1st Year Anniversary

I just celebrated my 1st year in photography last January 11, 2009.

I would like to express my gratitude to God, to my family and to all the people whom I've work with and became friends with for without them I will not be able to make it in photography. I will not mention names because I might miss one person and can't forgive myself if ever I do so. I know you all know who you are and again thank you so much. Of course thanks to Inquirer, Business Mirror, FilAm Star, Philippine Star, Sense & Style for publishing the photos I took. I can't thank you enough.

I am hoping for the best and hope that you will continue to support me with my passion and continue to inspire, criticize, and teach me to become a better artist. I will assure you that I will continue to share, teach and inspire you too.

I am looking forward to whatever life has to offer me. I will still dream with my eyes open because I know it will soon come true if I put my mind and heart to it.

Once again from the bottom of my heart thank you for everything.

I Got An Emmy!

I was so extremely happy to know that cartoon show that I am part of won a prestigious Emmy Award in the category New Approaches – Daytime Children’s at the 35th Annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Daytime Emmy Awards in New York City on Friday June 13, 2008! I was a clean-up and in-between artist for the "I Got A Rocket!" and that was my very first animation job at Sunwoo Entertainment Philippines. Did I already say I am happy? Knowing "I Got A Rocket!" won makes me proud of myself and my friends who work very hard for that show. Congrats to all of us!.Sarap ng feeling!!!

Below is an article about the award:

SLR Productions' animated series wins Daytime Emmy

SLR Productions animated television series I Got A Rocket! won a prestigious Emmy Award in the category New Approaches – Daytime Children’s at the 35th Annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Daytime Emmy Awards in New York City on Friday June 13.

I Got A Rocket! is an explosive fast paced comedy following the adventures of 12-year-old Vinnie Q, who receives the best present a boy could ever get - a wise-cracking, gadget-packed rocket ... who just happens to be his new best friend! The
fast-paced 52 x 11 minute animated series is based on Matt Zurbo and Dean Gorissen's award-winning Australian picture book of the same name. The series is co-produced by SLR Productions, Taffy Entertainment, Sunwoo Entertainment, KI.KA ARD and Europool.

The Australian series airs daily on the USA Video on Demand broadcast channel Kabillion. I Got A Rocket! aired on Network Ten Australia and currently airs on Nickelodeon Australia, KI.KA Germany and Gulli TV France. The 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards is a presentation of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in cooperation with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

SLR's CEO Suzanne Ryan says: “This was an absolute team effort and we are all extremely proud of making a successful series that would win such a prestigious award as an Emmy. It’s great to see an Australian series do so well internationally. I Got A Rocket! has been a rating success on all the networks it’s screened so far. We look forward to its continuing achievements”.

[Release by SLR]

Double Feature In Business Mirror 12/22/2008

Another set of photos I took were featured at Business Mirror today (12/22/2008) on two different articles. The articles "Celebrities Do Double Duty" and "'Inabel All The Way" were both written by C. Mendez Legaszpi. Thank you so much Miss Charlize for the opportunity, photo credits and the early Christmas gift.

Below are the articles:

Celebrities Do Double Duty

by C. Mendez Legaspi

‘The explosion of the tabloid press and the Internet has made the general public kind of insatiable” when it comes to celebrities, Estée Lauder president John Demsey remarked to Time’s Style & Design in Fall 2006. “People want a sense of familiarity with the people they look up to these days.” This opinion takes on a factual urgency when you consider that retail labels have been consistently using familiar faces as a marketing tool to sell their wares.

The stars, too, have seen the profit potential of such a partnership and have, naturally, agreed to be endorsers of all kinds of brands. Don’t wonder then if these stars are averse to ambush interviews or random paparazzi shots. It’s an “invasion to privacy,” they wail. Truth is, they’re just “protecting the commodity,” i.e., themselves. Stars don’t have a stream of income from a stolen shot. What they want is control of their image and how they are presented to the public.

