What do you love about your partner?

Maybe it’s the way she eats her cereal every morning with a side of sliced avocado, or the way his socks are always mismatched (and smelling slightly of Bavarian smoked cheese). Maybe it’s his refined tastes for cake and bikes, or her enthusiasm for retro video gaming and the Canucks.

Whatever it is, show us by taking a photo or two* of yourselves and submitting your entry to this Facebook contest page by 11:59pm PST on Thursday, May 31, 2012. Provide a caption for your photo answering the question: “What do you love about your partner?” *You can take two photos (one for the each of you), but they must be compiled into one image file.

Please note: Residents outside of Metro Vancouver are eligible to apply for this contest, but there will be additional travel and accommodation costs.

Contest Entry Example

Contest Voting

Contest voting opens at 8:00am PST on Friday, June 1, 2012. You’ll want to mobilize all of your friends, relatives, cats, and everyone else you can think of to vote for your entry once a day until the contest closing date of Friday, June 15, 2012 at 11:59pm. In the spirit of love, you can vote for the other entries once a day as well!

Prizes 

Grand Prize Winner selects ONE of two prizes:

PRIZE ONE 6 hours of Wedding Photography with 1 Photographer and an online gallery (estimated value $2,000)

–or–

PRIZE TWO 12 hours of Wedding Videography with 1 Videographer and a 3-minute highlight reel (estimated value $2,000)

2nd Place Winner 2 hours of Engagement/Couples Photography with 1 Photographer with edited photographs on a DVD (estimated value $500)

3rd & 4th Place Winners Discount code for 10% off Photography/Videography services

Curious? Submit your entries here! Looking forward to seeing all of your creative photo submissions!

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

Dusk falling on NYC from a top of the Empire State building.

27-inch iMac 2560×1440 | Widescreen 1920×1200 | Ipad 2048×1536 1080P 1920×1080 | Netbook 1366×768 | Iphone 4s 960×640

It was a bright and early morning when Susie and Michael rode in on their scooters for their engagement shoot at UBC. With an entrance like that, I had no doubt this was going to be a fun and interesting morning. The warm and very bright light allowed me to experiment with various shape and shadow compositions, not to mention both Susie and Michael’s decision to leave things entirely up to me. It’s fantastic when clients encourage that kind of creative freedom and are open to new ideas.

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

An obscure look at Manhattan in New York City.

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

After weeks of anticipation our long awaited task of navigating the trails up to Machu Picchu lay ahead of us. Still recovering from a crippling bout of what we could only guess was food poisoning we boarded a tourist bus with 14 diverse and enthusiastic tourists from Canada, Australia, California and the UK, who were all luckily native English speakers. I didn’t know it at the time but over the course of the next four days I would grow very fond of the group who all became quite close by the end of the adventurous ordeal. Carrying most of our belongings on our backs we grew accustomed to having tenacious porters pass us with what looked like far heavier loads, while only wearing worn out sandals. Irregardless of the difficulty of the hike, everyone remained in high spirits and there was always an encouraging comment or helpful hand to be offered. Subsisting on three square meals a day expertly prepared, given the conditions, we neared the highest point of our excursion at Dead Woman’s Pass. Topping out at 4,215 meters above sea level we all celebrated with a group pow wow at the top of the blustery pass before descending into another valley before our next climb up the (much less daunting) peak.

Climbing ever higher through the first and second days of the hike we were surprised at how forgiving the weather was. Given that our trip fell right in the middle of the summer rainy season, we did not see any real precipitation until the 3rd day. And even with a couple of hours of heavy rain, our sense of wonder was not dampened in the slightest as each step brought with it a new vantage point over a wonderfully expansive and largely untouched landscape. Green mountainsides gave way to sweeping vistas that were often times dotted with old Incan ruins and long overgrown terraces where countless crops once flourished. Later into the third day whilst on our slow descent to our final camp site we were shocked to find that our surroundings changed quite drastically from relatively barren hillsides to alpine jungle.

All of our efforts finally paid off just after the dawn of the fourth day as our group made its last advance on the famed wonder of the world. Following a terraced wall we crested one last hill before we were greeted by the amazing stonework of Machu Picchu, which lay below our vantage point only slightly obscured by morning fog. As near as makes no difference to a spiritual experience we all gazed upon the man made monument to past splendor just taking it all in. To think that human power and ingenuity created such a striking city quite literally from the rock available in the area while regularly making the trip on foot up to this remote area was a stark and chastising thing to comprehend. Exploring the ancient maze of chambers and corridors was only enhanced by our journey to this point and I can think of no reason why anyone would believe otherwise. Leaving the historic city our group met in the rough little village of Aguas Callientes for our last meal together before taking the panoramic windowed train back to Ollantaytambo where a bus waited to take us back to Cuzco. Our excursion came to a close while riding through a rather ominous thunder storm.

