with everyone’s help; as well as the shirt of Dianne’s back…

.. final instructions were given…

.. and I’m very pleased to say that this was the end result…

.. to show the Whiskey Room…

.. in the Garden Bar…

.. at the Killarney Park Hotel in the beautiful Irish County of Kerry