St. Colman's Cathedral - Cobh Wedding Photographer /  by Jan

Ireland has so many gorgeous cathedrals and churches. Some of my favourites are St Finbarr’s in Gougane Barra (theoretically an Oratory) and the other is the other St Finbarr’s in Cork city. How often those two buildings must have been photographed by tourists and visitors. I can only imagine.

St Colman’s Cathedral

As beautiful as they are, I think they aren’t quite as iconic as St Colman’s in Cobh though! St Colman’s has to be the most iconic cathedral in all of County Cork. So it made my dreams come true when Anastasija and Austin told me they were going to have their wedding ceremony there!

The couple were coming from America, and having spent a week traveling through most of Ireland with their friends and family, they arrived in Cobh, both looking gorgeous. With a typically traditional Catholic ceremony, the couple got a genuine Irish experience.

As always, I loved capturing those fashes of emotions; mom crying, a bridesmaid with teary eyes, the bride laughing… It’s always fun to stay vigilent and be ‘trigger ready’ to capture those intimate moments.

My Favourite Photo

My favourite photo of the whole ceremony has to be the kiss. I was buzzing that I managed to capture the perfect kiss photo. Halfway down the aisle I suggested to the couple that they should do another kiss, and with the guests laughing, clapping and cheering in the background it made for the perfect background!

The Couple Shoot

After the group photos, I took Anastasija and Austin for their couple shoot. The wind came in howling from the ocean so we weren’t able take any photos outside the cathedral without messing up Anastasija’s beautiful hair. But I knew a green spot we could go to which was a bit more sheltered and that would still have St Colman’s cathedral tower showing in the background.

Anastasija’s dress was so gorgeous and photographed incredibly well, and the lighter, tan suit of Austin was so classy too. Being lighter in colour made it easier to photograph in this setting than a very dark coloured suit in comparison. So the couple just stood out so perfectly with all these dark green backgrounds from the trees, plants and the grass. It really makes them standout and be the centre of attention.

After the couple shoot, the couple went to join their guests for dinner and soon they were already on their way for their honeymoon, traveling to continental Europe.

If this is a style of photography that you would appreciate for your wedding day, you can say hi to me and Nic here. We’d love to send you our wedding packages and for us to get to know each other via a video call!

More Ceremony Photos:

Old Head Golf Links - Golf Photographer Ireland /  by Jan

I never thought that one day a bit of 4” pipe would be the key to a successful photo shoot!

Crocs at the Golf Links

Thomas contacted me one day to inquire if I could photograph them playing golf at the Old Head Golf Links, the very prestigious golf course at the Old Head of Kinsale.

 
 

The special occasion? Thomas’ dad, John, was celebrating his 70th birthday and wanted to go play golf at the Old Head with his sons and a friend. So they booked two rounds on two separate days and had me photograph it all because, and I quote, “We’re so bad at taking family photos when we’re out.”
“Amazing, I’m in!”

I found out at the end of the second day that John is the CEO of Crocs. How random! I first thought they were winding me up. Haha!

All You Need Is a Piece of Pipe

After Thomas booked in with me, immediately I imagined these kind of photos, of them picking up their golf ball out of the hole. I thought it would make for some unique and playful photos to go with the rest of the gallery. I obviously can’t be taking them from inside the actual hole, so I went to all the plumbing stores in my area to find a pipe big enough, with which we could imitate this shot. After several shop visits, I finally landed at Cork Builders Providers who were able to sell me a little piece of 4” pipe for a couple of bucks. With a bit of practice at home with my wife, Nic, we got the perfect set up dialled in for the day so that it all worked out exactly as I had hoped, I love the way the photos turned out!

 

Kellen, one of the sons on this trip, loved these photos too, as he specifically mentioned in his 5-star Google review:

“Jan is amazing. My brother hired him to photograph us playing golf for my Dad’s birthday and he delivered incredible shots.

Jan was so nice and made the pictures feel intimate and artistic.

He had this idea to take pictures like he was inside the hole and we were reaching in to take the ball and they came out so well!

Thank you Jan!”
— Kellen

1st Day - Duality of Irish Weather

I am so thankful that they booked me for two days, as the first day was so incredibly foggy, that I can most positively describe as a very moody day. This weather is also what makes this golf course (in)famous. I had so much respect for the golfers as they couldn’t even see the green when they were teeing off. The caddies had to vaguely point in the direction of the hole and the golfers just hoped for the best. Incredible!

Foggy weather

“I had so much respect for the golfers as they couldn’t even see the green when they were teeing off.”

The fog didn’t just require the most of the players, but it also pushed me hard as a photographer to still come up with creative shots when you couldn’t see much further than a couple of meters. I just had to embrace the low-contrast shots and do my best! I’m really happy with the results I got, but when you compare it to the second day, there’s no comparison, is there? Haha!

2nd Day - Creative Golf Photography

We could finally see the ocean! Turns out it was there all along.

The sunny weather on the second day really allowed my creativity to flow. It was amazing to be free of the foggy restraints and to even see the ocean! It was also fun to be tasked with taking a mix of photos; from the action shots of them playing, to documenting their day and the little interactions but also photographing this incredibly gorgeous golf course.

