Colleen and Eoin - Elopement Photographer in Cork city / July 2, 2023 by Jan

I really enjoy photographing elopements. Especially as the registry office in Cork is close to my heart. That’s where I got married, now a little over a year ago. How time flies!

Weddings are such customizable events and I love that! Each couple can organize it differently and entirely make it their own. And those decisions start at deciding on a wedding or eloping. And in this case it was an elopement with the most important family members!

This elopement is a perfect example on how every couple has a different idea of how their elopement or wedding day should be like. The last time I photographed an elopement in the city, the couple wanted to do the couple’s photo shoot in Fitzgerald’s Park. Check out those elopement photos here.

But Colleen and Eoin had a very different idea. They instead wanted a couple’s shoot in the city centre of Cork, at all the places that connected them to the city, and the places they visit every day. A different take on a couple shoot which usually entails driving out into nature and away from everything. Proud Corkonians so!

So we began the couple shoot at the iconic courthouse, capturing this couple's love story with the strong contrast of the building’s architecture. I always love using steps in my couples photo shoots, and this is a great way of using them visually. The columns really add so much to the photos too.

With Dwyer’s, a former workplace of Eoin’s, featuring a fantastic delivery service of two pints, it reflected the relaxed nature of this couple’s photo shoot and also this couple. I loved the attitude with which they tackled this day. It was so much fun!

We strolled towards the historic English Market. The vibrant colours of fresh produce and the aromatic scents all around us, we took a right turn to O’Connell’s fishmonger, a business that Eoin’s family run and own. What a way to share this day of happiness with the rest of the crew!

With further photos around Cork city, we ended the shoot at the Imperial Hotel where Colleen and Eoin were reunited with their daughter and the rest of the family. What a fun shoot this was!

5-star Google Review

Thanks to Colleen and Eoin for writing me this lovely review, I really had so much fun photographing them all over the city:

“Jan was absolutely fantastic to work with. We wanted a relaxed shoot for a wedding nothing forced and that's exactly what we got. My favourite photos were the ones we didn't realise he was even snapping photos. He really captured our family life in the photos and how happy we were on the day.”

If you would like for me to photograph your wedding or elopement, say hello to me here. I’d love to hear from you and your partner!

And if you instead prefer something else, I also do the following types of photography:

• Couples Photography in Cork

• Adventure Family Photography in Cork

• and Newborn Baby Photography in Cork

See you for the next blog post!

Lauren and Michael - Engagement Couple Shoot Gougane Barra / June 24, 2023 by Jan

What a sunset! What a gorgeous couple! What a location!

Let me introduce you to Lauren and Michael. So what is the special occasion for this couple shoot? Well, handsome Michael here has recently popped the big question to Lauren. I believe I see a sparkling ring here.

Now that’s a good sized ring!

We had planned this lovely sunset photo shoot at St Finbarr’s Oratory, followed by some more photos in the Gougane Barra forest. Some amazing locations! But these locations don’t always play ball with us photographers.

When I checked the weather forecast the day before, I got a bit of a shock. Not only was there a torrential rainstorm expected, but also lightning and thunder! I couldn’t do that to the poor couple. So a quick ring to Lauren and an unexpected question, “Hey, do you wanna do the shoot tonight instead?”

And just like that, the shoot was saved. I’m still so grateful to them both for being so spontaneous and fun!

Luckily we were bathing in this sunlight, and with Lauren’s dress and the flowers, I’m already getting some romantic wedding vibes from this shoot! I can picture it all already! Well, the location is probably the main contributor. I mean this is one of the best hotspots for intimate weddings in County Cork (one I’m actually booked for next year – can’t wait!).

After all the glorious sunset photos at St Finbarr’s, the cloud cover did come over as we headed into the forest.

Originating from Limerick, Michael met Lauren abroad in Canada and have now moved back to Ireland, staying in Cork city. Lauren was so unaccustomed to our entire lack of predatory animals in our wildlife, always looking out for bears and other creatures we thankfully don’t have! Always good to be on the lookout though!

5-star Google Review

I received this lovely review from Lauren, who said;

“My fiance and I had a great time doing our photoshoot with Jannik, he made us feel at ease and we absolutely love the photos!”

I can’t wait for my next shoot in this area, so if you want to make my day and want to do a couple shoot similar to this in Gougane Barra, do say hello to me here.

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

• Wedding Photography Shoots in Cork

• Proposal Photography in Cork

• Adventure Family Photography and Couples Photography in Cork

• and more!

Avril's Birthday - Event Photographer Cork / June 13, 2023 by Jan

Happy Birthday!

Celebrating Avril’s birthday was a big occasion, and her partner, Stephen, pulled out all the stops! Booking ‘The Mirror Room’ at the River Lee Hotel, just above their ‘Lookout Room’. It’s located right on the river Lee with it’s own balcony and huge windows letting in so much sunlight. A gorgeous spot! Decorated really nicely as well.

This is my best attempt at a paparazzi shot of the couple walking into the venue!

Now we won’t say which birthday Avril was celebrating, but check out this beautiful ‘Happy Birthday’ flower wall. We had a lot of fun using this as a backdrop for some fun group photos, and even a little couple shoot, which poor Avril and Stephen had to do in front of all their friends. It would come to no surprise that there was a good amount of heckling coming from the crowd! But they soldiered on and did a fantastic job!

To cover the entertainment side of things, we had a pair of singers belting out some amazing tunes and a magician who was mystifying groups of guests with his tricks. I still can’t figure out where those coins came from or went to!

Having the magician there was a really fun intro for everyone to get comfortable and skip the formal hellos. It was a great idea to have him there and had all guests so engaged with his act. Well done to him!

Dancing the Night Away

But finally we get to my favourite part of the night! The dancing! As you can probably tell from these photos, I had a lot of fun photographing these ‘action’ shots. With this heavier editing style, I was going for a really specific look. These photos clearly look very different to the very clean and vibrant photos from the beginning of the night. I wouldn’t do this style with necessarily every group, but everyone here was so fun and in such a party mood, that I was confident it was appropriate.

My Favourites

Out of all the dancing photos, the shots of Avril and Stephen dancing together are my favourites. They look so intimate at times, as if they’re the only two people in the world. I love that vibe that these photos give off. Very cute!

This is a great time to congratulate Stephen for stepping out of his comfort zone to dance, which he wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t have “encouraged” him to go on the dance floor for this photo opportunity. Haha!

A long night of good company, drink, food and dancing and singing. What more could you want? A very successful night!

If you would like to book me to photograph your event, say hello here and we can chat about pricing and availability and all about your event plans!

And if you’d prefer a portrait shoot instead, I also offer the following types of photography:

• Couples Photography in Cork

• Wedding Photography in Cork

• Family Portrait Photography in Cork

• and more!