Grace & Sean: E-Session

I first met Grace & Sean in Nov/Dec of last year. We decided to meet for a bite to eat while we discussed their wedding plans. Within seconds we were already friends... there are only a handful of people on this planet as crazy as myself... and two of them were staring at me from the across the table. These guys were awesome, how did they find me!? (UPDATE: apparantly there must be a "Crazy Person Decoder Ring" for sale somewhere in the lower mainland area... I will have to ask them where they found it). 

I'm so glad to have met these guys, and I am extremely pleased with how well they act in front of the camera. I can't wait til the wedding!!!

I love shooting in downtown Vancouver, so many awesome rustic places to shoot!

I kinda went a little OFF the WALL with this post-processing but I think it really helps to give the overall feeling of the photo.

Is THIS why they call it Puppy Love? I bet Porschia is thinking "OK mommy and daddy, less focus on you...more focus on me... its all about me!" Porschia is a total DIVA by the way.

I love the candid shots with these guys! Just being able to stay back and let them do their thing, you just can't beat it!

Isn't this lighting fantastic? I love the MAGIC HOUR just before sunset!!

I love cherry blossoms!

Porschia, Goddess of flat noses.

This is probably my favorite of the entire day. It truly is an honor knowing you two, and did I mention that I can't wait for the wedding?! =)

Cheers!

MW

Sandra & Dave: Wedding Photos

I thought that I would post a few photos from last weekend's wedding as well, to accompany the slideshow in the previous post.

Sandra's Jaw-Dropping wedding dress: 

Having some fun with the rings:

Sandra and her father on their way up to make their walk down the aisle:

Delisser.. Dave Delisser.

These shoes are so cool and always remind me of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video :)

When Sandra told me she wanted to pose with her groom and his best man Brian, I tried to think of an idea to make one of the photos humorous... So I told Dave and Sandra to give each other a kiss in front of Brian... hoping that Brian would think "Hrmm... not your average photo with the Best Man... what the heck?"  I think the expression says it all, I LOVE IT! :)

I just love this triptych series at the reception. No words required.

We only had a few minutes to shoot just the two of them before the reception started. This one was shot just a few feet away from the reception in front of a large window. These guys really don't need to be TOLD to look 'lovey-dovey' :)

Stay tuned tomorrow, I will be posting an E-Session of Sean and Grace, a wicked couple getting married in August!

MW

Sandra & Dave: Wedding Slideshow

I knocked on the door to the room, 9:30am sharp. Photography gear in hand, thrown over my shoulder, tucked between my knees...I knocked again. The door flew open, 3 strange women stared at me, and then the door slammed shut. I staggered back, almost losing my footing over my camera bag. "This is the room, isn't it?" I thought. Suddenly a burst of giggles seeped through the cracks of the doorway... "He's the photographer, don't give him a heart attack!!".  I sighed a relief... "we have some trouble makers in the family, I see". Knowing Sandra and Dave...I wasn't surprised in the least. 

I sat my gear down against the far wall just a few feet away from a most elegant flowing wedding dress hanging from a chandelier. Introductions were made, though struggling as much as I was to remember, names went in one ear and flew right out...for now. It seemed as though a little more coffee was in order. I went to the bistro and ordered a coffee, and was introduced to the hairstylist. And I thought the OTHER ladies were pranksters... I have my work cut out for me today! Good thing they were all sweethearts and a total joy to work with! 

The day started to set itself up: hair was done, makeup was finished, dresses and suits were looking extremely smashing!  Laughter echoed through the hallways, love was literally all around. Only moments away from walking down the aisle, everything almost appeared to have a little extra sparkle to it. Wasn't it supposed to snow today? Or rain? There's nothing but sunshine...how did this happen? Then the reason unfolded in front of all of us... when everyone stood up and Sandra walked into the room... when Dave and Sandra were finally in the same room together, on THEIR wedding day... everyone knew. 

MW

EDIT: P.S. As if the day wasn't already absolutely perfect enough as it was, I had the absolute honor to finally meet and work with Jamie Delaine. She is extremely funny, smart, talented, and to be honest, I felt like I learned more from her as a 2nd photographer than she would have learned from me! When I was with her I got one of those "holy cow she is gonna be extremely famous someday VERY SOON and I gotta bask in her presence while she is here" kinda feeling... 

ya, my Saturday was pretty freakin' sweet!

Mike & Sarah E-Session!

Today was an absolutely AMAZING day! The sun was shining, birds were chirping, the coffees and beers were pouring, and the shutter button was clicking!! :) 

I had the absolute honor of photographing two amazing people today, Mike and Sarah. Mike is good friends of my brother-in-law Sean (a.k.a. "Daddy" to my favorite and only niece Kaia) and when I got a phone call a few months back from a "Mike...Sean's friend", it took me a while before it registered. I had only met Mike one time before, and that was a few years ago. To be honest, if he said "I'm Sean's friend, Joaquin" it would have rang a bell sooner. Sorry Mike, it has to be said. You know it, I know it, the world knows it...don't be ashamed lol. Mike has an uncanny resemblence to actor Joaquin Pheonix. Like...seriously. Anyways, so I am on the phone with Mike, and he says he is getting married and is interested in hiring me to be his photographer. So we set up an appointment and a few days later I set out to a local Starbucks, wedding portfolio in hand. Right away I see Mike. Good lookin guy! Then, I turn to greet his ladyfriend... Sarah is her name. Two words: Absolutely Gorgeous! I grabbed my tea and sat down while they ordered. I knew right away these guys were really really in love. I saw it even more today when I was photographing them, I remember thinking "Damn, I really don't have to tell these guys what to do!" Nice try for saying you are 'uncomfortable' in front of the camera, Mike... I have just spent a few hours editing all the photos... you were working it in most of the shots dude, 'uncomfortable' my butt! (of course, when you have someone like Sarah in your corner, its not hard to feel and look good)...

