The heat is on...

...in Saigon!;)

When my good friend Lyra learned that she was pregnant, she asked me if I could take her maternity portraits again like I did when she was pregnant with her eldest. Of course I said I'd be honored to do it! But the thing is Lyra lives in Vietnam now, so it took a bit more planning to get the shoot together. So yes, Lyra will be flying me (together with Pete and Paco, of course) out to Saigon next week to do her preggy portraits--and to do the tourist bit as well!:)

When we were chatting about what we could do the rest of the time that we're there, Lyra and I got this idea to offer a few more portrait sessions to some of her Filipino friends there. She mentioned there may be a couple who will be interested. And then we decided we should just make it official and announce the portrait sessions to the public as well. Ok, just to be clear, I'm only going to shoot the portraits for 1 day. That means there are very very few number of slots--like a maximum of 4! (Hey, I'm going to Vietnam for a vacation so I want to take things easy.) Anyway, here are the basic info. If you're in the area and are interested, please email me for the rest of the details. Hope to see you there!:)

Paco is 8 months old today!

Our little baby is growing up so fast! He started crawling just a few weeks ago, and now he's learned to  stand up and even likes to show off by supporting himself with just one hand. If it was exhausting taking care of him before, I can't even begin to describe the torture my muscles go through daily these days. I don't regret the decision Pete and I made to take care of him ourselves though (That's right, no yayas, no other caregivers). Even if it means I need to limit my bookings. Even if it means I can only work around 2 hours during the day and have to work late at night to make up for it (just like tonight). Even if it means I get a backache every single day. It's all worth it. Yep, I wouldn't want it any other way. :)

I try to take photos of him as often as I can. Here are just a few from this month.

Zoie: Mini portrait session

I photographed Zoie's awesome party a couple of weeks ago. But in late November, I first met this little cutie for her portrait session. To say that Mommy Erica came prepared for this pictorial is an understatement. They arrived at our meeting place in UP with a couple of outfits for Zoie, a ton of accessories (I wish we had the whole day to shoot. I would have wanted to use all of them!), some props, and a crew of "PA's"! Hehehe. Needless to say, I had a blast!

After the photoshoot, I got an email from Erica saying that Zoie wasn't really in the mood during the shoot and that she was hoping we still got good shots. I assured her that Zoie did a wonderful job and that we had a lot of great shots. Here are just some of my favorites.

First one of the cute outfits Zoie wore that day.


Love her eyes!


I actually love capturing photos of kids or babies doing things that, well, kids or babies do.


Zoie looking beautiful in her gorgeous red dress! Mommy and Daddy aren't looking so bad either.;)

It was a bit cloudy when we started, but in the middle of the session, the sun peeked out and we took advantage of it by taking some nice sunny photos.


One of my favorites.


I love getting sun flare every now and then. :)


With Mommy Erica and Daddy JM.

Cute smile from Zoie.

Balloons! I have always wanted to use balloons in one of my portrait sessions. Erica just made my dream come true.;) Here's another one of my favorite shots from that day.

I love these next few shots!





Last outfit change.


Another pretty smile from the superstar of the day.

Of course, I had to take a photo of the whole entourage.;)

Sophia Beatrice: Baptism

February 5, 2011
Santuario de San Antonio
Makati Sports Club

I photographed Sobie's grand 1st birthday party a few months ago, but before I could post that, I have to write this entry about her baptism first.;)

Mommy Jeng first contacted me a few months before Sophia Beatrice (or Sobie, as she is lovingly called) was born. Yes, Jeng is one of those ladies who are very particular about details and like to plan ahead. Don't get me wrong though--she's not a control freak! Ok maybe she is when it comes to planning her parties, but she is probably the nicest one I have ever met! Sobie's baptism was an intimate and simple affair, but you could tell every detail was well thought out--from Sobie's Randy Ortiz baptismal gown down to the DIY baptismal candles. And I couldn't be certain if it was part of Jeng's plan, but even the hotel room that they chose was great for photos! Needless to say, my camera was in heaven!

Below are some of my favorite shots from the day...

We started shooting at the Picasso Boutique Hotel where we took photos of the details and did some family photos before heading for the church.  

Pretty pretty candles!


Yep, this is how a Randy Ortiz baptismal gown looks like (left photo).;)





Little Sobie...(notice how even her bib was also color-coordinated with her party theme?)

What gorgeous eyes she has! Just like Mommy!:)


The beautiful mom and her little angel.

Not all window light are created equal--but this one gave me stunning family portraits!

Love love love!


L-O-V-E!


A few shots of the baptismal ceremony...





I always tell my clients to relax and make sure they are always smiling no matter what they are doing. I didn't have to remind Jeng, she seemed so happy that day.;)


...And then we were off to the reception venue...

Pretty decor by the Party Boosters team led by my good friend Jacque Tan.


Elegant pink-and-brown themed details.





Daddy Boyito thanking his guests with Mommy Jeng standing behind him.





Baby Sobie looking a bit tired but still pretty in her cute outfit.;)

Décor - Party Boosters (c/o Jacqueline Tan)
Baptismal Gown - Randy Ortiz
Cakes/Cupcakes - Sweets Couture
Give-aways - Favors N Flavors (Chocolate Pram)
Candles- DIY

Special thanks to Ces Kasilag for second-shooting with me during this event.:D

Sofia: portrait session

This was supposed to be a "pre-event" portrait session. But Mommy Sheryl texted me a few days before our original schedule to ask if we could postpone the session until after the party. The family had just arrived from abroad and Sofia was still a bit out of her element and was having the case of  "pangingilala".  I know how important it is that a child/baby be comfortable during a portrait session, so I agreed.  We did the mini portrait session a few days after Sofia's 1st birthday party at one of my favorite places to do portraits these days--the Evozone at Nuvali.  I met up with Sofia, Mommy Sheryl, Daddy Arman, and Sofia's Lola (Daddy Arman's mom) for the afternoon pictorial. Sure enough, Sofia seemed so much more comfortable with me (and with her surroundings) than the first time I met her. Getting smiles out of her wasn't difficult at all.

Below are just some of my favorites shots from the session...

This beautiful purple dress from Rajito by Rajo Laurel was one of Sofia's birthday party dresses. Since we weren't able to take portraits of Sofia wearing it during the party, Sheryl decided to make it Sofia's first outfit for the pictorial.


Sofia with her favorite toys.


I love these next family shots!

Sofia has the prettiest outfits!


We let her sit down in the middle of the bridge. At first, she looked confused...


...but she warmed up to the idea quickly.:) This was one of my favorite shots of Sofia.:)





Last outfit change.


Lovely family!


Such a pretty little girl, isn't she?

There's just something that I love about this photo.





Such a cutie!:)

One of the last shots we took that afternoon. Sofia was already a bit tired here.