It took me quite a while to figure out how to write about this
After all, there’s like a thousand something pictures between us
I think it was May or June last year when both Luis and Melanie asked if I can shoot their wedding
And suddenly, this idea came to mind
To shoot them, as they are ever month until their wedding, from July to June
We agreed on the specifics. No make-up, no formal dresses and just enjoy instead
I’ve tried to narrow down the pictures as much as I can
And this is the best I can do.
Hello Luis and Melanie. See you real soon again.
July 2018 | Starbucks in Mactan Newtown
On our first session, we were still getting to know each other. They kept asking what to do, where to sit. Smile or no smile.
August 2018 | 32 Umber Cafe
I remember Melanie’s Mom specifically picking her dress for this meeting. We again had coffee. Something we all love.
September 2018 | Crate Cafe and Ayala Heights
Although it was our 3rd month of seeing each other, we were still not quite acclimated. A few bloopers and Luis’s hand sweating. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the cool afternoon at Busay. We thought it was going to rain but luckily it didn’t.
October 2018 | Tops
I guess this was the time we laughed the most. I wanted to try that face close-up pictures but it just didn’t work out too well and looked crazy instead. We had beer this time.
November 2019 | Mr. A’s
It was the 3rd straight time we went up to Busay. It came out of a random idea I had when I heard the song Coffee by Copeland. We had pizza and beer. When it was time to go, I told Luis I’d come with them to Argao and we stopped by somewhere in Sibonga for some flare pictures.
December 2018 | Lawis, Argao
Another idea that I had was for the 3 of us to catch the sunrise. We woke-up while everybody else was sleeping and arrived at Lawis when it was still dark. I think, this is my favorite meeting of all.
January 2019 | Sinulog
It was inevitable. We were going to take pictures on the streets. We ended up with a few because we were embarassed.
February 2019 | My House
I invited them over at home for some coffee making tutorial with Melanie’s sister, Michelle. We made latte, sat and talked and then went out for more pictures. If I’m not mistaken, this is Luis’s favorite. P.S. Melanie hasn’t said if she has a favorite meeting.
March 2019 | Argao
I’d always wanted to shoot at a place I’ve been seeing everytime I pass by Argao, where the river meets the sea. When we went there however, it was full of trash. I’m still glad we managed to take these.
April 2019 | Osmeña Peak
This was also going to happen sooner than later. We arrived there a bit late but the breeze was still cool. I’m always not confident when shooting under the open sun but we managed to squeeze out nice ones. It was our 10th session. 1 more.
May 2019 | Lambug, Badian
On our last session, these two picked me up at home and we drove together to Argao. We wanted to stay at Moalboal but decided Lambug the last minute. I remember passing by McDonalds in Moalboal for lunch too. We arrived early but we waited until the light was just nice.
I purposely picked the 2nd to the last photo because it seemed symbolic of our last meeting before their wedding, with both Luis and Melanie looking back at all those months of meeting and shooting.
Looking back at it all, I feel a little proud of myself for being able to be part of something like this. These two aren’t clients. They’ve become really good friends. How can I ever thank you Luis and Melanie? Hello!
