Couple Photo Shoot

Adventure Family Photo Shoot Package Cork /  by Jan

Last year I launched these ‘Adventure Couple Shoot Packages’ which was especially attractive to couples visiting Ireland. A kind of destination couple photo shoot for people travelling the world! Click here to see that gorgeous engagement photo shoot.

I have now expanded these destination adventure packages to family shoots as well.

What is an Adventure Photo Shoot?

Good question! They are for those couples and families who are up for a memorable adventure and are looking for a whole experience, not just a photo shoot.

This is what you’ll be getting over a regular family shoot:

As a contrast to the photos on this page, this is an example of a regular family portrait shoot which was photographed at Fitzgerald’s Park in the heart of Cork city. These vacation family portraits are lovely memento for families who are on a tight travelling schedule.

With the adventure shoot package, however, we’ll visit several locations in the beautiful countryside of County Cork, stopping along the way to take some fun family photos and showing you these gorgeous spots of Ireland. Each adventure package and the location options are customizable, depending on what you want to experience. You can enquire here for more details on that.

As an example of these ‘Destination Adventure Family Photo Shoots’, I would like to introduce Joan and Mark, and their daughter Mallory, to you. They chose the Castlemartyr/Ballycotton package as their locations.

Coming from the deserts of America, they wanted to have a destination family portrait shoot and an anniversary couples shoot in a location that completely contrasts their landscapes at home. It should all be green nature, with the vast oceans and sheer cliffs in the background. That lush and moist nature. Maybe a little too moist on days like today! Haha! But we made it work and had so much fun nonetheless.

Bouncy Grass

Mallory especially was enjoying the “bouncy” grass that grows on the top of the cliffs.

We started off the shoot at the gorgeous Castlemartyr Resort, which is where Kim and Kanye stayed while they were travelling around Ireland. And if it’s good enough for them, then it’s good enough for you and me!

The resort has this beautiful garden in the back, wedged in-between the golf course and the old castle ruins. There are so many great spots to photograph at in this small area. From the pristine garden which looks like a miniature maze, to these classical steps, and of course, the castle ruins which is the fundamental part of the Castlemartyr Resort.

Heading indoors, a visit to the Knight’s Bar is a must. With the classic decor and paintings on the walls, it’ll feel like taking a step back in time.

Continuing on with this family travel photo shoot, we headed out to Ballycotton, a small coastal town just a 15 minute drive away. It is famous for its seafood, the cliffs and the Ballycotton lighthouse which is located on a small island off-shore.

This shoot took place at the end of winter, just before the start of spring. And even though we didn’t have gorgeous sunlight like with the adventure couple shoot I photographed here as well, I still really love the way these photos came out. They’re just so much fun! And big props to these three for bearing this kind of weather that they’re not used to at all!

Google 5 Star review from Joan

These will be mementos that the three will cherish forever. And that makes me very happy and proud. This is what Joan had to say about the photos:

“What an incredible human and photographer! We booked Jannik having written a few emails back and forth and viewing his work on his website and Instagram and we're so beyond grateful we did.

He is a kind and patient person who inspired our six year old to have fun on our shoot. He found some brilliant locations to photograph us at and the end product was beyond our expectations. We are thrilled with how everything turned out and couldn't have asked for a better experience and product.

We love the photos he created for us and will treasure this time for years to come!”

If you are interested in a destination photo shoot like this, be it a family and/or a couple shoot, contact me here. I’d love to meet you and make your holiday even more memorable!

Eunice and Eoin - Wedding Photo Shoot in Fitzgerald's /  by Jan

I won’t ever forget my own wedding day. I thought I’d be cool, calm and relaxed. Boy, was I wrong. I remember that morning, while getting ready and dressed, looking down at my hands and wondering why they were shaking so much? Those damn buttons! Haha!

Well, that most definitely wasn’t the case for Eoin over here! He was that cool, calm and relaxed groom that I thought I would be. No, Eoin was the cool cucumber.

But then he did also say that the whole parish were happy that Eunice finally took him off their hands!

Eunice and Eoin eloped in Cork this winter and I was lucky enough to be their couples photographer. With more celebrations coming soon, including a trip to Eunice’s home country of Mexico, the pair wanted to have some beautiful wedding couple photos on the day off their wedding. Deciding on Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork city, since it’s close to the registry office on Grattan Street that they were heading to after the couples shoot. It was a fantastic spot since it offered so many lovely corners to photograph this wedding couple photo shoot at.

