People ask if I do this for a living, shooting couples for prenups, weddings, etc. I don't, although  it is a fun pastime. I don't want the activity to lose its appeal to me if I start to take this  hobby of taking photos to a new level by seriously earning from it. Plus, I really don't think I'll be good enough to do this professionally. But there are times when  the activity becomes so much fun that I actually get why a lot of photographers, especially female photographers,  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what  they do, especially those who focus on pre-nups and engagement shots, as well as family portraits and baby shoots. 

Shoots sometimes become so fun, so easy, that  they become more play than work. That's how I felt when I visited Siquijor  for a much needed  R&R and to strike out another item off my bucket list. I met Karen and Ricky, who, by the way, just got married today!!! (Congratulations and a great bear hug from me!!!) Oh, they were the nicest couple, purely down-to-earth, easy to talk to, and so accommodating. And they share something so deep and so special that I could not possibly put down in words. It was such an honor for me to meet them and hear about their love story.

PHOTOS! 

I went back to Siquijor after almost three years of being gone. I missed the island, its wide expanse of powdery white sand that greets you at the port, the long, winding roads flanked by various shades of green, and the old dilapidated box houses that you see along the road. Siquijor means both mystery and beach fun to me,  two widely opposite things that somehow manage to coexist only on this island.

I stayed in Salagdoong. This was my first time to stay in a hotel all by myself, and I must say I don't think I would want to try doing so ever again. The beach was inviting, and there's a pool which is open until 10 PM. However, I was alone, and I definitely felt that things would have been better if I stayed in the hotel with a group of friends. However, I wanted to cross "Check in hotel by yourself" off my bucket list, so I knew I had to endure the night. More on my Salagdoong experience later. :) 

The sun was unforgiving the entire afternoon, but it did give us the light we needed, and that is always a good thing, especially for a summer-inspired shoot such as this. Shooting at the beach is always fun, especially since it was something we could treat playfully. Kara was a great model, and her chosen outfits complimented the color of her hair and skin perfectly.
portraits, portraits, portraits, portraits