This is where an endorsement deal becomes desirable for a star, who can rake in millions in the process. For a brand to build and solidify its market position, it makes business sense to attach itself to a recognizable face. Get Laud!, for instance, was generally unknown until it got the ingénue Roxanne Guinoo. With leads in ABS-CBN soaps and sitcoms, the starlet did wonders to the sales of the fledgling clothing brand.

Guinoo’s fellow Star Circle Quest finalist Melissa Ricks was commissioned by lifestyle label Penshoppe to be one of its cliquish endorsers. With her loveteam-mate Matt Evans, both appeal to the brand’s youth target market. The multitalented Maja Salvador hawks for Folded and Hung (F&H), long the turf of Claudine Barreto and Angel Locsin. While the latter two are positioned for the chic working-class females, Salvador serves the company’s aim to lure the perky, younger crowd.

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ROXANNE GUINOO for Get Laud!

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While Penshoppe snared Akihiro Sato (and scored a coup when JC Tiuseco, recently declared the Pinoy Sole Survivor, walked the runway at Philippine Fashion Week), F&H grabbed the equally hot Hideo Moraoka to be its billboard boy. The Japanese-Brazilian may not have cinematic ambitions like his countryman Akihiro but his appeal knows no borders, helping the once-boring brand attain a combustible status.

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CARMEN SOO for Petit Monde

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Still smiling—and selling well—are bosom buddies Gretchen Barreto (for Plains and Prints) and Ruffa Gutierrez (for Avon Fashions). After scandals and heartbreaks, the cachet of these great beauties increases exponentially. Both also hawk for Pantene. As long as they are in the public eye, for good or ill, their fame serves their benefit.

To complement its loyal stable of endorsers (Sunshine Cruz, Jodie Santa Maria and Cheska Garcia), Petit Monde introduced Malaysian superstar Carmen Soo. Gaining fame starring opposite Jericho Rosales, Carmen endeared herself to the public as the prudish but charming Carrie in the concluded soap Kahit Isang Saglit on ABS-CBN. “We didn’t have a hard time in the negotiations. She went to one of the Petit Monde stores and liked what she saw,” said PM’s owners, the Tan siblings, adding that they believed that Carmen signed on because she loves the clothes (50 percent) and is satisfied with the paycheck (50 percent).

All this luring of stars super and up-starts has been mastered to a science by the biggest lifestyle brand of them all—Bench. Not content with its already dizzying lineup, it launched over the weekend the current hottest property: Karylle. Shedding her prim image, Karylle also shed some of her clothes to be the image for Bench Body. Suddenly, the proper Miss Tatlonghari is no Pollyanna after all. (Philippine Fashion Week photos by Henry Anima II)

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IN PHOTO -- KARYLLE for Bench Body

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'Inabel' All The Way

by C. Mendez Legaspi

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CORY QUIRINO in Dita Sandico-Ong

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In its continuing efforts to make abel Iloko as useful as piña and jusi, the Ilocos Sur provincial government staged a unique showcase, Tawid Ken Partuat Red Fashion Show, at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall, participated in by the northern province’s political bigwigs and social lights.

Directed by Cata Figueroa Jr., the fast-paced “heritage and crafts” show was a display of pomp and color as the locally woven abel fabric enjoys a resurgence among the country’s high-fashion purveyors.

“It’s worth to note that this project was made possible by the provincial government of Ilocos Sur, headed by Gov.

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DEPUTY National Security Adviser Luis “Chavit” Singson in Roel Rivera

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Deogracia Victor “DV” Savellano. It was the first time that the bigwigs of Ilocos Sur politics, such as Assistant National Security Adviser and former governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, Rep. Eric Singson, Rep. Ronald Singson, President Elpidio Quirino’s granddaughter Cory Quirino and Governor Savellano, together with local politicians and society figures, were present in one affair,” says Winona Santos, the overall project coordinator.

