On the second day of our photoshoot and part of my plan was to find a creek. I was aiming to showcase one of our local cultures of "Paglalaba sa Batis" (Washing clothes in the creek). This custom can still be seen in local provinces.
Some choose popular locations which you often need to pay for a fee to do a shoot like resorts or hotels. But sometimes the best locations are free. Getting there was not easy though as we had to do a trek thru a muddy trail.
I am glad that some of the relatives of the bride came along for the shoot. Since they are from around here they knew exactly what I was looking for.
A few minutes away from the creek we passed by this bamboo bridge.
I said, "We need to stop and do a shoot here."
The bridge had that provincial feeling made from bamboo and crossing it was also was a bit scary. Each step you make the bridge vibrates and John said "Are you sure we need to go to the middle part?"
I said, "Yes it should be safe people cross the bridge every day."
Everyone starting laughing.
After taking a couple of shots we headed down to the creek to find the best spot. My gear is not weather sealed and I was afraid that I might slip. I had to move slowly and the water was knee-deep in some parts.
We found the perfect spot where some bamboo trees have bent down. It had enough shade and light was shining thru behind the background.
The first scene that I wanted was like exploring and guiding Aileen thru the deep waters. It sort of had the meaning of
"I will hold your hand every step of the way. No matter how strong or deep the current is."
We started the clothes washing scene and I figured I should add a little bit of flirting to the scene.
We laid down some bamboo so they can have a good place to sit. The traditional way of washing clothes is using a "Palu-Palo. It is that piece of wood that John is holding and is used to beat the clothes to make them cleaner.
In this scene, I was waiting for the leaves to fall off the bamboo trees. If I waited it would take forever so instead we had someone throw leaves from above. The shot didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to be.
The coming home scene after washing the clothes.
The next scene is serenading by the creek. My daughter chose this spot and I think this was perfect sitting on the rock while playing the guitar. This is also one of our traditional customs in the Philippines which is called "Harana." In the province, the boy visits a maiden's house at night, serenades her until she comes, and shows herself in the window.
That was my original plan but we couldn't find an old ancestral house with old sliding windows. Serenade by the creek has turned out wonderfully and exceeded my expectation. Both of them loved the shots.
As per request they wanted to do their signature pose. A pose they have been doing for the past years in a lot of their photos. I think every couple should have their signature pose.
We had to do another cheesy scene which is splashing each other with water. I didn't like these shots as it feels so fabricated. It is something that I would need to work on. Maybe one day I could get this type of shot right.
This shot was spontaneous. I was surprised that John just hopped on Aileen and I had to take this shot.
The last scenario that I wanted to take was the piggyback ride and I got the shot that I wanted. I have been planning for this shot. I think this is one of my favorite shots in this location. It feels so real and you could feel the love from this photo.
A love that is full of fun captured by the shutter of the camera.
Thank you for spending a little of your time with me. I hope you enjoyed our little adventure doing this pre-wedding photo shoot.
I would love to hear from you all. Until then see you again soon.
All photos are original and taken with
Lumix GX85 and Olympus 45mm f1.8
