Michael Wachniak Photographer Blog » michael wachniak photographer http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog Michael Wachniak Photographer Blog Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:21:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Baby Olivor Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/random-photo-post/baby-olivor-michael/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/random-photo-post/baby-olivor-michael/#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:22:55 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=1019 So… regarding my Eggplant Parmesan video prior to this post… does the recipe help induce labor?

Let’s just say twelve hours later we were holding the most precious thing in the world: Olivor Michael Wachniak. Weighting in at an astonishing 9.5lbs, this little man stole our hearts before he even got here. Everything went EXACTLY how we wanted it. Homebirth, waterbirth, short labor, healthy mommy and very healthy baby. We cannot thank the ladies at Sage Midwifery enough for their support and helping hands with our baby. They truly went above and beyond and I recommend them to anyone and everyone wants to have a midwife on their side (and believe me, you do!).

Many more pictures to come, once we get some rest. :)

Have a freakishly amazing Saturday everyone!

Michael










Like Daddy, Like Son :)

]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/random-photo-post/baby-olivor-michael/feed/ 8 Carrie + Oreste: Vancouver Engagement Session http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/e-sessions/carrie-oreste-vancouver-engagement-session/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/e-sessions/carrie-oreste-vancouver-engagement-session/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:18:12 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=1012 Meet Carrie & Oreste. Grit and I have known Carrie for a few years now; we all met while working abroad on cruise ships! Ah yes, those were the days! :) Carrie happens to be an ‘ah-mazing’ photographer and has always been someone I have looked up to, so when the time came when she asked ME to shoot her wedding…the teeth went a chattering! It’s always a strange feeling when other photographers (hobbyists, pros, amateurs etc) ask you to shoot them…its an absolute great honour but at the same time you feel you are being watched and put to the test! I always get that feeling that I am being put under the microscope! Thankfully though, my inner-self (the one with the wings, not the pitchfork) whispers to me: “Well, there are a million ka-jillion other photographers out there but these guys hired YOU for a reason! Do yer thang, honey!”. (my inner-selves are cool like that!) Carrie, I love you and hope these images are EXACTLY what you were hoping for, and then some! Oreste, I’ve only met you a few times, but you are one ultra-uber cool guy. Despite the fact that you could probably take on the entire city of Vancouver in a bare knuckle fist fight, you aren’t at all held-back in showing your love for Carrie.

To all my readers, these guys are tying the knot in the Mexican Riviera in January 2011, which means you are going to have some MAJOR amazing photos to look at to kick off next year right! (oh, and it also means I have only six months to get into shape! I can’t look like my pasty-pear-shaped self on the beaches of Mexico…again… can I?)

Happy Friday everyone!























To view their slideshow, click here. :)

]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/e-sessions/carrie-oreste-vancouver-engagement-session/feed/ 12 Joanna + Jamie: Hazelnut Orchard Enagagment Session http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/joanna-jamie-hazelnut-orchard-enagagment-session/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/joanna-jamie-hazelnut-orchard-enagagment-session/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:37:10 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=986 When Joanna emailed me saying she had access to a hazlenut orchard and wanted to use it as a backdrop for their engagement session, I was STOKED for two reasons: 1) Hazlenuts, hello?! LOVE EM. and 2) I haven’t seen it done before! Well at the very least, *I* have never shot in a hazlenut orchard before, let alone BEEN in one! I had all these amazing ideas of shooting at sunset, the rays of light peaking through the orchard…and when we got there on Sunday?…

..rain. Not just rain, actually…TONS of rain. Like, monsoon rain. Boo.

I am glad though that we both planned ahead and saw that rain was inevitable, and still the 3 of us wanted to trudge on and make the day fantastic! And we did. I think the images turned out beautifully. Besides, Joanna’s smile and Jamie’s charm and OBVIOUS love for Joanna could make any day sunny. That was pure cheese, I know, but its true. :)

Joanna and Jamie are getting married in August at Whonnock Lake, and its going to be fantastic! I can’t wait to see them again and meet their friends and family! :) Hope you like the images!



















click below to watch their engagement slideshow!

]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/joanna-jamie-hazelnut-orchard-enagagment-session/feed/ 4 Carla and Kevin: Rockwater Secret Cove Wedding http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/carla-kevin-rockwater-wedding/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/carla-kevin-rockwater-wedding/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:46:53 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=970 On the ferry ride over I remember thinking to myself “Jeez, I come up to Rockwater so often, we may as well MOVE there!”…and seriously, if it wasn’t for my insane love for the White Rock area where I live, I would definitely consider it. Every time I blog about a wedding at Rockwater Secret Cove Resort I mention how much I love it there, so really why should this one be any different? :) I love it there.

Now, onto Carla and Kevin & Co. :) These guys…well, what can I say about these guys? I can write about how much they are in love with each other, and how great they were to work with…but really, it won’t do any lick of justice to how amazing they truly truly are. I covered their day for only a few hours, (it was an intimate wedding of just over 20 people), and in those few hours there were SO many beautiful moments…the kind that we all would live and die for. One of the most vivid and memorable moments of the entire day was after the ceremony, I was standing behind Carla and Kevin at the receiving line, shooting all the hugs and congratulations, and I looked off-camera and noticed just out of frame was Carla’s dad, who was next in line. He had a little twinkle in his eye and I remember anticipating a tear or two but as I composed the shot I didn’t realize that some of those tears would be my own! I kept as composed as I could (pun-intended) but when he got to Carla I was a mess! I remember after the moment passed they looked up at me and were wiping their eyes as I was wiping my own. I remember someone saying “Hey, you just met them a few hours ago, you’re not supposed to be doing that!”. Something magical happened next…after seeing what was happening and feeling that energy in the air, some people waiting in LINE started even hugging each other and getting teary eyed! It was such a great moment to be laughing and feeling connected with this amazing group of people..they truly are the perfect definition of Family.

