Katya Nova Photography » Vancouver Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photographer | Lifestyle Portraits { Intimate Narrative Documenting Your Love }

Less than 0.01% of the eggs hatch… and even fewer survive and reach adulthood. There are so many dangers for these little ones - the eggs are considered an aphrodisiac in Mexico, and if they are not by people or dogs looking for a snack, the hatched little ones often don’t make it to the water and suffocate beneath the sand. There are many turtle preservation camps around the world, one of which is right here in San Pancho, Mexico. Volunteers fly in from around the world, taking turns patrolling the beach at night to mark the locations of the nests. These are then taken to an incubator in the village until the little turtles are ready to face the ocean.

Witnessing this was nothing short of amazing. I hung out at the beach and waited for the sunset when I saw a man with a bunch of buckets starting to make markings on the sand - take a look!It’s remarkable to witness the beginning of a journey, so fragile and hopeful. Check out the San Pancho turtle preservation camp for more info… In 16 years, the local turtle population has increased from 72 to 661 nesting females.
Here they are, swimming in the sand…
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On my way to the market, I passed an indiscernible gate, where two sets of pre-war uniforms hung on these very bare walls. This may just be my favourite picture. Ever.

I felt uber cool driving Desiree’s jeep through the market streets, with my elbow out the window. Life is good. After a beautiful day surfing, Oswaldo settles in on the balcony with his guitar, while Desiree makes coffee for us.If I could choose one type of food to have for the rest of my natural life, it would surely be seafood. Just look at these gorgeous camarones!
And my other weakness … papaya.And here’s the little tienda, where the papaya came from:
More of beautiful San Pancho…
Here are Desiree and Oswaldo in an embrace…A picturesque cemetery in Sayulita…
Cemeteries in Mexico feel as if life is celebrated as opposed to mourned. The sign on this grave says something like “It’s not sad here, I’m happy.”
Back on the beach, a little coconut action.I always end up back on the beach. San Pancho beach is fierce and powerful…
That’s where I’m running right now! Thank you for letting me share the journey…

This soulful Mexico adventure has taken me to San Pancho, Nayarit. I’ve been really enjoying taking everything in slowly, taking my time to read good books, start learning to surf, eating lots of papaya, and starting my mornings with sun salutations.

Morning’s peaceful ponderings ended with a trip to Sayulita Beach to visit my friend Desiree, she’s a surfing instructor there. Her novio Oswaldo and I drove over from Punta de Mita to take her for lunch. Minutes after we got there, a mini-hurricane roughed up Sayulita beach, tearing out most of the umbrellas on the beach!
Soaked to the bone, Desiree and Oswaldo put surfing boards away…
The fruit tent on the beach was dismantled in a blink of an eye. Packing up the goodies in the rain…
It’s easy to feel small in the eye of the storm.

[b]ecker [b]lew us away. [b]ig time. He has given two full days to the eager wedding photographers of Vancouver and I was lucky to be among them yesterday. Becker broke it down, speaking from the heart. He made us laugh and inspired us to take an honest look at our wedding photography businesses and do what it takes to rock it. We took notes tirelessly, as Becker talked about branding, giving the most killer experience to our clients, workflow, social networking, consistency, supporting each other in the industry, and of course the little things that matter so much. The workshop took place at Miranda & Reilly’s gorgeous Blue Olive studio and was organized by the awesome Tracey and Libby.

Check out Becker in action… [his shirt reads: "Nobody cares about your status updates"]  :)

And some more action:
Lena & Jason of Jaylena Photography kindly volunteered to model for us. They are so sweet!!
Here I am, posing for Becker
There it was, Sherry’s bright red bow in the midst of the gloomy Vancouver gastown alley.
Last but not least, check out this wicked lunch Jonathan Heppner made for us!
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Sometimes the world just needs to slow down. And if it won’t, you have to put your hectic errands on hold and remember why you get up each morning.

We sat on a damp log, enjoying every millisecond of this January Saturday - and everything was peacefully still. Soft chillout beats of my boombox mixing with rhythmic ocean murmurs. Vancouver has been my home for just over two months now, and I’m still in awe from the energy of this city and my ever-growing love for it. Can you tell?
My partner in crime for many things I’m so passionate about … sentimental memories, great friendships, witty humour, adventurous travel, good food & wine … Polina!
This next one puts a smile on my face and makes me think of my mama. Every time we talk that I mention green grass and lush trees in the middle of winter, she turns to my dad on the other line and jokingly asks if they can please move to Vancouver
Love and inspiration are all around. And today I’ve decided on a new resolution … To treat myself to fresh seasonal flowers once a week. Hm, maybe on Mondays? That’s right. Here I go.

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The Vancouver Wedding Fair January 9 & 10, 2010 at the Bayshore Westin was SMASHING, in both it’s literal and metaphorical sense! It was amazing to see so many beautiful brides, their diligent fiancees, and endless helpers - to carry rapidly accumulating amounts of flyers, brochures, business cards, and little gifts from Vancouver Wedding Vendors. Although this was only my 2nd show, it was so great to not only see familiar faces, but even give out a bunch of hugs during bathroom breaks, mostly to fabulous Vancouver Wedding Photographers!

It’s quite entertaining to see myself from the side - now I understand why I felt as if my face was about to fall off from smiling so hard! But I just couldn’t help it

I loved the vase with flowers Evan of Vancouver Boutique Flower-z brought me, what a nice touch!
And a humongous thank-you to Vancouver dating coach Mick Lolekonda for helping me out all weekend - I don’t know what I would do without him!
We put in well over 20 hours over the weekend, not counting the booth set-up and tear-down… It was so great to go upstairs and crash at the Vancouver Bayshore Westin Hotel! I loved the view of Coal Harbor from the 9th floor, even though I didn’t get to enjoy it much. It was about 8 am on the Sunday morning when I snapped this shot before heading out again!
I decided to hold a prize draw for a Pre-Wedding Boudoir session for one lucky bride-to-be:
And followed up with this announcement yesterday…
I won’t make you wait any longer. The winner of a saucy Boudoir Photo Shoot is…

STACEY! (whose fiancee is BRADEN and their wedding date is JUNE 25, 2011). Congratulations, Stacey! I can’t wait to make you look like a movie star!

Thank you so much EVERYONE for your support, for those of you who are disappointed, why don’t we do a Boudoir photoshoot anyway? Please click HERE for details - the Marathon will take place Jan 30, 2010. Private photo sessions are also available.

Wait, there are four more winners! My friend and talented jewelery designer Jolie Mack is graciously giving away these gorgeous earrings. And the winners are …

PRISCILA (Wedding date July 2011)

JILL (Fiancee Omar, Wedding date Nov 12, 2010)

JESSICA (Fiancee Dan, Wedding date June 11, 2011)

MICHELLE (Fiancee Andrew, Wedding date October 10, 2010)

Congratulations, ladies! Phew, that was intense.

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Jamie Delaine is a dreamer. But not your usual kind. She somehow dreams bigger and brighter than most young women her age - at 19, she’s managed to create her very own magical presence. I’ve wanted to connect with her for a while since bringing my wedding photography to Vancouver, and we’ve finally made it happen this rainy Friday morning over coffee and lunch!

The world of wedding photography can be an exciting roller coaster for anyone with the passion and drive to come along for the ride. What Jamie and I have in common is that we like to take the ‘driver seat.’ Oh, and we are also both Leos born on the same day, August 1st!

I was really excited to talk shop with her and share some experiences as wedding photographers in Vancouver. One of the most inspiring things about Jamie is how organized she is - and I thought I was on the ball with that one … until she shared her workflow with me! I’ll definitely be making some changes in 2010 and making my clients’ experience ever more exciting and memorable!

We sipped green tea and chatted about our awesome Showit websites, working with second-shooters, documenting weddings in Vancouver rain, submitting to wedding publications, outsourcing, networking with Vancouver vendors, and of course, our dreams and goals for our businesses in the future. I also shared my 2011 goal of introducing Katya Nova workshops, and was happy to get some great feedback!

We even got a chance to come out and play in the rain with our twin Canon 5D Mark II’s with 50 f1.2L lenses (yumm). I am blown away with her photos of me! It’s such a treat, especially since I’m behind the lens all the time…

And here are a few of my absolute favourites of me Jamie, you rock!Don’t I look so happy and hopeful?! Looking up to catch the rain drops … looking forward to an amazing 2010!

