I got my first DLSR in 2008 ( a Nikon D80). Prior to joining cruise ships as a wedding photographer (instead of what i applied for as a videographer), i had the time to fiddle around with my shiny new DSLR. And where else to better test my photography skills (or lack thereof during that time) was to do street photography.
I continued my love with street photography even when i was still working on ships. I would bring my camera along with me every time we hit different ports. I took off the usual tourist route to take pictures for my personal collection. Then when i thought I had enough decent photographs, i decided to launch a humble solo exhibit.
I invited only mostly close friends and fellow photographers. This was also my way to announce to everyone that "yeah. im a photographer now!" hehehe.
Here are some selected photographs from the show.
So after being a cruiseship photographer I started to do wedding photography from 2010 up to the present. Since then I have not gotten the chance to take photographs for myself anymore. I couldn't find the time nor the energy to pick myself up from my vacant time and just shoot outside like i used to.
So all this time, I always wanted to do a street-inspired prenup shoot as a look-back and tribute to my street photography days as a beginner. When I posted my intent on Facebook for any would-be takers, Jaqui was very quick (and the only one) who replied. Brave and adventurous of them! it suited them because they came all the way from Bahrain and did not have enough time to hunt and reserve for traditional prenup locations. it was also well suited as it would showcase a different side of the Philippines to the foreign guests who will attend their wedding.
We set out to have the shoot in Quiapo, Manila. And true to the "street photographer" style, everything was shot in guerilla, no permits!!!! =) (here in the Philippines, unlike in our other neighboring Asian countries, it is almost impossible to shoot an engagement session in public w/o the necessary permits from the local government or the establishment)
Instead of having to carry around my heavy Nikkor 70-200 VR2, i decided to rent a nikkor 85/1.8 from one of my friends. (using that lense convinced me to get a Nikkor 85/1.4 which i shoot with all the time!). Carrying a small rig while shooting in crowded and rowdy Quiapo gave me the luxury to be quick and be less conspicuous.
So enough of the talking and lets see some photos shall we.
I started by asking Francis and Jaqui (FJ) to stand beside these traffic posts and told them to just talk to each other. I usually do this to try to take away whatever jitters they may have. Then I just snapped away with hopes of getting some candid shots. A warm-up if you may.
I did the same thing with this shot below, I just asked them to lounge around and just look at their surroundings and talk. Nobody even knew they were there to have their picture taken. I positioned myself behind a candle vendor to conceal myself from on-lookers and to add some foreground to the shot.
And to get some sense of documentary-street photography, i switched positions and got this shot below.
Then the couple requested for us to have a scene inside the Lacson Underpass as they would always pass there when there were still dating in college.
When we went down, i was kinda worried because I was anticipating poor quality of light. Then this stairwell caught my attention as it was beaming beautiful natural soft light from above. So again, i just asked them to sit and talk. Real plain and natural posings. I thought of getting a vertical shot of this one to crop it in a way that to have FJ and the pattern of lines of the stairs filling the frame. But sticking to the street-themed concept, i backed up a bit and included the vendor on the left hand side of the frame to give more context and character to the location. There were several shots of this set, but i purposely chose this one wherein a man is passing them going up. I think it adds more charm to the shot and again points back to the "street" concept.
Next, we had FJ walk this ramp leading to the Quiapo bridge. I had to walk way ahead of them to get a wide shot of them and the street at 85mm.
Quiapo is a haven for photojournalists and hobbyists for slice-of-life scenes. So after these seemingly documentary set of photos, we decided to walk around a bit more to we find interesting backgrounds and textures. And rustic Quiapo did not fail us.
While walking we found this closed shop with a shiny green metal cover. While taking the photo, a guy carrying some boxes unmindfully passed in between me and FJ, then i just waited for the guy to reach to other end and took the photo. Again adds more charm to it.
Love how the water is frozen in time. =)
Below is my favorite shot of the whole engagement session and prolly FJ's too. It was also something we just passed by while walking around. Here i switched lenses from an 85mm to a Nikkor 24-70.
Artistically, this one of my most satisfying engagement shoots I have done. Personally its a testament to my humble beginnings as a hobbyist who loved to shoot outside and my journey to doing it professionally as a wedding photographer. Not everybody can say that they are doing the things that they love while getting paid all at the same time.
To view the full set and shots taken by me and my back up photographer Mark, please click on the Facebook link below. (for some reason, I have not uploaded this yet on our website www.iceboximaging.com)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.406591986044991.80177.120018494702343&type=3
