Dáithí – Professional Newborn Photographer Cork / February 13, 2023 by Jan

Professional Newborn Baby Photographer Cork

This is little Dáithí. Isn’t he an absolute cutie?! There’s no coincidence that he got a sunshine graphic on the title of this blog post, because he’s truly a ball of sunshine! Plus, he was a great model and happens to be very handsome in his outfit.

The thing with newborn baby photography, is that you have to be prepared for everything and not rush things. These photos were taken on a brisk January day. It’s way too cold on this particular day to do a family portrait shoot outdoors, like I often do. The Cork weather just wasn’t having it.

This is why I came fully prepared with my lighting set up! I have different lights and soft boxes depending on the type of shoot. The one I brought on this day, is specifically for newborn baby photography and nothing else. It does for some beautiful light, doesn’t it? It also makes it really easy because it allows me to photograph in any room, in any part of the house.

I loved taking these close up shots of Dáithí in his crib. The minor interactions with the parents; the touches the gazes, holding of the tiny feet (always a great shot!). It’s those moments that are really sweet to capture. He really performed well as a model and was a portrait photographer’s dream.

Next up was the family portrait shoot, where I took portrait photos of each parent together with Dáithí, plus all three together. With Dáithí getting a little overwhelmed at times and needing a diaper change, we alternated rooms to cheer him up and distract him, getting a positive vibe going again. David, the dad, did an especially great job with this!

Some of these family portrait photos almost look like they were photographed outdoors, but that’s thanks to Brid and David owning a beautiful house in the countryside with very large windows. It’s always nice when we’re blessed with some gorgeous sunshine like this. It makes the photos feel very airy.

Brid and David now have some wonderful baby and family portraits that Dáithí will one day be able to reflect upon himself.

I was very happy with how the photo shoot went and the baby photos I was able to capture, and Brid definitely agreed. She left me such a lovely 5 star Google review that I wanted to share here as well:

“What can I say about Jan and his Photography, without a doubt he deserves 5 stars, he was amazing, he was so calm, patient and professional.
The pictures are beautiful and he captured our beautiful baby boy Dáithí perfectly. Even Mum and Dad look good too. I will definitely be recommending Jan to my friends and family. We will definitely use Jan again when we need professional photos. Thank you so much Jan.”
- Brid

If you would like to book a professional newborn baby shoot in Cork, like this very shoot, contact me here for pricing and availability.

If you prefer an outdoor newborn baby photo shoot, how about something like this one which was done in Cork city at Fitzgerald’s Park. I am open to your suggestions on a photo shoot location!

And remember, besides newborn baby photography, I also photograph the following:

• Couples Photography in Cork

• Family Portrait Photography in Cork

• Wedding Photography in Cork

• and more!

The Morgans - Family Portrait Photo Shoot and Newborn Baby Photography / January 30, 2023 by Jan

As we’re in the winter months, my favourite outdoor spots aren’t such a viable option anymore. Not with the rain we are having, and the unpredictable weather. That doesn’t mean family photo shoots aren’t possible anymore though! It just means that I need to bring a few extra bits and pieces in the form of some lighting.

Why some extra lighting you might ask? Well, this is exactly what one of their sons was asking me as well. “To make everyone look beautiful!” I replied as I kept setting up my lighting stand and soft box. He paused, thought real hard, then responded with, “You mean handsome!”
“Well, boys and girls can both be beautiful.” He took on this information very diligently.

Today’s blog post is all about the Morgans, who basically got the ‘Everything, Please’ package. From a full family photo shoot to kids portraits, to newborn baby photography, candid photos of the children and even posed school portraits.

With a slight break in the weather, we were even able to go outside for part of the family photo shoot!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. I arrived at their lovely home, and the kids were all surprisingly excited and intrigued about this odd photographer coming by in the afternoon. Often children can be a bit timid at first. Not this bunch though! And since everyone was in such a good mood, I thought it would be best to get the following set of children portraits first.

I threw in some funny ones so the kids didn’t get bored, and had the parents sit in afterwards too. I’m really happy with these family photos. I think they’ll be great shots for them to look back on in years to come. And wouldn’t you agree that everyone in this looks handsome and beautiful in this lighting?

With the family group photos done, I moved on to smaller groups; focusing first on the three girls and then doing the newborn baby after that. Then we went outdoors for some more newborn baby photography, this time including the parents too.

At this stage, the kids were all buzzing too much, so it was a quick stop to the playground and getting all of that excitement out, before some family group shots again, and finally, the school portrait photos!

This is such a solid set of family photos, that I wished I would have had of my own childhood! I love especially how Lydia, the mother, went through the effort of co-ordinating the outfits of the four boys. It’s as if I had hired a professional costume designer!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see more family portraits, check out this summer shoot I did or for more newborn baby photography, check out the photos I took of Caelan.

And for bookings and availability, contact me here.

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

• Couples 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!