Wedding Photography

Ann and David - Ballycotton Cliffs Wedding Couple Shoot /  by Jan

I am coming right out of the gates with this statement, no beating around the bush, no nothing; I love the photos from this wedding couple shoot!

This post will just focus on the couple photo shoot part of the whole wedding day. The remaining wedding photos of the ceremony and all the celebrations will be posted soon.

The location was Ballycotton, the ceremony took place in the unique Sea Church, and for the couple portrait session we headed off towards the cliff walk. I pride myself in my meticulous preparation for photo shoots, to which regular readers will probably roll their eyes to already, but, importantly, preparation is so important to have these shoots go so seamlessly! And seamlessly it went.

I double checked the location the day of the wedding, just to make sure that the grass was still green after the heatwave we had, that everything looks good, isn’t vandalized or something horrific and that the sea levels are in the right height. Basically, double check that something drastic didn’t happen since the last time I was location scouting. The plan is always, drive the bride as far as possible and have her walk as little as possible! The bride will thank you, the newly dubbed husband will thank you, everyone will be happier!

As part of the wedding portrait photo shoot, I thought it would be interesting to use the life boat in the photos. On an overcast day like that, with not too much colour in the background, I thought it would be a great accent to visually play with. Its highly saturated red and blue hull would be a great addition of colour. It really added something unique to these photos. Plus, it’s such an iconic piece in County Cork that everyone will immediately know where your wedding took place!

It was great to take these following couple photos too, without the life boat. Not all of the couple photos had to have that boat in them. Here I managed to get some really lovely light-hearted but also very intimate moments between the two.

“Here I managed to get some really lovely light-hearted but also very intimate moments between the two.”

And this is where I really have to take a moment and thank the two, Ann and David, for being such a great couple. Not everyone feels comfortable in front of the camera, which is totally understandable. Plus on your wedding day, when you’re feeling so emotional and nervous. I have gotten married this year, and I didn’t recognise the nervous mess I became on that day. I have so much more respect for couples now and a much deeper understanding of what they are going through. Although it’s all positive, it is life changing day after all! I think this understanding is really translating well into my photos.

Ann and David were great. We naturally ended up flying through these shots quite quickly.

Of course we had to include the Ballycotton lighthouse in the background too! I think it’s actually illegal not to.

More photos will follow!

If you would like to book me to photograph your wedding or are interested in a couple portrait photo shoot, you can contact me here. I look forward to meeting you!




Secret Service - Couple Photo Shoot /  by Jan

“We’ll have to come back to Ireland again in the future, so you can propose to me!”

Kelsey only had to wait a couple of minutes for her dream to come true.

This photo shoot made me feel like a spy! Secret Instagram messages, code words, mapped out targets... Was I overreacting by feeling way too secretive and borderline guilty? 100%, yes. I quickly came to the realization that I, just a regular Cork Photographer, was not made for the secret life! Hats off to any legitimate spies out there.

A couple of months ago Bryant contacted me via Instagram, all the way over from Arkansas, USA. He and his girlfriend were planning a trip to Ireland and Bryant, being an opportunistic person, chose this holiday to finally propose to her. What did he want from me? He wanted me to secretly photograph the proposal and do a couple shoot with them afterwards.

After some suggestions for locations around Cork city and even further abroad in Ireland, we settled with the Blarney Castle. “I really like the idea of Blarney Castle I think she’d lose her shit hahaha” were the exact words. Well shit was most definitely lost!

I sent Bryant some photos of the Blarney Castle grounds, different spots and backgrounds where he could pop the important question. Since everything had to be done in secret and without her noticing, we decided on using a wicker basket with a bouquet of flowers in it as an “X marks the spot” kind of marker. Since Nic Flanagan, the second photographer who joined me on this shoot, and I would be hiding in the bushes, far away with telephoto lenses, their positioning had to be exact so that we could get the iconic photo of the proposal with the castle in the background. At the same time, we planned it in a way that they did have some leeway with it, after all, it’s the proposal that comes first in this situation and not the photo shoot.

On the special day, Nic and I arrived a little earlier, checked our positions and made sure all the angles lined up as expected. But no setting up yet, as Kelsey and Bryant would be walking straight past this spot to the castle in about 20 minutes. They would continue on their tour of the castle and while checking that out, we finally got to set up the wicker basket with the lovely bouquet of flowers by @gypsywhatever, then sent Bryant a coded message, letting him know that he could come back for the proposal at any time he felt comfortable.

It felt like forever until they finally came walking down the path again. I was stressed out! I was worried Bryant might have misunderstood where he was supposed to go to. That he might be frantically looking in another part of the grounds or already proposed but in the wrong spot. Wedding photography is a piece of cake compared to this! Haha!

