February 4, 2010 at 11:47pm
I got off the phone with my dear friend Ruthy (Hi girl…I know you are reading this…yes you! Love you!) about a week ago and we got to chatting about blogging. I am going to have the wonderful and blessed opportunity to capture Ruthy’s wedding in about two weeks in Flagstaff, AZ and she has been madly planning her day and sinking herself into blogs. She has her very own spectacular blog called Discovery Street, which I encourage any of you brides-to-be to go visit. Anyway, she encouraged me to start spending more time in the blogging world. I have had a “photography” blog for about 3 or so years, but am realizing more and more each day that it can be so much more than it is currently.
Here is a picture of me and my sweet friend that she posted on her blog (it’s about 3+ years old, but I think we are still just as cute 
)
I’ve always been nervous to post anything more than just my photos and a few thoughts about those photos. But it has dawned on me that those of you who visit my blog actually might at least be an ounce interested in who is ‘behind’ the camera. It truly does scare me to put anything else out there, but I have always been a woman to be vulnerable with life, so why not with my photography blog! Brides-to-be are not only interested in a photographer who can take great photos, but are also interested in who they will be spending 8+ hours with on their wedding day. We (being the photographers) really are the ONE vendor that you have to spend/share your whole day with. I say, you better like that person or you might be in for something you didn’t sign up for.
I’m excited about what 2010 has to bring. God was so incredibly faithful to me last year. In fact, He was beyond unbelievable and I owe everything to Him. I won’t go into the story now, but I was blessed to marry my best friend/love of my life in my parents backyard on July 17th, 2009 (I will post photos later). It was, to this date, the most amazing day of my life!! I have an even deeper understanding and commitment to my job. I have always been passionate about photography and desired to give all my clients the best I could give them. Now that feeling has multiplied and I’m bursting with commitment to tell the story of a couples day. I am so looking forward to spending time with each of my couples this year…to share in all their joy!!
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to visit my blog. Oh and P.S. I LOVE comments (what blogger doesn’t?), so if you have about five seconds, I would absolutely love to hear from you!
February 2, 2010 at 6:59pm
Okay…so this time of year is especially hard for blogging, not because I don’t have the time, but because I just simply don’t take as many pictures. During the months of May-October, I am shutter happy and I start to feel like I have the first signs of carpel tunnel. But during this time of year, I have to admit at times I have to dust off the camera. (It’s not very thick dust, just a couple of weeks worth at times )
With that said, I am posting another one of my “little blessings”, which for me are thoughtful, unexpected words from my past clients. I wish there were words to truly express my gratitude for the kind e-mails and testimonials that people send my way, but there are not. So I will just say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to write me and extend their appreciation.
I shot Megan and Tyler’s wedding back in September of 2009, and they sent me this e-mail about a month or so ago. They were simply a delight to work with and they were troopers on their wedding day….because their was down pour rain for the majority of the day. However, we sprinted outside at every moment of lapse in the rain and were able to get some amazing outdoor shots.
If you want to take a look at their wedding on my blog, click here: http://maijakarinphotography.com/blog/megan-and-tyler-9-6-09-happily-ever-after/
What they had to say………
Hi Maija,
We just wanted to Thank YOU again for the photos. They are amazing and we
cannot express how much we love them. I am so glad that we chose to work
with you. You were great at the engagement shoot… helping us break out of
our shells and then again on the wedding day! You were like an old friend at
the wedding just taking photos… even helping me with my dress We loved
that you understood the overall look in the photos we wanted and you exceed
any expectation that we had.
Your pictures are by far some of the best photos that we have ever seen
and we cannot wait to have you take more pictures for us We have seen
some of our other friends who got married and recently gotten their
photos… and we must say that we are so proud of our photos. Not that their
photos were bad… but yours were just so superior that it made us smile.
