Appearances matter, particularly in our visual, media-saturated world. Whether you’re a single person looking for love, an entrepreneur making your first pitch, or an artist connecting with fans, your image is a big part of your personal and professional brand. It’s a virtual handshake, the first indicator of who you are and what you represent. Sasha and Yaneck Wasiek, the brains behind Southern California-based WASIO Faces, has been making people photogenic and helping them create strong first impressions for 7 years.

As professional headshot and portrait photographers and facial expression coaches, the Wasieks have turned thousands of everyday individuals into captivating photographic subjects. Forget the stiff, point-and-click photos at the company’s Christmas party. WASIO Faces has created some of the best headshots in the US for brands and individuals. Their work graced the advertising campaigns of corporate giants such as Walmart, Accenture, Oracle, Microsoft, and many others. More recently, their work adorned billboards featuring “Sweet James” on the highways of California, Nevada, and Arizona.

“There is no such thing as not-being-photogenic,” Yaneck Wasiek maintains. “Every person has awesome expressions and angles; it’s just a matter of exploring them and combining them with our signature lighting and hand retouching.” As seasoned experts in the art of photography, the WASIO Faces team believes a photo session doesn’t have to be stressful. The team’s primary goal is ensuring the client is having fun, which makes the process smoother and results in fantastic takes.

“For some people, it takes little time to relax in front of the camera, and for others, it may take a bit longer,” they explain. “Our job is to make it happen so that each person we photograph looks natural, believable, and simply the best version of themselves.”

Team lead, Yaneck Wasiek, is a multi-talented photographer specializing in portrait and wedding photography with WASIO Photography and portrait/headshot photography with WASIO Faces. Over the years, Yaneck has built a strong reputation in the photography industry and won numerous awards at WPPI and PPA competitions. His achievements include Best Portrait Photographer of the Year, Best Wedding Photographer of the Year, and Best Photo of the Year from San Diego Professional Photographers (PPSDC). He’s also collaborated with industry leaders such as Westcott Top Pro, Tether Tools Pro Team, Tenba Ambassadors, and Savage Universal Ambassadors.

As an industry veteran, Yaneck Wasiek enjoys sharing his knowledge and inspiring a new generation of photographers through workshops, classes at WPPI, PPA, Canon Learning Center, and his YouTube channel. In addition to photography, he is passionate about printmaking. His creative edits under WASIO Master Print won international acclaim, earning numerous accolades at the WPPI Annual Print Competition.

Despite achieving so much success in their niche, Sasha and Yaneck remain focused on their core mission to deliver top-quality results to every client. As their studio grows, they plan to expand their team of expression coach photographers and onboard a full-time studio manager. Ultimately, they hope to build a safe space where everyone can embrace their uniqueness, whether they’re professionals looking for headshots, companies aiming for a consistent team look, or individuals requiring high-quality marketing content. With WASIO Faces, the lens is just the beginning.

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