Shot this fun maternity session yesterday in one of my favorite places near Dumaguete. It was also my first time to meet expectant mommy Sheena and her hubby Lando but we hit it off like we've known each other for years. I love couples who are just so cool with everything. It wasn't surprising that shooting them turned out to be quite a hoot with lots of laughs as we walked from one end of the garden to another.
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family
Every day I feel is a blessing from God.
And I consider it a new beginning.
Yeah, everything is beautiful.
-Prince
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family
Babies... I have none of my own and am pretty ambivalent about whether or not I'll ever be ready for such a responsibility, but taking pictures of women who are having their own gives me a glimpse of what an absolutely joy the journey of motherhood is. I've always told my friends/clients who are having babies that they look different when they're pregnant. They smile differently, they appreciate things in a new way, and they glow! Boy, do they glow. Photographing expectant mothers-to-be is perhaps one of the most rewarding things I can do, especially if the mother looks half as good as Valerie here. We shot this for about an hour two weeks ago in a field near my apartment and it was casual, short and sweet, just the way we planned it. Here are a few shots of that before I blog more on this shoot soon!
“The time has come
The walrus said
To talk of many things:
Of shoes- and ships-
And sealing wax-
Of cabbages and kings-
And why the sae is boiling hot-
And whether pigs have wings.”
― Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family
Oh, the pretty little things! Ra
fi turned 1 in this gorgeous, Alice-in-Wonderland themed party styled by Engrande Events and boy, everyone got treated to an eyeful of whimsy, color, and the most creative edible cakes and cupcakes that were so cute, you almost didn't want to eat them!
The details for this birthday were just too adorable for words. There's the wonderful tiered cake with the Chesire Cat grinning mischievously from the bottom, cute fondant cup cakes, literally cakes in teacups with little colorful mushrooms, the Caterpillar, and the Mad Hatter's Hat on top courtesy of cake artist extraordinaire Isabelle Pinili, and equally adorable cupcakes with the most delicious icing made by Paula Celdran Montenegro. All these were set against the backdrop of colorful oversized flowers, button mushrooms and a life-sized cut-out of the White Rabbit. Let's not forget the intricate golden mirror hung against the hedge that surely reminded everyone of Through the Looking Glass.
More photos of Rafi's big day below. :)
Styling: Engrande Events
Birthday and Fondant Cupcakes: Isabel Pinili
Cupcakes: Paula Celdran Montenegro
Sharmil is this cute little bundle of energy and ready smiles who just turned one two weeks ago. I had the honor of documenting her first birthday party, which her parents doubled as a kiddie party for the streetchildren in their area. To say that this baby is loved, loved, loved is an understatement. Three frames!
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family
“When you moved, I felt squeezed with a wild infatuation and protectiveness.
We are one.
Nothing, not even death, can change that.”
― Suzanne Finnamore
The Zygote Chronicles
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family
I knew that Val was pregnant when I bumped into her a few months ago at the mall. Like the others, I felt happy excited at the news. A little person for Val, one of the sweetest people I know. She would make a perfect mother and already pregnancy is doing so many good things to her body. There's a certain calm, a certain ease in how she moves despite the baby bump.It could be because Val has this naturally easy disposition but I am sure that having a baby has made her even more beautiful, if that is possible.
I am always curious about what happens to a woman when she has a baby, and for every pregnant friend that I have, I always have the same questions: do you get tired more often, mood swings, do you have cravings? Standard questions perhaps, but they give different answers, which is fascinating to me. I often wonder what will happen to me if I have a baby but that's a story for another day(and another blog post!) entirely! For now, here are a few frames from our short bump love shoot.