Mahesh & Mona: Engagement Session

Last Sunday I met Mahesh and Mona at Jericho Beach for a day of fun photos in the sun. (For those of you that actually LIVE in Vancouver, you may have remembered how cold it was Sunday, and where there WAS sun, a freaky snowstorm soon followed!). These guys were troopers, I was totally planning on shooting the entire day with them in their jackets, but dang! I guess they had their love to keep them warm! 

You guys were awesome! I hope you like the teaser pics!

-M-

Engagement Session: Manna and Sukh

Last Sunday I headed down the street to the beach here in White Rock and met up with Manna and her fiance Sukh for a session by the ocean. The weather tried to keep as nice as it could for us, but there were times where my teeth were chattering just a bit ;)

Manna and Sukh though were troopers! They found that a little cuddlin' keeps you warm even on the coolest days!

My Top 20 Favorite Engagement Photos of 2008

It took some time to get this Top 20 list completed as well, but now that its done, I can't take my eyes off if it. It has helped me remember how much of an amazing year 2008 was, and how lucky I am to have met so many amazing people! There are so many great memories that shine through these photographs, and I cannot stress enough the importance of an Engagement Session. Among many things, it is a great way for us to get to know each other before the actual wedding day, and snap some fun photos in the process! One of the key points I strive to make my business known for is being able to capture 100% Raw and 100% Pure emotion in my photographs. The best way of doing this is to have a stronger bond with my clients than just "he's our wedding photographer". It has to go WAY beyond that, I want to make sure "Michael Wachniak Photographer" is not just a business, its an experience!  :) I LOVE the fact that there are some people out there that have actually introduced me to their best friends and closest family members as "This is Michael Wachniak, he kicks ass and climbs trees!" LOL!! I should really have that on a business card or something ;) Anyways, if there is no bond between myself and my clients, the photos just will not be up to my standards. I try everything in my power to make sure the clients are feeling comfortable, and I really feel it shows through my photographs.

So without further ado, here are my personal favorite Top 20 Engagement Photos of 2008!

(in no particular order!)

yup, I really do climb trees ;)

Here's to a kickass 2009 season!

Namaste,

Michael

p.s. I was assisting a fashion shoot yesterday with my buddy Todd Duncan, and he snapped this photo of me in mid-laugh. 

I would like to personally apologize for looking like this when I laugh, I had no idea...

This just looks painful... I swear I'm only laughing...

Cassie + Steve { eSession }

When I first met Cassie & Steve, I knew they were really super-cool people, but I had no idea to what extent... until the engagement session. Right at the beginning there were a few "oh, we have never really had PROFESSIONAL photos taken of us...really..." , so I thought "ok, well I'll take a few photos just to get them warmed up and comfortable in front of the camera, and then go from there"...ya, not necessary my friends. Not necessary even a little... within SECONDS these guys were striking poses and cuddling up and kissing and in all honesty I had a hard time keeping up! I kinda felt like Rambo, firing off as many rounds as fast as I could, only instead of screaming like a madman I was hailing shouts of "perfect! dont move thats great!! MY GOD you look amazing!". I really cannot wait for their wedding next June at Swan-E-Set!

p.s. the Madonna concert last night was simply amazing!!!! :)

Cassie + Steve { Sneak Peak }

Well I have officially blogged for a month! I was really curious as to whether or not I could actually think of something to say every single day, but now that the month is over, I am quite pleased at the way the blogging turned out! Now, thats one more thing I can scratch off of my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days! (plus I had a blast doing it!) 

I have been really busy these past few days with moving my mom into her new apartment, and that whole Madonnathon thing (by the way, I made it to the end of the contest, danced 10 nonstop hours with makeup on and my girlfriends jeans just to try to win her madonna tickets, and then lost after the 10 hours on a bloody game of Hot Potato... dammit! Made it down to 5th place out of 25 people though!). However, thanks to one of my '08 brides calling me, I managed to buy some tickets from a friend of hers that bought extra tickets for JUST such an occasion! So, Grit and I are indeed going to the Madonna concert this Thursday! yay! 

Anyhoo, this past Sunday I spent a few hours hanging out with Cassie and Steve at Barnett Beach for their engagement session! They are getting married next year and I am STOKED already! I have some pretty amazing weddings coming up next year! These guys really are in every sense of the word, HELLA COOL! Nice? Check. Funny? Check. Hot? Check Check! :) 

Here is a quick little sneak peak from the session, stay tuned for lots more! 

Aly & Salima: eSession!

Hello again everyone! I am back from my "OH-MY-GOD-I-FEEL-LIKE-A-DUMPTRUCK-HIT-ME" cold... in the last 5 days I have lost my voice twice, been bedridden 2 full days, drank 4 Litres of Cranberry Juice, 15 bags of tea, enough water to drown an elephant...and consumed about 40 drops of PURE oregano oil.... and now.... I THINK I am ok....

I think my saving grace was (and this is no joke) being able to work on editing photos... I turned on the music, sat at the desk, drank tea, and was able to be alone for a while ;) ....when I have a cold for some reason thats all I want to do is be alone... I hate conversing when I am coughing every 4 seconds lol but now I am feeling MUCH better and I have some photos to show you! Quite a few actually thoughout the day!

The first set is from an engagement session last week with Aly & Salima at a mosque in Burnaby! It was SOOOOO hot outside and not a cloud in the sky so I was having lots of fun with sunflare shots lol!

Take a look at the photos and let me know what you think!

- partially sick Michael -

Loni & Carlos: E-Session

...and as promised here are the rest of Loni & Carlos' Engagement Photos! I had such a blast shooting with these guys, they are so much fun and really looked SO comfortable in front of the camera!

And the Slideshow has now officially been added at the bottom!! :)