done & done

button-down & jeans from Levi's 

shoes from Topshop

❧

Photos by Edric Chen

post-processing by me 

❤

Jeune fille

model: Ashley Ramos

makeup artist: Diane Lorenzana

stylst: Sarah Policios of 11th of October

lights & set-up c/o: Edric Chen

I had a photo shoot with Ashley Ramos last Saturday for her portfolio and for 11th of October's new collection. I asked if she's ever had a shoot or has done any runway jobs before and was surprised when she said that she's never done any modeling jobs ever. She's only 17 and I think she's about 5'7". I was so shocked at how young she was and understood right away why she chose to let her mum go with her (cos it was her first photo shoot). With her height and pretty face, I know she'll land more jobs in the future. Just don't be too shy next time, Ashley! And sorry for making you laugh too much at some points :))

After getting her makeup done and after getting styled by the girls of 11th of October, she wasn't quite as confident to pose for us, compared to the other models Edric and I have worked with before. But as soon as I nudged Edric to play some music (no wonder it was so awkward at first), she became more comfortable with everyone looking at her and you could see her eyes lighting up for the camera more.

It always takes some time to get used to posing in front of different photographers and in front of sooo many people (as what my professor had said before, it takes a whole village to get that perfect shot). I guess for aspiring models like Ashley, you'll get the hang of posing for strangers, especially when you know you're working with the right people. It's important for you to trust them or do some research before accepting any jobs. I guess I'm lucky that I'm not so new to photography anymore. I've worked with some talented artists, and I've worked with not-so-good ones as well (hehe). It's your job as a model to project, give out your best poses and to take care of yourself! Remember, not all photographers can Photoshop well! There's only a handful of people out there who can actually edit well. Oh and it also takes a lot of guts and attitude. BE FEARLESS! That's my advice for everything.

Edric was even ranting to me while Ashley was getting her makeup done about how post-processing here was mediocre compared to the editing jobs abroad. He also showed me this mind-blowing video on how this photog edited her pics (forgot her name but she's soooo damn good). Imagine, the minimum fee (for newbie retouchers) is $50 PER PHOTO which takes 2-4 hours to finish! WOAH. And so I realized that it's no wonder the editing jobs here are so bad (with horrible liquified photos and super ugly dodge and burn, airbrushing, etc.)- people don't get paid enough! If my regular job paid $30 for editing 50 photos, WHAT A HEADACHE. I can't make a living off that. The good ones I'm taking about freakin' dodge and burn DOT PER DOT and draw-on/emphasize each pore to make it look natural. FINALLYYY some clarity and an explanation as to why I am always disgusted with heavily-airbrushed photos. I always like real skin showing through portraits.

If I could find a job abroad that would entail post processing, at $50 per image as my starting rate, hell yeahzz I'll take that as a sideline!

After graduating I'm seriously going to learn more about lighting and watch editing tutorials for days. This run-of-the-mill editing that I'm doing has got to go up another level!

♥

The Scent of Lithium

photos by Edric Chen

makeup by Jill Alblaza-Tumbaga

styling by Argie Salango

Everyone's been saying that I look so different now compared to how I looked before with long hair... After seeing these shots from my first shoot with the boy cut, I fully agree! Gosh, I look so butch... But I actually love having super short hair, and almost everyone's been telling me to keep it short... forever. Still, there are some who say that cutting it was such a waste. Mum kept my hair, btw. I also have my locks from when I cut my hair during grade school, and at that time my hair reached my knees! My sister had hers right past her waist at that time and she was able to donate her locks to a girl who was born with a rare condition that caused for her not to have any hair at all. Even her brows could be barely seen...

I'm looking for a Locks of Love-sorta thing here around Manila... Hit me up in the comments or send me a tweet if you guys have any idea as to where I can donate my old locks.

