on Shooting Weddings

"What or who got you started in wedding photography? The lousy pictures I got for my wedding and honeymoon trip. I was very disappointed at the pictures I got, so I started to question the approach of the photographers. After which, I became a hobbyist and got to practice shooting for some of my friends’ weddings. So that’s how it started." -- Dino Lara (Interview with Crash Taylor)

I will start this blog by saying that I am not (well, at least not, yet) a wedding photographer. While there have been a number of inquiries, I have yet to take a professional gig with my own team. Perhaps, 2016 will be the year that I will take that big step up into the wedding industry. I am still very indecisive on that move.

From time to time, I do dabble into wedding photography but not professionally. I shoot from the sidelines most often at the behest of the couple or their family members. And they just want to see the guest's point of view of the wedding. And I usually only accept the invitation when I am comfortable with the photographers covering the event as I do not want to get in the way of those who are getting paid to shoot.

The wedding of Neil and Karina would be one of those times that I had my camera with me during the event. Neil has been my friend since gradeschool and Karina during my entry into the world of portraiture. And I also know the team from Homebrew Photography that was covering the event. So, I tagged along during the post nuptial shoot and had a couple of interesting photos. I didn't direct them or anything, I just looked for my own angles while the official photographers were doing their thing.

This 2016, I am looking to probably take some steps towards doing wedding photography gigs. While I have covered a number of weddings as a backup shooter, I do hope that I find the confidence to step up and be the main guy. There are things I still need to learn but I know I will get there soon. And I know that I can assemble a team that can back me up.

"‘How can I be the next Dino Lara?’ What would you say? Be yourself. Learn more of who you are and what makes you happy. Strive and change for the better, but never forget who you are, what you do and what you love." -- Dino Lara

 

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2016 bring you and your loved ones the joy and prosperity that you wish for! God Bless!

PS: There is another wedding that I attended a week after this one. I also had my camera with me then and I will probably post a some of the photos I took.

PPS: Dino Lara is my second cousin and a photographer I look up to. He, and his sister Gia, are two of the people that have inspired me to make this hobby a profession. I often go back to that article whenever I doubt myself and my craft. I hope to live up to my family name in the future.

on Music Videos and Minimalist Concepts

It is 29 days to the New Year and I want to catch up on my blog so that by the start of 2016 I will be free of backlogs.

One other reason why I find the need to write is because I need to diversify. I accepted a part time gig writing articles of an automotive website based in Australia. I want to write other things besides cars and what better way than to get my blog updated with my current projects.

I have to admit, I am not much of pop music and it has been awhile since I last watched a proper music video. When my partner in crime Chawie wanted to do a shoot that was inspired by the music video of Good For You by Selena Gomez, I had to watch it to get the idea. And I will admit that before this shoot, I only knew of one song done by her and that is because she collaborated with Zedd, who I listen to.

Anyways, with Chawie and our frequent muse Krestle, I knew it would be another fun shoot.

And I was right; it was a very relaxed shoot. We had a white wall and a long bar stool and ambient lighting. I really enjoy minimalist concepts because I find that I can do a lot more when I have fewer distractions. A plain blank wall works best for me.

Here are some more photos from the shoot...

There you have it, another set with Chawie and Krestle. It’s always enjoyable working with them. No stress and I am guaranteed that I will have some keepers worthy of posting in this blog. I'll be posting collaboration with chawie probably this weekend. Until then!

PS: Thanks to Charisse Ann "Chawie" Bibera and Krestle Deomampo for this shoot. And to Chawie's grandma who welcomed us into her home so we could use the blank white wall in her backyard.

on Backlogs, Clothing Ads and Portrait #45

This is long overdue!

I have had the priveledge to do three shoots with Fatima already and I haven't had the chance to publish any of it here in my blog. Truth be told, I always have fun doing a shoot with her because I do not need that much effort during the shoot because she is just simply awesome in front of the camera.

I just want to share with you guys the shoots I have done with her and to officially add her to my portraits project.

This shoot happened about a year ago inside the pedestrian underpass to the airport.

The next shoot was for a makeup competition where she and her makeup artist Paulyn Dy made it to the final cut.

 

The last shoot was taken about a month ago. This one was a quick strobist shoot with my good friend and peer Charisse Ann Bibera. I was inspired by the advertisements from clothing companies and tired a hand at making my own.

 

 

And this will be my entry to my portrait project:

Portrait #45: Fatima

This is probably the most number of photos I have published in one portrait blog. I know there will be more shoots in the coming months when she visits Davao again. She will always be one of my favorite models.

PS: Special thanks to all those who made these shoots possible. To Paulyn Dy of Makeup Magic by Paulyn Dy for the makeup on the first two shoots and for introducing me to Fatima. And to Charisse Bibera for being my co-shooter for the past few months. I hope to collaborate with all of you in the near future.

on Sail Boats, Beaches and Panoramas

It has been awhile...

