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!

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!

Wanna bet?

So, how did an independent young woman who happened to dislike happy-go-lucky guys hook up with a skirt chaser?

Flashback, 1973, Free Will Baptist Bible College, Nashville, Tennessee. Their story, funny enough, started with a bet and a plan to get even. Jeff had broken up with one of Susan’s friends so one night, the girls decided to give him a dose of his own medicine. The one who got the shortest straw would get him to fall in love with her and then leave him. Unbeknownst to the girls, at the guys’ dorm, Jeff and his friends were making bets on who can get a date with a young lady named Susan. Well, how do you think this story panned out?

Fast-forward, 2009, Madrid, Spain. Jeff and Susan are still together! Talk about kismet! This is their 34^th year of marriage and they have been living a truly blessed life. They travel the world tirelessly for the service of God and good, they raised two amazing and talented children who are married to two equally amazing people. They are grandparents to three of the cutest children on earth (and a grandog!), and are treasured friends to those whose lives they’ve touched and continue to touch.

Ok, people! Are you ready to see what still being in love looks like after 34 years of marriage? :-)

This is Jeff, contemplating God's handiwork in La Pedriza...

Susan has an amazing smile... You can really tell that it comes from the heart.

Love. Amor. Pag-ibig... However you call it, they have it.

Susan: "Jeff, say s..." ;-P

And this last one is my absolute favorite!

Jeff and Susan, thanks for trusting me to take your 34th anniversary photos. Here’s to the next 34! Cheers! (",)

Allyssa's Christening

Allyssa is Ryan's cousin. They were actually baptized on the same evening and had a joint dinner reception afterwards. Here are some of the photos of Allyssa being christened...

Ryan's Baptism

This past Sunday evening, Ryan Ganaden became a Christian Catholic. The third son of Dante and Maria was such a trooper - not a single tear was shed as the cura poured water onto his head. Here are some of the photos of the baptismal rite...

Welcome to the world of Christianity, Ryan!

One for Ryan

A photo of Ryan being christened last night...

Una foto del bautizo de Ryan...

Jeff & Susan: Sneak Peek

Steven & Anna in Madrid

One fine day in May, I received an email from a guy in England inquiring about the possibility of having a session done while he and his wife were in Madrid on a mini-vacation. It was to be a birthday gift for her. I promptly answered the email for the following reasons:

(a) I thought it was a sweet and unique gift (Usually, women plan these things, and the men just go along… So guys, take a hint!), and

(b) he was asking me to do two things that I love – show them a little bit of my Madrid and take photos!

I met up with Steven and Anna early morning on June 13th for their photo shoot. I was secretly worried that they wouldn’t like the city. Upon exiting the metro late Friday night they were greeted with a rather surprising first Madrid sighting – Gran Via teeming with its “ladies of the night”. Then, on the day of the shoot, we saw the aftermath of the previous night’s botellón (beer cans, broken glass bottles, cigarette butts, vomit… ICK!), a couple having a very physical fight (I mean really hitting each other) which I can only assume was a lovers’ quarrel, and if we want to add a group of trannies hanging out on a street corner for more shock factor… Definitely not the stuff you see in tourist books!

Well, thankfully, as the shoot went on and throughout the rest of their stay, they were able to see the pretty side of Spain’s capital and had an amazing time here. I’d say they truly had the TOTAL Madrid experience! Here are some photos from their session:

Married 4 years with 2 super cute kids (they showed me a photo)... Don't they look like they just got hitched yesterday? :-)

Out and about the city...

Mirror, mirror on the MNCARS wall...

Anna and Steven, thank you for choosing me as your photographer for your Madrid photos. It was indeed a pleasure meeting and working with you both and I hope you come back soon!

Español:

En un día de mayo, recibí un correo electrónico de una persona de Inglaterra que quería informarse sobre la posibilidad de hacer una sesión fotográfica con su mujer mientras ellos estaban de vacaciones en Madrid. Dijo que iba a ser su regalo para el cumpleaños de su esposa. Le escribí en seguida animándole con las razones siguientes:

(a) Yo pensaba que seria un regalo único y cariñoso (Normalmente, son las mujeres que planean estas sesiones y los hombres las siguen, así que, chicos, ¡tomad nota!) y

(b) Me pidió que hiciera dos cosas que me encantan hacer – enseñarles un poco de Madrid y sacar fotos!

El 13 de junio, quedé con Steven y Anna muy temprano para la sesión. En realidad, me preocupaba de que no les gustara la ciudad. Cuando ellos llegaron el viernes por la noche, al salir de la boca del metro, la primera cosa que vieron de Madrid fue la de Gran Vía, pero llena de las mujeres que “trabajan” por la noche. Al día siguiente, de camino al primer sitio elegido para las fotos, vimos las secuelas del botellón de la noche anterior (latas de cerveza, botellas rotas, cigarros, vómito…), una pelea violenta, supongo que entre una pareja amorosa, y si queremos añadir más al “shock factor”, un grupo de travestís pasando el tiempo en una esquinita… Definitivamente, esto no es la clase de información que se puede ver en los libros turísticos!

Menos mal que a lo largo de nuestro tiempo juntos y en el resto de su visita, ellos pudieron ver el lado bello de la capital de España y se lo pasaron muy bien aquí. ¡Puedo decir que tuvieron una experiencia total de Madrid!

Anna y Steven, gracias por elegirme como vuestra fotógrafa en Madrid. Fue un placer conoceros y fotografiaros y espero que volváis a Madrid pronto.