Ringing Bells - Cork City Couples Shoot /  by Jan

One of the reasons I love living in Ireland is that it’s such a treasure trove of beautiful spots for romantic moments, and luckily, Cork’s city centre is no different. When Tommy approached me about proposing to Christine, and following it up with a city couple shoot in Cork, I knew immediately where to go.

I met the happy couple at Bell's Field, located beside St Patrick's Hill right in the heart of Cork City centre. This spot was meaningful to them because Tommy's grandmother had been christened at St Mary’s and St Anne’s church which you can see in the background of this proposal. After capturing these gorgeous photos of them together in the field, we set off for the iconic Shandon Bells tower.

The Shandon Bells are a landmark of Cork City located in one of the historic parts of town. We took the tour up the tower, which allows you to view the famous eight bells contained within, and even have a go at playing them yourself. Earmuffs are needed for part of the climb up the tower, as the bells can be deafening if someone is playing them from below!

Earmuffs!

“Earmuffs are needed for part of the climb up the tower, as the bells can be deafening…”

After surviving the bells, we emerged onto the top balcony of the tower, which provides stunning panoramic views of the city. We were able to get some shots of Christine and Tommy with Cork City as their backdrop. The tower boasts the famous four-faced clock, known as "the four-faced liar" due to the winds changing the time when the tower was first built.

To top off our tower tour, we admired the uniquely-shaped salmon wind vane atop the Shandon Bells. This nod to Cork's history of salmon farming makes the tower even more distinctive. I loved this special engagement photo session at the Shandon Bells, and I know Christine and Tommy will cherish these memories for many years to come.

If you would like to do a similar engagement photo shoot in Cork city or an urban couples photo shoot in Cork city, contact me here. I’d love to hear from you!

I am also available for wedding photography in County Cork.

Christina and Sean - Honeymoon Shoot at Blarney Castle /  by Jan

I treated Christina and Sean to a honeymoon couple shoot at the gorgeous Blarney Castle and Gardens, one of my favourite places to do a couple shoot. Why? Besides the iconic Blarney castle, the gardens also offer so many sweet nooks for special and happy vacation couple photos. It’s also a hop, skip and jump away from the docking point for cruise ships in Cobh. So obviously that’s where we went for Christina and Sean’s honeymoon shoot.

Christina and Sean came from America on a cruise, stopping at Cork for just one short day; so I was determined to make sure they saw the best bits the city has to offer.

Honeymoon Love

After some photos around Blarney Castle, we had to spend some time at Blarney House for the sheer fairy tale factor the house has to offer. And then – to the gardens!

The gardens are a beautiful array of different types of plant life; some of it classical Irish fare, and some corners seeming almost tropical; all of it dense and lush with trees that dwarfed the couple. It’s really just nature showing off.

Christina and Sean had actually been married for a while already before finally getting this opportunity to go on their honeymoon, but they seem just as happy and delighted with each other as if they’d just walked down the aisle.

They took much delight in the poison garden. Some of the plants are so deadly that they’re found in medieval cages. The garden boasts Lily of the Valley, which featured in Breaking Bad, as well as Woflsbane from Harry Potter. There are also less severe plants among them, like tobacco, tea and rhubarb.

The Witch of Blarney is said to come alive and cause mayhem after dark, but luckily the gardens close at 6 so no one need fear. And then there’s the Blarney Stone, which must be kissed for the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness.

We also checked out the wishing steps, which promise to grant your wish within the year if you are able to walk down and back up them with your eyes closed while thinking of your wish.

Of course, Ireland will have its way, and the day started out chilly, before moving on to drizzly and damp. But there’s nothing a cute umbrella won’t fix! The canopies of trees also shielded us from the showers. By the end of the shoot, the rain had left us and we were boiling hot and we headed back to the castle for some pics in the sun.

After the shoot I took them around the town, stopping for lunch at The Muskerry Arms Bar where they serve some traditional Irish food; I had the cabbage, ham and potatoes – mmm!

If you would like to book me as your couple photographer at a beautiful location like Blarney Castle, feel free to say hi and contact me here. I am also available for wedding photography.

Daniel and Kamilla - Wedding in Ballycotton /  by Jan

As a wedding photographer, I had the incredible opportunity to capture the love story of Kamilla and Daniel on their special day. I love photographing at the coast, but you’ll find me most often in Ballycotton and/or Castlemartyr. Be it these family adventure shoots, couple adventure shoots, or previous weddings, I love photographing here!

As I arrived at the Sea Church, the soft sea breeze carried a sense of anticipation and excitement. The weather was perfect, which was a big relief to us all, as thunderstorms were initially predicted for this wedding day.

As per usual, I like to highlight my three favourite parts of the wedding in no particular order.

1) The Ballycotton Cliffs

After the wedding ceremony, we ventured to the picturesque Ballycotton cliff walk for a couples shoot. My favourite! The rugged coastline, with its towering cliffs and gentle waves, offering a dramatic and just plain gorgeous backdrop. Kamilla and Daniel's love was so clearly visible in these photos. It must have been one of the most laughter filled couple shoots I have done in a while! So cute to see.

Against the backdrop of the vast ocean and the dramatic cliffs, I captured these lovely candid moments of tender embraces, and carefree laughter.

Baby Bump

So much for Daniel and Kamilla to celebrate!

Photographing Kamilla and Daniel's wedding at the Sea Church in Ballycotton was so much fun. Their story and the picturesque locations provided an exquisite canvas for me to document their special day. These photographs will be something they will be able to cherish forever, and that is something that means a lot to me.

2) Walking In

I loved how the couple decided to walk down the aisle together at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. Something I have never seen at any other wedding before, and I must say, I really like the concept. It’s just a small thing but I thought it just added another level of unity to the whole procession. A lovely touch!

3) Intimate but big

This was a smaller, more intimate wedding with about 20 guests, which was a really nice number of people to have. What I really liked about this wedding though, was that it still felt like a big wedding because of the gorgeous venue, the decorations with delicate floral arrangements adorned on every corner. It enhanced the natural beauty of the Sea Church and made the whole wedding feel big as there was clearly a lot of effort that was put into the whole day. I really liked that!

5-star Google Review

I had such a fun day out with Daniel and Kamilla, as I said, it’s always such a treat to photograph in Ballycotton. They loved the photos so much that they left me this lovely 5-star review:

“Jan is a very likable guy and his award winning photography speaks for itself. From the first contact to the last hand shake, he was a gentleman and a true professional. He is now our go to photographer for life. Thank you Jannik.”

If you would like me to be your wedding photographer in Cork, not just Ballycotton, say hi to me here, I’d love to meet you and your partner!

Or, if you would prefer a couple shoot like this instead, give me a shout as well.

Till the next blog post!