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

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!!

What was the first time you realized that happiness is in the little things? Somehow I’ve known that for as long as I can remember.

Kyla and I strolled down the street towards the Winter Farmers Market, chirping away in excitement, squinting a little from the tender sun. Moments later, we found our mouths watering before we even got close to the culprit of this reflex. Buckwheat crepes. How cool is that?! Nutella, herbed squash, cheese, and so many other excruciatingly delicious options - take your pick.And some more beautiful treasures… But the real treasure has been Kyla. I wanted to ask her to be my friend the moment we exchanged an eager handshake at a lounge event some weeks ago. Since then, she has made my heart fuller. Kyla is the brains and soul behind her business In Order to Succeed, a professional organizing company she founded with her business partner Pamela. Her kindness, passion, drive, and love for life would make your head spin! As for all that squash and Farmer’s Market goodies, I’m rushing off to make dinner…

Inspired by your love, created by mine…

Jen & Steve Bebb of Bebb Studios hosted Vancouver’s first SmugMug meeting this past Wednesday, and I felt so lucky to be a part of this awesome beginning. The crowd was great, and it didn’t take long for the cozy room to start buzzing with warm words and sincere handshakes. Jeff of SmugMug opened the floor by introducing the community spirit and cracking a few jokes

Thanks Jen for your inspiration to blog my season’s favorites… And what a challenge to boil them down to 15!

This is my favorite hands down. My best friend is getting married on my birthday…

I usually abstain from calling anything ‘epic,’ but this photo really has been, for my business.

It was pouring outside. Buckets, cats, dogs & all. We were is an old barnyard and Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ was playing on my boom box. It was wild.

This shot was taken moments before the First Look. Koranne gave me more pizzaz than I could have even hoped for, and rocked it out like a true Nova Bride.

Paige floated about like a modern-day Audrey Hepburn. So much grace and poise. It was starting to rain and we were about 5 min running distance from shelter, but Paige didn’t even stir, trusting that I would get the shot. Soon. The wind was blowing pretty heavily to the left, so I had my assistant Kemi pull the veil to the right and then let go so that I could catch it in mid-air!

Rob and I were having a conversation through the half-open door, as I was looking for good light. This is what I saw when I glanced over - and couldn’t resist. In fact, the first frame I shot only had ‘lieve’ visible, so I had to nonchalantly push the door a bit wider - to reveal the sign hanging above the bed of one of his groomsmen And could the light get any more perfect?!

Not a new concept by any means, but it was so spontaneous and fun! After a ‘french’ picnic of baguette, cheese, olives, and … champagne, we kicked off our shoes for some fun in the fountain. The setting August sun was tastefully diffused by the trees…

Ok, the secret is out - I love giving a bit of direction and making it look like I’m catching my subjects in a more or less candid moment. Kathy looked so elegant in the white robe, so I asked her to go hang out at the foot of the bed… In the few moments of experimenting with the width of the space between the shutters, the whole gang of bridesmaids gathered behind me, curious to see why I was kneeling in such an awkward spot. ‘Awwwwww,’ I heard from them in unison - they were snapping away too! 

I love the flare. And the love. This photo was taken the night before their wedding - this was the sunset marking the beginning of a new journey together. Did I mention I loooove flare?

The sun hid for a few seconds for me to catch this shot. The air was heavy with the promise of rain. I shouted out ‘runaway bride‘ to Sarah just before releasing the shutter. The old Ukrainian-German farm was also amazing…

I just love what’s going on. Not even sure how, but I convinced them to cozy up on the bed! As I looked around the room, I noticed a Marilyn Monroe calendar. Done! 

Clean-up on aisle four!!! Not quite… But we definitely made the day for a few bored Sobeys employees. 

‘No worries, I’m insured,’ I chuckled nervously, as Kristina and I made our way up to the second floor of this abandoned farmhouse. Every step creaked and squeaked, and I kept repeating in my head … ‘please don’t scream if you see a mouse, please don’t scream if you see a little mouse’ - all clear, we were safe. And it was so worth it! This photo was one of my favorites, we found this antique violin case…

I think this is the kind of a moment little girls dream of when they imagine their dream wedding day. I love the energy of the shot. I was up at the front with them, and realized the bride and groom had turned around and were quickly walking towards the church front doors! I don’t think I tripped anyone… but I busted my butt to make sure I got to the door first!

