The silence of Co Donegal

County Donegal in the Northwest of Ireland has been a well kept secret until the discovery of the wild Atlantic way. The region has not changed much apart from the cursed satellite tv and mobile phones. The people remain the same, speaking their native tongue with a brogue as soft as Donegal tweed. I know tweed is not so soft but it sounds good. Donegal town is a modern town with a population of less than 3000 inhabitants. I never stop in the town because I’m always in a hurry to see mount Errigal and the beach of Magheragallon. Over the years (35) I’ve driven up from Waterford and the 4 hours it takes to hit Donegal town is not so bad. It’s after Donegal town where the fun begins and the roads diminish to undulating sheep trails winding their way over bog and mountain. I stop in wonder at the ability of some people to live in such remote areas. They must be good in their skins. You have to be to survive here. This part of Ireland is not one you’d come to to top up your tan. The wind rarely ceases and the rain is never far away. Having said that my last 4 trips have been surprisingly dry and sunny. September and October are turning out to be great months in this region weather wise. I mentioned the wind, well I love this wind. It carries the sweet smell of burning turf fires, the soft salt air from the Atlantic and the orchestra of the birds from the hills and the valleys. At the same time there’s a silence to this place that carries you away when you sit in its silence. It’s an area where one can allow the internal to be heard. Deep in the valley of the Poison glen where the land is lush and the trees rich green the dawn chorus is one to behold. It will speak to you. It’s here in this wilderness that feels so far removed from modern life that one can listen and hear. Today we have so many questions but no time to ponder them. No time to stop and listen to the answers. The answers are within us all if we could just switch off the constant background static, but instead we race from one source of static to another and another and on and on… from one social networking site to another without taking a breath. Neither Facebook, Twitter nor Instagram have the answers. Are we afraid of the answers, or of what we maybe confronted with…ourselves? I feel blessed to have discovered this region so long ago because it has never failed to bring me back. I spent years in the wilderness of fear, panic and uncertainty. My tours of Co Donegal are based on photography and my photography is based on mindfulness and being grounded in the moment. All we have is now. Today I choose Co Donegal as the only wilderness to be lost in today. Thank you Donegal

In the valley wedding

There’s one outstanding advantage of being a wedding photographer in France and that is that during the Summer months we’ve a better chance of sunshine than say Ireland. Having said that this year has been only so so weather wise. Back in June I covered the union of Mylène & Alexandre in the valley of Chevreuse which is 40kms south of Paris and close to Versailles. Hélène and I set off with plenty of time to spare and to discover the town of Gif sur Yvette where the civil ceremony was taking place. I headed for the hairdresser to cover a little of the preparations (even if it’s not requested it helps both parties to relax). The day warmed up nicely, even too nicely. I ended up using a little fill flash to avoid the panda eyes and at the venue Hélène controlled the reflector for me. Gold reflectors are great on the right skin tones. The venue was a charming old farm with an antique style garden full of mature trees and scented climbers like jasmine and clematis. The friends and family were super friendly and cooperative, I couldn’t have asked for better. They all showed up for groups photos and individual portraits in a cool and even fashion which made it so easy for me. And the light was simply delicious. And from the comment below I think they liked the results. http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr/ Nous avons reçu aujourd’hui clé USB avec toutes les photos. Elles sont extras ! Nous allons en profiter pour les regarder longuement pendant les vacances. A notre retour on pourra vous dire lesquels on voudrait mettre dans l’album. Merci encore infiniment à tous les deux. Mylène & Alex

Paris mariage and pre - wedding shoot Paris

On meeting clients for the first time both parties are in a no-mans land. The photographer (me) doesn’t know what mask to wear or how to act, comic, serious solemn etc and I guess it’s the same for my prospective clients. This is where the “shrink” in every photographer comes into play. The photographer must very quickly read the faces and get a sense of the character of his/her clients. Well last night I didn’t need to act other than naturally thanks to the laid back disposition of Robert & Ludo. Last night was the pre wedding shoot the Jour J is August 20th. We met at the metro musée du Louvre and headed straight for the palais Royale and then the interior court yard of the Louvre. They both relaxed into the session with ease and that saved me from from trying to sing which I do or try to do when my clients are less than supple. I didn’t even have to tell an old Irish joke. I let the guys relax and remember why they are here and then took some candid shots from as far away as my lens would permit. The results were good for me and Robert emailed me today saying that ‘They’re beautiful’! Another great day under my belt. For more go to http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr/

