john f karwoski | Blog

Amy & Lucas Get Married

2008-07-02T21:52:00.001-07:00

It doesn't get better than this... We really couldn't have asked for a sweeter Bride and Groom. Amy & Lucas were married this past Saturday at the Prince of Peace, Lutheran Church in Seatac.

John and I have known Amy & Lucas for a couple of years now and it was such a great experience to witness these two amazing people join their lives together before God, family & friends. There was a bunch of emotion but even more love that filled this church on Saturday.

Amy & Lucas are such an easy going couple and I am just thrilled at how their love radiates through these pictures. Here are just a few of our favorites.

To sign their guest book and view more of Amy & Lucas' wedding pictures, please click HERE.

Venue: Normandy Park Country Club
Photographers: Yours Truly, JFK Weddings

Meet the Sherwood Family!

2008-06-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

Drew, Tyler, little Peyton and of course Stacie & Seth (otherwise known as Mom and Dad) had me to their lovely home in Bonnie Lake this past Sunday to get some fun family shots.

Drew who's 7 and Tyler who's 4, had me cracking up with their silly little personalities while little Paityn, just 6 months old melted my heart with her big blue eyes and bright smiles.

Here are a few of my favorites from Sunday.

Thanks guys for having me over. What a truly beautiful family you are and I had such a great time getting to know you all.

Stanley F Karwoski | A Great Man

2008-06-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

As much as I'd like to take full responsibility for who I am today, I really can't. Much of that molding of "John" comes from the Karwoski men, my father John and my grandfather Stan.

I spent most of last week in Florida after the passing of my grandfather. As sad as this was, it was a chance to celebrate and reflect on how great of a man my grandfather was and his huge impact on my life.

Stan was a Naval Aviator... flying bombers in World War II, then went on to work for the 3M Corporation for 35 years. He worked with the Scotch team at 3M that developed products such as Scotch Tape. From what I understand he didn't fly after the war but had a huge passion for flying that translated into model aircraft building and flying.

At 87 years old he had a long happy life, married to my grandmother Roz for 62 years... it was jam packed full of fun, love and golf. I’m proud we share the same middle name "Francis" as that's just one of the many ways he lives on!!!

1945 Torpedo Bomber, TBF Squadron VT23

February 2006, 60th Wedding Anniversary

Kelsey & Lewis | Engagement and Cheesecake

2008-06-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

We absolutely love going to new places for esessions and we got to do just that with Kelsey & Lewis. We met this lovely couple down in Bellevue and took a short drive down to Clyde Beach Park. After a few fun shots there, we were off to Maydenbauer Park. None of us had ever been to this cute little tucked away park, but we just loved it. The boats and sunset in the background were the perfect setting for this fun loving and energetic couple.
Finally, one last stop to Bellevue's Downtown Park for some final sun setting pictures.

John and I had a great time getting to know these guys and aside of the fact that it was like hanging out with long time friends, we got to learn some fun facts about these two over almost a 3 hour period! It was a blast. We ended the evening at the Cheesecake Factory... we walked up quite an appetite so the 4 of us relaxed over a piece of yummy cheesecake. :)

Here are some of our favorites from their Esession.

Lewis & Kelsey, John and I are very much looking forward to your September wedding! Thanks for the great time and for letting us take a part in such a wonderful time in your lives.

If you would like to view more pictures from their esession, Please sign their guest book at Pictage.

Oscar & Nerelys | 06.07.08

2008-06-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the wonderful and multi-talented Wendi Hroncich of Ethereal Events LLC John and I were able to meet Oscar and Nerelys. Wendi has been working with this couple since September of last year and every detail from the rose petals that so delicately lined the isle of the church, to the mariachi band playing at the reception, was absolutely perfect!

When I first met the lovely couple, I knew that we were going to have a great time working together. Nerelys, so full of life and excitement & Oscar with love for his bride to be, that lit up his face. We knew right away that this couple was a perfect fit for us. :)

The morning of, John heads out to West Seattle to hang out with the guys while I meet up with Nerelys at her mothers home in Renton. Both bride and groom had family traveling for their wedding including many family members who came all the way from Mexico.

All of the months of planning and preparation had finally paid off. The ceremony went off with out a hitch and was beautifully done. Parts of the ceremony were even spoken in Spanish, which made it all the more romantic.

The rain had been holding off all morning so after the ceremony we were off to the Kirkland waterfront for some more pictures.

