01 February 2010

Love Is In The Air(waves)

Every couple has a story of how they met, and for sure, each story is special. It is said that most married people (or those in a committed relationship) met because they were schoolmates, they worked/work at the same office, they used to be neighbors or through friends. But random meetings, as I read somewhere, happen less frequently than we think. We just think they're common because of what we see in movies and what we read in books. So when they DO happen, it's even more fascinating. I know a couple who met because they sat next to each other on a 10-hour bus trip, I have friends who were strangers from the same country living in a foreign land where guy helped girl when she ran into a bit of trouble, and then there's the husband and wife who started dating because of bets made... Like I said, fascinating...

Paul is an Aussie who was sent to the Philippines on business. He needed a local mobile service provider while he was there, so off he went to apply for one. His assigned customer service rep was not available to attend to his







25 January 2010

Scarlet & Paul: Sneak Peek




Here's one for the lovely couple, Scarlet and Paul, taken at the Global City in Taguig, Philippines.
Aquí tenemos una foto de la pareja hermosa, Scarlet y Paul, tomada en la Global City en Taguig, Filipinas.

19 January 2010

Sneak Peek: Tan family



The Tan family at the Tagaytay Highlands, Philippines.
La familia Tan en Tagaytay Highlands, Filipinas.

18 January 2010

Feliz 2010



Hello, everyone! Sorry for the absence of posts lately. I was in the Philippines to visit my family and friends during the holidays and I just got back here. It's been quite a challenge adjusting to the change in temperature and getting over jet lag. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back in Madrid. Give me a ring if you have any events or sessions in mind you want photographed. Meantime, Happy 2010 to all!

¡Hola! Siento no haber puesto ninguna entrada últimamente. Estuve en Filipinas durante las Navidades y acabo de llegar a Madrid. Ha sido bastante difícil acostumbrarme al cambio de temperatura y recuperarme del "jet lag". En fin, ya estoy aquí, así que si necesitáis una fotógrafa para un evento o estáis pensando en hacer una sesión un día de estos, dadme un toque o mandadme un correo electrónico. ¡Feliz 2010 a todos!

10 December 2009

Andrew Manuel: Sneak Peek

My nephew/Mi sobrino, Andrew Manuel...

28 November 2009

Happy 1st Birthday!

A year ago, fraternal twins Caroline and Daniel, entered not only the lives of their families but mine as well and I must say, it's been quite a joyride ever since: from meeting and holding them for the first time at the hospital when they were born and shooting their first official portraits at nine days old (check out the first 3 baby photos on this link) 'til now that they're eating solid food, walking or crawling really, really fast, making baby talk and just simply getting to watch them develop their own personalities... I'm so glad I get to be a part of their lives and I happily declare myself an unofficial aunt to these two adorable children and their equally adorable older brother, Andrés.

Here are the birthday portraits chosen by their mom and dad for this post...

When Daniel laughs, he really LAUGHS! You can almost hear the laughter in this photo...


Sweet Miss Caroline and one of her pensive looks... Charming!


Thanks once again, Brooke and Matthew, for letting me document this milestone in the lives of your kids.


Maligayang Kaarawan (Happy Birthday, Feliz Cumpleaños) Caroline at Daniel!
(",)

09 October 2009

Mischa Claire's Christening

Events like christenings, communions and if you're lucky enough, weddings, happen only once in a lifetime. So it's so cool when people invest in a custom-made album containing beautiful photographs from that special day. After all, after the cake has been eaten, the clothes and shoes have been kept in a box most likely never to be worn again, and the giveaways have been, well, given away, that album is the only thing that we can go back to time and time again. This is precisely what Mischa Claire's parents decided to do for their daughter's joint christening and first birthday celebrations. Check out some of the photos from that day...

The outfits (MC had two sets)...

The giveaways, invites and baptismal card...
The baptismal rite...


with Mama and Papa...


Guests at the dinner reception...
Checkin' out her cake...
Mario, Rachelle and Mischa, thanx for choosing me as your photographer on this momentous occasion. All the best to your family! (",)

05 October 2009

One for Mischa Claire

A photo of Mischa Claire being baptized...
Una foto del bautizo de Mischa Claire...

15 September 2009

Why I am a photographer today

My parents (Manolo & Marissa) during their Madrid visit in 2008...

This may come as a surprise to my father, but he plays a significant role in why I am a photographer today. I believe I got my love for photography from him. You see, we both love photographs. We love being in them, looking at them, taking them. We both like to organize our photos in albums. I dabbled in scrapbooking before I went into photography full time while Papa is still at it. If he isn’t working on some legal matter, you’ll find him in his tiny workroom, pasting pictures on scrapbooks at 4 o’clock in the morning. I recall how excited I was when he and my mom gave me my first camera when I was 10, just in time for my first and only trip to the U.S. as a child, just a small black one, the kind that needed a cube bulb as flash (ooopppsss, did I just reveal my age?). I don’t think there was ever an occasion, a trip or a gathering that wasn’t documented by him with a camera, a task that was eventually handed over to me. We even resisted the digital format for as long as we could because we preferred (and still do actually) looking at tangible prints to images on a screen. I bought my first DSLR just two years ago and he stopped using film and bought a compact digital camera only because his trusty old Advantix got stolen (stupid thief too, who on earth steals an Advantix???).

It is said that a parent’s legacy is his or her child’s future. Today, on my father’s birthday, the only gift I can think of is to thank him for paving the way, albeit unknowingly on his part, for me to discover my true professional destiny. I am what I am today – a memory keeper, an image-maker, a photographer – because of you. Happy birthday, Papa!

07 September 2009

Andrés is 3

Os presento el birthday boy... ¡Ya tiene 3 añitos!

Muy Andrés... So Andrew...

Con Papá y Mamá...


Con sus hermanos, Carolina y Daniel, y los abuelos, Jeff y Susana que también celebran sus cumples esta semana...

La tarta... d-e-l-i-s-h!

Los regalos...

Los invitados...

¡Feliz cumple, Andrés!