I have been planning to write a blog for weeks now and yet I haven't had the inspiration to actually start writing; until now.

I finished stitching up some panoramas from a recent trip the island of Boracay. These photos were taken during our island hopping trip via sail boat or known locally as Paraw. While the weather during the trip was sketchy, there were times that we had clear blue skies. It was my idea to ride a Paraw instead of the regular boat with an outboard motor. It was fun, sometimes harrowing because of the wind and waves, and a very unique way to explore the island.

Here are the panoramas I took during the trip.

Station 1 Boracay

Station 1 was our jump off point. We were picked up by the boat there. It was around 6Am when I took this photo and in the distance the clouds were looking very ominous.

Magic Island

Magic Island is a small island not far from the main island. The trip to the island was a bit scary because we were facing the huge waves. There were times when one side of the boat would get lifted up to about 10 feet or get swallowed by waves. It was like a roller coaster ride of sorts; one that lasted about 30 minutes.

Puka Beach

The last photo was taken from Puka Beach at the tip of the main island. The scenery made the trip worthwhile. The sand was powder white, the breeze was cool and the waters were crystal clear. I could imagine myself staying in the beach, with a book and a nice milk shake. I promised myself that when I return to Boracay, I will spend a day there.

I only had a short stay in Boracay and only got to shoot a few times mainly because of the weather. I plan on returning probably in a year or so just to explore more of the island. I hope the next time I will be blessed by good weather.

PS: All photos were taken with my  Nikon D7000 and stitches in photoshop CS6.

on Same Day Edits, Collaborations and Portrait #47

I was challenged to post the whole set on the same day by the model; so here I am.

Techinically it is not the same day because it is already almost 2am. But for those who know me, my backlog for posts goes as far back as last year. Well, this shoot took SIX years before it finally happened so I think it merits the early publishing.

I asked Krestle for a shoot when I was still starting out as a portrait photographer. She was in second year college then and starting out in modelling. Now I've shooting "semi-professionally" and shes going to start med school. I think it is a blessing that it took that long for me to finally have the chance to shoot her because now I have enough "skill" to make the shoot worthwhile.

It was also the first time I did a collaboration with Charisse who is my contemporary in shooting portraits. I also cannot explain why it took that long before I could have the chance to work with her. But having them both with me on location made the shoot a walk in the park (both figuratively and literally).

And the output should speak for itself.

 

 

I also have a photo to add to my portrait project. I will add this as #47 but I am yet to publish #45 and #46 since I prefer to have it in chronological order. So here is the photo that will be added to the collection.

Portrait #47: Krestle

This shoot has been a nice experience for me. It has been awhile since I did a portrait shoot with another photographer and I really do miss having someone to talk to and share inputs with. Its always better when you have someone else with you especially when you run out of ideas. I think I will do more collaborations this year.

PS: Special thanks to Charisse Ann Bibera aka Chawie and her boyfriend Henry for working with me on the shoot. We will be shooting again in the coming weeks.

PPS: If she looks familiar to you, then you probably read an article in a popular men's magazine about a week ago about a nurse who volunteers for medical missions that does free circumcision. I wonder if my photos are too wholesome (or even good enough) for the said men's magazine. LOL!

on Long Breaks, Backlogs and Portraits

It has been awhile since I last wrote something on this blog. I have been meaning to blog about some of my portraits from 2014 but I just haven't had the time or the motivation to do so. So while I am in a lull from shooting events and for clients, I want to write about my personal shoots last year.

People have been asking me if I have finished my 100 portraits project and sadly I haven't. I still have to reach halfway into the project. Since I have this HUGE backlog of portraits to post, I will be publishing these five portraits that I will add to my project. These five ladies are all friends from highschool; they went to the same school as me. And I did all had their "pre-debut" portraits. All the photos were taken last year during "pre-debut" portrait sessions. I like working with them as subjects because the shoots are all light-hearted and fun. I guess photography is the one aspect of my life where I perform best when not under immense pressure.

It was also from their shoots that I got the hang of post-processing with the colors I use now. I got so used to the workflow that I have been applying it to all my shoots with people regardless of it being a portrait or an event. The vintage purplish / yellow / sunset hue is now an identifying trait of my portraits; call it my signature style if you want. I want to continue developing this workflow until I a master it.

Here are the five portraits I am adding to my collection...

Portrait #40: Annalou

Portrait #41: Rin-rin

Portrait #42: Mary

Portrait #43: Ella

Portrait #44: Jill

PS: I will hopefully be shooting a few portrait sessions before the summer ends. If anybody is interested, do send me a message in facebook, twitter or instagram.

PPS: Speaking of instagram, I added a widget on the right for my instagram feed. Follow my mundane not-so-artsy photos of everyday life there.