Visiting Ireland - Family Portrait Photo Shoot / January 17, 2023 by Jan

It’s always great when the sun does come out and it shows off Ireland’s nature, quite literally, in the right light! And to do it on this family photo shoot was so appreciated, since this was a really special one. Taylor initially contacted me all the way from Florida, this was going to be a big trip for them as a family since they were coming over to Cork to spread a family member’s ashes. And so they decided that for this trip, they wanted some nice family portraits to remember the trip and to have some very original looking family portraits which I’m sure a lot of other Floridians don’t have hanging at home!

With the roses and other flowers in full bloom, I made sure to take full advantage of them and the pops of colour they add in these family portraits are just the cherries on top! Plus, I’ve always wanted to photograph on the Shakey Bridge in Cork and this was finally my chance. On other shoots it was either under construction or just didn’t really fit the shoot. But this was my big chance and I took it! The geometry was a great feature to incorporate into the family photos. Although lining everything up symmetrically is always easier said than done! “Just move to two inches to your left! No, that was a bit too much, just half an inch back again!”

It’s a lot of those kind of instructions! What we do for symmetry!

I always love doing family shoots like this. It’s so rare to have the whole family together in one place, never mind in whole different country. To then organize a professional photographer to do a family shoot is such a great idea!

If you would like to book a portrait shoot for your family, you can gladly contact me here. I look forward to meeting you and your family!

And remember, besides family portrait photography, I also photograph the following:

• Couple Photo Shoots in Cork

• Newborn Baby Photography in Cork

• Wedding Photography in Cork

• and more!

Four Brothers - Family Portrait Photo Shoot / November 16, 2022 by Jan

I think I’ve set a record for a family shoot with the tallest average. But seriously, look at these brothers, aren’t they just an adorable bunch?

This was a very short notice family portrait shoot, since the oldest brother, just 16 years old was heading to Latvia to play basketball for the national team. So the mom (who’s pictured in photos below and coming in at a way shorter height!) decided to get these family photos while they’re all still together.

I decided to go to my favourite spot for family portraits; Fitzgerald’s. It’s just a perfect spot for these portrait photo shoots! There are a load of different backgrounds in a small area, it’s central in the city and easy to get to, plus, everyone knows where it is!

I have been so blessed this year with amazing weather as well. I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been with sunshine! So we used that to our advantage and got these lovely, sunny family shots!

And for being teenagers, man were they easy to deal with and up for anything. I usually get on really well with teenagers and kids, but these guys were just great. I loved they’re little interactions in the photos, especially with the youngest brother. It’s moments like these that make me wish I had one or several brothers!

After some posed photos, I thought it would be a good time to head to the playground and get some action shots! They’re always nice photos to get and the prospect of some fun later on, makes the posed shots go by easier for some reason.

I’m so happy how well these family photos came out. Being faced with having to photograph three teenagers and a child, you never know how things are going to turn out, but this shoot could literally not have gone any better!

If you’d like to book a portrait photo shoot for your family, contact me here for availability.

And remember, besides family portrait photography, I also photograph the following:

• Couples Photography in Cork

• Newborn Baby Photography in Cork

• Wedding Photography in Cork

• and more!

Caelan - Newborn Baby Photography / October 15, 2022 by Jan

It’s been said a million times, but isn’t it amazing how ordinary human beings like you and me can create life? Everyone; meet Caelan!

Noreen, Caelan’s mom, contacted me just about a week before this newborn baby photo shoot. At first I wasn’t aware that her son was so young. In fact, Caelan was exactly three weeks old to the day, when we did this newborn photo shoot. So quite literally, a newborn. That makes him the youngest baby I’ve photographed so far.

Now, if you look at my website, you will see that I love to capture natural moments, outside in nature. Natural and nature. Those are the keywords for me. I love how the photos look in those environments. I know other newborn baby photographers do prefer a more studio based photo shoot, with very posed and constructed shots, but that’s not really what I’m about, here at Save The Journey. Even when photographing indoors, I still photograph in a more natural and joyful style, like Elijah who I photographed here. I like shots full of life and love! I was glad to find out during the pre-shoot phone call with Noreen, that she shared the same opinion.

When working in TV, they always say, “Don’t work with kids or animals. They’re unpredictable.” Haha! Well, this might not be TV, but for these kind of shoots, I make sure I have a lot of extra time in my schedule. Just in case. After all, at three weeks old, a lot of basic things can be overwhelming for the baby. Even just being out of the cot, outside! That’s where I have to rely on the parents to help me out during this portrait photo shoot. Sometimes it’s mom that gives the right snuggles to calm them down, sometimes it’s dad, and sometimes it’s the bottle that they’re looking for. Patience. There is no rush after all.

Some of my favourite photos of this shoot are these following ones, with the dad, Thomas. It’s great to see someone be so happy to be a father! It may not sound like much, but it’s also amazing to see a father allow themselves to be so vulnerable with their kid like this. It’s great to see more fathers, and men in general, being more open in this regard. You can tell that both Thomas and Noreen are, and will be, fantastic parents!