Family Photography

A Fun Family Portrait Shoot /  by Jan

5-star Google Review

“Jannik and his partner were perfect and professional. He emailed in a timely manner given I’m from the states and unsure of any good location to take photos. My husband is from farran and he suggested a couple of places near by. The rain was near, kids were cold, but the photos didn’t give any of that vibe. Photos of the group, kids and individual family appear flawless. He returned the photos edited in a fast manner with a clickable link because only two of my husband family live in Ireland, so this makes it easier for all. Overall amazing!”
— Sonia

Family photo shoots are something I do a lot of, they’re really fun. Sometimes it might be a celebration of a newborn joining the family, sometimes it’s to just celebrate the milestones which don’t have set occasions. And sometimes it’s to celebrate that everyone is together for first time in a long time.

So for this family reunion, I headed just outside of Cork city to the gorgeous Kilcrea Friary. With its ancient Franciscan friary and rolling green hills, this location is the perfect blend of Irish heritage and natural beauty. Plus, it was also near the family home. Handy!

I love doing these extended family shoots; they offer the perfect excuse for all those uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews to gather and enjoy some quality time together. In this case, families from all corners of the world came together for the first time in a long while.

Photographing such a large number of people can be at first feel overwhelming. In this case it was 17 people in total, 10 adults and 7 children. But my approach to these family shoots is to make it easy and fun. First starting off with the full family as a group photo, I then break up the groups into smaller subdivisions and family units. We even get some couple shots in there, which are particularly special; so many people find the moment to be reminiscent of their wedding day – a time where the focus was simply on them as a couple.

And to finish it off with a high, I staged a race with the kids and let them run wild. They took it very seriously and it led to these adorable pictures. Not to be outdone, the adults had their turn too, to my surprise. It’s those spontaneous moments that can be so much fun on a shoot like this!

If you would like to book me for your family reunion or would like a regular family photo shoot, say hi to me here!

Caoimhe - Newborn Baby Shoot /  by Jan

“Ballyhooly... no clue, let me check Google Maps. Oh right, between Mallow and Fermoy. I’ve never been there!”

Were my first thoughts. I was booked to do an ‘at home’ baby shoot and I couldn’t have gone on a better day. It felt like the first summer’s day of the year. Skies so blue, it felt fake. Warm air, all the grass looked so much greener than usual, and that warm, summer’s wind... What a day!

But before we get into the shoot, I want to skip ahead and already share the 5-star Google review Anne-Marie left me, because it’s just absolutely hilarious:

“Jan did the most amazing job on a Newborn Photoshoot for our 5 week old daughter. We had such a fun time during the shoot, as Jan embraced the madness and made it look like we have some control over our toddler and dog who joined in on the shoot. The resulting photographs are better than I could have hoped for and the session itself created fantastic memories for us as a family. Jan was a pleasure to work with and we will be looking for excuses to book him again!”

It had me roaring when I first read it! And Anne-Marie was right, with the dog and the whole family involved, it wasn’t the easiest shoot but it was a very fun one.

Usually with a baby shoot at home, I tend to do at least half of the shoot, if not most of the shoot indoors. But with the garden that Anne-Marie and Kevin have, and the previously mentioned, gorgeous day, I decided to leave all of my lighting gear in the boot of the car, and do this baby shoot purely outdoors. I think it only made sense, especially seeing the results.

Little Coaimhe was a great little subject for the shoot, while her big brother, Rory, was running around to his own rules. I think my favourite photos of this day are mom, Anne-Marie and Caoimhe on the chair next to the tree, and the whole family, including dog, walking towards me. Although seeing dad, Kevin, and big brother, Rory, on the swing together is also a high contender.

The great thing with these ‘at home’ newborn baby shoots is that I get to photograph families in their own environment. This makes it so much easier for their parents, often new mothers and fathers, and I get to provide them with unique photos with their homes as a slice of history that might be more meaningful to them. I really enjoy dipping into these environments and working with the challenges these new locations provide.

If you would like to book me for a newborn baby shoot, you can say hi to me here and we can get you booked in!

Longueville House - Historic Family Vacation Photography /  by Jan

It was a cold winter day, the air was brisk but the sun really came out in full force for this shoot, shining its golden rays, which I was very thankful for! I love sunny and warm looking photos!

The shooting location; the Longueville House. An over 300 year old Georgian country house situated just outside of Mallow in County Cork.

I had the pleasure of photographing this large family group who came to Ireland on a big family vacation. And what a way to vacation in a historic mansion like this. Consisting of 21 family members, this wasn’t an easy task to capture so many people! So, I broke it down into groups.

First we started with a group photo of everyone on the beautiful steps at the front entrance. It’s always great to get the whole family together once in a while, which makes a group photo essential!

We then headed indoors. Using my professional lighting setup, we captured some indoor moments in this incredible living room, oozing with historic charm. Here we did some group photos that mixed the individual families, like the grandad with all the grandkids, or the grandad with his adult kids, and more.

After those photos were done, I was able to focus on each individual family and/or couple, capturing such fun and relaxed photos. Even the farm dogs got involved in some shots, much to the delight of not only the kids but also the adults! These springer spaniels were living their best lives on this 400 acre property.

With so many beautiful corners and spots at the Longueville House, I was able to give each family their own unique set of photos in different locations. One family got the greenhouse, the others got to go to the vintage courtyard, the others to the gardens. It was so a joy to work with such a fun family at such a gorgeous venue.

It was effortless. Laughter echoed, jokes flowed, and everyone was just themselves. No rigid poses or forced smiles; just a group of individuals enjoying each other's company. And I think it really shows in the photos. It felt more like a casual gathering than a formal photo shoot.

Good times, good vibes, and a camera capturing it all.

5-star Google Review

They even left me this lovely 5-star Google review:

“We gave Jan a challenge - to photograph our family of 21 people, ages 2-80, at Longueville House. He rose to the challenge and then some!

Jan is not only talented and creative, he’s also a lot of fun to work with. He scouted several locations around the property and captured each group beautifully.

I’m so happy that I found the Save The Journey website and reached out to Jan to capture our memories. He was quick to respond and professional though out the process, including returning all of our edited photos in less than a week.

Do yourself a favor and book Jan for your photography session!”
— Sheila

So if you would like to book me for a vacation family photo shoot or a family reunion, say hi to me here. I look forwarding to meeting you and the family!