I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow
--The Dixie Chicks
Taking the Long Way Around
Short post! I've been missing all the traveling done when the hubby was here so I looked through some photos taken during our trip to Vigan and the stopovers in between.
Before taking the plane to Vigan, we had to stay overnight in Manila. It was a good thing that my sister was already there for her one year internship so we saved on hotel expenses by crashing there for one night and catching the midday flight to Laoag the next day. One Wilson's Place is this tall condo building that was easy to spot but we got lost arriving from the airport and had to walk back from where the taxi dropped us off before we spotted the LBC sign that marked where the building was across the street. The familiar faces (Manilyn, my sister!) were a welcome sight, especially since they both had a lot of stories to tell and I had a lot to catch up on.
Greenhills was just a short walk away and Manilyn showed off her skills in directions by telling us stories of how she navigated the streets when going for groceries and going off to church on her own. We walked all the way to Greenhills, savoring being in a quiet (-er) part of Manila, passing by the hospital where my sister was spending her internship, and did a little exploring of the shops before getting a bite to eat. Afterwards, it was another trip on foot back to the condo, where we got some much needed shut-eye for the next day's trip.
The following shots are of the city from the balcony.
Well, it's not really, but I enjoy making the packaging for photos as much as I enjoy taking them. This is the first box created in my new apartment (WOOT!) since I transferred my crafting supplies there. Planning on making more memories in that apartment and taking more pictures there, too! For now, proof box photos :)
“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw
This is from a personal shoot I did with a friend last Saturday, an hour of scampering over rocks and staring at the old, gnarled branches of huge acacia trees while feeling the soft texture of sand inside my shoes (yes, methinks I need to get my shoes fixed or buy a new pair). Anyway, I was in heaven. It feels soooooo good, going back to nature, even for just a few hours and just immersing yourself as you stand surrounded by trees and plants and smelling the faint scent of wild flowers as you walk past them. There are pockets of them around the city, and wide swaths as you go towards the mountains. Its realizations like these, that I can go to these places when I want to because they are just minutes away from where I live, that make me appreciate Dumaguete even more.
I love shooting Rena since I've shot her once before so I think I have a pretty good idea about how she poses and what angles look good on her. She's also very laid back so shooting her never feels awkward.
We were also schoolmates in law school so a few hours with her is spent talking about law school stuff, reminiscing about professors and talking about Bar exam preparations in between shots. I was eager to shoot in this spot since I've been going to this area A LOT lately and I saw how gorgeous this dried-up riverbed is. Everything is pretty here especially the large acacia trees. Their trunks were a soft, light brown and the leaves are the just the right shade of hunter green. Plus, there was a field of dried up acacia leaves in fierce orange and brown, which made for a really dramatic (and free!) backdrop! More on that later. Still processing Rena's photos but I'm just too excited to post a few, so I'm posting four frames :)
Birthday parties, especially kiddie parties, have gone up in style. No longer are we treated to the usual spaghetti and cake affairs with the customary clowns and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey games. Now, birthdays are done all out, from whole sets showcasing candy jars, gorgeous backdrops done in pastels and pinks (if you have a girl celebrant) and colorful balloons, lanterns and everything else a girl needs to have a memorable birthday. And who am I to complain? I swim in pretty when I'm surrounded by awesomely-styled birthday parties and sometimes it's hard not to put the camera down and just keep on taking pictures. Sharmil's first was styled by Engrande Events, so you got pretty pink balloons, a colorful pink and blue cupcake pinata, a lace backdrop for the candy shoppe where you can find chocolates and candies galore, and SHARMIL in lifesized, pastel letters. That's just for starters! Mind you, it takes about half a day to get everything ready for a small party so I was really impressed with how the team managed to transform the family's front yard into a wonderland fit for a little princess. Here are the highlights: (for more photos head out to the Engrande Events website!)
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family