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Getting the perfect website…. Sigh. For every photographer (and many other artists) there is a certain period when the question “do you have a website” makes you break out in a sweat a little bit. And maybe even stutter slightly. Because it’s, errrr, under construction. I really struggled with what I wanted for mine. And being a complete doorknob in technical matters of handling a computer, I knew I would have to hire someone who is awesome at exactly that - website design. I also knew that once you go Showit, you don’t go back! That’s where Nick Haskins and his great team at Spilled Milk Designs blew my socks off and designed something that truly fits. They took the time to get to know me as a person, to learn things that had nothing to do with designing a website at first glance … and that’s what created magic. If you put trust in a professional to materialize your brand, make sure you give them all the right tools. Otherwise, it’s like looking for a memory card in a haystack (hehe). 

Many of you commented on my logo font - indeed, it’s a tribute to my Slavic roots! It’s an old Russian font and I looove it. 
I love what Nick of Spilled Milk Designs has done with my ‘Nova experience’ room. I really want to connect with you and make you feel as if you know me after you’ve visited Katya Nova Photography! Do you feel like you know me?
I’m also head over heels for the Registry page they’ve created for me - it allows photography clients, their family and friends to get photography gift certificates in different denominations! 
I hope my face on the web will make many people smile… Just the way I try to do the same in person!

There’s no place like home. You can say it and mean it after a long day of work, shopping, or after a vacation. But it’s extra special during Christmas. Since coming to Canada, my parents and I quickly started celebrating not just our Orthodox Ukrainian Christmas on January 7th, but everything from mid-December onwards! It’s easy to get in the festive mood when everywhere you look, there are bells jingling, lights flashing, people smiling and … giving. This year is no different - Christmas started a bit early for me and kind of hit me over the head - with the coldest weekend in North America, yikes! I combined our early Chistmas with Zeina & Zak’s wedding (which is coming soon), and check out how barricaded we were! I was sneaky enough to ask some dear friends to visit me at my parents’ Edmonton home instead of coffee or dinner dates

And here are are the snugglers and the cuddlers of the house - these tender creatures are Masya (the lighter one with a baby face, named after a comical Russian cartoon character Masyanya) and Liska (she has seven toes, purrs like a tractor, and can be worn as an accessory around your neck).Back in Vancouver, Mick and I were blessed to get an invitation for Christmas dinner from our new friends Zdenka & Ardin - we met them at the Vancouver Wedding Fair back in October and instantly clicked (I can’t wait to be their Victoria wedding photographer next July!) I must admit, I was so happy Ardin was the turkey master!  Despite being a vegetarian, I cook meat for others all the time… but stuffing a turkey? I didn’t sign up for that!
First Christmas morning in Vancouver… I slept in as always! And got a little surprise of a Christmas tree and a singing puppy, whom I rapidly named Rudolph. I didn’t ask much of Santa this time around. Just to bring me beautiful weddings with life-loving brides and grooms for 2010. Yeah!!

Synergies make the world go round. So do supportive friends. Last week’s tantalizing event at Rachel Sawatzky’s amazing Cocoa Nymph Chocolates & Confections Boutique was just that kind of a success. The spotlight was on the gorgeous and unique jewellery by Jolie Mack Designs, alluring with Swarovski crystals, precious gems, wood, glass, shell, and pearls… I particularly loved her Bridal collection - check out the details for yourself here. But speaking of gorgeous and unique - Jolie herself is undoubtedly the paragon. 

Jolie Mack showing some love to a set of earrings…
I was glad to be one of the great sponsors for the event, with my gift of a lifestyle photo session. Jolie made the prettiest envelope for the gift certificate! And we have a winner - congratulations to Janice Shu! 
It often doesn’t take much to satisfy a craving. Nor does it take much to connect with someone or something genuine. Whether it’s in Jolie’s exquisite jewellery designs, or Rachel’s handmade ’so-good-it-should-be-illegal’ chocolates, the passion in undeniable and comes from the heart…Have you got a craving?!

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