Down the pathway they came. Kelsey oblivious to the entire situation. Gingerly she walked forward to the basket, daring almost not too touch it. This was when Bryant got to have his moment, with him eventually getting on his knee to ask the big question. Things were going perfectly, everyone stood at the right spot and even the sun came out a little. Our ‘Secret Service’ operation, hidden (almost) in the bushes with our ambush style photography had worked splendidly. They had fallen right into our photography trap!

Having a second photographer there was great. It’s not the first time that Nic and I have worked together on photo shoots. Having her there allowed us to capture the surprise proposal from two angles. It worked really well to have different sets of photos, one focusing more on the overall setting with the castle and another closing in more on the couple themselves. Plus it’s always good to have two photographers in a scenario like this, just in case another visitor walks in front of the lens or something unexpected happens.

This is the moment Kelsey realized we were there! Utterly surprised she was.

After the couple had a few minutes to themselves and Kelsey had a few moments to compose herself, we finished off the day with a couple photo shoot, so that they could make their fantastic news public to their friends and family back home!

What a memorable trip this will have been for them! Both Nic and I wish the couple all the best for their engagement and hopefully they’ll return to Ireland to have a destination wedding. I already suggested the idea, might be a bit of a stretch to get all the family members from Arkansas here. But they were such a lovely couple that I would gladly photograph their wedding in the future. Or maybe Save The Journey travels to Arkansas??

If you are looking for a wedding photographer or looking to do a couple photo shoot in Cork city or county, contact me here!

S&R - Wedding at FOTA House /  by Jan

Third time lucky is what they say, isn’t it? Venues, that is.

This is Steve and Rachel. Just post their wedding ceremony. All the documents have been signed, the rings have settled on each other’s fingers.

The temperature was mid to late 20’s, not that anyone was complaining though! We’d gladly take this sunshine and beautiful weather for a wedding day in exchange for some sweat. It was one of the best days to get married on. Good thing it didn’t go to plan the first couple of times. Not for a lack of trying though!

It was all, unfortunately, due to the pandemic (I won’t dare mention the ‘c-19’ * ahem * everyone is talking about). Three dates and three venues later, and we find ourselves finally for a beautiful wedding at Cork’s FOTA House. This gorgeous venue is not unaccustomed to hosting weddings, and luckily for me, it’s a wedding photographer’s dream! It’s almost as if you don’t even need to try to get a good photo with a building like this.

Pre-Ceremony Preparations

Bride Arriving

The usual pre-ceremony nerves started to cultivate, ramping up as more and more guests trickled in and the clock kept ticking closer to the ceremony starting time. But to the groom’s relief, the bride was not only punctual, but perfectly on time! I’m not sure if his nerves would have handled a delay.

The Bride’s Arrival

“But to the groom’s relief, the bride was not only punctual, but perfectly on time!”

The Flower Girl

Rachel was greeted by her daughter who had the honour of filling the job of being the flower girl. Her excitement was unquestionable! I thought this would be the best way to capture that.

Last minute hair touch-ups made for briefly worried faces. But after a collective group effort, the bride was perfectly ready for her big moment down the aisle with her father.

Wedding Ceremony

With the wedding ceremony taking place in this former entertainment room, with high ceiling and large windows, giving the special occasion a simultaneously intimate, yet airy and spacious feeling.

With the aisle being so short though, I had to be prepared and snap those photos quickly before everyone had already walked past. These are the challenges of a wedding photographer. Best case scenario; you make it look easy!

Sand Pouring Ceremony

It was a gorgeous wedding ceremony, that had all guests laughing at the right times, then crying at others. The sand pouring ceremony is something that has become a tradition in itself, and I personally think it’s a beautiful addition to what we have become to expect from traditional weddings!

All the documents have been signed, the rings have settled on each other’s fingers. The ceremony is over and we move on outside. Time for the meet and greet of all the friends and family members who were able to make it here today.

Importantly, this is the time for me to stay on top of my wedding photographer duties and shoot the family group photos, the couple photos and get the casual shots of everyone enjoying their time.

This wedding was a wonderful depiction of the couple themselves and was a joy to photograph. It was easy going, relaxed and fun. No high expectations, just a thankfulness that they could finally get married and that all the most important people could make it to their wedding.

Where are the wedding couple photos?

Those deserved their very own blog post, so make sure to view the wedding couple photo shoot here!

Wedding Couple Photo Shoot

Make sure to view it here in a separate blog post. The FOTA House made for such a unique shooting location!

View Photo Shoot

Testimonial

After I had finished editing the photos and sent them on to the couple, they were kind enough to write me a 5 star review on Google and it was one of the loveliest reviews I have gotten thus far, so I thought I’d share it here:

“We hired Jannik for our wedding ceremony, we were so delighted from start to finish, he is such a lovely guy and could really get a sense of his passion for his craft, he provided us with the most breathtaking photographs of our big day and cannot thank or recommend him enough!”

- Rachel

Contact me here for my wedding packages and availability. And if you’d like to see more wedding photos I shot in Cork, check out this filtered blog post section, here.

More Photos