Everything Has Its First

What are friends for? Well, they can either boost your ego or burst your bubble! But in this case, a friend jumpstarts your career.

The Vallejos

There's no better story to tell than that of a father and son.

The restless little Jacob.

Thanks to Jesus and Tin2x for the break! 

A Not-So Sublime Genesis

Photography seemed like a far-flung extension of my interest in art. My teen years (yes, I mean those three-persons-can-fit-in-my-baggy-clothes interlude) were spent vomiting ink, needless to say consuming pastel, on spotless, smooth, thin surfaces. It’s funny now of how I thought of myself as a hot stuff that could draw. Back then, sketching was a useful scheme to get girls’ attention slyly. Hahaha…

But then someone from the neighborhood grew up and I came to terms with the fact that I am and can never be, though my name suggests what my future should hold, one of The Great Raphael’s modern replicas. I cannot paint the great works of creations as perfectly as I would want nor paint a face flawlessly, as frustrated as I was. And then like a genius, (forgive my self-absorption momentum) I realized (no, discovered is an apt word. I'm supposed to be a genius, am I not? LOL) that technology indeed offers a venue to remount my hope on art through photography.

My first owned digital camera was a basic Nikon Coolpix. Not that it did much justice to the real beauty a moment offered in those days, but it worked its ass off (if it ever had one) to freeze every effin’ important second of my life and my friends and friends of friends lives. I hanged with it for some time for one good reason: I cannot afford a better one. The second camera I poured by frustrations unto was a Nikon Coolpix p100. It was somehow a good piece to practice photography. It has a few of the basic ingredients in maneuvering photo effects. And it has a good deal of zoom capability. I was delighted with how that piece of machine can replicate, and does more, what my eyes can see.

It was only until recently (and by that I mean 9 months ago), that I got hold of my very first Nikon DSLR. It’s not worth hundreds of thousands. But it’s doing a pretty good job with my not-so-newly-found obsession. I took pictures every chance I got. Learned tricks and brilliant ideas from renowned photographers through online tutorials, blogs, featured stories… all information I can grasp whenever I hit Google. Well, you see, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, so participating on the real stuff that costs thousands is not much of an option. Luckily though, our humble town has a handful of practiced photography enthusiasts who share their pieces of the pie with the rest of us, neophytes.

When my partner bought her DLSR as well a few months after I did, we started offering services for small wedding events and other occasions for three reasons: (1) practice makes perfect (2) we enjoy seizing those perfect unguarded moments of pure joy (3) and what better way to practice and indulge ourselves with our obsession other than that we get paid for? :D Plus, we get to update and add accessories with it. So hail to all patient and wonderful clients! =)

I and my partner is a work-in-progress. We’re maybe still in the slopes and were definitely tried, but you know what they say, “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” So yeah, this fascination upon witnessing your happy moments and freezing them for your great great grand kids to see will make us better and stronger.

Of course I'm the one with the less hair. :p

You POSE, we SHOOT!