We were greeted at Tibbetts Creek Manor by a mariachi band and all of their guests. The afternoon turned into evening with everyone celebrating, Oh, and lots of dancing. One of my favorite parts in fact, watching everyone dance the salsa & meringue! A talent I’ve always wanted to perfect myself. There wasn’t a dull moment all evening.

Oscar and Nerelys, thank you so much for choosing us to be a part of your day. I say it must have been fate (or Wendi lol) that brought us together. Either way, it was such a joy getting to know you both. All our blessings and best wishes to you both.

Ceremony Location: St. Louis Parish
Venue: Tibbets Creek Manor
Catering: Seasoned in Seattle
Flowers: Bella Rugosa
Cake: Creme de la Creme
Photographer: Yours Truly
Wedding Coordinator: Ethereal Events
Mariachi Band: Mariachi Colima
Make-Up: Amy Sheryak, Dark Angel Artistry
Hair: Gene Juares, South Center
Umbrella's: Bella Umbrella
Rentals: ABC Rentals
Limo service: Rare Form Limo

Fort Worden, Port Townsend | TTD Sessions

2008-06-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

It's no surprise that Memorial weekend is typically a busy weekend for many. John and I were no exception. On that Sunday, we, along with many fellow photogs, made the drive up to Port Townsend where we met up with some models for a shoot that would take us into the early evening.

The entire shoot took place at Fort Worden, State Park. Originally built in the late 1800's, it was designed to prevent a hostile fleet from reaching NW targets such as Bremerton Naval Yard and the cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett. The fort was closed in 1953 and reopened in 1955 as a State Park. Another fun little fact about this amazing place, the 1980's movie, An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed here. :)

Okay, onto some pictures... here are some of our favorite pictures from the day. Did I mention what awesome models we had?!?! :) We hiked up and down and all around this place seeking out the amazing bunkers and other awesome places to shoot. I just love to take hold of opportunities like this, getting together with other local photographers and just shooting for an entire day with models who are up and ready for anything!

Here's a couple of Johns pictures from the day;

A big thanks to Sheila Birask, of Model Mayhem provided hair and make up for most of our models and flowers which were donate by Laurel Mitchell, owner of Laurel's Floral and Decor in Snohomish, Wa.

Thanks Steve Smith for putting this whole thing together and thanks to all of our models for being, well... AWESOME! :)

Jenny & Logan's Wedding

2008-05-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

What an awesome couple Jenny & Logan are! We met up with these guys back in February to shoot their engagement session and we just couldn't wait to be a part of their wedding.

We started out at Downtown's Alexis Hotel where both the bride and groom were getting ready. When I first walked into the brides suite... I was greeted by the stunning bride herself. She looked like a princess and she hadn't even gotten dressed yet! :) While I hung out with the bride, John went over to check on the groom. What he found was Logan and all of his groomsmen playing... Guitar Hero! :)

Some pictures at the UW campus and then off to the church!

This was actually our first reception at the Lake Union Cafe . All of the guests celebrated with the bride and groom into the night.

Congratulations Jenny & Logan on your marriage! Thank you so much for allowing us to take part in your day.

A little sneak peek!

2008-05-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

The lovely Elisa is to be married on August 8th, 2008. Yup, 8/8/08! :) She had her first dress fitting a few days ago and I tagged along to get a little sneak peek of her beautiful wedding gown. Joining Elisa was her beautiful mother, Jenifer, and bridesmaids Jessica & Angela who were also looking for their dresses.

Of course I'm not going to show any pictures of Elisa in her dress (that would be a total buzz kill for groom Hunter if he saw those lol) but here are a few appropriate pictures from that morning. :)

So many choices for the maids!

Look at all of those dresses the maids tried on...

Someone likes to shop. :)

Can you say BLING!!!

I had a great time hanging out with all of you lovely ladies! Thanks for including me in this fun event. I am totally looking forward to 8/8/08! :)

John and Suzanne's Engagement

2008-05-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

We first met this awesome couple last year through one of our couples Jamie and Ryan who were married last July.

Suzanne and John are getting married this July at the Hotel Bellweather in Bellingham Wa. John and I have been looking forward to shooting this location for a very long time! You know what could make our first experience at this location even better??? Having an awesome and lively couple like John and Suzanne, that's what!

We just shot their engagement pictures on Sunday... the nicest day of the weekend I might ad, at the University of Washington Campus. They both graduated from UW where John played football and Suzanne played soccer so they both have attachments and fondness for their school. Because John and I had just shot another engagement shoot here the Friday prior, we made sure to keep things fun and fresh for these two. Campus is an amazing place to come if you want to just hang out and it's even better for pictures.

