Still here... (PLUS Damian and Anna's engagement session!)

I'm sorry I've been neglecting this blog again. This was probably the longest that I have not been on here this year. I have just been too busy the past few weeks. I went through my records and, as of now, I am 24 blog entries behind! I still have about a dozen or so kiddie parties and baptisms to post, plus I have a couple of really lovely family portrait sessions to share with you, a few engagement sessions, and of course, some weddings. Don't worry though, I promise to post everything.

I am now down to my last two weddings of the year and a couple of portrait sessions. (Wohoo!) I am really looking forward to taking a short break from shooting events so I can catch up on my other activities like blogging (I probably have to post multiple times per day between now until the end of the month), editing, etc. And, of course, I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family this holiday season.

And for those who come to my blog just for the photos, here is an engagement session that I took about a week ago. I am posting this ahead of the other sessions that I have done because Damian and Anna just got married yesterday at the beautiful Caleruega church, and I had the honor to be there to photograph their special day for them. They are both based in Chicago and just flew in early last week for their church wedding (They were already married through civil rites in the States). Although I knew Anna from college, it was my first time to meet Damian during our pictorial. He's a bit shy and isn't too comfortable in front of the camera. Anna is a natural though, so the session was fairly smooth.

I woke up the day of the pictorial to a very heavy rainshower (I've been so unlucky with the weather these past couple of months. I always get rain on days when I'm scheduled to do a photoshoot.:P). I texted Anna to ask if we were still going to push through with the pictorial even with the rains. She said yes, and I prayed really hard that the skies would be kinder in the afternoon. Fortunately, the rain stopped and although we still didn't get the sunny skies that we were hoping for, it was good enough for me.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the Damian and Anna's engagement pictorial.

One of the first few shots. These guys really look so happy together.




Not exactly the bright sunshine that I love, but the diffused sunlight through the trees was really nice, too.

I love my lens.:D


We didn't want to pay the PhP200 fee.:D


Anna's dad drove them around for the pictorial, and at the hotel yesterday, he told me he was wondering what the hell we were doing taking pictures in front of a rusty old door. He told me he was surprised how great it turned out in the photos.:)

Love the light. Love the expressions even more.:)

Damian told me these next two were his favorites. They actually are mine, too.




But I do love these next two as well.:)

Damian and Anna, it was really great working with you guys! I hope you enjoy your honeymoon in Bohol!:)

Alexa Stephanie: Baptism

October 5, 2008
Christ the King Parish
Outback Steakhouse

When Alpha first emailed me about photographing her baby daughter's baptism, I thought her name sounded so familiar that I had to ask if she ever lived in Tacloban many years ago. It turned out I was right! I first met Alpha over twenty years ago, when she was one of my older sister's grade school classmates. She, along with some of their other friends, used to spend a lot of time at our house back then. I was in 2nd grade and they were in 6th grade, and I remember wishing I could be as cool as they were when I got older. Hehehe. Alpha was thrilled when I told her I knew her because she said she had actually been trying to locate my sister for a long time. Small world, right?:)

Even though we didn't get to meet up before the event, I already felt comfortable working for Alpha and her family. She still has that same warm smile that I remember from way back in the 80's.:D

Here are some of my favorites from the event.

The baptismal attire. The photo of the pink dress was taken at the chapel before the ceremony, and while I also took shots of the baptismal gown at the chapel, I liked the ones I took at the reception venue more.




Alexa talking to Daddy before the ceremony.


One of my all-time favorite baptismal shots so far. This part of the ceremony takes about 3 seconds in total, so while I have taken many many versions of this shot, some are just better than the others.

They weren't able to get the private baptistry but luckily, there was only one other baby to be baptized together with Alexa, so I was able to get great angles.

The pretty cupcakes.:)

Alexa holding on to her presents.:)

The lighting and colors outside the restaurant were perfect for the short pictorial. This next one was one of my favorite shots from the day.

A couple more of Alexa during the reception.

Please click HERE for more photos!

Luis Antonio: 2nd birthday party

September 21, 2008
Jollibee Libis

It's always a great honor for me when clients come back to hire me for other family events. It's nice to see familiar faces, and I almost feel like I'm already part of their family. This was my third time to photograph a party for Luis. I covered his dedication and 1st birthday party last year, and it was a delight to see him again, this time for his 2nd birthday party.

It was a simple Jollibee party, but Mommy Nalyn brought in some personal touches. And unlike the first two times when Luis was still too young to really understand what was going on, this time it looked like he really enjoyed his party.

Here are a few shots from the day.

The cake and the cute cupcakes.


It was great seeing how much Luis has grown.:)


His signature smile.;)


Some photos with Mommy and Daddy.




For Luis, eating his Chicken Joy is serious business.:D


Like most Pinoy kids, Luis LOVES Jollibee. He was so happy to see the mascot and they even had a mini dance-off. Hehehe.


Awww. Luis was so sad when Jollibee had to go.

Please click HERE for more photos from Luis' party!