Letter to my wife

Mom,
Last night I realized
That I am falling in love w/ you again
And that I am beginning to love you more and more each day
My love for you now has grown older, wiser and deeper
Twenty years ago, I decided to marry you
Because I thought that you were a good person to spend my life with
And now that half of my life was already spent w/ you along my side
I want to tell you...
That I am falling in love w/ you for who you are
I love you for your goodness
But I love you more for your imperfections
I long for the days when you are sweet to me
But I appreciate the days when you fight me
The days when you remind me the dreams you wanted to have accomplished in your life
Looking back now, I have not given you all that you have dreamed of
And am not sure if I can ever fulfill all of them
But today I realize
That I am willing to work twice as hard,
To fulfill your dreams
To support our family's dreams
I may still miss out on the big little things you expect from me
But last night I realized
That I am falling in love w/ you again
And our marriage is the best joy that life has given me
And all the pain and sacrifices are worth it
Because you are my wife
And I love you for what you are...for better or worse, for richer or poorer, 'til death do us part.
Sincerely,
Daddy Rene
Feb 07
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La Piazza

It is Carol and Jojo's dream to celebrate their union in Italy.

So they got their Papal blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.


And had their dream prenup fulfilled.


Where is this place?

Feature Story: The Loveliest Wedding Vow, "Woray-woray Brit"

Ed exerted much effort in translating and reading his wedding vows in Karla's native dialect. He read each word carefully and paused after each sentence, which made statement sink-in deeply to Karla and much of the guests who understood what he was saying.

This is the touching story of Karla & Ed.

Related Link:
Karla & Ed - Tambay sa Eastwood

20-30

Oftentimes, I try to go against the trend and create a new style that will hopefully produce personalized products for each client.

So instead of building a wedding machinery doing large volume weddings in a year, I would rather opt for the opposite, I will target only 20 to 30 weddings in a year. That would make an average of about 2 weddings in a month (20) + 10 during peak months.

How is this viable?

Firstly, I own Kodak shop from which I derive my main livelihood.
If I only have wedding photography as my main business, I have to give more emphasis on the 'business' side and de-prioritize the 'artistic side'. I have to go for quantity weddings in order to feed my family. Quantity means that I need to offer cheap packages. I need to offer freebies to entice customers to choose me among the other same priced photographers.


Secondly, I prefer to do the 'artist' track with me conceptualizing and doing all the work: from photography to the album design. I try to come up w/ personalized album with stories that are different from one another.

I dedicate a lot of time and effort in each project. Hence, my no rush policy. I also have to consider my capacity and churn rate as an artist.

This is a clear advantage for my clients. I will not be overbooked and can spend more quality working time as necessary.


I remember those days when I ran a small IT training center. I was able to close a deal with ADB because the director prefers that he deals w/ small outfits working hard to please the client's requirements than big suppliers who will just put you as one of their many clients on the list.

Creative Lighting Techniques

The Bottomline

If I have to use flash, I might as well use it creatively.
You will never see me using my flash simply attached on top of my camera.
I have experimented and invested on different creative lighting techniques because my clients deserve only the very best.

I prefer not to 'reveal' the technical details this time but will simply explain the effects of these creative lighting when used in different situations.

Karla during preps - flash need not be used only at night, notice the subtle lighting accenting her left side. (And the light did not reach Ogie her good hairstylist)


Anthony and Julie during portraiture - did I use flash or no flash? One prospective client noted that the white flash on couples doesn't blend well w/ the ambient yellow lighting and since then I have 'adjusted' such images from my digital negatives to produce this effect.


Prior to that, I saw Anthony sort of 'casting a spell' on Julie's gown so she'll fall in love with him foreverafter. The post-processing effect here is a new look I am perfecting in photoshop (a future topic).


Chie and Chris, slideshow presentation - this has become a standard shot in my coverage, I take a wide angle shot of the slideshow and light the couple at the same time. Notice that the flash doesn't spill over the entire picture.


And this time, a challenging lighting situation, Tim w/ Lara tossing the bouquet from a balcony area. On the leftmost side of the photo is a spotlight focusing on the girls below, it's a good thing I came prepared for such scenarios.


The last photo is Tim enjoying company w/ the girls from below.



There is light only where I want it to be.

Bern Mejias is fond of saying "May the flash be with you." and Dino Lara & I are fond of "Going into the dark side." I think I have become a Jedi trying to master both arts, and am "Going into the dark side of the flash". :)

No Flash

The Bottomline
I have invested on acquiring the best lenses for no flash photography because my clients deserve the very best.

Now, some techie stuff for clients who are into photography themselves

When covering your wedding day, I don't use slow lenses that normally require a flash. Even a 2.8 lens is sometimes inadequate for my style of shooting. I prefer to use 1.4 - 1.8 lenses to give me the ambience and bokeh (the blurry background) I need to give some photos that special look and feel.

Here is the list of lenses that I bring with me during weddings:
50mm f1.4
28mm f1.4
85mm f1.8
17-55mm f2.8

These are all Nikon Nikkor lenses. I don't use 3rd party lenses.

Some sample shots are as follows:

Izy & Smyl, Fernwood Chapel - Sideview shot (nice bokeh using 85mm f1.8)


Jannesse and Louie during their first dance...


and during one of their portraits inside Intramuros. This one looks and feels like an old photo or painting (click on the photo to get a larger view)


Dr. Dubert & Dra. Anne during their toast...


and during their first dance in this grand ballroom of Manila Hotel


Fun couple Miko & Yenyen


Puppy love?


And one final shot of grandpa being invited to the dance during Chie & Chris' wedding in Pennsylvania.


Chie & Chris recently renewed their vows in Nature's Spa, Tagaytay (I used their luminaries as the backdrop for this photo).


All without flash.
More couples to follow in the 2nd part - 'Creative Lighting Techniques' ...