book i: pre-production

us

Love of Photography

I had never taken any form of photography class all my life.  I don’t have a top of the line kick ass monster camera.  I probably would never.  I do not have the desire to.  And while these seemingly negate what I am about to write.  It is true.

I love photography. 

I love images.  It may be a single frame from a movie clip.  It may be a polariod.  It could well be even in instagram.  Or a still from a dream—an image in my mind.  

Love.

I love looking at pictures.  Good ones.

I maybe, can spend an afternoon just taking in the beauty in frames.  I sometimes get lost looking at images.  There had been times when I just could not stop looking.

I don’t consider myself a photographer--far from it.  But I’d like to think that there are times when I am thrown a carrot.  All the elements come together and I am allowed to capture that moment perfectly.  And for me, those moments are enough.

I am an enthusiast.  Not a professional.

My Love

My husband and I hardly have any photos together.

Sometimes, a birthday goes by without one photo taken.  This bothered me. 

I think about the lack of photographs, but it had always been a constant struggle--taking photos seems to pull us away from the present.  It gets in the way of now.  

It breaks my heart, the thought of not having something to remember us by.  I mean, if we are going The Notebook here, how would I remember?

Our Love, Captured

In celebrating our love, through the sacrament of marriage, my husband and I knew that we had to find the team who could give us what me don't have, in a form that is raw and pure. 

We wanted a team who sees us--and puts us in a frame in their artists' eye. 

It almost seemed like a quest for a love.

A Journey of Love

We looked. 

Everywhere.

We looked at so many websites that it was exhausting.  I personally, was close to feeling spent.

I contacted friends who got married the last couple of years and asked them for their shortlist. 

Maybe, I thought.  Maybe we will find them there.

And just when I thought I had seen everyone, my husband sent me a web address.

Look at this.  He wrote.

That was all.  

Look at this.

It was lunchtime.  And I didn’t have the energy to look—given our track record.  I decided to wait till evening. 

Love at First Sight 

Jeff and Lisa. 

I had not come across them before.  Their names were not familiar.

But I typed into the URL and looked.

Saw.

Loved.

The images that drew me to the husband-and-wife team were not that of a wedding nor a couple.  It was a series of portraits of a young family taken in their home.

I could feel the love.  Really.  Truly. 

Pure.  Innocent.  Bliss.

I could never forget how real those images felt.  Happiness immortalized. 

The way the sunlight went through the windows, refracted by the motion of the curtains. 

The curve of the children’s feet. 

The smiles.

The imperfections of day to day life; the perfection of unconditional love.

Perfect, imperfect. 

Reality. 

Then, I knew.

New Age Love

I asked my husband how he felt about their work--Jeff and Lisa’s.

He said that when he saw it, he had a feeling I would like their style.

I contacted Lisa and set an appointment.

That meeting just validated what I already knew, the search was over.

Perhaps, this is how modern love grows.  Digital touch points.  Virtual connections.

Love Blossoms

We met Jeff and Lisa personally in Manila when we went home to attend a friend’s wedding.  By then, Lisa and I would have already exchanged long emails wedding and non-wedding related.

Meeting her in person was really exciting for me. It was like I was meeting an old friend.

The couple walked into the veranda of the café all smiling.  I bet that even if I didn’t know how Lisa looked like, the giant smile she had on her alone would have told me, it was her.

The Lovers

I can say that I like Jeff and Lisa even when they are not Jeff and Lisa, husband and wife photographers.

I like them as Jeff and Lisa, husband and wife.  Just the same.

You spend time with a couple and you get a good feel of how they are.  How they deal.  How in love they are.

This is not to say they are lovey dovey.  They are professional and appropriate in every way possible.  But, you see their love.  I think love can’t be hidden by formalities and professionalism.

And I think this love reflects on their work. 

And I think they are truly the people you want to be around you on your wedding day.

Believers.

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Note: This is the first instalment.  More entries to come as I sort though the box of photos and a flash drive full of images from our big day.   

what goes with THE dress?

Before I do a monster blog entry about the probable most important dress of my life, I thought I'd write about accessories.

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Restraint.  

I think that it would be all too easy to go overboard with accessories.

Something for the hair, a belt for accent, a heirloom locket, a beautiful bracelet, chandelier earrings, a necklace he gave you for your anniversary--there is something meaningful, relevant, pretty, sparkly and wedding worthy for every part of the body.

It could be quite overwhelming deciding what to wear.  Or what not to wear.

For myself, I've always known that the only thing I wanted to add to the dress was a pair of earrings.

No headpiece.  No necklace.  No belt.  No bracelet.

Just earrings.

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Now, I didn't know exactly which earrings it would be.

From those that I already had, I was sure something would work.  I had finalists.  

My finalists fell under the obvious choice category.

What is the obvious choice?  Diamonds with a drop South Sea Pearl.  I think that is beautiful.  Classic.  It is the quintessential wedding accessory.

That being said, I was happy to wear any of my finalists.

dress to earrings: you complete me

Admittedly, there was a small part of me that felt the longing for the earrings to be different.

Something that has an antique feel, but doesn't look old.  Maybe even nostalgic. 

Something potentially with a hint of colour.  But not at all bright or striking.
Subtle. 

Something I would love to own.
Something I can see myself wearing even after the wedding. 

Something that suites me.  My style.
It should compliment me first, the gown second. 

Something possibly romantic.  But not cheesy.
Absent of hearts or stars. 

Exhibits a sense or classiness and elegance.
Not whimsical.

It needs to be well made.
Could have a potential of being a classic.

I know this is asking a lot from a mere set of earrings.  But let us not forget that I have the "ideal" earrings on hand--and this was me dreaming of an extra special touch. 

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With a lot of other things going on, I didn't want to stress over something I didn't even know existed.  

It wasn't as if I found the one.  

It was just the idea of the other choice. 

With a shrug I thought, if it happens, it happens.  

I didn't even set out to find it.

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During one of my facetime sessions with my Mom,  I told her about the debate in my mind about which earrings I ought to wear for the wedding.

She offered me any earring in her jewellery stash.

She also said that we can scout for earrings when I come home to visit.  She is somewhat a regular at a certain store, so we may be able to get better rates if we see something we like, she said.

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I guess, a fairy godmother I didn't know about decided to grant me a wedding gift.

Without much effort, I found my earrings--in the store, my Mom frequented.

It was  a bonus that my Mom loved them too!  Our styles are quite opposite so finding something we are both in love with, is on its own, an event worth noting.

my earrings, in action

I consider myself lucky.

My heart secretly dreamt up the perfect earrings and somehow, circumstances (with the help of my Mom) lead me to find it--even when I was not looking.

This is by no means a highlight on our big day, but I do smile a little when I remember the story behind that small thing.