I'm off to Cebu after my class this afternoon and I'm attending the anniversary bash of Preview Magazine this Saturday. Quite excited since I'm finally gonna see my friends today. I've been alcohol-free for more than 2 months (yes, I quit just after a year I started drinking) and I haven't been clubbing for that long, too... My friend Abee and I were talking about how quickly we've become grandmas thanks to the weight of our course combined with our "jobs" and lifestyles...

I'll be posting a couple of videos in a couple of days as well. Flip Philippines was kind enough to hand me and Saab M. Flip Mino HDs to use during events and such to help spread the word of how easy and awesome the Flip cameras are... I've been having so much fun with it, recording random moments and capturing things on video... Editing's so easy, but my problem's with my internet connection at home. Seems like everyone's been having trouble with the internet and we're the last ones to get hit by it.

Take care, loves!

♥

BLANC *edited

Photos by Edric Chen

taken at Pioneer Studios

Raleene

Camille

Kryz

Tricia

Ira

Click on the names and HYPE our looks on Lookbook! :)

Photos by Edric Chen & PP by Ira Giorgetti

makeup by Ria Redor

♥♥♥

Edric invited a couple of us for a fun Lookbook photoshoot last week. A couple of people weren't able to come and it would've been more fun with them- but I must admit, I had so much fun even if only a few of us got our photos taken... I have the least number of fans as compared to everyone else in the bunch, but I guess it's safe to say that I'm fine with that since I RARELY (almost never) post new stuff (hehe). It's amazing how people still manage to hype or subscribe to me... So I'm thankful.

The people in the shoot were familiar faces. I've worked with Edric before (as a co-photographer and posing in front of his lens), as well as the makeup artists. I've also produced a couple of photos for Camille and Kryz for their stores/clothing lines. I know Tricia from the online world and got to meet her years back, crossing paths during shoots and events. As for Ira, it was my first time to meet him, but I knew we had a few (or even more) common friends. He was really nice and of course, dressed really well...

These Lookbook "personalities" are amazing, they excel and are known in their fields (I'm the only one who's still in school), and their Lookbook fame's just a plus. Like me, they endure sleepless nights and their schedule's just unbelievably tight (but I think I still have the worst case of insomnia, hehe). They manage to look amazing and confident in front of the camera even if they each had to squeeze in the shoot to their schedules that day (I was the only one who was "free" if you don't count one small meeting), and that says a lot about them. (This topic deserves another blog entry)

I guess it's safe to say that in the field of art, you sorta have to express yourself with the way you dress in order to be remembered or to create an impact. Now that's not the same as buying expensive clothes or conforming to the newest trends. It's really just a matter of creating your own unique identity and being able to carry yourself well in whatever you wear. It takes time to really know yourself, but it's gotta be one of the most important things you can do in your lifetime. Yes, a lot of people struggle with this (I know I used to & still am, slightly). But I can say that getting to know yourself more helps with being happy. You realize what kind of life you want to experience. We all want some kind of freedom, and at the same time a sense of direction in life.

Read Kryz's post about the shoot HERE (she has BTS photos, too!)

She took these with her new Lumix and asked me for help on how to use it. They look great, Kryz! :)

fusion of faces and fashions

teaser!

photo by Edric Chen

Lookbook linkydinks:

Kryz

Camille

Ira

Raleene

Tricia

(As if you guys never stumbled upon THEIR LB pages! LOL)

Ria and Kris on Camille

Kryz's

Kris Bacani arrived and did Tricia + Camille's makeup :)

The walls have eyes at Pioneer Studios!

Mandatory webcam snapshot for my lame Dailybooth :))

And of course I got the big hair + bold lips look again :))

Can't wait for the photos to come out!

and I feel CELESTIAL

photography by Edric Chen

styled by Monina Gatan (clothes by Ronaldo Arnaldo)

makeup by Ria Redor

hair by Kris Magboo

I love this one.

Random fact about me: I can play ping-pong with my eyes! :))

♥♥♥

I've always wanted a photo like this! No brows!

I can't believe I'm not wearing a wig and they were able to make my hair THAT big... I think I look like Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd here! :))

What a challenging shoot for everyone! It was fun though. :)