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I believe in the romantics of love. Most likely, it was from the mass consumption of romantic comedies that I watched as a kid, and for some reason, my family were really into them. Especially in a Filipino household, romance movies and dramas were the staple of our entertainment. As such, this lens, if you will, allowed me to enjoy the idea of what it meant to fall in love with someone.
Of course, love, in real life, isn’t necessarily a preordained happenstance that befalls two unassuming individuals, who at first may not seem fit for each other but in due time will see the best qualities in one another. Life, instead, is more carefully laid in the way we fall in love. As opposed to the romanticism of it all, I began to understand that, in reality, things aren’t always embedded in some ambiguous sign, but rather that a genuine relationship is built on the foundation of work and consistent attention to the other’s needs.
After knowing Dan and Justine through our church connections, I began to understand the depth of this through their own relationship. They both have a passion for serving their parish’s youth group, and cultivating a spirit of love and community amongst one another. At the end of the day, they both had the same intentions and a near identical sense of duty not just to their church but to each other. Dan and Justine, during our session, were so in tune and attentive one another that it was easy to pull that affection out in our shoot.
Their tender and sweet glances towards one another truly exemplifies itself in the moments they are looking towards one another, and as we shot in the pier of downtown Benicia, I had them both gaze in the same direction, because I’ve come to learn that the idea of marriage isn’t the case that one side leads the other. Instead, the couple has to look at the same direction, and follow each other’s example side by side, especially when there are days when one may not be able to.
Dan and Justine are very earnest and reserved so dynamic poses would have felt out of character. In turn, I simply decided to focus on capturing a sense of warmth and comfort, which best described how they both are together as a couple. By seeing them in their quiet moments, it allows you to peak into their story for a moment, thus giving a sense of who they are and what they’re about.
Perhaps there are still some echoes of the hopeless romantic that had watched several Filipino romantic comedies in my childhood. However, I think the most important element in those films was the camera’s ability to “fall in love” with the subjects. It’s hard to buy into the chemistry if they’re not shot in a way that is flattering to them. I think it’s because of that element that I really enjoy doing engagement shoots because it allows me to step into that space a little bit, and to provide the viewer a glimpse of the best moments of what it means when you find the person you care for.