No one would guess that in Butuan, we will be able to find such immensely interesting and beautiful spots to shoot a pre-wedding. No me, not Monique and Mikey. But we are lucky enough to be friends with fellow photogrpaher Shayla and her husband, Jimbo, who are not only now based in Butuan but are spearheading the eco-tourism efforts there. They showed me what I can expect when I shoot there and i was quickly sold – and so were Mikey and Monique when I passed on the idea to them. Thus late last year we ventured to a place we almost knew nothing about and got the surprise of our lives. From enormous oil barges that looked like the set from the movie Waterworld, to incredible waterfalls,enchanting lakes, and centuries old fishing devices – we were able to shoot concepts that we haven’t done before. Huge kudos goes to Monique and Mikey who not only took the risk to shoot in Butuan but also braved all the hikes and climbs that we did. It was truly an adventure all throughout and we have all the photos to show for it. Our immense thanks go out again to Shayla, Jimbo, Marlon, and John of Watergate Hotel for being such amazing hosts. Enjoy.

We have always dreamt big in our shoots and most of the time, we are fortunate to execute and realize them. There are, however, times when we have to scrap an idea altogether and find another way to best ourselves. Case in point is Steph and Errtee’s pre-wedding shoot in Dumaguete. We primarily went to this part of the Philippines to shoot with the famed sea turtles of Apo Island. And while we were able to see and try to shoot the couple with the turtles, we just ran out of time to execute them properly. This plus an unexpected downpour in Lake Balisasaw threw us off course but it only motivated us more. I have to give it to Steph and Errtee, because all the things we did were not easy. It was their willpower (and looks) that overcame all the adversities we faced and allowed us recover, better than we hoped. Sometimes, things don’t go our way. But it is on how we react to it by worrying only about the things we can control that will determine a winning situation from a losing one. For this particular one, we chose the former. Enjoy the photos and make sure you watch our behind-the-scenes video. Special thanks to Terence Buenaventura for Steph’s make-up.