Sofia: 1st birthday party

January 29, 2011
The Blue Leaf
Party theme: "It's a Small World!"

Mommy Sheryl first contacted me when she was still pregnant with Sofia back in 2009.  She wanted to have a maternity photo session.  Unfortunately, we were never able to do the session because we had a hard time finding a schedule (the whole family is based abroad, so their schedule was always too tight whenever they were in the country for a visit).  In fact, we set a schedule for it a couple of times but had to cancel the last minute!

A few months after giving birth, Sheryl emailed me again, this time to book me for Sofia's 1st birthday party!  The day of the party was the first time we met (finally!) in person, and looking back, I am so grateful that I was given the chance to work with this family. Mommy Sheryl and Daddy Arman are just soooo nice! When I first met Arman, he called me by my first name, even when we had never "met" (not even through email) before that day.  And I'm pretty sure he pronounced it correctly, too!:D  (My name get mispronounced maybe 80% of the time, so it's a big deal for me when people say it correctly the first time. Hehehe.)  And Sheryl has been such a darling, even after the party.  Seriously, it's clients like her who remind me why I love doing what I do.

Oh, and there's Sofia, of course!  She was a bit shy at first but she's such a pretty little girl that I really enjoyed photographing her. I've been seeing more recent photos of her on Facebook, and she's growing up to be really beautiful. I actually told Sheryl I really wish I could photograph Sofia again.;)

Here are some of my favorites from the day...

We started the day at the Hotel Celeste.

This beautiful pink dress is by Cecilio Abad!


As I said, Sofia was at bit shy at first.  We had to bribe her with some gadgets just to get her to stay on the bed for some shots.:)

We also had to give her some snacks.


All dressed up! By the way, I always love taking photos at Hotel Celeste.  Every one of their rooms have unique furniture and decor which are perfect for photos!


Isn't she lovely?


I love this photo of the beautiful birthday family.

A couple more shots...





...then we were off to the party venue.

This is one of those beautiful huge cakes that move!

Gorgeous party decor by Hi-5 Parties (Kathleen dela Merced)!

Before the program started, we went outside to take some more family photos.  There's just something I love about this photo.


Yey! A smile from Sofia at last!:)





One of my favorites, Alex Lagula was the host/magician.


As always, he was a hit!








Candle-blowing!





Hotel preps: Hotel Celeste
Venue: Silk Pavillion, The Blue Leaf
Caterer: Bizu
Sofia Jae's Outfit: Cecilio Abad
Videographer: ThorProd
Party Planner: Kelly Dela Merced (Hi-5 Parties)
Themed Dessert Buffet: Sugar n Spice Dessert Buffet
Cake: Les Sucreries
Magician and Host: Alex Lagula

Ethan: Mini portrait session

I photographed Ethan's birthday party last December.  But a few weeks prior to that, we did his mini portrait session at the UP Campus.  We originally scheduled this session a week before we were actually able to do it. However, during the days leading up to the weekend, it was always raining.  I texted Mommy Aira to ask whether she would like to postpone the session or find an indoor venue to do it instead.  Now, it's no secret that I prefer doing portrait sessions outdoors so I was crossing my fingers that Aira would choose to wait for better weather to do the shoot. I was so relieved when she texted back and told me that they prefer an outdoor shoot at well.  I knew she was going to be a breeze to work with (and she was!) because we were on the same page about how we wanted the session to go.

Below are just some of my favorites from the shoot:

Ethan wasn't so used to being outdoors but we managed to get some great shots of him looking comfortable in front of the camera.

We were able to make him wear this hat for about...umm...2 seconds.:D

One of my favorites. :)


Next outfit.

The next few photos are my favorites!  I love family photos that show real laughter and happiness.

By the way, did you notice how good looking Mommy Aira and Daddy Ernie are? ;) No wonder Ethan is that cute.





Last outfit change.  This was just Mommy Aira's "pahabol".  She wanted some shots of this outfit that they bought in Hong Kong. Ethan was already a bit sweaty but he was still in the mood for a few more shots.:)

Adam: 1st birthday party

January 23, 2011
Conchita Garden Resort

Party theme: Safari

I always say this, and I will say it again: I really love it when I get hired to shoot events outside Metro Manila. It's always a great honor to be chosen by the client even though I'm sure there are other good photographers that they can hire locally.  Besides, I actually like the long drive (without the traffic, that is).  That's why I was excited to be shooting Adam's party in San Fernando, Pampanga, even though I was already around 3 months pregnant by then.

After the party, I got to chat with Mommy Arvee for a bit and I found out she has a full-time job and owns an event management company that caters to corporate events at the same time. Between those and being a mom to an active baby, it's amazing how she was able to plan a grand party with awesome details for little Adam!

Below are some of my favorites from the day:

We started shooting some of the details at Arvee's parents' house.  One of the things I love about shooting in clients' homes is being able to incorporate some pieces around the house into the photos. It just makes the pictures a bit more unique and personal.


Adam had two cute costumes for the party.


Love the shoes!


Adam looks so much like his mom!  There was a photo of a very young Arvee hanging on the wall in the living room, and she looked like Adam in a girlie outfit!:D


A couple more shots before leaving for the venue.


It was my first time to work with Party Studio.  I think they did a great job with the party decor!




Some more cute details.


Just as the guests were arriving, we went outside for a few minutes to take some shots of the birthday boy and  the birthday mom. (Adam's dad works abroad and unfortunately wasn't able to come home to join in the celebration.)





Adam and mom.


How cute are these two?


This was one of my favorites.:)

Seriously, I always get starstruck whenever Jollibee makes an appearance at a party! Hehehe.


Adam loves Jollibee.;)


The kids enjoyed the show!


The adults also enjoyed the show!


Finally, the candle-blowing.





Decor and balloons: Party Studio
Photobooth: Photostrip
Cake and cupcakes: Lailen's Pastries
Catering: 17-74 catering
Invitations/thank u tags/guestbook/nametags: Print Avenue
Magician and ventriloquist: David (via Razzle Dazzle)
Kids' meals: Jollibee
Face painting: Party Studio
Lootbags: www.orientaltrading.com

Special thanks to my good friend Ces Kasilag who was my second shooter that day and my sister Pie who was my assistant. I don't know what I would do without those two.;)