Autumn has quickly become one of my favourite times of the year for weddings, and engagement shoots! Nice weather, sweet light & gorgeous colours! Don’t get me wrong, spring & summer are great, but there’s something extra special about autumn, and as a photographer it probably has something to do with getting some of that warm magical light starting around 4:30pm to 6pm, which is prime time for portrait photos during a wedding day!

We’re lucky in Ireland in that the temperatures are still ok, well it’s not December temperatures anyway!! But it’s all about the colours! And you really want to take advantage of the reds, oranges, yellows & ever tone in between!! And even though Ireland might not be renowned for amazing fall colours like New England, if there’s one thing we have here, it’s plenty of trees!! You just have to look a little harder to find some amazing ones beaming with glorious vibrant colours!

Depending on your venue, you might have to look for colour in the trees before arriving, or if the hotel has great grounds, chances are it’ll be there on tap, such as some of the venues below which include Glasson Country House, Lough Rynn Castle, Mount Falcon & Markree Castle. But even if you’re not going to one of these venues, sometimes the best trees I’ve seen are simply on back roads around Ireland! The area around Lough Key is phenomenal, as is inside the park. The photo above with the yellow trees was shot on a small boreen somewhere near Lissadell! And just this past weekend, I found some gorgeous deep orange & yellow trees on the side of the road right next to a housing estate, but the couple trusted me & the shots came out great. And don’t forget, it’s not just the trees that change colour, ivy on the walls of old buildings usually turns a deep deep red very early in September! I know Castle Dargan‘s coach house is looking pretty glorious right now in September!

In terms of timing, it varies slightly every year due to temperatures towards the end of August, but start looking for nice colours around end September, then for the best colours, mid-October to the first or second week of November is usually peak time for autumn or fall colours. Of course in Ireland the conditions of the leaves & whether or not they stay on the trees will depend on the wind & rain!

Trust your wedding photographer, as they should know best how to shoot to get the best out of the colour of autumn, whether its sunny or cloudy, or whether you’re in amongst the trees & leaves or if they’re in the distance! Have a look at my images here, and if you have any queries about autumnal weddings or engagement shoots please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss your wedding photography requirements.

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