Family Photography

Ayla - Newborn Baby Photo Shoot Cork by Jan

This shoot was a first for me! It was my first time photographing a family and/or newborn baby shoot in Ballincollig’s Regional Park, and I must say, it’s instantly become one of my favourite spots ever! I actually have no clue why it’s evaded me for such a long time.

Loving the woods

What do I like so much about it? I love how mixed the scenery is. At the beginning by the parking lot, you have the park and benches which is perfect for some of the more traditional photos, and the perfect spot to take some close up shots of the baby. Then you can head into the woods and get some amazing wilderness shots that I absolutely adore. I love photographing in nature and making places look so much more remote and exotic than they are. I love it! It almost becomes an adventure shoot, like this.

These intimate photos of Ayla with her dad are also so precious!

But today’s star isn’t Ballincollig’s Regional Park but Ayla herself! Just five weeks old at the time of this newborn baby portrait shoot, she really is a newborn, even though her size might suggest that she’s already a little older.

The Challenges

The challenge of these newborn portraits is always working quickly enough while the baby is in good spirits, but not letting the shoot go on too long before they get too cranky or need a nappy change. Which is why I always make sure I have plenty of time planned for these baby shoots. There’s always an unexpected milk break or things can get a little overwhelming when you’re so tiny. But I love this photo of Ayla calming herself down again by sucking on her own thumb. So cute!

So cute!

“But I love this photo of Ayla calming herself down again by sucking on her own thumb.”

And thanks to the parents, Amara and Wynand, for being super easy to work with and being up for everything I suggested. A delight to work with.

Google Review

And they didn’t find it too bad either, leaving me this 5-star Google Review:

Fantastic day out! Had a great time chatting and taking photos. Jan makes a newborn photoshoot feel like catching up with a friend, very relaxed and easygoing. Our photos came out stunning! Will definitely do it again!

Inquiries and availability

If you would like to make a booking for a newborn baby photo shoot, you can contact me here for availability and pricing. I don’t just do newborn baby photography but also the following:

Couples Photography in Cork

Family Portrait Photography in Cork

Wedding Photography in Cork

• and more!

Turning One - Birthday and Christening Photographer Cork by Jan

It’s great to be able to capture family’s milestones, and capture these important memories for everyone to treasure and reflect upon in years to come. It’s so special seeing a family grow and be there for each other.

Here I got to photograph little Emily. It was not only her christening day, but also her very first birthday! The family went all out by booking the illustrious Hayfield Manor, and I don’t know about you, but the Hayfield Manor always feels so fancy to me, just like the Castlemartyr Resort. They’re always lovely places to visit and great venues for these kind of family occasions!

5 Star Google Review:

But before I start talking about this family photo shoot, why don’t we hear what the family themselves had to say?

People leave me lovely reviews after these photo shoots, and this one was another great one to share:

Jannik is an absolutely fantastic photographer, he put us at ease straight away and took really beautiful photos of our daughter’s Christening/1st Birthday celebration. Very good at working with babies and was able to capture both the adorable and hilarious moments during the photo session. Would 100% recommend him and will definitely be booking again for future family events. Thank you so much, we will treasure these photos forever. ~Claire, Gregg & Emily Rose.

Celebrating Emily Rose

Back to the portrait shoot now again.

I decided to take the parents and Emily to the green house first, so we could do a private shoot of just the three of them. I love this green house that the Hayfield Manor has in their front garden. It didn’t just visually come in handy as a shooting location, but also practically, as it was drizzling heavily. One of those beautiful coincidences, where the rain made me shoot in what turned out to be a better spot.

I really love these family portrait photos! It’s always enjoyable to make a location in the middle of the city seem way more exotic than it might appear on paper.

The parents chose Rose to be Emily’s christening name and have a look at the details in the photos. They did a fantastic job with those. Emily wore a rose headband, her white dress had white roses and even the cake had roses on it. I love that attention to detail! And it’s always fun to see parents go full out with a theme.

A first birthday is a big moment, so it’s great to have the family come together for these moments and for me to be able to take these natural and happy family portraits. Emily did so well with all of the attention on this day, as you can tell from the photos, she is such a quiet and thoughtful child. Double the attention with a birthday party and a christening, that’s a lot to take in!

If you’d like me to photograph a family milestone like this or would like to have family portrait photo shoot, you can contact me here. I’d love to hear from you!

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!

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!