David and Eleanor - Gougane Barra Wedding Photographer / July 8, 2025 by Jan

Gougane Barra will always have a soft spot in my heart. I remember the first time I ever visited it. I couldn’t believe it was real! The scenery is so striking, and with the chapel (or rather; oratory) placed on the quasi-island, it looks straight out of a movie. Then you walk inside, it’s filled with those lovely pink and purple walls. Such soft colours that work so well in these wedding photos and give it so much more character than a standard white wall. Elegant!

YUGAL

The day started a little stormy – although I’ll get back to this at the end. This was David and Eleanor’s big day! Eleanor is Filipino and she incorporated some Filipino traditions into the ceremony. I am always really intrigued by other cultures and traditions and love to learn more about them. I’m well accustomed to the hand binding which is an old Celtic tradition. But I got to learn about a Filipino tradition of a ceremonial cord, called a ‘yugal’ that is wrapped around the couple in a figure of eight. The ‘yugal’ represents their commitment to each other, much like the hand binding. It’s so fun to be a part of these traditions and capturing them as best as I can.

“OMG!

As the ceremony was coming to a close and David and Ellie, now husband and wife, walked down the aisle and we burst out of the oratory, we stumbled upon a crowd of American tourists who couldn’t believe their eyes. “Oh my god!” one of them shouted. They couldn’t believe that they were lucky enough to see a groom and bride the very second they were there! I’ll never forget that really audible “Oh my god!”. Haha!

TAYTO

I often have couples who are worried about the couple shoot. Some of them just feel awkward in front of the camera and don’t know what to do. Especially on such an emotional day like their wedding day. And if you’re one of those couples, don’t worry! I am there to make it as easy as possible, and actually, also really fun!

Eleanor was in particular very worried about this, and as we were talking about the couple shoot beforehand, I suggested that we should do something. An activity where I can capture some lovely shots and they won’t feel so awkward. She came up with the left-field idea of making and eating Tayto sandwiches, a food item that was very close to their hearts. Definitely not something I would have suggested! Haha! But we got such cute photos of the two eating their Tayto sandwiches.

And let’s look at these couple photos. Didn’t they do an amazing job?? I can’t believe they ever had any worries at all. They were adorable!

5-Star Google Review

Eleanor was also amazing and wrote me this 5-star Google review:

“We booked Jan for our wedding and he was a delight to work with! Very friendly and accommodating. Our wedding venue was so small, but I didn’t even notice that he was around documenting everything. He made us comfortable on camera and the photos came out so beautiful! The setting was very scenic but he made it look more magical. Thank you, Jan! More power to you”

— Eleanor

A Storm at Gougane Barra

And before we wrap up this blog post, I mentioned I would come back to the storm. I photographed Maddy and Matt’s elopement also at Gougane Barra, but in this horrendously stormy weather. They were a great couple and were so committed to these photos even though it was miserable out. I was committed as well and happy to keep going but I did feel sorry for the couple. However, when I got home, I couldn’t believe how beautiful these photos were. I wouldn’t wish this type of weather on any couple, but actually, they’re so strikingly beautiful! They’ve become one of my favourite set of wedding photos ever! I hope that Maddy and Matt feel the same way.

5-Star Google Review

Well, we actually see from their 5-star Google review that they were also over the moon!

“Jan was so amazing to work with - exceeded all our expectations and then some. My now husband and I are not very photogenic, photo-loving people but Jan really captured us in such a natural, appealing way and we love them all. He was so easy to work with on site, incredibly prepared and professional, friendly, and had some really cool ideas for types of shots and locations - all of which were especially helpful not being familiar with the Cork area or taking photos in general. His wife also assisted with the shoot and was so kind and helpful, making it a truly a wonderful experience overall. Can’t recommend him enough!”

— Maddy

Hey!

If you would like to book me for your upcoming wedding day, say hi to me and my wife here, we’d love to photograph your wedding!

More Gougane Barra Wedding Ceremony Photos:

Forest Adventure - Midleton Family Photographer / July 2, 2025 by Jan

Family Photoshoot

Daniel initially contacted me, he wanted to book a family shoot as a mother’s day present for his wife Shona. Now that’s a great present, one that will always be remembered! Kids grow up so fast and it’s great to pause every now and then and capture the whole family together.

