Club Balai Isabel Engagement Session: Jay + Far

I realize a lot of people still don't know that I actually do weddings as well.  As a matter of fact, when I first went into photography full-time, I started by shooting weddings with other photographers and for some studios.  And then I started getting my own clients a couple of years ago.  When I shot my first kiddie event a few years ago, I really didn't know how to do it because all I knew about shooting events was what I knew from shooting weddings. So, I treated every kiddie event like it was a wedding. And I guess that's why became a good kiddie event photographer. But you know what, I believe I became a much better wedding photographer precisely because I started shooting a lot of kiddie events.  I know a lot of photographers don't like shooting kiddie events because there's no "magic".  But I say there is magic and beauty every where, you just have to look for it.  So, every time I go to shoot an event, I always try to see the beauty and capture it. And that's not really difficult to do on weddings where everything is just beautiful, right?  Oh, and compared to running after kids and patiently waiting for them to smile or pose for you, shooting subjects who actually listen and who actually like to be photographed is a walk in the park ;)

Jay and Far found me online.  I don't really advertise and I don't shoot a hundred weddings a year like other wedding photographers, so it was nice to know that they chose me based on my style and trusted me to photograph their big day. They're both based abroad but they booked me only after a couple of phone calls and a few emails.:) When we finally met up just after New Year's, I was glad to know how nice they both are in person.  And they are so much fun too! I also found out Jay is also actually into photography, and I always like working with a fellow photographer.

We had Jay and Far's engagement session at Club Balai Isabel in Talisay Batangas. It was the first time for me to actually see the Taal crater that close.  The place is peaceful and there are a lot of really interesting spots to shoot. It was raining that morning, and we got a bit of a drizzle when we started shooting. But the rain stopped after a few minutes, and we got awesome weather for the rest of the afternoon!

Below are some of the photos from Jay and Far's engagement pictorial.

The theme of their wedding (which I photographed a couple of weeks ago) was "Travel and Leisure", so they wanted to start the session with their "tourist" look.;)


I love how these two can make each other laugh. Or maybe they were laughing at me?:P


They were married in Cavite, by the way.

Jay with his camera.


Bubbles! And the light was magnificent in Balai Isabel!

We planned on taking some sunset shots, but it turned out they don't get sunsets down there. Instead we got this nice diffused afternoon light.

The movement and colors on Far's dress were just lovely.


One of my favorites.


Another one of my favorites.


And still another one.

One more.


Some nice close-ups of our lovely couple.





Isn't Far just beautiful? Wait til you see her wedding photos!

I'm a big fan of natural light, but sometimes, I just have to bust out my off-cam flash.

We shot these last shots just before we totally lost the light and had to shoot with off-cam flash exclusively.  But I am so happy with how these turned out. Jay and Far are so wonderful to work with and so easy to photograph.

I will be posting Jay and Far's wedding photos really soon, so watch out for that!:)

Hamilo Coast Engagement Session: Benedict + Karen

Little girls don't dream of meeting their soulmates on the playground. They definitely don't see any of those annoying little boys as potential life partners. Little girls dream of Prince Charming sweeping them off their feet and riding with them into the sunset. And yet, there was Karen. And there was Benedict.

These two have known each other since they were about six or seven. They saw each other regularly in church and in Sunday School. They were constantly being paired together. However, it took them over a decade to realize that they actually wanted to be more than just childhood sweethearts. Benedict (or Budik as his family and friends call him) had cleaned up pretty well and became Karen's Prince Charming. And this July, about eight years since they officially became a couple, they will stand before their families and friends, and will be united in marriage in front of God. And yeah, perhaps we'll even see them riding into the sunset.

Last January, I had the pleasure of doing Benedict and Karen's engagement session.  I always like to meet up with wedding clients before they even book me to make sure that they know and like my style. Karen is actually my best friend Chen's younger sister, so I kinda felt suspicious that Chen probably just twisted her arm and used some "ate power" so Karen would book me for their wedding. But when I first met up with Karen and Budik, they told me they love my "happy sunny" photos and I immediately became excited about working with them because I knew we were on the same page.

We did the shoot in Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu, Batangas. It was a LONG and sometimes rough ride going there. But it was all worth it!

The first few shots are usually warm-up shots just to get the models comfortable in front of the camera. But these guys were pros from the beginning! This was one of the first frames that we shot.

I love this shot because Karen looks soooo beautiful here! Ok, Budik doesn't look so bad either.:D

One of Karen's requests was to have photos that show how "in love na in love" they are with each other.  This was one of my favorites.

Karen looking fierce without even trying. 

I love this one!

These two shots are my absolute favorites from the session!

Next outfit.

Great-looking couple. It wasn't difficult taking great shots, really.

Last few shots before heading home.