SPARK is Online

After a few months with SPARK Magazine, they were finally able to release their maiden issue last September. I was able to get my complimentary copy and was looking forward to seeing my articles posted on their blog. (I was their blogger).

A few days ago, I got an email from them announcing the launch of their blog. Of course, I had already been aware of it since I check the website everyday! To share with everyone, here are the photos I took for SPARK features and such.

Super model Jo-Anne Bitagcol

I took a picture of Jo-Anne Bitagcol and the contents of her Balenciaga bag as a feature of the mag's "What's In Your Bag?" Read the article.

Jo-Anne Bitagcol's Balenciaga bag

One of the best things I got out of SPARK was that I discovered I had the talent to take beautiful pictures. Armed with my dad's Sony a380 camera, I played around with the gradient lighting and fixed the settings through what I felt was good. I do have basic knowledge in photography so I used this to "intelligently" tinker around with the settings of the camera. 

With the many shoots I have done for SPARK, the shoot with Bea Valdez for the "Behind the Scenes of Our Cover Story" was one of my favorites. We worked from 10am until 8pm and it was worth it! I ended the day with hundreds of raw images waiting to be criticized. This was perhaps the first that I shot with a real model, as I was taking pictures of food and inanimate objects in the past. Read Article.

Polaroids taken by Jan Michellardi

Taking a photo of Bea with the photographer, Jan

Another set of Polaroid shots by Jan

I remember my editor, Carla Sibal, loved this shot!

Bea, gorgeous as ever, on the 7th wardrobe change of the day

And who could forget the delicious feature I covered for Cafe 1771? Not only was the food so delicious, I was also able to take loads of photos here! Too bad SPARK only uploaded a few of them. READ ARTICLE.

Cafe 1771

I'm looking forward for the next batch of articles SPARK posts under my name. I'm especially eager to see the features I wrote on Fat Michael's Place, L'Incontro, Manila Collective, MINI, and The Room Upstairs. These were the articles which I also took beautiful photos of! 

Aside from that, I look forward to the next photo shoot I take (not necessarily with SPARK). Keep posted on SPARK Magazine by following their blog! 

A Small Gesture Some Take For Granted

Last night, I came from a 10 hours photo shoot for SPARK Magazine. I was tasked to take behind-the-scenes footage of what was going on for the cover shoot of the magazine. It was very tiring yet fun. And I was very pleased to see that Bea Valdez and her family were so accommodating to us despite our small group.

I can't show photos of the shoot here as they are for the magazine. I will share with you guys what happened at the last part of the shoot though. And the reason why I share this is because there are some people who take advantage of their mothers. These people usually treat their moms as if they're unimportant and nagging. But you truly won't realize what you have until it's gone.

Bea changed into 8 outfits the whole day. And despite this, she still managed to look her best and be as charming as the last wardrobe. I was very fond of her as she is so pretty, fun, and friendly. Ever so often, she would look back to us and ask if we were okay. Same goes for her mom.

At the end of the shoot, her mom came up to her and kissed her on the forehead as if to say "great job!" That small move made my heart flutter and I had to hold back a tear.

I wondered if my mom were still alive, would she also come up to me, kiss my forehead and tell me that I'm doing a great job? It's been almost 13 years since I lost my mom. And every now and then, there are times that I would feel her presence even though she isn't really there. She always reminds me that she is still with me through simple signs that only I can tell.

Like in the Valdez's house, when I was alone this afternoon, I smelled her usual scent: white flowers. And when I looked around, it was such a coincidence to find those flowers right beside me. To add the small gesture that Mrs. Valdez showed to her daughter made me remember my mom.



And then I smile as Mrs. Valdez comes up to each of us (SPARK team) and gives us a pat on the shoulder and says: "good job!"

I miss my mom. =,(

This is the only photo I have of us here in Manila. The rest are in Bacolod.