Olive Macababbad-Santiago

I have been in hiatus for two long months. Why? Because I am pregnant! Ha! Many of my friends tease me that shooting maternity portraits also lead to being pregnant. Well, it is wonderful that I am now expecting, but the last two months of morning sickness was just horrible!

Now, I'm back on my feet and I'm glad that I have the energy to shoot again. Olive, a fellow N@wie was first on the list. She was ultra excited and we talked on the phone and chatted about the preparations for the shoot. She and her husband Emon, drove all the way from Cavite, for this morning shoot. Yep, they were very much on time.

These two were a delight to shoot. They were naturally photogenic, and it was a nice change to have a morena couple - their skin color turned golden under the lights. Looking at Olive and Emon hold each other laughing and tickling and holding a romantic look, made me sigh and smile. It made me think that being married could have its ups and downs. But this is proof that all the sacrifice is worth it. Loving your better half demands unconditional status. Whew! What a word.

This day is very special, as I got a text from Olive a few minutes ago that her cervix has now dilated to 2 cms! Good thing we did the shoot this morning. Any day longer would have made it impossible. Talk about perfect timing.

The Angeles Family

What's the best way to spend a beautiful Sunday Morning? How about a family pictorial over at U.P. grounds?

Yes, that's how it went for the Angeles Family last March 18. This family is one of my loyal clients and we have become very good friends. I can't believe it's been almost a year now, since I took Neri's Maternity Portrait and Baby Nicka will soon turn 1 year old!

Nald, was teasing me, telling me that I would still be their photographer come Nicka's wedding day. (Gosh, uugod-ugod na ako nun.)

Taking their photos was a treat for me. It's nice to be part of something special and its great to have another chance to enjoy moments with friends whose relationship has blossomed through time.And I have the evidence all tucked away through my camera.

P.S. I just have to mention this - Nald, Neri and Nicka always have color coordinated shirts for every pictorial and this day's color is PINK!

Vanessa Ramiscal-Dulalia (8 months preggy!)

FINALLY!!!! The time has come for Vanessa to pose for her Maternity Portrait. If you can scan through my past blogs, Vanessa has a portrait where she was still two months pregnant. (Yes, ganun sya ka-excited!)

She was early for her session and brought with her what seems to be a closet of clothes. Haha. Jeck, her husband, was laughing telling me all the preparations they went through before getting on the car and driving to the studio.

I enjoyed my time shooting this couple because they are just hilarious together. Vanny kept on picking on Jeck, saying that he was as pregnant as she was. Haha. Then we had some quiet moments, talking about child birth and the pains of labor. Well, every woman shares that fear. But as we concluded the photo session, we know that a woman's body was made to bear children and Vanny and myself, felt stronger and more bonded as friends after that.

Erika's 1st Birthday!

Finally, the big day came! Though it was searing hot (summer is definitely here), the party went on without a glitch. I have to say, what makes a children's bday party a success for the kids is definitely the games and the entertainer. They were glued to their seats (pag pina upo sila ng clown), and they were scrambling to take part in the games. Sobrang saya!

Erika and her mom, Karen love having their pictures taken. So this shot is extra special having all three of them (with Erika's Dad) in it.

The clowns were hilarious! They were a big hit with the kids. As I said they were glued to their seats (kse lang prize pag tumayo kagad e). Hahaha.

And mind you, almost everyone stayed for the whole duration of the party (they had guests from Sorsogon). Well, I can't blame them, if you have a party this fun, you would really enjoy your time.

Erika Charlize Lustestica Go

Erika is nothing short of a miracle. Born prematurely at eight months, her first environment outside her mom's womb was the hospital incubator. Weighing less than 3 lbs. everyone in the family was fearful for her health.

So I am not surprised why Erika is getting two birthday parties by the next couple of weeks. One in Metro Manila, where her mother, Karen is from and another in Sorsogon, where her Dad is based. And thus is the reason, I had to make two bday invitation layouts. (Big smile). There is indeed a whole lot of reason to celebrate!

We did the pre-event photoshoot last Jan. 25 at the playground outside Karen's house and Erika, dressed in dainty blues and whites was the picture of good health! Karen could hardly throw her in the air when I asked her to.

God is good and I know miracles like Erika brings to light that we never know what we will get but that in the end, it is always something special and filled with love.

CSR Cheerdance Competition 2007

One thing I remember vividly about my highschool days was the School Intramurals, where we would prepare for weeks coming up with a routine and do a chereography accompanied by the beat of a snare drum. My mother is such an avid fan of school activities. She makes it a point that my family is present to give our support to events like these.

15 years flew by so quickly, now its my youngest sister's turn. Long gone are the snare drums and the pompoms. Now comes the generation of cheerdancing. Geez! Just looking at all those girls do sommersaults, lifts and their dance routines, makes me stop dead in my tracks. It makes me realize one thing - yep, I'm getting old. Haha!

But it does bring back a lot of memories and I love events like these, because my family gets together - join games, eat the sandwiches my mom makes (she wakes up at 5 am to do this, like how she did it when I was younger), cheer , enjoy the rides and of course, take lots and lots of pictures as mementos of a wonderful day!

Jennifer Lopez-Gana

Her nickname is Jlo. This is what her friends call her. What can I say? She has one heck of a nickname!

Jlo is a beautiful, petite woman. I was shocked when she tied her white blouse to do the first layout - no stretchmarks on her tummy whatsoever! I even had to do a search. Nope, no scar or blemish in site! What a lucky, lucky woman!

She was excited to do the shoot and for the past few days before shooting her, we exchanged emails, talked on the phone, and texted. She is a bubbly person, whom you'd easily warm up to. We originally planned to include her daughter in the shoot, but unfortunately Janelle had a bad stomach that day.

Jlo gamely posed and had no qualms about posing nude. Having had her maternity portrait taken during her first pregnancy, she was very comfortable being in front of the camera. We spent the afternoon, shooting, talking, eating, laughing. It was definitely girl bonding.