Couple Photo Shoot

My Favourite Wedding Photography Moments, Part 1 /  by Jan

I always pinch myself on wedding days. I can’t believe I get to be a photographer and work with so many great wedding couples, like all the ones I’ve met over the years! It’s a dream come true for me.

I’ve started this series of wedding photography blog posts, an opportunity to hone in on specific moments that sometimes get lost in the other wedding blog posts about each individual wedding with the photos of the whole day.

This series is not particular order but with today’s blog post, I’m starting out strong. I absolutely love photographing the couple shoots on the wedding day! And Cork’s nature is great for it!

Nature Couple Shoots

I grew up loving nature. I spent a lot of time in the water, in the forests, hiking and climbing, exploring and having adventures. I think my upbringing really reflects in my photography. Photographing outdoors with these amazing backdrops that we are spoiled with in Ireland, make the photos so much more special. From mountains to the coast and beaches, there are so many beautiful spots in Cork for some wedding couple photography.

A nice side effect of doing the couple shoot is that it gives the couple a moment to have a breather from the rest of the wedding day. It’s in those moments that it’s beautiful to capture those intimate couple photos.

Nature Is Great but Indoors Is Cool Too

This wedding took place at the FOTA House, just outside Cork city. The couple in this case requested something different. So an indoor couple shoot it was!

My Approach – Couple Shoot Locations

When I do the couple photo shoots, I plan the locations thoroughly. I research and visit the spots beforehand, so that nothing is left to chance.

As a wedding photographer I’m looking for:

• a great location that’s easy to get to

• preferably good weather or alternatively somewhere sheltered

• the height of the sun and the sun direction

• always have a back up plan!

Besides keeping an eye on the weather report, not just temperature but wind and wind direction as well, I even research the direction and height of the sun. It’s vital information to take that into account in conjunction with the day’s programme to find the perfect time frame and spot to do the couple shoot! The light is so important!

It’s also important to be realistic with the location. A small break away from the wedding party is great, but we also don’t want to leave everyone waiting for hours, or take away from your special day and have you, the couple, missing out on fun moments.

I always do my best to find a nearby spot which is both beautiful and not difficult to get to. Especially with the bride’s dress and shoes! Talking about shoes, depending on the dress, I like to advice the bride to wear more comfortable shoes for the more adventurous couple shoots. They can then slip back into the proper wedding shoes for the party again.

Each Wedding is Unique

The great thing about weddings is that each one is unique and each wedding couple is unique. Coming from different families, different experiences and expectations, each couple has different wants and needs when it comes to their wedding. I take this very seriously as wedding photographer, and make sure to highlight the important parts and minimize or even skip the less important parts. And it’s the same when it comes to the couple shoot. Some couples might just want to be gone for a few minutes, then head back to the wedding party to not miss out on the fun, while other couples might look for a longer couples shoot at several different locations. It’s that customization of my wedding photography that I always like to emphasize to couples.

But whatever the shoot is, if it’s at an exotic location or in the hotel gardens, it’s got to look great, and I always like to think, “How would this look framed on their wall?” It has to be like a fantastic album cover, it should be striking.

Keep a look out for my next ‘Part 2’ post to find out my next favourite moment of the wedding day. Not that they are in any particular order.

Contact Me

And if you’d like to enquire about availability or my wedding packages, you can contact me here. I look forward to meeting you and to hopefully be a part of your wedding day!

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!