Since the start of his tenure, it has been Savellano’s vision to promote the province as a “wholesome, safe and secure vacation destination with personnel capable of delivering world-class services” anchored on five tourism market niches: coastal, heritage, pilgrimage, events and agri-aqua.

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BOARD member Chuchi Purisima in her own design

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From blankets to bed covers, pillowcases and place mats, abel Iloko has also penetrated the high-fashion firmament. At the Tawid Ken Partuat show, Randy Ortiz, Edgar San Diego, Avel Bacudio, VJ Floresca, Dita Sandico-Ong and Rhett Eala dressed the politicians and their scions in abel Iloko finery.

The show signified the provincial government’s mandate to preserve and promote the economically viable abel-weaving industry. The traditional craft follows a complex intricate process—from preparing and dyeing the yarn, to arranging different colors of yarn to produce the envisioned design, and operating the wooden handloom with the synchronized movement of hands and feet. (Photos by Henry Anima II)

I Won! Hahaha!

My entry "Leaves Fall Fire Flies" won first prize at the Flickr Photo Club "Fashion EB Photo Contest" for the full body category. Thanks to the organizers, sponsors and judges Roel Santiago, Bert Duarte, Herman Crisostomo, and Steve Hardy for choosing my entry. The prize is a 8MP speed Camera.

Looking For Gifts

It's Christmas hodiday once again and it's the time of the year of giving gifts and sharing your blessings. I'm away from my family and been busy with job that I am having trouble looking for gifts for them. Not only that, it's Christmas rush all over the town so malls are packed with people buying gifts for their families too. The traffic is expected to be heavy so by just thinking about it makes me think of not going to the malls. I need to find an alternative to look for gifts and buy them without having to experience caught in heavy traffic and making my way on a jampacked malls.

I search over the net and found several online stores that I think might solve my problem. Buying gifts online is the best alternative there is. Well if your having trouble looking for online shop, shopwiki is the site for you. Just type on the search box what interrest you and it will lead you to wear you can purchase them. Not only that, thisonline search genius will give you information about the prouct, stuffs related to the product and most important where to shop for it. I think this is really one of the best alternative in looking and buying gifts.

In my case, since I have 2 kid brothers and since they love playing online games and stuff I'm eyeing on the Nintendo Wii. Well everyone knows what Nintendo Wii is but what attracts me the most is the ability to go online and play online for free. I know this will be the perfect gift for them. Now what I have to do next is wait for my bonus to be able to purchase anything for the holiday.

Me In FilAmStar (Cory's World Of Wellness)

My photos grace the pages of FilAmStar on the December 1-15, 2008 Vol. 1 Issue 23 section C1. The article entitled "Cory's World Of Wellness" was written by sir Ernest Gonzaga. Many thanks Sir Ernest.

Below is the article

Me In Business Mirror (Rhapsody In Purple)

Another photo I took graces today's (12/08/2008) edition of business mirror. The photo of Joy Caralde who wore a creation of Eddie Baddeo was taken during the Grand Allure fashion show at the Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer '09. The other photos were taken by other photographers. The article is entitled "Rhapsody In Purple" by C. Mendez Legaspi. Thanks Charlize.

Below is the complete article (click here for web version):

Rhapsody In Purple

By C. Mendez Legaspi

Purple and its various permutations rippled through the runways at Philippine Fashion Week at the SMX Convention Center, the Fashion Watch Quartet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel, and Ferragamo’s 80th anniversary show. The deep vibrant color is also omnipresent among accessories, fragrance and makeup brands.

It is the color of Advent, but purple—or grape, plum, lilac, violet and lavender—started its reign as soon as Charlize Theron graced the cover of June W in a Donna Karan New York drapey dress in the shade. Leona Lewis frolicked in a purple raincoat in her music video “Forgive Me,” while France’s First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy looked chic in a Dior purple coat and trousers on a state visit to Britain. And whenever Michelle Obama wears the color, her ebony skin looks more radiant.

