“I't’s almost as if
her soul is a pack of wolves
she’s brave, she’s strong
she’s unstoppable”
― R.H. Sin
Strong women are a sight to behold and there's no shortage of them in expat communities everywhere. I am glad to know a couple of them here, and they include this beautiful lady who is a force to be reckoned with especially when it comes to her family and her kids. We met up for a short photo sesh before her birthday, and it instantly turned into a riveting catch-up session too because COVID (and life!) happened.
Walking the tree-lined streets of Huangnibang, Chongqing's little Southeast Asian corner, popping inside cute little cafes, and just enjoying all the pretty made for an awesome weekend with this amazing woman. And the fact that this session was for donations to the Geleshan Shelter dogs was just the cherry on top. Love love love it when people support a cause and we all have fun at the same time!
portraits, lifestyle photography, portraits, portraits, portraits
A few shots when we popped inside Orange Cafe for some handmade sugary treats.
portraits, portraits, portraits, portraits, portraits, portraits
“I think... if it is true that
there are as many minds as there
are heads, then there are as many
kinds of love as there are hearts.”
― Leo Tolstoy,
Anna Karenina
The PortraitsforPaws Mini Sessions has connected me to so many people, many of whom love animals and are more than willing to do what they can to help the rescued strays of this big city. Among them is Grace who I met one cold day in January. I had wanted to wrap up the fall sessions but this was the only day that was free for both of us, so I resigned myself to doing a Fall session in the middle of CQ's brutal winter (hence the puffy jackets).
No regrets thought, Grace is a joy to know and even lovelier to shoot.
We were lucky enough to use a floral shop/cafe as our playground for the afternoon which was a dream that finally came true. The venue came with all sorts of 'props' since they were still setting up the shop so stuff that was lying around were free for us to use, from cutlery to flowers in glass bottles to Kinfolk magazines! Needless to say, my heart was full.
A few shots from that afternoon.
Love recognizes no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences,
penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
Maya Angelou
S and K were my first #PortraitsforPaws couple. They reached out in the middle of fall, when we were a few months out of the lockdown of 2020 that froze the entire Mainland in time.
But we were also hopeful.
Out of lockdown the same problems remained especially at the shelter. I had kept in touch with XQ especially after I bought the dog I rescued from the streets to the shelter. And her drive and all that she was doing inspired me to help out. It was so refreshing that other people were eager to do so, too.
We started the session right off the gate, a few minutes of meeting them. We shared stories of our pets (they have a Maine Coon adopted in Beijing) as we walked and as I clicked away. It felt like I was just catching up with friends who I just have happened to be meeting for the first time, which is exactly how I prefer the sessions to be. The good thing about meeting up with people who love animals is that you have something really positive to bond over, and that's your pets!
It was a 30-minute walk around Jinshan Park, which was all sorts of colors of fall-- burnt orange, red and bright yellow leaves falling down and coating the ground with all that color. Despite the early fall chilI, it was a good day to take photos and for a good cause, too.
lifestyle photography, couples, portraits, lifestyle photography, couples, portraits
A few shots from that day.