I really tried my best to capture the essence of the Old Head Golf Links by including landscape shots as well, and not purely focusing on the players. So I added in as many elements of the course as possible. Elements that would make it unmistakeably the Old Head. Even including the navy ship that was doing some routine exercises there all day.

Variety Makes Me Better

I really enjoy doing so many different types of photography. Not only do I love that I am able to accommodate so many different requests, because I hate turning people away, like when I photographed Stephen, the para-athlete. But I believe that it makes me a better photographer. I learn things in sports photography that I can apply to my couple shoots and proposals, or my corporate events teach me something that I can apply at my weddings. It’s always funny how those cross overs work!

Lighthouse

The final hole at the Old Head is probably the most iconic one. The lighthouse in the background is a feature that only a few golf links across the world have. So I made sure that every player in the group had their own iconic shot to take home!

Golf Photography in Ireland

Get in touch if you would like me to photograph your party at one of Ireland’s many amazing golf courses, like:

  • Ballybunion Golf Club

  • Dromoland Castle

  • Fota Island Golf Club

  • Lahinch Golf Club

  • Lee Valley Golf and Country Club

  • Tralee Golf Club

  • Killarney Golf & Fishing Club

  • Waterville Golf Links

  • Dooks Golf Club

  • Adare Manor

  • and many others.

I am based in Cork city but am happy to travel outside of the county.

Get in Contact

Say hi to me here for pricing and availability, I’d love to photograph your round(s) of golf!

More Golf Photography

Clara - Baby Naming Photographer Cork /  by Jan

Baby naming ceremonies are becoming more and more popular these days and I think they’re great occasions to have!

It’s always so sweet to see the godparents stand in front of all the friends and families and declare their support to the child. The parents also have the opportunity to formally introduce their newborn to everyone that is important to them. To just have that moment where everything comes to a brief stop, where we aren’t just focused on the day-to-day chores, work and groceries. But a moment where everyone can acknowledge their support for the newborn. It’s a lovely tradition!

Cork County Cricket Club

The naming ceremony took place at the Cork County Cricket Club, a place I know well as I photograph Cadence’s annual summer BBQ party there. And for those people who regularly read my blog, yes, it’s not only a familiar venue but also a familiar face! That’s Geraldine, the officiant from the Inchydoney wedding that I posted just a few weeks ago. It’s always great to bump into familiar and friendly faces again, and Geraldine especially is great at her job and I always enjoy catching up with her! We’ve had the opportunity working together at several weddings, and now, a baby naming ceremony.

Group Photo!

The sunny weather that day allowed us to take these beautiful family photos with Clara, the main attraction that day, with her grandparents, parents, godparents and other friends and family members. I especially love the big group photo we took, with all of the guests on the porch. With the sunlight and the distinct facade of the Cricket Club, it made for such a unique photo that couldn’t have been taken anywhere else. And I love that! Everyone was there that day just for Clara.

 
 

Clara’s Baby Shoot

Parents Emma and Tony, also had me over at their house for a baby photo shoot, several weeks before the naming ceremony. It’s always such a pleasure to witness these different stages in families’ lives over a couple of months or years. Just like I’m now so fortunate to see couples go from a maternity shoot, to a few months later when I’m seeing them again for a baby photo shoot. It’s incredible to be a part of that!

We did the baby shoot predominantly inside, as it was a cold and miserable day but with my lighting equipment, I was able to create these bright and sunny looking indoor shots! A break in the weather also allowed us to go outside for a few minutes to add more variety to the gallery of photos.

Baby Shoot

“Parents Emma and Tony, also had me over at their house for a baby photo shoot, several weeks before the naming ceremony.”

Clara was amazing, with her big eyes and cheeks, she seemed so unfazed by the camera! I love the photos and moments I was able to capture both at their home and at the baby naming ceremony!

Google Review

Emma and Tony were also delighted and they even left me this lovely 5-star Google review:

 
“Wonderful photographer and wonderful photos for my daughter’s newborn shoot and naming ceremony. Jan was so lovely and made us all feel so comfortable. Highly recommend!”
— Emma
 
 
 

Baby Naming Ceremony At Home

Emotional

“…it even made for some teary eyes during the ceremony.”

Another baby naming ceremony that was so beautiful, was for Eve. The parents Darren and Laura hosted the ceremony in their own home. They were able to clear a room for the ceremony and with a personalized cake and the decorations, it made for a very inviting environment. And again, it was lovely to hear the everyone’s commitment and intentions for Eve. It was so emotional that it even made for some teary eyes during the ceremony.

We then had the most beautiful natural light for these family photos, while the nosy neighbours were curious and wondered what we were doing.

Nosy Neighbours

“…while the nosy neighbours were curious and wondered what we were doing.”

Another Google Review

Darren and Laura were also delighted with the photos and also wrote me a lovely 5-star Google review:

 
“Jan photographed our daughters naming ceremony in our house. The photos are stunning. Jan captured the day beautifully. We couldn’t be happier with the photos.

We will be using Jan again and would recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer to capture their special moments.”
— Laura
 

Contact

If you have a christening or a baby naming ceremony coming up that you would like to have photographed, say hi to me here. I’d love to send you my baby naming and christening photography packages and most importantly, photograph your ceremony!