Family Photography

Farran House - Family Vacation Photo Shoot Cork by Jan

Farran House

I hadn’t even heard of the Farran House before. What a surprise it was to do a photo shoot here! I thought this would be a mini-hotel, in this gorgeous historic building. So much to my surprise, when I arrived with all my photography gear, I was a little perplexed that the front door was locked and there was no door man in sight. I rang the door bell, suddenly unsure if I was at the right place or if I was currently trespassing on private property.

Vacation Family Photography Cork

The door eventually opened, and a man with an American accent answered the door. This was the family that booked me! One big family on vacation in Ireland from America, consisting of three couples and one child. Turns out, they booked the entire house, not just a couple of rooms.

“There is a full wing of this house that we aren’t even using.” I was told. Size wise, a total overkill for a family of seven, but when the hotels in Cork city cost more than this house would for a week, why wouldn’t you chose to stay here? Nestled in the countryside with a sizeable garden, it’s a lovely spot!

On the day of this family portrait photo shoot, we had gorgeous Irish weather; consistent rain and cloud cover that wasn’t letting up. So there goes the plan of taking some lovely outdoor family photos. But with an interior like this, it might not be that bad!

I did a bit of location scouting, going to all the different rooms, and I couldn’t believe my luck. There were so many ‘props’ and photo shoot opportunities everywhere. The family was a game, and so we set up different activities we pretended to be doing.

And with my lighting setup with me, I would have everyone looking their absolute best!

Some competitive chess games, what I believe to be snooker (I’ve never seen a snooker/billiards table this size!), some light reading with an Irish whiskey and a sing song on the grand piano.

I just got everyone to mess around and do some great acting for the camera. What a laugh it turned out to be! Although the piano playing was real!

Happy Birthday!

“These will be some great memories for the family to take home. Especially since this was family photo shoot took place on the grandmother’s birthday.”

Outdoor Couple Photo Shoots

Once we had all the indoor shots done, including some more posed ones like the girls on the stairs, and the full family photo, we ended up braving the rain with an umbrella to get some couple shots. I love how enthusiastic everyone was to get outside even with the rain! These will be some great memories for the family to take home. Especially since this was family photo shoot took place on the grandmother’s birthday.

Google Review

I got this lovely 5-star Google review from Nicole and her family:

“Jannik and Nic were AMAZING! They made us feel so comfortable during our family portraits and our couples shoot. They had so many fun ideas and used props throughout our house, which made for great photos. Even though it was raining, they helped make our vision come true with outdoor photos with umbrellas. They did a great job incorporating all of our needs, including getting our 3 year old to smile and pay attention! I would absolutely recommend Save The Journey Photography!!”

Inquiries and availability

If you would like to book me for a vacation photo shoot in Cork, you can contact me here for availability and pricing. And also have a look at my adventure family and couple photo shoots here for some inspiration.

And remember, besides Vacation Family Portrait Photography, I also offer the following types of photography:

Couples Photography in Cork

Newborn Baby Photography in Cork

Wedding Photography in Cork

• and more!

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!