You captured our personality and love for each other better than we could
have ever imagined. Thank you for helping us through the big day… with
rain and all. Waiting for the photos was agonizing but seeing the finished
product was so worth the wait! Thanks again… if you ever come over to
Olympia… call us we would love to take you to dinner!
Love,
Tyler and Megan Baker
January 20, 2010 at 4:08pm
Most days I get up in the morning, wash my face, brush my teeth and overall just do what it takes to wake myself up and start the day off right. Well, a couple mornings ago I got to start the day off “right” in a whole different way!
I got my new BlackBerry (aka crackberry ) a couple months ago, so now I can check my e-mail at anytime/anywhere. I don’t typically check my e-mail right when I wake up (I’m not that obsessed yet), but this particular morning was different because I woke up earlier than normal and was checking the time on my phone and noticed I had an e-mail. That e-mail was from a couple that I worked with in June of 2008. I had the pleasure of shooting Kathie and Shannon’s wedding, and was VERY blessed to receive a sweet note from them. I wasn’t looking for it, nor did I ask for it. And that is when it means the most! I truly love what I do! It gives me a natural high to know that my couples are so happy with their photos.
I don’t want to speak for all artist, but I’m pretty sure most would agree that our work is like riding a roller coaster. When you truly have a passion for what you do and want the best for all of your clients, sometimes emotion can RULE. I find myself one day in a moment of complete bliss and then the next day I will be curled up in a ball on the floor with tears in my eyes. In my business, I want NOTHING more than for my clients to be delighted with their photos. I mean, pictures are our memories; they are what you save if your house is on fire. So when I get an unsolicited “thank you” e-mail, it brings tears of joy and a HUGE smile to my heart.
You can view more of Kathie and Shannon’s wedding on my website and/or on my old blog.
Thank you to Kathie and Shannon for giving me the chance to capture your wonderfully special day and for taking the time to send me such kind words.
Pure joy!!!
"Maija, I cannot begin to explain how truly thankful we are for everything
you did in capturing our wedding. I can honestly say that I can relive every
moment of our special day by looking through the photos that you took. You
have such a gift of capturing all of the moments in time that you never want
to forget...the big things like our first kiss as husband and wife, and our
first dance...and the little things that truly help you to remember just how
that day felt, the look on Shannon's face when he first saw me coming down
the aisle, the laughter, the tears...it was like you took everything and put
it down on paper for me to be able to revisit whenever I want. Your photos
were incredible and we were so thankful that we found you and that you were
still in California to shoot our wedding! We hope that you know how blessed
we felt to be able to work with you and we wish you all the best. Thank you
for everything! Kathie and Shannon Miller (married 06-07-08)
January 16, 2010 at 10:46pm
Well, I am back from my belated honeymoon in Maui and it was AWESOME!!!! I had been to a couple of the other islands when I was younger, but never to Maui, and I think I might be in love. We truly had a wonderful time. Lots of adventures to be had and a ridiculous amount of time on the beach (I like the sun!). I thought I would share a few photos that I took while adventuring through the island.
And along with returning to home, I have returned to work. Yippy!!! It kind of slipped my mind when I was planning this trip that January is one of the busiest booking months of the year for weddings. So I was able to hear from several of you who are planning your weddings, while I was sitting on my deck with a view! With that begin said, I only have a few wedding dates left that I will be booking for 2010.
One of my favorite images....mainly because it was literally taken from where I was laying on the beach. Great view!
And this is my second favorite! Such a stunning view we had.
Love the ocean.
Can't you just see yourself sitting on that bench?!!!
Taken on one of our drives to the beach.
January 14, 2010 at 2:37am
For the last 10 days I have been on my belated honeymoon in Maui (Yippy!), so posts on my blog have been at a minimum! But I am happy to post a handful of photos from my last wedding that I shot in December. I had the GREAT pleasure of meeting Abbey and Ernie back in August of last year, and I am so thankful they chose me to capture their wedding. The words that I think of when I reflect back on their day are pure, joyous, and LOTS of smiles. It truly was a blessed day for the two of them and I enjoyed basking in their happiness. I have selected just a handful (meaning about 18 photos) for this post and hope to post more later. I always have the toughest time choosing photos for my blog….tons of favorites to chose from.
