Gabriel Van Wyhe Photo Blog

Nathan & Haley’s Wedding

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:04:10 +0000

Nathan and Haley smile like crazy, and share a passion for artistic expression – how could they not be a fun and fantastic couple to be around!? Their wedding day was full of sun, very powerful moments and laughter. However, one moment stands out for me. The two of them climbed into a small boat and pushed away from the dock for a couple special moments together and some fun pictures. As the boat moved out, Nathans face expressed the intense realization that he had his bride out onto a lake, in this wobbly little boat, in her beautiful wedding dress. It takes courage to pull that off – and he was determined to keep that boat steady and keep his bride safe and dry. And in the midst of all this pressure – he still looked at her with joy and love all over his face. Haley just simply smiled and enjoyed the ride – as though she knew Nathan wouldn’t let anything bad happen. That moment kind of sums up the day and these two for me – a perfect fit with lots of adventures ahead.

Taking a few days off

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:12:24 +0000

There is nothing I love more than to spend time with my amazing wife and our three beautiful kids! That, however, doesn’t happen much during the months of July, Aug and Sept. So, Jaci and I have carved out a few days and we are dropping off the grid for the rest of this week! We’ll shoot a wedding Sunday and then be back life on Monday. I am so excited to take my kids to the aquarium and play around at the park and actually get some time to talk with my wife about…. nothing “important” – and it’s going to be great (oh yeah, I’m smiling as I type this!) I’ll pick up on the blog posts again next week. Until then, here are a couple shots of Jaci and I having a little too much fun in one of our photobooths!

Ozan & Lauren’s Engagement

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:23:34 +0000

Wow do we love this couple! Jaci and I walked away from this shoot feeling like we had just met a couple with such like hearts to our own. Ozan is a graduate of UW and so we decided to do the engagement shoot there and we had so much fun shooting and getting to know one another. Their wedding isn’t until December and we are so excited for it we kinda wish it was already here!

Olianna & Ailen’s Wedding

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:06:08 +0000

Olianna contacted me with only weeks till the wedding day – as it was on a Monday, I had it available for a last minute booking and I am so glad I did! Beautiful location- sunny day – wonderful couple – a combination for a great wedding! The shock of the day came when Olianna and Ailen wanted to feed the fish in the lake from the dock – they gently leaned forward with fish food in hand and dropped a few bits into the water and SPLASH!!! These ravenous crazed fish started flinging themselves all over the place and out of the water to get at the food. We all literally jumped back and made a dash for it as water was being flung all over the dock and onto the brides dress and my camera gear. Almost too crazy to believe but it happened. We all laughed after and went on to get some great pictures.

Rachel & Matt’s Engagement

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:12:28 +0000

I love how quirky and original these two were!!! From the way they interacted with one another to the amazing shoes Rachel was wearing to Matt’s willingness to let Rachel climb onto his shoulders to reach a fire escape platform to the constant joy they had in front of the camera – these two were just so much fun to be around and we had such a great time doing the photos for their engagement shoot. Looking forward to an amazing wedding!!

Kelsey and Justin’s Wedding

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:32:30 +0000

Last year I had the privilege of getting to be one of the back stage photographers for the Repossess youth movement in Olympia WA – Kelsey learned of me through the event and contacted me about her wedding – and am I thrilled that she did!! It is always a special treat to see the parents of a bride and groom go out of their way to speak deeply about and to their kids, shower them with blessings and drench them in support and love without wavering on the wedding day – this is the type of family and environment that marked Kelsey and Justin’s wedding day! And seeing Kelsey and Justin love each other so completely made the day simply fantastic! I’m so glad that I got to photograph this amazing day.

Julie and Troy’s Engagement

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:25:52 +0000

You have to respect any couple who brings their fishing poles to their engagement shoot for props! Julie and Troy are a perfect mix of artistic, fun and down to earth – it was great to get to know these two and their friends during the engagement shoot. I am looking forward to seeing how they bring their wonderful personalities into putting together their wedding! Congratulations Julie and Troy!

Jake and Jordan’s Engagement

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:03:42 +0000

It was a perfect evening on Brown’s Point when I met up with Jake and Jordan for their engagement photos – the sun was turning golden and these two were game for all the crazy shots we tried! I love it when a couple is so crazy about each other, its almost as though they forget that I am there taking pictures as they flirt, laugh and simply enjoy every minute of being together. What a great evening and what a great couple!

Tiffany and Tinh’s Wedding

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:06:04 +0000

I loved shooting Tiffany and Tinh’s engagement photos and was really looking forward to their wedding – I was not disappointed! It was so great to see two families that loved each other so much!! Two very different cultures came together with these two and the combination, the traditions and the way the two sides of the family embraced one another was so much fun. And Tiffany and Tinh’s amazing passion for loving and serving everyone around them made the day an absolute joy to be a part of. So many congratulations to these two – it was a great day!

The Griffith Family

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:42:05 +0000

I don’t post many of my family portrait sessions. However, I really wanted to do a post on some of the vintage style images that came out of the Griffith’s family shoot. This was also a special shoot in that it was a gift to this family as a thank you for them saving our dog! Our dog, a pug named Samson, got out of the yard for the first time ever – he got out with no tags or collar and this area is very traffic heavy — not good odds for him coming back alive. Joey was driving by and saw Samson about a block away, grabbed him before he could get hit by a car and was planning on putting up “lost dog” signs to help find his owners (us). As we were frantically driving around looking for Samson, we met Joey who delivered Samson safe and sound. A good day and we are so grateful and were thrilled to be able to do a family shoot for them!!