The Tree - Regional Park Family Photographer
I have my go-to locations that I enjoy photographing at. Some of which have served me for a very long time, but at the same time, I want to keep things fresh so I’m always keeping an eye out for new spots. I love the outdoors and am always out and about somewhere, so sometimes, like this time, I stumble upon something really photogenic.
I was walking through the Ballincollig Regional Park, taking all the tiny trails that snake through it. At first I was distraught to see that my favourite tree in the park, an oak tree, had lost one of it’s big branches. It’s a sad sight and I worried for the health of the tree in the future (and still do). But after a while, I realized it might have just become a perfect spot for family and baby shoots.
The Tree in Question
Why is this my favourite tree in the entire Regional Park? I love the field it is in, and how knurled and aged the tree is. In a light-hearted way, it gives me such ‘Huckleberry Finn’ vibes. A place I would have met all my friends at when we were young. Where we would eat our sandwiches leaning against it’s rough bark. “Meet you at the tree!” could only mean this specific tree. It’s THE tree.
Now that the branch had fallen, it would be the perfect, wild bench for a shoot. It would have a practical seating option while still oozing this beautiful, natural aesthetic because it doesn’t have a man-made bench.
I found a couple of brave families who were willing to give this new location a go without any example photos from previous shoots. The tree itself became a focal point in about 30-50% of the photos, so that we would still have a nice balance of more active and standing shots, and showing off the park’s other beautiful spots. Like the photo below. I love how the green just envelops the whole family.
Soon after these shoots were done, a maintenance crew came in, chopped the fallen branch in slices and took it away bit by bit.
I’d like to think that these families are lucky to have a totally unique set of photos at a location that can never be replicated again!
Google Reviews
Both families were amazing and wrote me these two lovely 5-star Google reviews:
“Jan was a great choice for our newborn photos.
He chose the perfect location, was very friendly and patient.
The photos are great, and we are more than happy.
Thanks Jan!”
-Adrian
“Jan did a family photoshoot for us and we cannot recommend him highly enough!
He really took the time to make us feel comfortable, esp as our 2-year old was feeling very shy and nervous at first.
The photos came out so well, I absolutely love them.
Thanks Jan!”
-Anita
What 2027 Holds
I’m still unsure if I will return to this specific part of the park. I would love to keep it going and make it work but I do also like the idea that it was essentially just a once off for 2026 and to retire it. It wouldn’t be the first location I have only offered for a single year, like this one or this one.
For next year, I already have a few ideas of what that special location could be. But I’ll take the winter to really decide on it. Just like I unveiled this location for 2026. But it definitely won’t be the last time you’ll find me at the Ballincollig Regional Park.
In the meantime you are more than welcome to contact me here to check out my family and baby packages or have a look down below at more photos.
Talk to you soon!
More Photos
Clara - Baby Naming Photographer Cork
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!”
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.”
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!
Ryan - Outdoor Baby Photographer
I think my style is quite clearly defined – I absolutely love photographing outdoors and taking very organic photos that have a lot of life in them. Nothing too staged, nothing too rigid. And that is the same philosophy I apply to my newborn baby photography packages as well.
At home or outdoors
My two main categories are; baby photo shoots at home, or outdoors. After that, parents can chose if they want a regular sized shoot of 30 photos or a larger one of 50 photos. Then they chose print packages as well.
50 photo package
This blog post is a perfect representation of a 50 photo newborn shoot, taken in Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork city. This is one of my regular locations for baby and family photo shoots. Being so close to the city centre it is easy to get to, but also the flora is so diverse within the park that I can make it look like so many different locations. Plus, we have other extras to play with, like the benches, the logs, different trees, the Shakey Bridge, and the playground. All within a small footprint that is easy to navigate with a pram. I find it to be a perfect location!
In this shoot of little Ryan, I used the autumn colours and the falling leaves to full effect. Really emphasizing that we were in the autumn season. We were also lucky that day with beautiful sunshine which was so radiant that it allowed Ryan to be barefoot the whole time so we could see his cute little baby feet. The sunshine was also visually such a gorgeous addition to the photos.
With the bigger newborn photography package of 50 photos being booked, we didn’t just go on the Shakey Bridge, but also walked down the footpath to get some lovely father and son photos at the bottom of the Thomas Davis Bridge. I love these photos. I think they fall into a striking balance of being beautifully scenic while being some cute photos of the ‘boys’.
Action shots
With Ryan already being half a year old and a big boy at this stage, we were also able to do some action shots, like tummy time, mom & dad ‘throwing’ him in the air and some assisted walking on one of the logs.
If you would like to book a shoot like this for yourself, you can say hi to me here. Or if you prefer to do a shoot at home, this is something I also do, either an indoor baby shoot or an outdoor baby shoot.
Gift Cards for Newborn Baby Photography
Also, gift cards are available if you would like to gift these to friends or family, do contact me here for them.
I look forward to hearing from you!
