Getting Ready - Wedding Preparations Photography /  by Jan

We find ourselves at the Maryborough Hotel in Douglas for a wedding. The weather is surprisingly good, compared to the last week or two, and later on in the day, we’ll actually have beautiful sunlight and our first taste of summer.

The wedding couple, Aisling and Emmet, are in their separate hotel rooms. Having stayed at the hotel since the previous night, they are having very different experiences right now. Aisling is nervously excited, drinking champagne with her girls, music is on in the background, with the make-up and hair stylist doing their rounds.

Emmet is bricking it. From his balcony they can see the room his future wife is in, but they can not see her. He gets out a bottle of whiskey, pours himself and his boys a bit of courage, and then himself a little bit more. Generous is the word I’m looking for, I think.

We’ll get to the rest of this wedding on another day with a follow up wedding post, but I wanted to focus in on just theses wedding preparation moments here, as I had such a great time photographing this part of the wedding. Getting those detail shots of the wedding ring, the wedding dress, and all the important bits for a wedding was such a joy. Aisling and the girls were so relaxed and fun, I managed to capture so many lovely little moments.

The room itself was gorgeous as well, and I took full advantage of those tall windows letting in so much natural light. It made for some fantastically dramatic and dreamy wedding photos. It was especially great for these mother and daughter moments.

And talking about the parents, what about when Aisling’s father got to see her in her wedding dress for the first time? What a moment! It’s so sweet.

As the bridal party is heading towards the ceremony which is in the Maryborough’s Orangery, a conservatory style wedding venue, here is Emmet seeing his bride for the first time!

Maryborough Hotel Wedding

“…here is Emmet seeing his bride for the first time!”

In the next blog post, you will get to see the full wedding ceremony, the wedding couple photo shoot and the afters! I will link it here once it has been posted. So make sure to come back in a couple of days to see those photos.

If you want to see more wedding photography blog posts, you can view those here, including the couple photo shoots I do in and around Cork.

Looking for a wedding photographer and wondering about different wedding packages? Please see these pages and give me a call with any questions or say hello here. We can chat about pricing/price list and availability and all about your wedding plans!

Edit: Here is the second blog post with the remaining wedding photos at the Maryborough Hotel.

Wedding ceremony and couple shoot

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!