Hope you can feel the joy of the day!
I thought I would start with this photo, because it shows some of the joy that Abbey exuded throughout the day!
Putting on the dress that a bride waits so long to put on "for real". Such a joyous moment.
A few shots from when they first saw each other. So much emotion and a few tears! LOVE IT!!!
And a shot from when Abbey first saw her dad! The emotion gives me chills. It shows how much her father dearly adores her and is preparing to give his daughter away.
This shot was just too cute not to post.
The oh so happy couple!
I thought this was a fun shot of Abbey with the reflection in the windows at the church where they got married. It was a lovely overcast winter day.
Introducing Ernie! I liked this shot of him on the bench.
How cute are these little ones?! The ring bearer and flower girl.
The whole crew! We took these on one side of the church which had an entire wall that was covered in wood. Turned out to be a fun backdrop!
I really like this shot of Abbie and Ernie walking to where we were going to take photos! Don't you love her shoes!
This probably has to be my favorite shot from the whole wedding! I love the dimension in it and the story that it tells of the day!
My second favorite shot. Again...do you see the joy?!
More smiles!
And extra joy!
January 4, 2010 at 11:21am
This is a LONG overdue post. But I wanted to get some of Josh and Molly’s engagement pics up. As you will see by their photos, they are a very fun couple and full of smiles. I had such a wonderful time with them taking shots all around Wenatchee.
I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!
See what I mean....such a blast to hang out with them! Lots of laughter.
Beautiful Molly!
I love photography, for so many reasons, but one of them being you can get great pictures anywhere and with very little. We found this cool old blue bench outside of the police station. So we had an audience of police officers. I thought it turned out pretty cute.
January 1, 2010 at 5:23pm
I mentioned in my last post that I was going to put up a few slide shows from this past wedding season. Here is a small selection of photos from Chris and Nichole’s wedding that I captured back on June 13, 2009. Such a fun and happy couple…we had a blast!
Click on the link below to view slide show!
Chris and Nichole’s Wedding
January 1, 2010 at 4:44pm
Over the past couple weeks I have spent hours sifting through literally 1,000s of photos from 2009! WOW, what a year it has been!! I can’t believe the journey I went through, not only in my business but in getting married myself this year! I feel so overwhelmed with joy that I get to capture people’s lives and leave them with lifetime memories. I am in the process of updating my website and wanted to post a few of my weddings from early 2009 that I didn’t get to post on this new blog that went live in July. They are in no particular order and I will post a couple now and more later.
I’m leaving for Maui on Monday for my belated honeymoon, so I will be out of the “office”, but not disconnected! If you are a new couple and are looking to book your wedding with me for 2010, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will get back to you as soon as I can. I am only accepting a few more weddings for 2010, so call soon!!!
Here is one of my weddings from May 2009. Kevin and Kendall were such a fabulous couple! I met them in California and was able to fly down to San Diego and capture their BEAUTIFUL wedding. I also wanted to post some kind words from them that they sent me after they received their photos!
Click on the link below to checkout their slideshow!
Kevin and Kendall’s Wedding
“Maija was an absolute pleasure to work with!! She went beyond our expectations and captured our day perfectly. She is a bride’s dream to work with- easy going, organized, and made us feel very comfortable. We gave her ideas of shots we wanted, and she made sure she got them. We had no worries the day of our wedding because we knew Maija was there capturing every moment. She actually seemed to be everywhere at once! When we look back at our pictures, it’s like re-living our wedding day all over again. She did that good of job capturing everything- and in ways we didn’t even imagine! I don’t know how we are going to choose which photos to frame or put in an album, because I want to use every one! We highly recommend Maija and her love for photography truly shows in her work. THANK YOU!!! ”
from a very happy couple,
Kevin and Kendall Chinn
December 7, 2009 at 7:18pm
Here is a sneak peek of Ryan and Sheila’s wedding! I will probably be posting more photos later, but I wanted to at least put a handful up for everyone to see. I had such a wonderful time with Ryan and Sheila, they both made me feel so welcome…like I was a friend.