Every. Single. One of them.

From the bottom of my heart, Thank You.






















Click below to view their slideshow!

]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/carla-kevin-rockwater-wedding/feed/ 9 Portraits of Beautiful Baby Liyana http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/portraits-of-beautiful-baby-liyana/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/portraits-of-beautiful-baby-liyana/#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 22:09:46 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=965 Last week I had the pleasure of spending a little while with the very sweet Baby Liyana. She is just a month old and the amount of facial expressions she has is simply adorable. I just love the little bow! :)

Happy Monday everyone!












]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/portraits-of-beautiful-baby-liyana/feed/ 3 Portraits in Pitt Meadows: Shana http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/portraits-in-pitt-meadows-shana/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/portraits-in-pitt-meadows-shana/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 17:43:11 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=956 On Thursday of last week I met up with Shana for a portrait session in Pitt Meadows. She was looking for newer, fresher headshots for use on her website http://www.shanaleegibson.com (she is an amazing intuitive!) and for media packages etc. Shana has a killer smile and is such an amazing person with great energy, I had so much fun shooting with her. We even headed to Pitt Meadows and found a fantastic Cranberry Field to shoot in just as the sun was going down!

Hope you like the images! Happy Monday, Y’all! :)

Cheers,

Michael









Shana Lee offers one on one mystical (intuitive) mentoring for adults and teens, an online ‘Seership’ course for psychic and spiritual development, spiritual healing, crystal healing and psychic/ mediumship readings. If you are interested in speaking with Shana, please visit her contact page.

]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/portraits-in-pitt-meadows-shana/feed/ 3 Little Baby Xavier: Newborn Portraits http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/little-baby-xavier-newborn-portraits/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/little-baby-xavier-newborn-portraits/#comments Wed, 05 May 2010 00:49:51 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=950 Hello Friends! I shot another newborn session today and I’m REALLY starting to love it! Its obviously quite different from being a wedding photographer … its kinda like…. shooting still life…that pees. :) No, its not that bad actually, especially with the amazing babies I have shot in the last little while, I honestly could snap photos away all day and love every minute of it! This little guy, Xavier, is an absolute doll and is actually only around 2 weeks old! A photo-session must seem pretty strange! All these people fluttering around him and this one crazy guy with a HUGE camera taking pictures… Xavier loved every minute of it :) He also loves chewing on shoulders, and drooling. Its a pretty sweet life! :)

Newborn Portraits are VERY new to me (like… I can count on one hand how many I have done…ever), so I really hope you enjoy these images because they are very dear to my heart! (yup, kind of a baby lover over here) :)







]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/little-baby-xavier-newborn-portraits/feed/ 2 Little Baby Noah: Newborn Portraits http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/vancouver-baby-photographer/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/vancouver-baby-photographer/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 01:22:01 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=945 Yesterday we drove into Vancouver and had a quick little meeting with a new friend of mine. It was a super fast session, but every image makes my heart melt. I think I could get used to being a newborn photographer. :) (Good thing too, considering our first born is due in July!)

Meet Noah. He’s only 1 month old. He enjoyed chillin’ on a sunday afternoon with me. I like Noah. :)






]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/portraits/vancouver-baby-photographer/feed/ 4 Ben + Vianne: Vancouver Engagement Session http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/olympic-village-engagement-session/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/olympic-village-engagement-session/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:22:25 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=932

(For the slideshow – don’t forget to click on HQ for best quality!)

My first meeting with Ben and Vianne was at an awesome little restaurant called Tea Team near Metrotown.

They had me at bubbletea. :)

Their engagement story involved spelling out ‘Will You Marry Me’ in colorful fire on snow! (yup, they rock.) These guys are such a cute couple, they just love being kids (shouldn’t we all?) and I strongly believe that their July 10th wedding is going to be a par-tay!

Oh by the way, these guys at some point in their life want to own a White Lamborghini, so if any of you have one… :)















It was an absolute pleasure spending time with you guys and getting to know you! You absolutely rocked your photosession, I hope you like the images!

Cheers,

Michael

]]> http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/olympic-village-engagement-session/feed/ 5 Candace + Joel: A Grouse Mountain Wedding http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/grouse-mountain-wedding/ http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/slideshow/grouse-mountain-wedding/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:32:31 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelwachniak.com/blog/?p=925 What a way to start off my 2010 wedding season in Vancouver! Candace and Joel absolutely rocked their wedding day! They live in California so for their wedding photos they really wanted a “Typical Vancouver Feel” to show through… and well, with a wedding on Grouse Mountain you can’t really get more Vancouver than that right? Right! We went to UBC, then over to Stanley Park, then up to Grouse for the Ceremony and Reception. Believe it or not it was my first time up Grouse Mountain…ever! I absolutely loved it and will definitely be going back again… I HIGHLY doubt for the Grouse Grind, but nevertheless in the words of the Governator: I’ll be back. :)























To view Candace + Joel’s Wedding Slideshow, click here.

Hair & Makeup Artist: Jag Dhahan
Venue: Grouse Mountain
Decorator: Lisa Gregory Special Events
Officiant: Kevin Fatkin

Special thanks to Nick B. for being my trusty second shooter! You rock my world!

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