Hana created this magic all by herself. So inspiring. Doesn’t she make you wonder what it is that she’s seeing out of that window?!

All brides are graceful. Seriously.

This week has been especially hectic for me because I’m moving my business and my life to beautiful British Columbia, Vancouver. Of course I fell into the trap of getting wrapped up in the little things. The messy, easy-to-forget, and frustrating. But I also been overwhelmed with gratitude, the kind distance creates. Gratitude for all things at my fingertips. For all the support, love, and the familiar. There’s a letter I got from my sweet girlfriend doing her masters in Montreal… It blew my socks off and brought tears to my eyes. I’m so grateful. Thank you for making me feel like it’s all worthwhile, K.V.!!!

“Hi babichka.
So, here I am. My head is spinning from everything I have been putting myself through for the last couple of months. I wish I could double the number of hours in a day to get everything done. 
I needed to recharge and relax, so I went on your website…..I’m not lying to you but I started to cry. Part of it because how simple and beautiful everything is, and I think lately I tend to forget. You are able to capture it so effortlessly and with such deep truth to it. I wish I could somehow get into your head and see the world from your perspective. It must be equally exhausting and refreshing to live it every day and I adore you for it. “

Happy Sunday… Say it out loud, it really makes a difference.

Some people succeed more than others - it’s a fact of life that can inspire or discourage. Some days I float on clouds, breaking out into a booty dance after booking another wedding or hearing the trembling thank-you’s of fans and clients, other days - I bury my face in a pillow or a bowl of popcorn and season it with tears of frustration and self-doubt after reading a few blogs of wedding photography giants. 

This roller coaster is never a ‘free ride’ and is the life story of many entrepreneurs, not just in the wedding photography business. Surely, an f-word is bound to come to mind at some point, so long as it’s not failure. Because that one word can drive you into the ground. 

I’ve recently devoured a great book by Malcolm Gladwell called ‘Outliers.’ It sheds light on many remarkable stories of success and … demystifies them. It’s easy to point your finger up at something shiny and dismiss its merit because duh, it’s a star. But in reality, more often then not, there is a stupendous amount of work preceding that effortless brilliance. Because practice is not something we do once we get good. It’s what we do like hamsters in a wheel until we’re good. And then we must keep doing it. 

The devil’s advocate on my shoulder is whispering that it’s not so simple. That being good and even great at what you do is just not enough. And often the timing must be just right for you to be the Oprah, Tony Robbins, Kawasaki, Tyra Banks, or Jasmine Star. To fill a niche, a void … and become the next iPod. 

We have to find ways to become a ‘viral inspiration’ and make whatever we sell a natural extension of our identity and personality. 

I’ve recently been practicing some funky hand balances in ashtanga class. And here’s the trick - once you find your balance, even for a second, you must look ahead and not at the floor underneath you - otherwise you will fall forward and hit your forehead. Hard. Trust me. So just do look ahead. Don’t jump up to reach the stars, and certainly forget that f-word. 

I’m off to do the booty dance, to the crackling of my popcorn. 

Happy Sunday… 

Thank you to the beautiful and talented Margo of EyeLush Photography for this shot of me…

There is a goddess in every woman. Whether we open up to let her radiate through is another story. Because there are schedules, deadlines, slouching shoulders, stress, and too few flowers. Too few compliments. However long the list is, we still shouldn’t have an excuse. 

I’m so grateful to Amee, the stunning, fiery, passionate, and ridiculously intelligent woman in the images below … for putting her trust in me and letting me share her radiance. We had so much fun, even though I kept asking her to stare off into space and dream about the outrageous and the seductive. 

We all need to make time to find stillness in simple moments … and savor them. With this week’s Sunday Confession my intention is to inspire an acknowledgement of that goddess, the one patiently vibrating under the surface of your skin. 

Yoga practice teaches you to always open through the chest and lead with the heart. As much as I can, I make a conscious effort to bring that into my daily life. Somehow even if the day is crummy, I find myself with a head held high, radiating to others.  Of course there is a gazillion other things you can do - treat yourself to a bath or a tub of ice-cream, or kick it up a notch with a boudoir lifestyle shoot. Maybe I’m a tiny bit biased, but check it out for yourself!

The image above is my absolute favorite. Amee’s beauty and stillness here took my breath away. And I love the grunge look of the mattress…