Gay pre wedding shoot Paris

On meeting clients for the first time both parties are in a no-mans land. The photographer (me) doesn’t know what mask to wear or how to act, comic, serious solemn etc and I guess it’s the same for my prospective clients. This is where the “shrink” in every photographer comes into play. The photographer must very quickly read the faces and get a sense of the character of his/her clients. Well last night I didn’t need to act other than naturally thanks to the laid back disposition of Robert & Ludo. Last night was the pre wedding shoot the Jour J is August 20th. We met at the metro musée du Louvre and headed straight for the palais Royale and then the interior court yard of the Louvre. They both relaxed into the session with ease and that saved me from from trying to sing which I do or try to do when my clients are less than supple. I didn’t even have to tell an old Irish joke. I let the guys relax and remember why they are here and then took some candid shots from as far away as my lens would permit. The results were good for me and Robert emailed me today saying that ‘They’re beautiful’! Another great day under my belt. For more go to http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr/

See2be Photography: Photo tours Ireland

See2be Photography: Photo tours Ireland: Want a week of fun in Ireland? From Sept 10th-16th inclusive. Get picked up at Dublin airport and head chauffeur driven into the West for ph...

Photo tours Ireland

Want a week of fun in Ireland? From Sept 10th-16th inclusive. Get picked up at Dublin airport and head chauffeur driven into the West for photography, fun and fine food in Co Donegal. Everything inclusive, hotel, dinner BnB, photo tuition and transport at a cost you won't believe!!! After visiting places like the highest cliffs in Europe at Slieveleague, the volcanic form of Errigal mountain, the rugged and barren headlands of the Inishowen peninsula and much much more, and not forgetting the music, beer and food after long days of photography you'll be ready for a pint and a fine Irish dinner. Perhaps a dance or two later? After six days you will be chauffeured safely back to Dublin airport by a qualified chauffeur. For more info email me kevinhayden62(at)hotmail.com

Paris strikes and chaos

Paris, Strikes and mayhem May 26th 2016 The 35-hour week remains in place, but as an average. Firms can negotiate with local trade unions on more or fewer hours from week to week, up to a maximum of 46 hours Firms are given greater freedom to reduce pay The law eases conditions for laying off workers (much needed), strongly regulated in France. It is hoped companies will take on more people if they know they can shed jobs in case of a downturn The above is taken the BBC website and is more or less correct. Here in France employers are very restricted when it comes to firing a useless employee. And they can be held to ransom when their shiny new employee turns out to be not so shiny. I think the French workers do ok overall compared to other European countries. The average number of hours worked is higher than the statutory limit - 37.5 hours a week in 2014, in the UK they average 36.1 hours a week and in Germany 35.3 hours per week. And the French love their holidays and long weekends! On average the French have 30 days a year of paid leave, compared with 28 in the UK, 25 in Norway and Denmark, and 20 in Germany. France's annual average wage in 2014 - 38,885€ - compared favorably with Germany's - 39,479€ the UK workers win out at 44,350€ approx. The strikers believe that unless they go all out and use extreme measures (as they are) the government won’t listen to them. The countries tourism sector has been badly hit since the Charlie Hebdo and November 13th attacks with some hotels claiming up to 60% of a drop in business for the same period last year. This action is making life miserable for those (myself) who have to travel by car or train to work every day. I do not agree with them! I want to work and I agree that employers should be able to hire and fire more easily. I’ve had colleagues in the past that I wanted to fire myself! So today I went to the Bastille to see the start of the protest. It made for good entertainment and interesting photos. The atmosphere was festive, lots of food stalls of course, music and people shouting into megaphones. Anyone entering into place de la Bastille with a bag was stopped and searched. Futile. I took photos just to show the types that were in the march. They were young and old, scruffy and elegant, skinny and not so skinny but for the most part I couldn’t see a real hooligan element to it. I wasn’t looking very closely obviously. Who once said, “a mob has many heads but no brains”?