Photographer By Night | Behind the scenes with Tomasz Wagner
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  • August11th

    Day 1

    Jaisalmer “the Golden City” located in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan furthest west reaches. We arrived to the smallest station I’ve seen during the trip, just one track, a dead end and nothing but sand to show for. On the way to the hotel we met a lovely couple named Kim and Jason from the United States. The connected was instant, both sharing our the knowledge of traveling the globe gave a chance to learn off each other. As we arrived at the guesthouse, as a group we decided to booked our camel tip together for tomorrow.

    Mel and I took separate ways in exploring the city today. The thing about Jaisalmer is, it’s a small desert city known best for it’s silver, camel leather/bone designs. Everything leather, wallets, bags, books, footwear, etc, it’s all made here. The city is comprised of two really famous attractions, the fort which towers over the town and the beautiful sandstone mansions of the Havelis. The Havelis were build in 1885 by rich merchants with intricate detail carvings right into the sandstone – for more info about them visit here. The city is also split into three sectors; outer wall, inner wall and the fortress itself. The outer wall is made up of all local shops/vendors and by venturing out further, it gets you away from the touristy spots. The inner walls are made of a lot of the hotels, stores and tourist safe dinning. The fort is a lot like the inner walls but built within the narrow paths of the fortress. You get lots of shopping to choose from, but don’t worry about the sellers, they aren’t as pushy as for example Agra or other major cities.

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  • July28th

    I love a couple who are willing to go all the way for a photograph. That’s what Christina and Rikki did! It’s just water, their just clothes anyway right?
    We took these two love birds out to Dundarave, West Vancouver because it provided us with everything we needed for the shoot – Railway, Beach, Grass, Pear and Water :D

    Sit back because I got a lot of photos to share, enjoy!

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  • March9th

    One of my favourite destinations in Radjestan was the beautiful, peaceful, and exquisite Udaipur. I’ve compiled a two day journal in Udaipur into one blog entry – Enjoy.

    Arrived really early that morning from an uncomfortable  and cold train ride from Jaipur. Only thing on my mind after stepping off was only to jump into a hot shower. I remember this part o’so clearly because I remember using up all the hot water at the hotel that morning; boy did it fell good up until the water ran cold. Followed by a free breakfast provided by the lovely hotel stay, I wasted no time and took advantage of the early morning to start the day.

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  • July30th

    himeji_cover
    Himeji-jō*

    One of my favourite photographs of all time while visiting Japan in 2009
    More info about the castle here

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  • July27th

    Miyata SunsetMiyata 912 @ English Bay

    For the past couple years summers I commuted around town and to work via a mountain bike I purchased 5 years ago. The ride was tiresome as the bike wielded wide mud tires, front suspension and weighted a lot! It was time for a change, and that ment an upgrade to a lighter more efficient bike. With an attractive price, the mountain bike had no problem to a co-worker who picked it up right from my desk. For the next week I asked Dennis, a friend of mine who now lives in Hong Kong to help me find a fast road bike in a decent price range. I’d like extend a big thank you to Dennis as he helped me find this bike. Without his help, I would have probably just ended up buying a newer, low end bike in the same or more price range.

    The Miyata 912 is a true classic mid 80′s Japanese semi-pro road bike. To name a few things, it features a triple-butted Chromoly tube and cast fully lugged frame. Driven by all the numerous Shimano 600EX components from shifters, cassette, hubs, breakset, leavers, Crankset/Chainrings, to pedals – all factory stock might I add. The original owner used this bike for triathlons, so it shows some wear and tear; nothing like a good bath to restore some youth to it’s age though.

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  • May25th

    First engagment of the season and the weather couldn’t have been better!
    The spunky couple Joanne and Matt met up with me at Rocky Point, Port Moody for a two hour engagement session. Big thanks to my assistant Micheal and his reflector skills because without him I wouldn’t have gotten some of the shots that I did.

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  • January10th

    The wake up was rough this morning! The alarm was set for 7:30, but as I rolled over I smashed on the snooze! I managed to somehow wake to check the clock only to see itilluminate 8:25! I jumped out of bed faster than a couple of the days I was late for work. Reason being breakfast closed at 8:30! Quickly slip into some pants, pull a shirt over my head and bolt it downstairs! Who cares about brushing your teeth or washing my face, even having the shirt on backwards; breakfast was calling! The shock on the servers face was priceless as she runs back into the kitchen to bring out the food she had already packing away from the breakfast floor. It was really nice of her to bring the rest of it back me, they could have just said no.

    Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, less than 100 kilometers from Tokyo. Famous for hot springs, outdoor activities, natural beauty and the view of nearby Mt. Fuji.Hakone close popular destinations among Japanese looking for a break from Tokyo. No trip to Hakone would be complete without a dip at a Japanese hot springs though. If you’re planning to stay overnight, your lodgings may include bathing facilities, but if not many hotels open up their baths to visitors for around ¥500 or so. The volcanically active Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, centered around Lake Ashinoko is an all day event which takes you on a trip across the park via train, trolley, gondola and a Disney decked out pirate ship across the lake itself. Beware though, the JR pass will not provide free access to these attractions without extra cost. The first leg consists of a lot of tram transfers as they all work together to get you to the top of the mountain. Each stop has it’s own small detour consisting of food/beverage stands and a couple souvenirs shops families can look around through. As you ride the gondola up and over the final peak you will find yourself over a volcanic hot spring full of sulfur springs called the Great Boiling Valley (Owakudani). The valley is open for public viewing and if your like me traveling during the winter, the 80 degree pools make for a warm up stop. Careful though the paths are narrow and constantly filled with tours; falling into one will burn your senors before your brain gets a chance to respond in pain. Owakudani also serves up it’s own delicacy known locally as kurotamago or black-egg. The name is derived from the color of the eggshell which is black from boiling in the thermal hot spring. It is worth mentioning that while the shell is blackened, the content remains the same like in any other egg. Myth says eating one of these eggs can add seven years to your lifespan. Priced at 6 for 500 yen that’s one hell of a deal to extend life!

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