The centerfold of the book Modern Fashion in Detail (V&A Publications at Powerbooks Greenbelt), features, what else, a deep purple silk and velvet evening cape and dress with hand-ruching by Jeanne Lanvin made in 1935.

In history books, too, Cleopatra is wrapped in her favorite color, purple being the mystical color of royalty, nobility and spirituality.

No wonder purple is the color du jour of this festive season.

Women find the lighter variety delicate and romantic, while men prefer the deep shades for its association with riches and success.

So what to give this Christmas? Pick an article with purple trimmings.

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IN PHOTO -- SALVATORE Ferragamo(top left), CESAR GAUPO at Fashion Watch(right), EDDIE BADDEO at Philippine Fashion Week(above left).

Me In Inquirer (Baddeo's Alluring Women Of Power)

Another set of photos I took grace today's (11/28/2008) edition of The Philippine Daily Inquirer - Lifestyle Fashion&Beauty section page H-2. This is the second time my photos to appear on this publication and yet still no credits. These photos were taken during the Grand Allure fashion show at the Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer '09 last October 26, 2008 - featuring the designs of Eddie Baddeo. Thanks Tita Eddie & Sir Edgar for the opportunity, I really appreciate it a lot.

Below is the complete article:

Baddeo's Alluring Women Of Power

Inspired by such remarable women as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Loren Legarda and Boots Anson-Roa, fashion design artist Eddie Baddeo presented a strong collection worthy to be worn by these alluring ladies of power.

The Philippine Fashion Week at the SMX Convention Center is one of the best platforms to showcase his glamorous creations, the maverick designer buckled down to work and joined a sterling lineup on "Grand Allure Night."

Knowing that the Grand Allure Section is generally considered Couture Night, Baddeo displayed his mastery of draping with a 10-piece collection made of stretch satin and sil cocoon.

His grand statement? Sculptured sleeves he deftly manipulated, shaped and molded into sinuous accent for his jewel-toned floor-sweeping gowns.

Statuesque models, in towering Wilson stilettos, looked rich and luxurious in hair and makeup by Jinky Ilusorio and Rudy Adriatico, Director Raymond Villanueva set the evening to a romantic mood.

"The atmosphere is the '80s, when peop;e were brimming with optimism and everyone was just happy! At that time, YSL and Ungaro came up eith clothes that were vibrant and colorful,: Baddeo says.

Sharply constructed, with the necklines as the focal point, Baddeo admits that his exquisite creations drew heavy inspiration from strong women in powerful positions.

After all, only women of substance and a certain dynamism can carry the gowns with panache and aplomb.

Me In Business Mirror (The Stars Are On Aries)

Another set of photos I took grace today's (11/24/2008) edition of business mirror. These photos were taken during the final fashion show of the Project Runway Philippines reality show at the Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer '09. The article is entitled "The Stars Are On Aries" by C. Mendez Legaspi. Thanks Charlize.

By the way, I'm sharing the photo credits with Lem Estiva.

Below is the complete article and if you check the newspaper version there are about 9 photos that are used in the article (click here for the web version):

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The technician Aries Lagat’s winning Project Runway Philippines collection, which was showcased during the recently held Philippine Fashion Week The collection was a marvel of technique and execution.

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The designer from Mindanao trumped the contenders from the Visayas and Luzon in the compelling finale of the first season of the runaway hit reality show Project Runway Philippines. Though not exactly fashion’s “Promised Land,” creative talents from Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro are fast pulling their acts together.

Aries Lagat, the winner of the behind-the-seamstress addictive reality program, hails from war-torn Iligan City and had to do his final collection at the house of fellow designer Jerome Salaya Ang in the metro. “I plan to have my shop here. I’m now Manila-based. Now that I have the money [to set up shop], I will strike while the iron is hot,” the fast-talking former instructor at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines says. “I want to dress up young celebrities, the ones who understand what I do like Teresa Herrera and Alessandra de Rossi.”

