Trail of photography for Ennis Fashion Fortnight

INTERNATIONAL fashion photographer, Ennis-based Patrick McHugh, will be showcasing some of his most creative work from fashion shoots in New York and London as part of the Ennis Fashion Trail, which will run in clothes shop in the county town during the upcoming Ennis Fashion Fortnight.

The fashion festival-style event starts in Ennis this Saturday and will run until October 22, with a range of fun and informative fashion events being held throughout the town.
Patrick is a native of Ennis and after finishing school, he realised that to pursue his dream of being a photographer and qualify with internationally recognised accreditation, there was little on offer in Ireland.
“There was practically nothing in terms of photography courses or training in Ireland but I knew that in the United States I could go to art college and focus my studies on photography.
“I studied visual arts in Parsons School of Art and Design in New York and also did a number of courses with the Fashion Institute in Manhattan,” the photographer recalled.
He admitted that he was lucky to get good opportunities over there and got work as a student assisting in some fairly large fashion photographic studios.
“Once I graduated from college, I got more work with them, as well as with other studios in London, which was just what I needed to establish myself.
“A lot of these opportunities came to me purely by being in the right place at the right time. In New York at that time there was a whole body of up-and-coming fashion designers coming over from Ireland and the UK and I ended up working with them too,” Patrick explains.
In the mid-1990s he returned to Ireland and set up a fashion photography studio in Dublin.
“The fashion design industry was stronger in Dublin and was practically non-existent in this region, so Dublin was the place to be to get the work because everyone, even companies and designers based elsewhere in the country, were having their promotional photography done in Dublin”
These days he still does a lot of his work in Dublin, even though he’s based in Ennis.
“Here in Clare I’m also working hard with a group of hair and make-up people and model agents to have photo shoots done here, predominantly in Ennis.
“Last year, I was involved with a model search and we came up with about 50 local models who have got potential and three or four who are good enough already to work nationally and hopefully even internationally. So we’re pushing the whole idea of getting fashion photography shoots down here,” Patrick adds.
He explained that there are two kinds of fashion photography.
“The commercial side of the work, which is for the big stores and brands, is where a photographer is literally handed an illustration of what the advertisement is going to look like, so we have to literally photograph the model exactly as instructed to fit the ad.
“There really isn’t any creative licence here and none of these photos would make it into a fashion photographer’s portfolio. To be honest, though this is the work that pays, so any fashion photographer has to do it.
“The other fashion photography is the magazine and media, which doesn’t pay near as much, but allows real creativity. I do about half and half of each kind of fashion photography, so I’ve got a balance,” he says.
His work has been published in The Irish Times magazine, Social and Personal, the RTÉ Guide, as well as in many of the glossy magazines.
There will be a trail of Patrick’s fashion photography in clothes shop throughout Ennis during the Ennis Fashion Fortnight.
“There will be a map of the photography trail. My photos will be in shop windows and in some cases inside clothes shop. The idea is to showcase fashion photography and to attract people into local clothes shops. The trail will include shots that I’ve taken, particularly examples of work I’ve done in New York and London.”
Patrick’s photography has gained him international clients, in Ireland, the UK, continental Europe and in the United States, predominantly in New York.
His work appeared recently at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Rua Red and the New York Photo Festival.
His photographs will attract much attention and add a real cosmopolitan and international feel to this year’s Ennis Fashion Fortnight.