Well here is their slideshow, I really hope everyone likes it! I might post some photos up tomorrow on the blog, but they may just go right to the website! :)

I can't believe tomorrow is going to be another sunny day AND I HAVE ANOTHER E-Session to do! Is this really how awesome my life is!?!? 

cant complain. ;)

p.s. you can also link to the Slideshow's page by clicking here! Tell your friends! :)

Whale Watching Video!

OK, so I have had this footage of our 'mini-vacation' in Victoria since November, and I have had ZERO clue how to edit it (I am a photographer, not a video-guy!)... HOWEVER, since I made the switch to Mac computers April 1st, I have been really thinking of finally getting this thing done so we can send it to Grit's mom in Germany. 

Keep in mind this is my very very first attempt at editing any kind of video with any program whatsoever. It took me about a little while to go through the 45 minutes of footage, and 3 hours to edit and put it together. I apologize for the really lame first few minutes, but the whale watching is good! If only I could keep the camera more stabilized, it looked like I was pumping straight caffeine into my veins!! SHAKY!!

Let me know what you think! Oh, I have an engagement session or two this weekend so stay tuned for some photos of AMAZINGLY hot people!

Much love,

Michael

Random Post #1: Updates and Healing The World

Well... hello again.

A lot has happened since my last post, internally and externally, and I have been waiting for the right way to express it. In some ways I have been procrastinating, and in others I have just been too "busy" to update. After all, why start something today that you can put off until tomorrow? :)

Enter: The New Mike.

First of all, WPPI was life changing. I was very nervous (highly out of my norm) at flying down to Vegas alone, staying with a complete stranger (Kip, you rock by the way, and are no longer a stranger but a friend), and being amongst over 10,000 photographers from around the world for 5 days. I didn't know anyone (other than a tiny thumbnail photo or similar representation of them online) and before I got there I assumed everyone would know everyone, and when I would walk into a room everything would stop and everyone would just stare at me... *cricket*... *cricket*... *tumbleweed rolling by*...

This was not the case. Everyone was welcoming, many said "Hi!" or "I recognize you from a tiny thumbnail photo or similar representation of you online!". And O' My God the classes I attended... it was enough that I was actually in the same room as these AMAZINGLY Uber Talented Photographers, but I was also hearing them speak about techniques, their passion, and everything that makes them tick! All of them taught me so much, my head was overflowing with knowledge and confidence, but one of them stood out... and out of all the things I experienced at WPPI (and there was a LOT), the two hours I sat and absorbed this guy's energy has been the time I have been reflecting on the most over the past few weeks...

Enter: Jesh De Rox.

Yes, that's his name. His name alone drives an emotion doesn't it? It almost needs "the 3rd" at the end, but it doesn't. As far as I know, he is the 1st Jesh De Rox. I can't go into much detail of what he spoke about at WPPI (for fear of messing it up), but in a nutshell I can tell you this: when everyone else (basically) was speaking at WPPI about shutter speeds and posing, Jesh spoke about life. Life. Emotion. What WE as individuals have to offer to the world. Knowledge? Love? Opinion? Yes, yes and yes... and most of all, our ears. If I lost you already, I am sorry, this summary really doesn't do Jesh justice. What I got from his 'talk' is that if we all just invest ourselves in other people, listening to what they have to say and offering our opinion (be it good or bad), but listening none the less, we will with no doubt heal, cleanse, and re-energize the world. Sounds simple right? It is. And with that, Jesh has created a movement (and I do mean movement) called Upward Spiral. Check it out, check him out, you will be a better person for it. 

Now for his photos. If you have read this far without clicking the link to his website (his name further up the page), please do so now, and then come back here. I will wait. Seriously, go.

Do you not feel like a better person for seeing that? There is so much emotion in his photos, and every time I look at his images I get this feeling inside, a glimpse of what I ultimately am. That may sound like I want to copy his photos, let me reassure you that I don't. I mean to say that when I look at his images, it pulls the strings inside me that make me realize the photographer and person I can be. That I AM. I get so inspired that I can't wait to shoot my next wedding or portrait session, and I KNOW that my images are going to improve drastically now that I have been exposed to this! Now, normally you wouldn't see a photographer recommending another photographer unless they were already booked, but there is a part of me that strongly recommends to all of you to book Jesh as your photographer. This way, I will see more of his images and get more inspired for my own images (and life for that matter). The other part of me, of course, says to book ME *NOW* more than ever... :)

Finally, while we are still on the subject of taking this world (and ourselves) to higher places, I have a music recommendation. I have been onto this guy's vibes for almost a year now, and really, you have to hear him to know why. 

Enter: Xavier Rudd.

Opinions of life, why we do the things we do, and how to give back to the planet that we are slowly becoming more and more ignorant of how precious it really is. Now weave that in with a plethora of didjeridoos, a slide guitar, a harmonica, and the coolest set of drums I've seen, and you have Mr. Rudd. I had the honor of seeing him live in February with my sister at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver... and as of today I also had the honor of finding him on iTunes. God Bless iTunes.

To summarize this post, I'm going to quote one of Xavier Rudd's songs:

"So, go but be kind

you have love, love on your side"

Namaste,

-MW-