Ali and Maha Proposal - Proposal Photographer Bell's Field / June 1, 2023 by Jan

As seen on the Irish Examiner and Yay Cork.

I do video now??

I’m no stranger to photographing proposals, like this one for example. The element of surprise is obviously very important when it comes to proposals. You don’t want the unsuspecting partner to notice you, the photographer, before the question has been asked. So this means that usually I’m hidden somewhere in the bushes with a telephoto lens and am stalking the couple like a hunter. Haha!

This one was a little different though. With this one Ali, asked me if we could do the proposal at Bell’s Field, which was the location of their first date!

Ali is from New York and got in contact with me a few months ago, planning this surprise proposal on his holidays to Ireland. The plan was for me to pretend like I’m just a photographer taking some sunset shots and that he would come up to me and ask a kind stranger to take some belated graduation photos of his girlfriend, as they didn’t get around to it earlier in the day.

By sheer coincidence, just as I was hovering around them, waiting for Ali to approach me, she mentioned what a shame it was that they didn’t get any graduation photos earlier. It was the perfect cue for Ali to jump up and approach me and for me to pretend like I had no clue what was going on.

I’d say at this stage, I’ll just let the video do the rest of the talking and make sure you wait to see the crowd’s reaction!

Proposal Video

The great thing about this style of capturing the proposal is that I didn’t have to be hidden. That makes it easier on one hand because I don’t have to anticipate they’re exact spot. I can actually tell them where to go. I just had to concentrate on not blurting out, “Hey Ali!” as soon as I saw him. Luckily my acting skills were up to par and it all played out perfectly.

5-star Google review

Ali clearly though I did a good job too, since I received this amazing 5-star Google review from him, which I also believe is the longest review I have every received from anyone:

“If you are searching the web for photographers for your event, and you have the opportunity to read my review, then consider this the ultimate sign that you should book Jan asap!
I had hired Jan to help me out with a surprise proposal to my girlfriend in Cork. He was very quick to get back to me, and agreed to do everything that the proposal needed at a very reasonable rate.
I should mention here that at the last minute, I had to shift the date of my proposal and Jan agreed to still pull through, even though it was date of his wedding anniversary. You will not be able to get that sort of professionalism and courtesy anywhere!
So yes, the proposal day finally arrived, and Jan played a huge role in pulling off the big surprise! The video came out so nice, and the photo shoot that followed was amazing. My fiance and I were over the moon with the results and everyone who saw the photos complimented them, and appreciated how nice they looked!
So good results, professional, quick turnaround times (he got us the photos a day before schedule) and all around a great company to have at your event. What else could you ask for?
It's been an absolute pleasure working with Jan and reporting back the awesome results!”

If you’d like me to photograph your proposal, say hi to me here. I’d love to hear from you!

And remember, besides proposal photography, I also photograph the following:

• Adventure Couple Shoots in Cork

• Wedding Photography in Cork

• Newborn Baby Photography in Cork

• and more!

Getting Ready - Wedding Preparations Photography / May 25, 2023 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 / May 20, 2023 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.