“I also plan to have a shop here [Manila] as well as in Cebu. Enough of being a slave outside the country!” echoes first runner-up Philipp Tampus, the Lapu-Lapu City native who toiled for years in the Middle East. “I want to dress up Kris Aquino, because she is maingay and magandang endorser!”

The “second princess,” as he wants to be known, is Makati-based VJ Floresca. “I want someone who is challenging, like Gretchen Barreto.” To which Tampus reflexively says, “Ay ako si Gretchen na rin!” And the three finalists burst into infectious laughter at Club Bureau at A. Venue, Makati.

It may have been a grueling competition but the three, definitely the most equipped and the most hardworking on the show, developed a friendship among themselves and the other contestants. “We were always told, ‘This is a competition! Huwag kayo magtulungan!’ Eh ganun kami eh. Tulungan talaga. There was unity. There was a bayanihan spirit,” the loquacious Floresca shares.

The show aired on ETC and produced by Unitel and Solar Entertainment rewards real talent, unlike other reality competitions where text and online votes affect the outcome of a given challenge. Lagat was the most triumphant, Challenge 1: Individuality as a Designer; Challenge 4: Nesvita Design Challenge; Challenge 7: Beverly Hills 6750. Tampus snared Challenge 2: 13 Legends, where he appropriated Augie Cordero; and Challenge 11: the Terno.

Floresca, The Modernist, won one: the Cinderella RTW Challenge. Because of that, he opted to do a retail-inflected “practical” collection for the final runway show at the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week at the SMX Convention Center. It was a radical departure from his avant-haute aesthetic. Needless to say, some of his supporters were terribly disappointed.

“I have no regrets [with what I showed]. It was more of a challenge for me to shift [my design direction].

I wanted to prove that I was versatile. If people weren’t disappointed, then I wouldn’t have fulfilled the challenge [that I set out for myself.]”

Tampus, The Romantic, unleashed an “ethereal” collection of lace and crochet that belied his Arab references. “It was really torture on my part to edit and edit my collection,” he recalls with a heavy sigh. His Arab clientele, he says, are fond of embellishments, “but this was a competition. Gusto ko sana ilabas lahat! But I showed my range, from swimwear to gowns. Pero tame na yun!”

For his mind-bending “Transformation” dresses, something akin to Hussein Chalayan’s 2006 morphing robo-dresses, Lagat the Technician earned the bragging rights of being the “Philippines’ next big fashion designer.” A former scholar of Ben Farrales, Lagat won P500,000 prize money from Beverly Hills 6750, Brother sewing machines, a spread in a glossy fashion magazine, a clothing line at SM department stores (which was also offered to the other two), and a showcase at SM Makati.

“During the competition, we were able to show the thought processes of the Filipino designer,” Lagat says. “I learned to love my work even more. I learned all the components of a fashion show. Naramdaman ko ang mga narararamdaman ng mga mananahi,” Floresca shares. “Before Cary Santiago came along, designers who worked in the Middle East were considered baduy. But that perception has changed,” Tampus says. “I want to push crochet because Filipinos are crochet lovers.” Already, Season Two is in the works with auditions tentatively slated in December. With the number of fashion schools sprouting all over, expect Project Runway Philippines to be a hit many times over.

Komikon 2008

Bahay Ng Alumni

UP Diliman

November 22, 2008

Me In The Philippine Star (Picture Michelle Obama Wearing These)

Another set of photos I took grace today's (11/19/2008) edition of The Philippine Star. This is the first time my photos to appear this publication. These photos were taken during the Grand Allure fashion show at the Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer '09 last October 26, 2008 - featuring the designs of Eddie Baddeo. Thanks Tita Eddie & Sir Edgar for the opportunity, I really appreciate it a lot.

Below is the complete article (click here for the web version):

Inspired by remarkable women like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Loren Legarda and Boots Anson-Roa, designer Eddie Baddeo recently presented a collection that speaks of these women of power.