Here are just a few (Oh there are so many more) of our favorites from their engagement session. I just love how these two interact with one another... so natural and so obvious that they so in love.

Thanks John and Suzanne for an awesome afternoon! We can't wait to be part of your special day!

Serve Day | New Life Church

2008-05-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Got Trash? Of course you do. Everyone has something that they have been wanting or needing to get rid of. Appliances (no refrigeration however), Garbage, Mattress's/Furniture, Salvation Army Donations, you name it, New Life wants it!

Why does this church want our garbage you ask? It's simple. New Life want to serve others with No Strings Attached, just as Christ serves us. New Life Church in Renton will be taking all of your trash, donations and they will even have a paper shredding company on site to shred all of your confidential documents on Saturday May 10th from 10:00am until 2:00pm or until all dumpsters are full. BUT WAIT... it gets even better than that! Come and let us dispose of your garbage and we will also wash your car and feed you lunch! Yup, you heard me right!

Questions?
-Why would a church do this?
-What do they want from me?
-Is there going to be people asking for donations or pressuring me to join their church?

Answers
-To serve our community with no strings attached just as Christ serves us.
-Nothing but your trash. :)
-Nope... no money donations will be excepted and the type of greetings you will receive are smiles and hello's!

For more information and for a list of what NOT to bring, please visit New Life's website

New Life Church's Address
15711 152nd Ave SE
Renton, WA 98058
425.226.0880
http://www.newliferenton.com/

Wedding RSVP's | Postage increase

2008-05-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

The wonderful and talented Event planner, Wendi Hroncich of Ethereal Events just blogged about an important date that even I was unaware of. Taking effect May 12th, postage goes up yet again from $0.41 to $0.42 cents. This is extremely important for those brides who have recently sent out their invitations or for those brides who are getting ready to send them out. If your RSVP date is later than May 12th you will want to be sure to notify your guests of the difference so that they can add extra postage to assure that there's no delay in getting you those much needed RSVP's in a timely matter. If you have not yet sent yours out, be sure to add the extra postage necessary.

Thanks Wendi for the heads up! Your brides are lucky to have you! :)

Steve and Kate | Engagement

2008-05-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Steve and Kate are getting married this August here in Seattle. Both currently live in Philadelphia but have family here... not to mention they both graduated from The University of Washington. It was only natural for them to want their engagement pictures done right here on campus.

We were seriously playing it by ear up until the very last minute because it was supposed to rain on Friday. We decided to just go for it since it had yet to rain. Once again, John and Jenna Karwoski avoid cancellation due to the typical Seattle weather. YES! :)

We walked all around the UW campus finding some awesome places to shoot. Here are a few of our favorites.

Thanks so much Kate and Steve for hanging out with us Friday! It was so great to finally meet and get to know you both a bit more! John and I are looking forward to not just your wedding but getting to hang with you awesome people again! :)

Turning 1 is so much FUN! :)

2008-05-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY REESE!

Perhaps you remember about 6 months ago I took 6 month pictures of this adorable little princess?? Well, she's back! Reese turned 1 on Friday May 2nd and Mommy Megan asked if I would come and capture the milestone of her daughters first birthday. Of Course I was dying to get some more shots of this beautiful little girl!!!

Reese is just a few crawls away from walking. She is full of energy and those smiles are sure to melt even the coldest of hearts! Take a look for yourself!

All of these pictures were taken at Megan's home... what an awesome backyard I had to work with! Reese is sure to get plenty of use of her nice, big backyard once she gets those footsies a moving!

Shari & Kyle | Wedding

2008-04-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

You may remember Shari and Kyle from their engagement session that we covered back in January in Seattle. John and I had the pleasure of capturing their wedding last week at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Renton. The reception was held at the Meridian Valley Country Club and was just beautiful. Here are some of our favorite images from their special day.

Shari, the modest sweetie she is, I don’t think had a clue of just how beautiful she looked. But as you can see... these pictures speak for themselves!

Congratulations Shari and Kyle! John and I are honored to have shared in your day.

A day with my cousin Silvia!

2008-04-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

My beautiful cousin Silvia lives in Oregon where she's a live-in nanny for a wonderful family! She had a few weeks off and made her way to Seattle to spend some time with her family and friends! I was so excited to get the chance to spend an entire day with my beauty of a cousin and of course, being a photographer just had to get her outside for some pictures!

