Christina and Sean - Honeymoon Shoot at Blarney Castle / September 8, 2023 by Jan

I treated Christina and Sean to a honeymoon couple shoot at the gorgeous Blarney Castle and Gardens, one of my favourite places to do a couple shoot. Why? Besides the iconic Blarney castle, the gardens also offer so many sweet nooks for special and happy vacation couple photos. It’s also a hop, skip and jump away from the docking point for cruise ships in Cobh. So obviously that’s where we went for Christina and Sean’s honeymoon shoot.

Christina and Sean came from America on a cruise, stopping at Cork for just one short day; so I was determined to make sure they saw the best bits the city has to offer.

After some photos around Blarney Castle, we had to spend some time at Blarney House for the sheer fairy tale factor the house has to offer. And then – to the gardens!

The gardens are a beautiful array of different types of plant life; some of it classical Irish fare, and some corners seeming almost tropical; all of it dense and lush with trees that dwarfed the couple. It’s really just nature showing off.

Christina and Sean had actually been married for a while already before finally getting this opportunity to go on their honeymoon, but they seem just as happy and delighted with each other as if they’d just walked down the aisle.

They took much delight in the poison garden. Some of the plants are so deadly that they’re found in medieval cages. The garden boasts Lily of the Valley, which featured in Breaking Bad, as well as Woflsbane from Harry Potter. There are also less severe plants among them, like tobacco, tea and rhubarb.

The Witch of Blarney is said to come alive and cause mayhem after dark, but luckily the gardens close at 6 so no one need fear. And then there’s the Blarney Stone, which must be kissed for the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness.

We also checked out the wishing steps, which promise to grant your wish within the year if you are able to walk down and back up them with your eyes closed while thinking of your wish.

Of course, Ireland will have its way, and the day started out chilly, before moving on to drizzly and damp. But there’s nothing a cute umbrella won’t fix! The canopies of trees also shielded us from the showers. By the end of the shoot, the rain had left us and we were boiling hot and we headed back to the castle for some pics in the sun.

After the shoot I took them around the town, stopping for lunch at The Muskerry Arms Bar where they serve some traditional Irish food; I had the cabbage, ham and potatoes – mmm!

If you would like to book me as your couple photographer at a beautiful location like Blarney Castle, feel free to say hi and contact me here. I am also available for wedding photography.

Lauren and Michael - Engagement Couple Shoot Gougane Barra / June 24, 2023 by Jan

What a sunset! What a gorgeous couple! What a location!

Let me introduce you to Lauren and Michael. So what is the special occasion for this couple shoot? Well, handsome Michael here has recently popped the big question to Lauren. I believe I see a sparkling ring here.

Now that’s a good sized ring!

We had planned this lovely sunset photo shoot at St Finbarr’s Oratory, followed by some more photos in the Gougane Barra forest. Some amazing locations! But these locations don’t always play ball with us photographers.

When I checked the weather forecast the day before, I got a bit of a shock. Not only was there a torrential rainstorm expected, but also lightning and thunder! I couldn’t do that to the poor couple. So a quick ring to Lauren and an unexpected question, “Hey, do you wanna do the shoot tonight instead?”

And just like that, the shoot was saved. I’m still so grateful to them both for being so spontaneous and fun!

Luckily we were bathing in this sunlight, and with Lauren’s dress and the flowers, I’m already getting some romantic wedding vibes from this shoot! I can picture it all already! Well, the location is probably the main contributor. I mean this is one of the best hotspots for intimate weddings in County Cork (one I’m actually booked for next year – can’t wait!).

After all the glorious sunset photos at St Finbarr’s, the cloud cover did come over as we headed into the forest.

Originating from Limerick, Michael met Lauren abroad in Canada and have now moved back to Ireland, staying in Cork city. Lauren was so unaccustomed to our entire lack of predatory animals in our wildlife, always looking out for bears and other creatures we thankfully don’t have! Always good to be on the lookout though!

5-star Google Review

I received this lovely review from Lauren, who said;

“My fiance and I had a great time doing our photoshoot with Jannik, he made us feel at ease and we absolutely love the photos!”

I can’t wait for my next shoot in this area, so if you want to make my day and want to do a couple shoot similar to this in Gougane Barra, do say hello to me here.

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

• Wedding Photography Shoots in Cork

• Proposal Photography in Cork

• Adventure Family Photography and Couples Photography in Cork

• and more!

Ali and Maha Proposal - Proposal Photographer Bell's Field / June 1, 2023 by Jan

As seen on the Irish Examiner and Yay Cork.

I do video now??

I’m no stranger to photographing proposals, like this one for example. The element of surprise is obviously very important when it comes to proposals. You don’t want the unsuspecting partner to notice you, the photographer, before the question has been asked. So this means that usually I’m hidden somewhere in the bushes with a telephoto lens and am stalking the couple like a hunter. Haha!

This one was a little different though. With this one Ali, asked me if we could do the proposal at Bell’s Field, which was the location of their first date!

Ali is from New York and got in contact with me a few months ago, planning this surprise proposal on his holidays to Ireland. The plan was for me to pretend like I’m just a photographer taking some sunset shots and that he would come up to me and ask a kind stranger to take some belated graduation photos of his girlfriend, as they didn’t get around to it earlier in the day.

By sheer coincidence, just as I was hovering around them, waiting for Ali to approach me, she mentioned what a shame it was that they didn’t get any graduation photos earlier. It was the perfect cue for Ali to jump up and approach me and for me to pretend like I had no clue what was going on.

I’d say at this stage, I’ll just let the video do the rest of the talking and make sure you wait to see the crowd’s reaction!

Proposal Video

The great thing about this style of capturing the proposal is that I didn’t have to be hidden. That makes it easier on one hand because I don’t have to anticipate they’re exact spot. I can actually tell them where to go. I just had to concentrate on not blurting out, “Hey Ali!” as soon as I saw him. Luckily my acting skills were up to par and it all played out perfectly.

5-star Google review

Ali clearly though I did a good job too, since I received this amazing 5-star Google review from him, which I also believe is the longest review I have every received from anyone:

“If you are searching the web for photographers for your event, and you have the opportunity to read my review, then consider this the ultimate sign that you should book Jan asap!
I had hired Jan to help me out with a surprise proposal to my girlfriend in Cork. He was very quick to get back to me, and agreed to do everything that the proposal needed at a very reasonable rate.
I should mention here that at the last minute, I had to shift the date of my proposal and Jan agreed to still pull through, even though it was date of his wedding anniversary. You will not be able to get that sort of professionalism and courtesy anywhere!
So yes, the proposal day finally arrived, and Jan played a huge role in pulling off the big surprise! The video came out so nice, and the photo shoot that followed was amazing. My fiance and I were over the moon with the results and everyone who saw the photos complimented them, and appreciated how nice they looked!
So good results, professional, quick turnaround times (he got us the photos a day before schedule) and all around a great company to have at your event. What else could you ask for?
It's been an absolute pleasure working with Jan and reporting back the awesome results!”