How Three Philippine Photographers are powering through the Pandemic

lucas studio qc bonjour baby

lucas studio qc bonjour baby

Though the pandemic has hurt (and closed) a majority of businesses, the events industry has particularly been hit hard with the ongoing, months-long quarantine. It’s disheartening, to say the least – imagine, you’re a photographer who was looking forward to a busy and exciting 2020 and your calendar suddenly gets wiped out with cancellations and indefinite re-bookings.

“Pivot” has become the business buzzword of 2020. The only way for businesses to survive (and maybe even flourish) in this pandemic is to adapt, tweak, or even re-invent their entire income stream entirely.

Here are three friends from the photography/events industry who have made great lemonade from this seemingly sour season:

Delightful Little Darlings

As the country’s premier children’s party photographer, Denise Llanos Dee and her team from Delightful Little Darlings have always captured the most beautiful and heartwarming moments of families. (Disclosure: Den is Hannah’s ninang, but her fully booked schedule pre-pandemic is clear evidence of her being in demand. I had to book her a year in advance for Hannah’s party!)

Since hundreds of parties have been indefinitely postponed, Den has shifted to home-based Christmas Playhouse Photo Sessions.

DLD Playhouse 2016. Mati was less than a year old.

We’ve been looking forward to having our annual family Christmas photos taken, and this year is no different!

DLD Playhouse Session 2018

Since many people are still (rightfully) hesitant to go out of their homes, Delightful Little Darlings has moved her signature playhouse sessions to an at-home set up. Her theme this year is “How The Grinch stole Christmas“, and her set is classic DLD – light and bright, and with plenty of room for love and laughter.

 

We already booked our schedule for November, and I’m looking foward to our shoot! By the way, the prices are reasonable considering it’s a home service and styled shoot, so all you need to do is just wait for Den to set everything up, and smile!

For her clients’ peace of mind and protection, Denise has outlined all the safety precautions and protocols that they will be undertaking:

You can sign up with this registration link, and if you have two or more families having their shoot in the same venue, you can save as much as 20%! 

Pantry Side by Caliber and Paula King

 Caliber was our wedding photographer five years ago, and he and his wife Paula are one of the most humble and down-to-earth couples I’ve met. Albert and I appreciate Cali’s personality, talent and professionalism. 

A few years back, Cali and Paula launched High Caliber Trading, crafting personalized wedding souvenirs and high-end corporate giveaways. Both businesses have been affected by the pandemic, so they used the time to just have fun with their hobby instead — cooking!

 

We ordered their whole slab or ribs with three side dishes – all made by Cali and generously-portioned. We wiped out the entire order in record time. 

The kids especially loved the biscuits, they were soft, moist and had the right amount of sweetness – I had a few bites before Mati and Hannah asked to have mine (haha life of a mom). No pics coz it was THAT yummy!

Their other bestsellers include the fresh Vietnamese spring roll and cheesy floss bread. Paula is also very hands-on with orders, and she schedules the deliveries precisely to arrive during meal time while the food is still hot.

Lucas Studios by Jayjay and Feliz Lucas

lucas studio qc bonjour baby

Feliz is one of a handful of Instagram moms I follow – she is authentic, inspiring and just plain likable.

Because they are a stylist-photographer tandem, also got affected with the quarantine. Thankfully, they just recently opened their own studio in Quezon City, and Jayjay and Feliz now channel their creativity through Lucas Studios.

Lucas Studios is a brand-new photography studio/events space that epitomizes the word “multifunctional”. They have movable walls and a variety of props, and just so much natural light that elevate photos to the next level.

We booked their product photography services for Bonjour Baby, and am very pleased with the output:

Lucas Studio is also open for small, intimate events, and checking out their Instagram account, you see the care and attention to detail that Jayjay and Feliz pour out for their clients.

You’re Not Alone

It’s been a very challenging season for everyone – mentally, physically, emotionally draining. What encourages me is that we can look at each other for inspiration, encouragement and hope that we will get through this pandemic stronger.

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