I'm so excited for the future. Since opening my own studio in 2020 I've gone from strength to strength, photographing so many amazing weddings and meeting plenty of beautiful families!
In my own life, Sienna is my world (Ok, Vanessa is in close second place!) and I've loved watching her grow older and seeing the world through her eyes! She might only be three but she has taught us so much and every day is incredible with her!

The Future

In the meantime my freelance work was taking off, getting busier and busier and it soon became apparent that I couldn't keep up with the school photography and weddings. I loved working in the schools, my job was simply to sit down and make children smile, which does wonders for reducing stress! But I knew in my heart I wanted to photograph weddings and families. I love being a part of such an important and exciting day in a couples' life, as well as spending time with families and seeing what makes everyone tick!
  
Finally, in 2018 I made the jump to go out on my and gave up the regular paycheck, the company car and the boss! In some ways it has been exactly as I had expected, in other ways it has been so different but in every way I've loved it! Every day is different and I've met so many amazing people and been a small part of their story.

The Life I Love

Motivated by the success of my cancer treatment I helped to form the Legenderry Committee in the city for Cancer Research UK. We immediately kicked off with the huge success of turning Shipquay Street in the city centre into a huge waterslide! With a modest target of £20,000 we raised an incredible £130,000 in our first year alone!

Our next challenge was creating the 24 hour Relay for Life in St Columb's Park and after setting another moderate target of £30,000 we smashed through it to £142,000 for our first year and continued that success every year since! The generosity from this city has been astounding but the sad truth is that part of our success is because so many people have been affected by cancer and everyone wants to unite to beat it.

The Thanks

I was introduced to Vanessa by a close friend in 2014. As soon as she walked in I knew she was someone special! Instantly it was clear that we were perfect for each other and just over a year later I popped the question in the Black Forest in Germany.  True to form I managed to photograph my proposal in front of a gorgeous fountain in Baden-Baden.

Two years later we tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in Rome.  It was the perfect day from start to finish and really was a dream come true.   Surrounded by our closest friends and family, it was more than I could ever have dreamed of. 

The LovE Interest

Unfortunately after returning home from Oz I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and over the next five months I went through two operations and three rounds of chemo before thankfully receiving the all-clear. During this I realised I wanted to follow my passion in photography and turn it into my career. I started work with Tempest Photography taking school portraits across Northern Ireland, all while building up my own freelance career in my spare time.

The Twist

As I boarded the plane to London I wondered how I would look back on what I was starting, flying off to spend the next three months working at a gymnastics camp in Pennsylvania. A year earlier I had no plans to travel at all, figuring I would just find a job after uni and settle down, hopefully earn a decent wage and buy a fast car, so this was a complete reversal. But after a holiday in America with two of my closest friends I realised I wanted something more for my future. Thankfully, it was one of the best decisions I've made, starting an entirely different route in my life and career that I would never have imagined as a teenager. One summer working on the climbing course in America became three, followed by two years living and travelling in Australia, meeting so many amazing people and countless fantastic experiences.

The Beginning

Father to Sienna | Married to Vanessa | Love Mussenden Temple | Been to six F1 grand prixs | Love dogs | Love cats | Love all animals | Hate mushrooms | Doctor Who fan | Cat called Storm | Never grew out of Lego | Own about 120 pairs of colourful socks | Terrible singer | AGL Best Dressed Male 2009 | Coffee -lover | Passable cook | Three summers working at Camp America | Lived for two years in Australia

About Michael