A few years ago now we found me_and_orla on instagram. It was one of those dull January evenings when we had tried really, really hard to dig deep and plan for the new year, we talked openly about the things we hoped and dreamed of for ourselves, our business and our family. I think at the time we were moving a little bit away from photographing weddings, as it just wasn't fully feeding our creative souls or giving us time for our family. 

It was one of those moments that I still love instagram for now. I found a picture and some words and connected fully with EVERYTHING I saw. As with lots of things James and I are inspired by, I showed him straight away with giddy shaking hands. THIS.. is the kind of life I want us to work towards. It felt more simple, more considered, less busy and most of all, connected with the outside and other likeminded people. You can see her wonderful insta feed here

Since then we've met up with Sara, Rory and of course Orla lots of times. Shared ideas and worked on projects together. The three of them are calm and thoughtful and always leave us feeling happy. The last three years have seen us all get married, have a baby (us) and build on our ideal lifestyles and businesses, and it's only recently that we've connected on a much less formal basis. Seems like it's the right time for all of us to sit and eat food together, catch up on the day to day funny anecdotes of life with kids and dogs and birds??!

Seeing Sara's feed that dark January evening opened our eyes up to a space we felt hugely inspired by and also comfortable in. It turned out there were more and more people with similar ideas about living a more grounded, wholesome life, while also running a business. 

As much as the internet drives us a little crazy at times, it's a pretty great place to make new friends and then hang out in real life.