They were married at the wonderful Sleeping Lady lodge in Leavenworth, WA. It’s nestled right up in the mountains and was the perfect place for Ryan and Sheila to tie the knot. It was really fun to be a part of their day, because they had a few unique elements to their day that I have never seen at all the weddings I’ve been to. One of those things was performing Acro Yoga in place of their first dance. Hands down, coolest first dance I have ever seen!
Oh…and Sheila even made her own dress! Impressive.
There is just something very soft and gentle about this shot. Also has a slight feeling of anticipation, as she got ready to marry Ryan.
Presenting the beautiful couple!
I love the joy in this shot.
I LOVE these shots of Sheila! She looks so stunning and I really like the back lighting and backdrop.
One more sweet photo of Sheila. She looked like she walked out of a movie!
I'm pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but I ADORE children and love photographing their sweet faces and moments!
How darling is this face? Loved his tie!
I have to say, I am pretty proud of this photo! This might be my favorite from the day. I love how the flowers are trailing out of the basket as she spreads them for Sheila to walk on! Love it!
Tender moments during their vows. I love seeing the emotion in their faces. This is why I love my job!
Another sweet face I had to capture during the ceremony. She was perfect!
Sheila and Ryan decided to do a tea ceremony for their "unity". I thought the idea was so great! They poured each other tea and took sips to signify different aspects of their love for each other.
I love how she is on her tip toes to kiss him!
This was just before they started their Acro Yoga routine that they did in place of the first dance. I thought it was very sweet! And I so enjoyed watching them perform and work together.
Come back and check in soon to see more photos from Ryan and Sheila’s wedding! Thanks for taking a moment to checkout my blog!
November 25, 2009 at 10:20pm
Once again, you can tell by the date of Samantha (aka Sam) and Hawkins’ wedding that I am a bit behind on the blog posts. OOops! But here I am to introduce you to this very sweet couple. Sam and Hawkins were married in Manson, WA and it was such a joyous event. I hope you enjoy the preview of their wedding!!
I love these photos where the bride is surrounded by those she loves, putting on the final touches. Always makes me smile.
I LOVED my portriat session with Sam and Hawkins. We had a great time and were able to get lots of different backdrops. You only get married once, so I say savor the moments....and take TONS of pictures!!
There is just something so romantic and gentle about this photo....and I didn't even tell them to do it!
I thought Hawkins' shoes were pretty cool....so I had to get the feet shot.
Loved this shot of Sam. Such a beauty.
I really like how you can almost feel the wind blowing in this photo! It was a very windy day, but we made the best of it and got some fun shots.
Check out the handsome Hawkins!
Sam and Hawkins had their reception at Banjo Creek Farms and it was an AWESOME location. I don't get to shoot very many weddings at a farm, so it was very fun!
I loved the fence shots!
There was a random bathtub in the middle of the farm and I had to put Hawkins in there for a shot...what a good sport.
I loved the corn field and had to make good use of it!
The beautiful ladies of the day!
Weren't their flowers so beautiful?
I really like this shot of all the guys.
I loved this shot of Sam and her dad. He has a look of pride and great love for his daughter. These moments make me want to cry....and well, most of the time I am crying.
Sweet flower girl face!
A few tender moments from the first dance.
I absolutely love these shots from Hawkins' dance with his mom. Such a happy moment. Brought a big smile to my face.
I just love how classic this photo is....little boy on a farm eatting a caramel apple = one smiley boy!
by Maija
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