During Philippine Fashion Week at the SMX Convention Center, Baddeo showed his 10-piece collection made of stretch satin and silk cocoon. His statement? Sculptured sleeves he deftly shaped into sinuous accents for his jewel-toned gowns.

Models in Wilson stilettos looked luxurious in hair and makeup by Jinky Ilusorio and Rudy Adriatico. Director Raymond Villanueva set the evening to a romantic mood.

“The atmosphere is the ‘80s, when people were brimming with optimism and everyone was just happy! At that time, YSL and Ungaro came up with clothes that were vibrant and colorful,” Baddeo declares.

Me In Business Mirror (A Star Is Born)

Another set of photos I took grace today's (11/03/2008) edition of business mirror. These photos were taken during the Sassa Jimenez fashion show at the Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer '09. The article is entitled "A Star Is Born" by C. Mendez Legaspi. Thanks Charles.

Below is the complete article and if you check the newspaper version there are about 9 photos that are used in the article (click here for the web version):

A Star Is Born

By C. Mendez Legaspi

Amid the Saluds, Peraltas, Madambas and distinguished young designers that showed spectacularly at the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week, there was Sassa Jimenez. Out of fashion thin air, this burgeoning talent shone brightly at the SMX Convention Center in Runway Productions’ biggest fete yet of the country’s style-setters and trend-minders.

Coming from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, the hotbed of creativity that nurtured Monique Lhuillier and Santino Rice, Jimenez showcased her sterling talent in pattern-making and translating this into delectable dresses that swept a well-heeled crowd off its feet.

In a restrained and refined show directed by Cata Figueroa Jr., Jimenez showed a mature understanding of what women of achievement want to wear (“only in the most luxurious fabric”) when out on the town to have fun. Two formal black dresses easily stood out: one had a ball-gown silhouette with a lace bodice. “The silhouette is traditional, yet we rarely see a ball gown in dark colors. I wanted to inject a bit of sexiness into it,” Jimenez explains.

The other gown, worn on the runway by Teresa Herrera, had a dangerously low neckline. “It’s cut in a mermaid silhouette because it makes one seem taller, slimmer and sexier. It’s also in black, because I know black will make anyone look good.”

Jimenez displayed a range well beyond her 21 years. She experimented with draping and gathering in a pink “rose” skirt with a black cowl neck top. “But I didn’t want it to look too complicated so I decided to make just one area of the skirt the focal point, so I ended up with a textured portion near the bottom that resembles a rose beaming outwards on the skirt.”

Giddy at the endless possibilities of what she can capably create, Jimenez says she sees “beauty in the inconsistent folds of the fabric,” deftly incorporating origami-like details, puff sleeves with hot-pink piping, diamond ruffles, even a hood on silk chiffon, cotton voile and satin.

“Most of the pieces in the collection emphasize the woman’s waist but there are also pieces where I try to show that a dress doesn’t have to hug a woman’s waist, bust or hips to make her appear sexy,” Jimenez says. “I create dresses because I believe that every woman deserves that one dress that’s sure to make her look good and feel good.”

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IN PHOTO -- TALK OF THE TOWN. Only in the most luxurious fabrics the collection that Sassa Jimenez showcased at Philippine Fashion Week had the town talking.

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Me In FilAmStar (Ooohhh La La ..... Fashionable Manila (At Kung Saan-saan Pa)

My photos grace the pages of FilAmStar on the November 1-15, 2008 Vol. 1 Issue 21. The article entitled "Ooohhh La La ..... Fashionable Manila (At Kung Saan-saan pa)" was written by sir Ernest Gonzaga. The photos I took are the photos of Iya and Jon from Bench Fashion show during the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer 2009 at SM Mall of Asia. Many thanks Sir Ernest. Also in this issue is the photo by MJ Cachero (Fredeick Peralta Show) and Juby Aven Ablon (Maskara Festival) who are also from Images Asia.

Below is the article: