Samyang AF 75mm f1.8 Review Sony FE /  by Jan

I think this is a fantastic lens! That’s my summarized opinion. Why is it fantastic? Price and size!

Combo

I use my 35mm lens the most. I’ve made it no secret that that is my favourite focal length of all (like here, here and here)! And subsequently, I needed a secondary lens to compliment it. I’ve always felt like an 85mm is too tight and too big a gap to 35mm. I know I’m probably in the minority when it comes to that opinion, but it never felt comfortable to me. So in came the 75mm. Spoiler alert, it felt better but not perfect and I eventually replaced it with a lens that felt perfect for me.

But when I do a couple or family shoot, I’ll use a 35mm lens for 70-80% of the shots, and a more telephoto option for the rest. So this is truly a secondary lens. And for being a secondary lens, it’s nice and small, and lightweight. If it was my primary lens, I would look into getting the best and biggest 85mm lens, like I did with my 35mm, but not here.

The Good

For the price, it delivers fantastic image quality, and I do really like the bokeh too, with just a hint of swirl. It also gave you that typical, fast telephoto look and compression, that’s so iconic with 85mm lenses. Colours were good and matched the Samyang 35mm f1.8. It just works really well!

  • The size and weight

  • The price

  • Image quality

The Bad

The only criticism was that the autofocus was a bit slow so that I couldn’t use it for wedding days or events, the lens had no actual aperture ring, and the build quality was very plasticky. The latter made me worry how well the internals were built and how long the lens would last. A Sigma lens in comparison (different price range of course), does give you that confidence that it will be working perfectly during a wedding ceremony. This didn’t. Although I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with it though! And it was more than adequate for portraits. A really amazing little pocket rocket!

I also found the ‘fake’ aperture ring to be a gimmick, as well as the custom modes. I’d have preferred to have had a real aperture ring and no custom switch.

  • Autofocus

  • Build quality

  • No real aperture ring and pointless custom modes

Uncomfortable

As great as this lens was and as much as I enjoyed the extremely compact bang for buck nature of it, I just still never felt truly comfortable with the 35/75mm combo. Traditionally a very popular combo, but one that I struggled with. The difference in focal length was just too stark for me, not only during the shoot but also afterwards. When looking at a gallery, I could immediately tell which photo had been taken by which lens and I felt the difference was too jarring.

Would I recommend it?

I think this focal length issue is a very personal issue that I will probably not share with a lot of other photographers. So to those photographers I say, get this lens if it interests you and you don’t necessarily need the best of the best!

Read more gear reviews here.

And my favourite lens over here.

C&P - Elopement Photography Cork /  by Jan

Elopement Photography at the Registry Office

You will often find me down by the registry office on Grattan Street photographing elopements. They’re really fun to shoot and it’s always interesting how each couple structures their day and communicating to me what they find important.

Elopement Packages

This is why I have three different packages:

  • The Ceremony Package – Which includes photos of the ceremony and group photos.

  • The Couple Shoot Package – This includes group photos and a couple shoot.

  • And the ‘Complete Package’ - Which includes the ceremony, group photos and the couple shoot.

Extras

Couples can then also book me for an hourly rate at a secondary location afterwards.

So this would be if the whole crowd is booked in for drinks at a hotel. I would then take candid shots like I would do at the reception of a full wedding. Which is what Clodagh and Paul booked me for.

Clodagh and Paul

But we started off at the registry office. Clodagh and Paul didn’t want the ceremony itself to be photographed but I met them there for the couple shoot and we started with the classics; the mural at the registry office and the courthouse steps! The sun was shining so beautifully, and Clodagh looked amazing in her white dress! This was one of the first, properly sunny days, of the year which is always such a joy for a photographer like me.

We then headed up to the Hayfield Manor for more couple photos, the family group photos and some candid photos of the whole family celebrating and enjoying their drinks and having a good time. I then left them just as dinner was served so that they could enjoy the rest of the day without me.

Couples choose to get eloped for a bunch of different reasons, and my aim is to make your day feel as special as a wedding day should. I really enjoy capturing these beautiful moments to a high standard and allowing you to personalize your big day however you’d like, so that you can look back on these photos fondly!

The couple were so happy with the experience that they wrote me this lovely 5-star Google review:

 
“We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer for our registry office wedding. Jan made us feel completely at ease from the start, which made the whole experience so relaxed and enjoyable.

The photos came back sooner than we expected, which was a lovely surprise, and there were so many amazing shots to choose from. He captured the day perfectly, from photos of just the two of us to group shots with our family and friends.

Jan was a pleasure to work with. We would 100% recommend him to anyone for any event.”
— Clodagh
 
 
 

Other Elopements

The following photos are some of my favourite moments from other registry office elopements.

 
 

Inclusion

Shirley and Tony only wanted their ceremony photographed. It was also very important to them that their son Ethan would not be left out on their big day. So he got to be the ring bearer and we made sure that he was in plenty of photos too!

First Off; The Couple Shoot!

Most of the time we’ll do the couple shoot after the ceremony. But some couples, like Darragh and Rachel prefer to do the couple shoot beforehand, so that they can then just relax after the ceremony and go for drinks and food, or whatever the rest of the day has in store.

In this case we didn’t do any city shots, but just went to the nearby Fitzgerald’s Park.

Thanks to Rachel for this amazing 5-star Google review:

 
“We can’t thank Jan enough for being available to take photos for our wedding at such short notice! (24hrs 😅)

The photos are fantastic, Jan really knows what he’s doing and had them back to us in just four days! Super service ***** ”
— Rachel
 

Port of Cork

Erik and Greice

“They fell in love with the Port of Cork and really wanted some photos there and by the city hall.”

Both Erik and Greice moved to Ireland for work and met each other here. They fell in love with the Port of Cork and really wanted some photos there and by the city hall. They went the extra mile and booked a wedding car to drive us around to those locations which we could then also incorporate into the shoot.

I think we got some lovely shots and Greice seems to think so too, with this 5-star Google review:

 
“We had a fantastic experience with Jan as our elopement photographer!

Jan was so easy to communicate from the start, quick to respond and understood what we wanted and worked to make it happen. In our special day he was there ahead of time, present during the whole ceremony and after discussed with us the best places to go, that were meaningful to us and would create beautiful photos taking advantage of the great weather.

Jan suggested great poses and locations. The whole experience was smooth, stress free, fun and a real joy and pleasure. The photos are absolutely stunning and we will treasure them forever!

We fully recommend Jan to everyone looking for a photographer for their special moment!”
— Greice
 

Spray the Champagne!

I’ve never had this before, but Dáire and Jessica were so happy to get married that they celebrated with a bottle of champagne. This was so fun to capture and a great photo opportunity!

Dáire kept it short and sweet with this 5-star Google review:

 
“Would highly recommend!! Thank you!”
— Dáire
 

Full Circle

When John and Louise contacted me, they had one non-negotiable; they absolutely had to have photo shoot on the bridge they met on! This is always so lovely when a love story comes full circle. I’m always happy to take requests to make your elopement uniquely yours!

Louise was a gem by writing me this 5-star Google review:

 
“Jannik photographed our registry wedding last week and we could not have been more impressed with how the photos turned out.

He was so accommodating with our requests and ensured we got all the photographs we wanted.
A really lovely man, who helps you to feel relaxed and confident while photographing you.

We would highly recommend him.”
— Louise
 

Surprise Visit

Abbie’s colleagues surprised the couple after their ceremony, cheering and congratulating the newly married couple. It was totally unexpected and a really sweet surprise.

The couple were also great sports with the rain that we had that day. I mean, they say that if it rains on your big day, it’s a sign of good luck. So Abbie and Lee have a lot of good luck to start off their marriage! Although a drink or two will warm you straight up again!

Thanks to Abbie for taking the time to write this 5-star Google review:

 
“Jan was our photographer for our wedding in January. From the first point of contact he was so lovely and helpful.

Even though it was raining all throughout our photo session it didn’t phase him at all. He was such a great presence to have around and so positive. He gave us great direction on how to pose so we didn’t look incredibly awkward!