I always do my best to prepare for photo shoots as much as possible. And this elopement photo shoot wasn’t any different. Fitzgerald’s Park looks so different in winter. So to really maximize the location’s potential, I even did a location scouting the week before. I did an extended lunch break, away from writing emails and editing photos, and headed down to Fitzgerald’s, photographing all the various corners. It helped tremendously!

This was such a fun shoot to do. Eunice and Eoin were in such a joyful mood. No nerves, no anxiety, just joy and full of love! It was an absolute ball.

Eunice and Eoin are one of those couples that just fit, and they will be an amazing together, you can just tell!

This is why I love photographing elopements, full wedding days and these wedding couple photo shoots! It’s exciting to know that these photos will be treasured by the wedding couple for their whole lives. To capture those moments is such a privilege.

Eoin and Eunice had a great time too and left this wonderful 5-star Google review:

“We had a fabulous wedding day photo session with Jan. We were thrilled with how our photos turned out! And Jan was so patient and friendly, giving us excellent direction on how to pose for the photos. I would absolutely recommend Jan to anyone who would like professional photography!”

If you would like me to capture your wedding day or would like to book a couples shoot, contact me here for pricing and availability. I’d love to hear from you!


Joe and Mae - Proposal Couple Shoot /  by Jan

I’ve been photographing a lot of weddings and engagement couple shoots in 2022. It’s been great to photograph all these happy couples, in really beautiful and lovely locations!

I mean, here’s just a quick recap:

But, let’s take it back a step. Before the couples are officially married, before they are even engaged. What about photographing a proposal? Photographing the moment it all began? Insert our protagonists for today; Joe, and an unsuspecting Mae.

Joe got on to me, a few months in advance, all the way from across the pond. They were planning a holiday to Ireland. “The perfect time to propose to my girlfriend!” he thought. It shouldn’t just be anywhere in Ireland either. Somewhere striking and beautiful. Well, it’s a good thing he got onto me, because I knew exactly where and how to do this secret proposal photo shoot.

It just had to be the Blarney Castle and Gardens in Cork! The perfect spot for our American couple. It would make for some unforgettable couple photos and I’m sure it would also mightily impress their friends and family as a very impressive gesture.

So cue flowers by Petals Floral Design, a card by local artist Nadia Rice with a personal message from Joe in it, and all laid out beautifully by yours truly, in this white basket, on top of meters of lace. I was pretty chuffed with this.

Why the basket with the flowers though? Well, it’s a combination of having a nice surprise for poor, unsuspecting Mae, and for Joe to have a marker where the perfect spot would be for the photos. Remember, I have to photograph the proposal! And without being seen! So I have to find an area which isn’t too busy, where they have a nice spot for the proposal, the angle and view of the castle is banging, and I also need a spot to hide. That’s quite a few parameters that need to be filled. And as often is this case, it sounds easier than it is! Hahaha!

A lot of work goes into these shots. Here I am beforehand, studying the grounds, creating maps and drawing in pathways for Joe to study and follow on the day. All to find the magical white basket!

Not being seen and still getting a perfect shot is a really tough one. I arrived early and placed the basket in the perfect spot, and then proceeded to hide inside a large bush/tree. I actually did such a good job at hiding that Joe wasn’t sure afterwards if I had even managed to photograph the proposal at all! That’s when I emerged from the vegetation. I think next time I might just get a ghillie suit. I clearly don’t need it but it would be funny to do, just for the laughs.

This proposal photo shoot was by far the most nerve racking shoot I have had all year! After the actual proposal, I gave the couple a few minutes to enjoy the moment and for Mae to digest what had just happened. But honestly, I needed a few minutes too! Haha!

Although, I wonder what was going on in Mae’s head! First she’s been surprised by a proposal she wasn’t expecting that day, a photographer jumping out of the bushes, and is now confronted with an engagement photo shoot in a strange country. But the two were great, and we ended up having so much fun with the couple photo shoot. And I think that really shows too. They’re a great pair together and I’m certain they will be very happy together.

They were chuffed too. This is the 5-star Google review they left behind:

“Jannik was awesome! From start to finish he made me feel comfortable, especially coming from overseas to do my engagement shots in Ireland. He went above and beyond for me and my now fiancée, ensuring I knew where to locate the spot for pictures, directing non-cheesy poses, and overall getting us to calm our nerves so we could finish our session. Side-perk: he knows all about Cork and the "to-do's" around town, so don't shy away from taking some travel advice while you're with him. Thanks again - cheers Jannik!”

Maybe we can follow this up with a Ballycotton destination wedding? Something like this?

And remember, besides couples photography, I also photograph the following:

• Family Portrait Photography in Cork

• Newborn Baby Photography in Cork

• Wedding Photography in Cork

• and more!