When I was in Siargao, Philippines, which is the home of Cloud 9, a surfer’s paradise and one of the Top 10 Surfing Destinations in the World, I did a little spontaneous “engagement photo session” for a sweet couple that I just met on the island… Actually, it was a tiny island in the middle of the ocean and it was just the two of us couples. So, they couldn’t really say no to me! haha!! I hadn’t planned on shooting portraits that day so I only brought my Canon 40mm Pancake lens which is wider than I typically shoot. The couple allowed me to pose them as if they were doing lifestyle engagement pictures even though they were not engaged at the time.

It was supposed to be only a 10-minute session, but we ended up hopping around to the same islands so we settled for lunch together in the straw hut they rented and I just kept my camera pointing at them the entire time. I’m sure they were texting their friends of the weird Asian-American girl who is stalking them. But, I think because my husband is also Filipino it made them trust me a little more. ;) Lifestyle images are what I love that showcase the couple’s time together; we got enough smile-at-the-camera photos so that’s when I like to focus on the editorial style stuff. It’s like looking at a page from their travel journey in pictures… We get to be a part of their adventure like a fly on the wall. It was as if I was their personal vacation photographer, and I like the sound of that!