We absolutely love the photos and can’t thank him enough. We would 100% recommend him to anyone!!”
— Abbie
 

Let’s Cut Some Cake!

We were lucky with the weather on this winter’s day! Look at that gorgeous yellow sunlight! I took Conan and Zeina to St. Finbarr’s church for some very striking photos. To them it was very important to also book me for the hotel afterwards, so that they could get some cake cutting photos and the obligatory pint shots!

Contact

So if you’re planning an elopement at the Cork registry office and you’d like something similar to this, say hi to me here. I’d love to hear from you and send you my elopement packages!

Corporate Event Photography /  by Jan

Over the years I’ve photographed a lot of corporate events. They’re always good fun and as per usual with all types of photography, I really enjoy capturing all those perfect moments. From those applause shots of the whole crowd, to a chuckle when the speaker’s joke lands or the concentrated face of an employee who’s listening to interesting speech and is learning something important. I really enjoy capturing those moments and making your event look like the success it was.

Getting a great variety of each event is also important and at specific events I might even get a brief of the type of shots they are hoping to get or if there are any event specific shots they need. I’m always happy to follow those or to incorporate them with my ideas and vision.

Since I’ve photographed so many different types of corporate events, I thought I’d break it up into the following categories.

Conferences and Presentations

Sigmar Recruitment hosts a number of Talent Summit events across Ireland every year, and I’ve been lucky enough to photograph quite a few of them. Both in Cork and also in Galway.

Getting really high-quality shots that really capture the essence of the event is so important for LinkedIn and other social media platforms these days. These events regularly feature the Lord Mayor of Cork as well as high-ranking business owners, like the owner of Musgraves and representatives of BOI and even international guests.

Award Ceremonies

Isn’t this a lovely occasion, being able to award people for their hard work? And even more so when the event is being hosted by the Cork Volunteer Centre and everyone has dedicated their time and hard work for a good cause and for free?

Taking place in the gorgeous St Peter’s, the whole ceremony was a lovely celebration of making a difference and acknowledging those people who put others before themselves.

The Ukrainian choir also performed a number of songs as a thank you for all the support they had received.

Conference and Award Ceremony

Combining the previous two events, we have this event at the Vienna Woods Hotel. Cadence were holding their Innovation Conference and were also awarding their top employees with some awards. Ranging from ‘Rising Star’ to ‘Best Presenter’ and more!

Christmas Party

Is there a better way to wrap up the year than with a Christmas party? At Facebook/Meta, employees were encouraged to bring their family and kids for the evening. The whole place was packed! There was face painting and balloon animals for the kids, and so many games and even a gift bag for each kid.

And having the couches set up for family photos with a nice Christmas themed brackground was very thoughtful and much appreciated by the employees. Each family could then get a nice family photo.

The band were made up of employees as well and later on DJ provided the tunes for both adults and kids to hit the dance floor. As it got late, the DJ broke out the karaoke, which was a big hit!

Corporate Summer Party / Fun Day

Hair down, music, good food, games. That’s what these summer parties are all about! It’s always nice seeing companies thanking their employees with these big gestures. My aim is to document all the fun activities and to capture a well rounded set of photos of the whole event. With family members also being invited, it’s a great opportunity for everyone to get a fun family photo too.

If you want to see more of this, more casual style, check out this blog post that is all about their previous Summer BBQ.

Corporate Sports Events

And then we have the corporate sports events. This event was hosted by the Irish concrete manufacturer; Kilsaran. As a thank you to their suppliers, they booked the famous Fota golf course for the day. The lucky ones got to play golf, followed by a lovely dinner and drinks. I got to take their group photos just before they headed off to the first hole.

Business Opening Ceremonies

TechStar is an electronics shop and repair centre with quite a few different locations across Ireland. For the opening of their one shop, they decided to have a big launch party/opening ceremony. With a free raffle and prizes, I was there to capture the whole event and the lucky winners!

McMahons Builders Providers also opened another branch in Carrigaline. Of course we had to make sure that we got some great shots of the ribbon being cut!

Contact

If your company is planning a corporate event and you’re looking for a photographer, you’re more than welcome to write me an email here and check my availability. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!