Tamiko: baptism and 1st bday party

Ok, change of strategy...

I'm terribly behind in posting here because of the back-log I accumulated in December. So, instead of trying to finish posting all my December events, I will start posting my more recent events in parallel with the old ones until my posting catches up with my most recent events. I will start with my first event for the year, and let's just see if this works.

January 5, 2008
Christ the King
PSE Penthouse

As I said, this was my first event for the year. (I was supposed to do a wedding with Kix on January 2 but I was too sick I had to beg off.) When I was in Tacloban for the holidays, the lovely Jhoanne Alon of Polkadots Events called me up for this last minute booking. Jhoanne had contacted me a few times before for other events but I was always booked, so we were both glad to be finally working together.

The event was Tamiko's baptism and 1st birthday party. I learned from Jhoanne that Tamiko and her parents Jun and Tin are based in Australia and were just in town for a few weeks, so they made sure they had a very special party for little Tamiko. And it was special! Jhoanne did a great job with the details and the party decorations!

Check out the photos:

Tamiko's baptism at the Christ the King Church.


Lovely party decor!
Yes, that's an iPhone. Kids these days start early, don't they?

Great face painting! I heard the face painter Jhoanne hired for Tamiko's party does some work for GMA's Kamandag.;)

More photos HERE!

Patrick and Liway: Wedding

December 15, 2007
San Agustin Church
Casa Blanca

This was my first wedding for the hectic month of December and I was second-shooting for Kix. Patrick and Liway started working on their wedding more than a year and a half before the actual date. Even though they were not my direct clients, Liway introduced herself to me over Yahoo! Messenger, and lucky for me too because that was right around the time we were just starting on our own wedding preparations, and Liway was a great resource on some wedding suppliers and ideas.:)

Both Patrick and Liway were very emotional during the ceremony and even up to the reception program. They had waited for years (plus many many months of preparations) for this day to happen. And it was obvious in their faces how profoundly happy they were to finally be husband and wife.

Here are a few of my favorite shots.


One of my photography teachers once said that you could very rarely see a photo of a bride getting dressed up (which is a standard wedding photo in the US) here in the Philippines because male photographers are rarely allowed in the room. Being a lady, however, I am usually allowed to stay in the room during the actual dress-up (and oftentimes, I even end up assisting the bride into her gown), and I always ask permission if I could take some photos.

For me, several hands work together just to get the bride into her dress is always fascinating to watch, and makes for very interesting photos.

The lovely Liway before heading for the church.

The first dance. This one was my favorite shot for the day. I love it because it tells so much about how happy the couple was to be in each other's arms.

And now an inspiration board...

And more photos HERE!:)

Back!

I'm back from my short trip to Davao where I spent a few days following my little nephew around with my camera.

I will be posting more of the photos soon, but in the meantime, here's a little preview.;)

Vacation leave

In a few hours, I will be leaving for Davao for a 5-day vacation, and to take pictures of my little nephew.:D. It will be a working vacation, though. I don't know how often I will be able to access my email over there, but I will do my best to go online as often as possible. Those who have my number may still contact me through text.

Be back Friday. See you guys around!:)

Joaqi and Pia: kiddie portraits

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!:)

Let me share something fun and cheery to brighten up this beautiful day even more. I've been asked a lot of times if I do kiddie portraits in a studio. I always say I like to shoot on location, not only because I don't have a studio yet but because these are the kind of portraits that I like to do. Shooting on locations (especially outdoors) is a bit more challenging because unlike in the studio, the light isn't always perfect. But I love it when I get to capture a child's unique personality at a certain point in his or her life. Kids grow and change so fast, and sometimes you just wish you could freeze that mischievous smile or naughty laugh and put it in a box. Why not put it in a frame instead?;)

Here are photos of Joaqi (yes, they removed the U) and Pia, who are Pete's 3-year-old nephew and 10-year-old niece, respectively, that we took in December.

As expected, Joaqi was being makulit as always and would not stay still for a second. The closest shot I got was when he was busy munching on his Krispy Kreme donut that Pete and I brought.
I love the messy hair. :)

I love these two shots because they are very very Joaqi!
Of course, Ate Pia was much easier to work with. Here she is with her purple Havaianas. This girl has more Havaianas than I have shoes! Ok, maybe not but you get the picture.:D
Photographing "against the light" isn't always bad.;)
And now a shot of the two cuties. This will probably be hanging on our wall very soon.

Bryan and Eizelle: Wedding

December 20, 2007
National Shrine of St. Anne
Jade Farm Pavillion

A few days before Christmas, I found myself at the wedding of my college friends Bryan and Ice in Bulacan. It was nice to see some familiar faces from school among their guests.

The wedding had the theme "Modern Filipiniana", so they had Filipiniana-inspired gowns, invitations...everything! AND they worked out three colors into the details! Yummy! Ice was especially beautiful in her gown by Abeth Mendoza, her cousin who also did my own wedding dress.;)

It was a weekday a few days before the holiday season officially started, the wedding was held a couple of hours away from the metro, and yet, most of Bryan and Ice's families, friends and relatives took the time to share this special day with them. I think that says a lot about how well-loved these two are.

Here are a few of the photos from the wedding.



This might well be my favorite shot of Ice.


The kiss.

Another kiss.

Finally, here's an inspiration board from this colorful Filipiniana-themed wedding.



Congratulations, Bryan and Ice! And more congrats on the coming of the little one in a few months!:)

More photos HERE!

This made me laugh...

I spent the day at the Photoworld Asia 2008 with my sister Pie. The speaker for today was celebrity photographer Amy Cantrell. She started the talk by introducing the great photographer who served as her inspiration throughout her career: Phillipe Halsman. Just google him if you want to know more.:)

Amy ended her seminar with one of Mr. Halsman's famous quotes: "I drifted into photography like one drifts into prostitution. First I did it to please myself, then I did it to please my friends, and eventually I did it for the money."

Hehehe.

Marty and Milo: baptism

December 16, 2007
Christ the King Church
Christ the King Parish Center

My very first twins! I was so excited when Marose told me she wanted me to photograph her twin boys' baptism. I knew there were going to be a lot of interesting pictures to take. When I met up with Marose, however, I realized that, more than the fancy details, this occasion was extra special because of everything that these little boys and their parents had to go through just to get to this special event. I don't have kids yet, so I won't pretend to know exactly what a mother goes through to bring a child into this world, but I do know it takes strength, faith, courage and loads of love. In Marose's case, it took twice all of these and more when she delivered Marty and Milo earlier than their due date and spent every day for two months nursing them to health in the hospital. No wonder she and her husband Marion made sure they had a very special baptismal celebration for the two. And I am so honored to have been a part of it.

On a lighter note, back to the lovely details.:) Marty and Milo are fraternal twins, although I have to admit I could never really tell them apart. In fact, only Marose could actually tell which twin is which every time. When the yayas were asked how they could tell the boys apart, they said that the easiest way was through the clothes. You see, the twins have almost identical clothes except one is always in blue, and the other in green. (Sorry, I forgot which one wore which color. Hehehe.) And so, most of the baptismal paraphernalia followed the same rule.




I love their Maclaren stroller.:)
The proud parents Marose and Marion.
And now a few shots of the boys.
This one was my favorite.;)
By the way, I will also be at the boys' 1st birthday party in June. I can't wait to see the little guys again.:)

Please click HERE for more photos!