Written by AJ Kwong. Photos by

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

Arriving in Cuzco after a rather arduous bus journey, stalled only by a minor landslide, we arrived in the tourist town to begin our three day acclimatization to the altitude. We thought it wise to endure the bus not only to save a bit of cash but also because we thought it would help our bodies adjust, but we had no idea how different the exertion on our bodies would be up in the mountains until we attempted to explore the rather tourist riddled town. Wild dogs abound on the streets where we noticed that even the locals seemed to enjoy walking downhill much more than going back up.

As the city is nestled into the nook of a valley, Tomasz and I decided to explore one of the vantage points to gain a better view. Meeting many foreigner friendly locals along the short trek, we got our first up close looks at llamas and alpacas before realizing that tourism made up the backbone of the economy in these parts. Souvenirs, knickknacks and even photos all came at a (very nominal) price and bargaining is almost encouraged with street vendors. All in all it was a rather easy going few days filled with exploration and discovery, eating and sightseeing.

Notable attractions include the vantage point above the city where a statue of Jesus stands with outstretched arms (which is actually where we met the friendly character you see pictured above named Maximus), the History Museum of Cuzco where guides relish in telling you about the heritage of the area and its people, the Plaza de Armas which is much like the one in Lima and all of the markets in town where all things kitschy and touristy can be found for bargain dollar.

Overall the city is beautiful for lack of a better word. It’s in Peru, but it looks like a city in Europe.

Written by AJ Kwong. Photos by

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

Fresh off the plane (or perhaps not so fresh) Tomasz and I found our ride to Loki Lima Hostel where we got our first view of the city from the open windows of the cab. The morning sun cast a strange and almost alien light over the colourful and almost alien streets of Lima. The bustle of life and traffic filled our senses as our taxi made its way from the airport and down the coast towards the metropolitan center of town. Before long we were climbing up a switch back off the highway towards our destination where we passed football (soccer) coliseums and bluffs of greenery. Settling into our accommodations for only a split second we were greeted by our guides for the day, a lovely couple named Bernie and Janet I was put in contact with through colleges at work, who took it upon themselves to acclimatize us to the city.

Ensuring that we procured our tickets for transportation out of the city the next day, we took in the sights at the Plaza De Armas, which is the veritable birthplace of the area as well as the historical hub. Surrounded by the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Municipal Palace, the Plaza was full of tourists and locals alike. Viewing all of the spectacles both inside and out and stopping for a quick and traditional meal, Tomasz and I both agreed that the best part of the experience that day was the Aliaga House which is said to be one of the oldest homes in all of the Americas. Still owned by the descendants of the original Aliaga family, the interior, which has remained unchanged for much of its existence, spoke towards the extravagance and luxuries of days long past.

Spending our next day exploring the more affluent Miraflores district of the city and coastal regions, we bid farewell to the capital city of Peru via Cruz del Sur buslines where we spent the next 26 hours on our way to Cuzco.

Written by AJ Kwong. Photos by

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

Reserva Nacional Salinas – Aguada Blancas

A 58km stretch of wilderness highway from Arequipa to Colca Canyon, the national park is home to 170 different species of animal. One of those animals is the Andes Vicuna, an endangered species related to the llama family.

How fitting for this region to have llama crossing signs. While driving through the park grounds, it almost didn’t feel like I was on earth anymore.

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

I photographed this wedding with Michael Lee last year but never got around to posting it. As I look back, I can see there was potential for a post. Although the editing was done in a style that’s not really apparent in my present work, I enjoy the nostalgia of these photographs.

In traditional Chinese wedding fashion, the groom rounds up his troops and makes his way to the bride’s home, bright and early. He demands access to his fiancée, but this pleasure doesn’t come without a price.

The price? A few fun and foolish games (the ones we don’t normally play but can’t help but watch and be entertained). It was worth posting this blog post just for the chuckles! This post also nullifies the popular belief that Asian guys don’t have hairy legs. The ladies had that all under control with their waxing kit ready to go. Sigh.

Before signing off, I want to send a warm thank you to Catherine and Andrew. Thanks for inviting Mike and me out to your wedding – we had a great time! As for your family, friends, and party members – they were an absolute ball! Enjoy,

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

Priscilla and Will are a pretty cute couple looking to relive those young love days: the days these two would have their eyes focused on the books, but their minds on each other.

I haven’t exhausted every nook and cranny at UBC but with every shoot, the day or light can make the biggest difference. Never get comfortable with the location. Always explore outside it.

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork

I chose to post this photo for two reasons.

The edit intrigues me. The view from the Sun Gate is rarely ever photographed, let alone experienced by many at this location.

In the early mornings, trekkers arrive at the Sun Gate only to see their view covered in fog. As the weather clears in the afternoon, travellers are then too comfortable to make the hour uphill to see it.

Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork