Gil and Ina's Wedding

Its Gil's wedding! The countdown is finally over as Gil and Ina tied the knot at San Agustin Church in Intramuros. Its such a beautiful wedding! Im so happy for Gil because he's waiting for this for quite some time now. I didnt bring a camera with me on that day... good thing my friend EJ brought a dslr but hes kinda reluctant to use it... Due to my undying eagerness to capture moments, i borrowed it and took some snaps. It was my first time to use a Canon camera on  a wedding and it was quite impressive! 

I told myself not to bring a camera coz i wanted to enjoy the wedding as a guest, not as a photographer...But then again, i enjoyed taking photos rather than just sitting around. Took this one when they were on their way out and man i was so happy for the great capture! Never seen Gil so happy like this ever before... 

of course there's the production team to back him up! These guys look really fine and dandy! We also had a our lovely Anne Cua and Kannika! Its so good to see them once again!  

Ze lovely ladies of production team! Tracy always has this really curvy and voluptuous pose...

 they are like the batman and robin of the creative writing department of the production team...

 of course our lovely boss Ms. Mara who looks stunning in her green dress..

As the bride and groom started to enter,the party has just begun!  

Mel actually won the garter wearing ceremony and boy she was nervous! Its her 1st actually! 

The traditional cutting of the cake! Gil got a big slice from inah...Gil didn't mind.. :)

 the lovely Anne Cua with our soldier of love Marky!

Angel came! These three ladies are surely missed at the production area... 

 getting crazy at the photobooth. This was ej's challenge, to fit the entire production team inside the frame. Good thing it did! Thanks to Pop Picture for the great photobooth photos! 

Gil with his wacky Mr. Pogi pose! 

After that long delicious dinner, we are all full and happy... you can actually see it in our faces! Busog!!!! :)

Thank you so much Gil for inviting us. It was a really awesome and wonderful wedding. We all had a good time. Best wishes to you and Ina.

Theobroma Chocolates

If you love Belgian chocolates, you got to try these luscious Theobroma Belgian Chocolates.. Its rich, it has this delicious chocolate flavor that oozes inside with its lavish filling...Shooting these makes me drool... its really good... i hope Ensogo will run this deal once again...

Croc Meat from Danny's Grille

When this was served to be photographed, i thought it was chicken nuggets. But then it was not. Its actually crocodile meat! I have to admit when i thought it was chicken nuggets, i felt really hungry coz i love chicken nuggets until the waiter told me that its croc meat.... suddenly i felt different. After the shoot, i was anxious to try it coz it was my first to eat this kind of delicacy....and at the first bite., wow.. it was delicious! It actually tastes like chicken! I had it  together  with some ice cold beer on the side and it was perfect! Perks of the job baby! Good times! :)

DeoBC Salon Photoshoot

 We had a deal at DeoBC salon and i was asked to take before and after portraits of our officemates and boy the transformation was mind blowing. Mel, one of our new graphic artist were up to the task of modelling and i think it was just her 1st week...and we actually kinda forced her to do this.. It was a total surprise actually. After all the hair and make-up our jaws just fell....  

 Our next model was Rona who just came from a long ordinary straight hair to these lovely curls! I posted this photo onto my facebook  page and bam!!! likes are pouring in like mad crazy!  The hair stylists and make-up artists at DeoBC salon are really amazing! Good job! 

Johnny's Fried Chicken

Marikina City is famous with its quality shoes right? Well, if you have to think of something really good that best describes Marikina besides its really cleanliness and orderliness, wait till you try Johnny's Fried Chicken! Its so good.... it kinda tastes likes Max's fried chicken only better! Im not jokin around..this fried chicken is the bomb! Its highly recommended. You got to taste it to believe it....

Famous Belgian Waffles

This is my first time to try the Famous Belgian Waffles and its so good! Originally i was about to take photos of these at their kiosk at Eastwood but good thing my good friend Second brought the waffles to the studio and do the shoot from there...it kinda saved a lot of time, effort and money... Anyways, these waffles are really good. Best partnered with coffee. Im sure you'l gonna love it! 

Lovely and Christian's Prenup Sneak-peeks

 Ms. Love from HR asked me if I could do their prenup...well, of course i can do that.. I just gave them a disclaimer that im not really a wedding photographer and they said its alright.. they trust my work and we gave it a go! 

We went to Camp Crame (its actually quite having a prenup there but might as well give it a shot) at a very hot and scorching day...  It was almost noon and the sun is raging like hell.... im sweating like im in a basketball game but still managed to be the on the top of my game. Had my gear up, rigged my lights and fired using my telephoto on this shot...Bokeh is really sweet with the 70-300 f/4 nikkor lens... 

 its quite hard doin the poses coz i always wanted it to be as natural as possible. I made them talk... i made them crack jokes to each other.. i wanted them to feel relaxed... and i just pointed the camera at them then click and click and click....

As much as possible i opted not to take a glimpse at the viewfinder....i tried to avoid chimping as much as possible coz i might miss that kodak moment... like this one right here... 

I owe it to all those wedding magazines, wedding photographers who share their tips and techniques. Covering a prenup..or a wedding is quite challenging coz you really have to be good because are precious moments that you need to document and it gives you that feeling that you are carrying the world on your shoulders... But you should learn to accept the challenge.. do good... and always remember this quote.. "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail..." its applicable not just in photography, but also in everyday life...... im planning it to be tattooed onto me someday for me to remember.... 

Many thanks to Love and Chris!

2013 Ensogo-Livingsocial Summer Getaway

 Our summer outing at Subic was a blast. We really had a great time! We went to Grande Island at Subic for an overnight stay and hell it was fun. We had games.. had a little drinks.. and had the time of our lives. These are some of my favorite photos from the trip... you can actually view all the photos from my facebook page.. you probably seen it if  you were one of my contacts for sure.. anyways.. of course jumpshots are one of the favorite photo poses of the trip. You can see there sir jojo at the middle leading the pack! Love this photo

Caught up with Marky and Tracy hanging out at the beach... Dude marky, i think all those early morning runs finally paid off! Is that tummy for real or you're not really breathing at all.. haha.. love this photo... 

 The games were really intense and the people were really competitive ! You can see here Tope' and Anne working on those Polo Mints and BBQ sticks for this crazy relay game...

After the games, i was so boozed out i fell asleep.., missing all  the after dinner festivities.. it was bad coz im the photographer and i should have been on top of the situation and yet.. i was cozy and probably snoring at my room... Good thing I woke up at around 12..ish and saw the people getting crazy! Heres the proof! 

I sneaked in to one of the girl's rooms and saw them getting crazy as well over there... 

at first, i was so lazy to bring the umbrella and the light stand at the trip... good thing i did coz this crazy family portrait wouldnt be possible without it. This pose was actually Tristan's idea and wow.. it looks good by the way. :)

She's a sight for sore eyes... i saw chie enjoying the moment at the beach side and instantly saw a picture of minimalism - single subject , negative space... i did this once with a starfish but then again chie is far more beautiful than a starfish so i just grabbed the opportunity to document this moment.... 

The view from outside the veranda. What a great weather. Its hot... its perfect! Sky is blue, water is fine.. and the booze is just flowing... 

told you the booze is just flowing... i think i drank too much that day.. we had tequila shots, vodka shots... i mixed my sprite + antonov curant specialty added some cherries courtesy of Ms. Innie... We also had some beer... and some other mixed drinks that God knows whats in it...

Rona and Marie at the beach... moments like these are rare since work usually gets in the way... how i wish we have more fun moments like this..were you can see these lovely ladies without their laptops... 

of course my team! the ever reliable Production team of Ensogo! We are crazy as hell but we get the job well done. These are the guys that makes work fun... 

How bout a soak at the pool after a long day swimming at the beach? Yeah that... that is a good plan. Again with our crazy boss, Ms Mara right there raising her hand.. :) She's crazy but yeah we love her. 

This., is one of my favorite photos from the trip... i saw our company's captain - Sir Jojo, at the door of the bridge and he's like there leading us to something great. His vision for the company's better being is reachable...it just takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice...

 Luisa, Luisa, Luisa... she was sick at the beginning of the trip but still managed to look good.. No doubt she's still beautiful even under the weather...

oh yeah.. production team along with Jelix getting woozy. Its nice seeing these bunch of hardworking people enjoying themselves after a long day at work.. imagine they did a couple of write-ups, insertions and graphics while others are enjoying the vacation... life of the production team..its simply remarkable.   

With our bosses, sir Gary and sir Tristan - who is a real comic! I never had a boss as crazy as him..but he's a really nice person. His energy is contagious.. 

Moments with chie...

I had to take this photo real fast or these guys will practically strangle me to death... It was scorching hot! Its a little out of focus actually but what da heck... We had fun! I do hope i can still attend the 4th summer outing. This year was a blast... Thanks a lot Ensogo-Livingsocial! 

The Veranda at Gramercy Residences

If I can choose one of the best thing at my brother's condo unit, no doubt its the view from the veranda. Its so beautiful. In the morning you can see the morning fog...that cool air that smacks into your face....witnessing Makati in its young, new day... 

When it rains.. you can see a sea of white mist which actually is water pouring from above slowly.... and when the rain clears out, you will see a dash of colors from the rain clouds revealing spectacular hues and gradients around the sky.... 

and when night comes..the bright lights of Makati skyline greets you with such goodness. i love it here so much.. how I wish i can afford to have a place like this.. its such an experience...   

Back in Paradise, Calaguas 2013

If theres one place in the Philippines that I'd go back from time to time, this is the spot. "This" is the beach! Nothing beats Calaguas beach in Camarines Norte. Nothing! The beach is simply amazing. Crystal blue waters. Sugar like sands.. Its paradise. This is my 2nd time here and im still in awe. So far, its one of my favorite destinations here in our country.

Here, there is no electricity, your phone wont work here, no signal...no computers.. no internet!!! Its like you're unplugged from reality.  i dont mind the long travel..12 hours to be exact. 10 hours inside the van., eventually you'l suffer from minor butt cramps... then., another 2 hour boat ride.. a long... rough boat ride going to the island.Its rough depending on the winds... sometimes its wild and tumbly yet sometimes its nice and smooth. No matter what it may be, just enjoy the waves...

jo doing yoga on high noon...

I really want to thank Jocy for inviting me to this trip. It was a pretty normal day at work, I was inside the studio and she asked me if I wanna go to Calaguas.. Since its the long weekend..and I got no plans at all.. i just said.. Sure.. lets go! I always wanted to hit the beach coz i miss it so much.... Im addicted to burying my feet into the sands and im craving for that feeling for quite some time now. I never thought twice.. i just said yes.. then I went home, packed and left. 

i am now a fan of iPhone 4S's camera

powdery white!

Nothing but powdery white sand all over.. i just love it. I wanna also give thanks to Jo for entrusting me with her phone coz i dont have a camera with me. Yes. I left my camera at the studio and I kinda felt bad coz i really want to take photos that time. She lend me her iPhone and told  me to snap away!  This is the first one that came to me.. took a photo of  how fine and white the sands of Calaguas.. Its amazing. I just hope they dont commercialize the beach so much to the point its like Boracay already. People are starting to bring generators in the island. They'r messin up the harmony, the peace and quiet of the beach...that natural high of the sounds of the waves, sound of crickets...that clasping sounds of twigs burning in the bonfire..those are the things that should be... not disco lights, rave music and worst, endless crap of Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake.  

From right, that is Jed, who basically owns this blog called BiyaherongBarat.com and he organizes group trips in some of the best places in the country. He's also one of the founders of Biyaheng Lokal who does the same thing. Im happy to be a part of this trip coz these guys are just amazing. Trip is full of laughs., great food.. bonding.. Its an escape actually. Its what i need at the moment. Next to Jed is Camille who happens to be one of the coolest girl ever. Her tattoos are awesome! She is a great writer with some of the best magazines in the metro. She loves San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Red Horse beer and Jack Johnson which definitely raised her "astig" meter to the next level. Like jocy she loves doin yoga under scorching heat... Next to her is Jocy., who happens to be "one" with the beach.. you can actually see it in her tan..w/c looks nice by the way...    

With us, a group of friends from Cebu and they are celebrating a birthday party at the beach! They even have full props...balloons, plackards, customized headbands, a red ribbon chocolate cake and i guess those faces are some of their friends who  can't make it to Calaguas... Looking at them is just amazing coz their bonding is rock solid! They sing together, they crack jokes together and laugh all at the same time. They lay on the sand looking at constellations, waiting for UFO's and counting shooting stars together.. Its friendship at its finest.  I took the liberty of taking a photo of em' while doing their thing. I have this inert feeling that i need to capture that moment. I snatched, borrowed Jed's camera and took this picture... 

this is what beach bummin' looks like

I really had a great time. Every cent that i paid for this trip is all worth it. Imagine you're at the beach.. having grilled fish... and some ice cold beer.. then theres another shot of Emperador orbiting around... and theres some of that Good stuff happenin.. all of these we did it with the sounds of the waves at the background under moonlit skies....as the crows patrol the area. Its close to perfection. Sobrang swabe lang. Thats me bago masunog.

grabbed the photo from Jed's Facebook. Group shot! I look like crap.

I also met this kid who talks  like a thirty year old... his name is Kio.. He's just amazing.. his imagination.. his crazy pick-up lines... i must admit, without his presence, the trip would be a little dull... This kid has a bright future ahead of him. I just hope he would use his smarts and wits into doing something good.. not bullying gradeschoolers and harassing chicks of his age.. haha..even chicks older than his age!  He's just so good at those! hehe. My favorite lines from Kio are : "Kuya Jed!!! Pinupulikat na ba yung puso mo? " (Is your heart suffering from cramps?)..  "Nganga!" , "Sige bye~ ", "Grade 4 ako, dapat mo akong galangin.."  Hahahaha.. I'd never said anything like that when I was in grade 4... This kid is really something! 

Watch out for more trips from  Biyaherong Barat and Biyahe Lokal. You dont have to think about anything.. You just have to relax and njoy the ride..Its affordabe.. you have good company, and its a lot of fun! and... They cook the best tinolang manok!

Photos from :

Jocy's iPhone. (Thanks Jo!)

Jed Rosell (group shot) - www.biyaherongbarat.com  

P.S. : Bring a lot of Sunscreen coz sunburn is hell!