What An Adventure!

Daniel chose the bigger family package that I offer with around 45 photos, and I think this shoot perfectly shows the variety of shots I am able to get with that package. At the beginning of the photo shoot, I usually start with the well behaved posed family photos. Everyone is on their best behaviour.

As we continue the shoot, I am able to capture more candid shots of the kids having fun and let’s just compare a posed group photo from the beginning of the shoot, to one I took at the end. The first one you would send to family members, maybe make some postcards of and the next one is one you would have on your fridge door. Such different vibes.

Couple Shoot

The great thing with the bigger family package is that we can also squeeze in a small couple shoot for the parents, who are sometimes left behind a little in a photo shoot when it’s usually the kids who the focus is on (pun intended). Although Harry was itching to be a part of this too!

It’s always so much fun to photograph the kids having fun and running around. I give them some directions at times, like smelling all the flowers. But then other times, they just surprise you with what they get up to and they’re suddenly climbing the wall ruins. Haha!

I think we all did a great job of getting the balance just right of having loads of fun candid moments, while still having loads of lovely posed group photos that you would frame and put up in the house.

Midleton Location

These woods, near Midleton, have quickly become a favourite of mine. It’s disorientating because they’re so close to the ocean, they’re filled with sea air. It’s so odd being able to smell the ocean in the middle of the woods. At least to me. But I love how wild this forest looks. It’s not immaculately looked after, and that gives it so much character and its own kind of beauty.

Hi!

I’d love to come back here again, so if you would like to do a similar kind of family shoot with me, say hi to me here. I’d love to hear from you!

Ian and Rachel - The Imperial Wedding Photographer / May 19, 2025 by Jan

The great thing about weddings is how personalized they can be. Some couples love to do a bouquet toss, other couples prefer to do a walk-out under sparklers. Some want it big, others want something smaller. And just because you’re going for something smaller, doesn’t mean you should be getting less.

Ian and Rachel decided on having a formal wedding ceremony followed by a more informal remaining day, which meant that they only wanted me for a couple of hours of photo coverage.

I started the day photographing Rachel in her hotel room with her father and sister, she was busy adding the final touches to her outfit and once fully ready, we captured the full outfit; the wedding dress, the bouquet, the jewellery.

The clock was ticking so I headed off to the The Imperial’s ceremony room. I always really like their ceremony room and find it such a pleasure to photograph in. I believe the Imperial is taking a break from hosting weddings while they renovate, but I hope they get back to it soon, as it’s a great venue.

As part of the ceremony, the couple lit the candles and I then already found themselves slipping the rings on each other’s fingers. All the while I’m photographing the guests’ laughter and tears, or the embarrassing moment when Ian’s mother realized she had forgotten to bring the rings. Thankfully, they were just in her hotel room and with a quick sprint down the corridors, the crisis was averted.

Rings

“…the embarrassing moment when Ian’s mother realized she had forgotten to bring the rings.”

We were then able to enter the penthouse suite which features this lovely balcony that almost wraps around the whole building. With the views overlooking the city and the sun already being low, we had this amazingly soft light. It was still so radiant, so we had so much colour in the skin tones, making the two love birds just glow!

And as a finishing hurrah, we did the group photos with family and friends.

I always bring my A-game to these kinds of weddings, as that is a lot to squeeze into just a two hour time window, so I come prepared by knowing exactly what I’m photographing and when. I still have to capture a lot of the same moments and details, but with a lot less time on my hands. There’s definitely more pressure on each photo being pergect. It’s a fun challenge and I love how the photos came out! Ian and Rachel thought so too, and were kind enough to leave me this lovely 5-star Google review:

“We hired Jan as our wedding photographer and he did an amazing job. He made us feel very at ease as was very professional. Our pictures turned out amazing. We would highly recommend Jan!”

— Rachel

When it comes to booking a package, it’s important to book a package that fits your idea of what your day should be. I love getting those dancing shots at the end of the evening, when everyone is relaxed and having a blast (which I did here for instance), or photographing the wedding couple with their camper van, which was specially requested by the couple!

Either way, I’d love to hear from you! Say hi to me here and fill me in on what your wedding plans are!