If these locations looks familiar, it's because it's Gene Coulon Park and it's just across the street from our house... so I use it often! :-) Also, Ive used this opportunity to "play" with some of these pictures a little bit during post processing, so the look of these may be a little less than "traditional". Completely intentional however. Hope you enjoy!

Our Blog is Under Construction!!

2008-04-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

So you may be looking at our blog and thinking to yourself, "hmm... somethings looking different!?!" You are correct! John has been working on updating the look of our blog. In fact, we have spent a lot of time over the past few weeks getting ready to re-do or update all of our stuff including our website! So be on the look out for a new look with our blog as well as our website.

Thank you for being patient while we are undergoing all of our updates. There shouldn't be any disruption with the blog or web page (thank goodness, haha) however thank you for your patience during our transition! We would love any feedback or comments from you! :)

Sara's Senior Portraits | Gene Coulon Beach

2008-04-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you just how excited I was to shoot Sarah's senior pictures! Sarah was one of the 15 members to go on the Mission to Mexico trip we took in March. Sarah told me when we were on our way to Mexico that she had not yet gotten her senior portraits done... that's all I needed to hear! :) I gave her a card and told her that we would have to set something up this Spring!

Well, Spring has sprung (in a Seattle sort-a-way) and it was time for some pictures!!! We had a little bit of a scare the morning of, since it was doing well, what Seattle does best, RAIN! However it cleared up and we were able to get to it! This girl is just beautiful and I am having so much fun going through each of her pictures. There are tons of awesome pic's however I will now share with you some of my favorite from her shoot.

Leaving Las Vegas | Trash the Dress

2008-04-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Las Vegas, John and I took part in a workshop at the Spring Mountain Ranch, located within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. This place was breathtaking to say the least! While John was there to shoot (there were many photographers and models who took part in this workshop) I had the privilege to put my wedding dress back on and model for my husband as well as some other fabulous photographers.

Here are some fun behind the scene photo's (and a couple John took)

Like I mentioned, there were lots of other photographers shooting this day and here are a few shots that I found on their blogs... of me wink wink

Courtesy of Jen and Chris Stewart, Jen Stewart Photography

Courtesy of David Beckstead

Jessica | Maternity Session

2008-04-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

Jessica was in town to visit family and friends while her husband moved their stuff down to New Mexico where the couple will live for the next few months leading up to the birth of their first child. Merle, Jessica's husband is in the Air Force and was not able to make it up for this visit. However, Jessica brought a few items from Daddy to be, so that we could work them into the session. If he couldn't be there in person, hopefully these items help him to feel a little bit more connected. I just love these images!

I had such a blast with Jessica and cant wait to see this little lady when she arrives!

Seattle Shoot | Gasworks Park

2008-04-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

I know, your probably thinking, it's about time we get some images up from our Seattle shoot. :) John and I have just been swamped with work since returning from our latest trip to Las Vegas. We had been gone for most of the month of March on various trips and now that we are home, our work is not letting us forget just how much there is to do.

A few weeks ago John and I met up with some awesome Seattle photographers to spend the day taking pictures around Gasworks Park in Seattle. It was a beautiful day and we ended up with some just as beautiful models, men, women, children and one of my favorites a beautiful family of 4, my brother, sister in law and adorable niece and nephew.

Here are some of our favorite images from that day

My brother and his fabulous family.

My beautiful niece J'Kad

Nick and Jessica, you may remember as we did their wedding last October. Fabulous as usual!

Baby Tyler was so cute! She handled the camera like a pro. But even pros need a break! I just love the last one!

Shauna you were total rock star

Jeremy and Lisa. This fab couple is getting married this August! What a great way to search for your wedding photographer than to go to a shoot like this and personally get to work with (or interview... depending on how you look at it haha) your potential photographer. John and I were fortunate enough to get to spend some time with these guys at the shoot as well as dinner a few nights later. We are so excited that they have chosen us to shoot their wedding this Summer! Jeremy and Lisa you are both exceptional and we can't wait to be a part of your day!

Welcome Baby Colten Nathaniel Rowe!

2008-04-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Baby Colten joined his Mommy Tasha, Daddy Nate and Sisters Cameron and Hailey on Wednesday March 19th. He was a bit over due so his arrival was very much so appreciated! Finally Mommy Tasha could hold her first little boy and Hailey can now be the "big" sister to her new little brother. You might remember seeing Tasha's maternity portraits just a month ago. I was so excited for Baby Colten's arrival and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this adorable baby!

Just a week and a few day's old, Colten still fits into the outfit he wore home from the hospital.

