Gorgeous Jane

The morning of Jane's birthday, we had coffee early in the morning. She wanted to have the brick element in her photos and she immediately spotted a nice corner by the window of a local place called Bricks Hotel Caña Restaurant, located along Dumaguete's Boulevard. The day was gloomy and it was raining which was good for pictures. I actually envisioned the shoot the night before as something that involves the sun ray's shining through the glass windows and doors. But we all know how weather can bring a lot of surprises.

The shoot location was a cafe-slash-restaurant so there were some people seated nearby. Thankfully, Jane didn't mind the people giving curious glances at what we were doing. And you will see in these pictures how she's quite a natural in front of the camera. She looks at the camera confidently and knows how to move and angle her body. It made my job so much easier.

I'm happy she trusted me to take her new photos. Despite the rain, I'd say it was a great start to her birthday.

Expecting { Ling and Anton }

This has been a long-awaited blessing for Ling and Anton. Soon they will be welcoming a bouncing baby boy. Ling and I know each other through a common friend and have seen each other occasionally in events and gatherings in the past. It was only this warm but nice Saturday afternoon that I got to sit and talk with her and her hubby ever since we were introduced.

This maternity shoot allowed for us a chance to chat about her anticipating a child and a few stories about the world of weddings and event photography. A friend of mine was with us that afternoon who is also a mom, which was great because it was a perfect time for them to exchange stories of motherhood and anticipating the journey of caring for a child.

Ling and Anton are not used to having photo sessions and they told me they chose not to have a pre-wedding shoot. I thought of giving them a little bit of those couple moments along with intimate shots with Ling's beautiful baby bump. They were willing to go an extra mile for the photos but I kept it safe and relaxed because I wanted them to be comfortable and not feel shy or awkward. This was a very low-key session, no fuss at all. Actually just the way I liked it.

We wrapped up after an hour. We spent the rest of the afternoon over pizza and pasta, enjoying the sand in our feet and the breeze under a shade. We're sending warm congrats to both and we look forward to meeting this baby boy, praying for a safe delivery for Ling!

Loose Watercolor Florals Workshop - Dumaguete

I'm happy to finally open this workshop for registration. I started my watercolor journey painting loose flowers and leaves and it has truly helped my calligraphy gain more followers. Florals are wonderful elements to add to calligraphy simply because they add more colors and visual interest to your artwork. Loose florals can be added to so many projects and unlimited ideas can arise from knowing how to do it! It's so versatile, yes! Painting loose flowers is really easy and even those who have little or no experience in painting will be able to do it!

My workshops will be in small groups which will be best for each participant's learning. I'm posting three time slots for starters. If anyone in Dumaguete is interested, you can send me a message online through my social media channels above or you comment on this post on Facebook.

Small Victories - Painting on Ukelele

This project started out as an entry to a contest turned collaboration project sponsored by Inspiredby.ph in which I was invited to participate, to paint a calligraphy design on a ukelele. The theme was "Reasons we love the Philippines" and I chose the theme of the beach for obvious reasons.

I painted on two ukeleles, one of a simple artwork, bird's eye view of beaches and another includes calligraphy design with Filipino words of beach scenery.

The "drone" view of the beach artwork is inspired by the palette knife paintings of Sally West. For the calligraphy piece are words written in Filipino that remind us of the ideal beach scenes.

I take you through my process of painting through these photos.

This was my initial draft.

Acrylic paints and gold mica ink

a new canvas!

Slow Sundays

I love Dumaguete on Sundays because there are less people out. It's one reason I really like being here, because almost everything you need (the basics) are just 10-15 minutes drive away. But you can definitely choose to go on foot if you are in the mood.

This was how I spent my day one weekend in February, with R's kids, X and A. I don't spend a lot of time with children so it was a little new to me to be mindful of where they are every second we're out of the vehicle.

We go to the public market to get breakfast at the "pa-initan," — the line of stalls that sell puto and tsokolate, bud-bod and homemade peanut butter.

Ukay-ukay is a big deal here

Me and A smile with the puto

Yum!

Gray Turns Seven

Gray's birthday party was a little different from the usual ones I covered. The theme was FIFA world cup and what a great idea to have a mini football field inside the party venue. Some actual footballs and balloon footballs were provided to entertain the kids. There was a lot of running back and forth and ball kicking in all directions.

A friend of Gray's parents stood as coach for the mini tournaments. There were four teams, colored singlets were provided for the players to wear during the game. They did some warm up and had total of two elimination games and one championship game. They even had a tropy and pretend medals for the winners! You can tell the kids were exhausted but really enjoyed their time!

Coordination and styling: Purple Parasol Events
Cake and sweets: Isabel Sagarbarria of Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

FIFA pillowcases for souvenirs

Gray and his older brother Forty

Photobooth moments

Trophy and medals for the champions!

White team, the Champs!