Baby Colten is such a great baby! He put up with the camera quite well! In fact he slept a good portion of the time. :)

He did however, wake up to show us his set of lungs once or twice. I just love this picture!

Here is BIG sister Hailey posing for the camera while Baby Colten is resting with mommy.

This is one of my favorites...

I love baby feet!

Family Time | Downtown Renton

2008-03-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just love it in downtown Renton. There is just so much history here and the personality and character that these buildings have is just amazing. While walking around we came across some pictures dating back to the early 1920's and some of the buildings in the pictures were still present and occupied! To learn more about the history of Renton and to see some of the earliest pictures Renton has, click here.

What a treat it was to go and enjoy the sun (it stopped snowing yay!) with two of the most beautiful girls we know! Amy who is 16 and Mina just day's from her 11th birthday were kind enough to spend the afternoon with their dad and step-mommy (that's me lol). We parked near the old Spirit of Washington Dinner Train and began walking around finding new places every few seconds to snap some shots of the girls. We walked around for a few hours, stopping for a break at the Common Ground Cupcake and Coffee shop.

Here are some of our favorite shots of the day. Notice the old brick on some of these buildings... just awesome!

Viva Las Vegas

2008-03-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

I know... I know, It's been over a week since we returned home from WPPI in Las Vegas but John and I have been SO busy playing catch up not to mention coming home to a full schedule of portrait sessions, which you'll see on upcoming blogs. Here is some fun stuff from our most recent trip.

We spent 6 days in Las Vegas for the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers) convention held at the Paris and Bally's hotel. The trade show itself was awesome. We were introduced to so many new products and I found a new product that could possibly turn into my favorite piece of art! Stay tuned for samples! We didn’t come home with as much stuff as we thought we were going to (thank goodness because our bags were at capacity already with all of my shoes hehe) however we have tons of literature to still go through and may possibly be ordering more stuff in the months to come.

There were so many awesome things to see... hello, it's Las Vegas! My favorite part had to be meeting and hanging out with some awesome people! Being that this was our first time to attending WPPI, we had no idea what to expect. The convention and trade show part was kind of a no brainer. Who knew there would be so many parties? Oh My Gosh, do the vendors know how to throw a good party!!! We went to a handful of them, one of which was in the Celebrity Suite at the Palms Hotel and Casino.

The next night was a party at the Parisian Palace. It was amazing.

We weren't as good as we could have been toting along our camera everywhere we went, but here are a few shots that we did get while in Vegas. Okay so all of these were taken from the balcony of our hotel room (The Platinum).

The view from our room

Me, Steve and Larry

The 4 Musketeers!

Jenna Trashes her own Dress @ the Boneyard

2008-03-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

Our latest trip to Vegas was an amazing whirlwind of learning, activities and fun. I'm sure Jenna plans to post much more on the trip, but I wanted to tell this little story.

For the short version, watch the slideshow

We arrived in Vegas on the 15th and previous reserved time to shoot at the Boneyard (The Neon Museum), an amazing place filled with retired signs from the Vegas strip. Our friends Steve and Larry and several models made up our crew ;-)

We had been planning the trip for a while, finding models and working out details... some time during that process Jenna got the idea she'd like to put on her own dress and be one of the models. Honestly I didn't really didn't get it or share her excitement thinking what could I do with pictures of my wife in her dress! Still she was so excited about the idea, so much so that it was contagious and eventually she had me excited as well.

The day of we had some models cancel and I decided to shoot just Jenna. Heck she was my wife, in her wedding dress and she was beautiful... add the amazing signs and backdrops and WOW I was inspired. 2 1/2 hours and 1000 pictures later, I had taken some of my favorite pictures ever. See for yourself!!!

Jenna and I actually learned a ton from this shoot, she now has more of the experience from in-front of the camera... this just makes working with our couples better by understanding the experience. And just in case you're interested is a TTD (trash the dress session) Jenna can tell you all about it and how much fun it can be!

Oh yeah, I loved these photos so much... they are up on my wall in my studio!

Back from Las Vegas

2008-03-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

Yes, we are finally back and we are home to stay... for the time being anyways. :o) We had a fabulous time in Las Vegas and I have so many good times and adventures to share with you all! John and I are both working like hounds trying to play catch up on so much, but I promise that with in the next few days I will post all kinds of goodies for your reading pleasure! hehe :)

Check back in a few day's or better yet, subscribe to our blog and be notified when we post something new and exciting! Ciao for now.