Welcome to the Yeng Acelar Photography blog!
For my very first blog post, I will tell you two life events that made me decide to take photography from a hobby into a side hustle. So here we go!
Different Time, Different Places
When I had my first child more than a decade ago, newborn photos weren't a "thing" yet. If anyone can remember Anne Geddes and Celine Dion's collaborative book, Miracle: A Celebration of New Life, came out around 2004 and that genre of baby photography hasn't entered the consciousness of parents in the Philippines back then.
But when I had my second child in Thailand 10 years after, it was an entirely different story. The internet has already happened. And newborn photos were everywhere. Every new mom was on Pinterest and DIY-ing newborn photos!
And so that's what I did, I pinned and made a board of all the newborn photos that I liked and tried to re-create some of the sets and realized -- this is hard! If there was a contest for Pinterest Expectation vs Reality newborn images, I would have won first place with special distinction.
Fast forward to her first birthday, I wanted to compile photos for my second kid's first year of life and I couldn't find any photo of me and her. There wasn't a single photo of me that I can proudly display or share with family and friends. Foggy brain happened and in between changing diapers and sleepless nights, I completely forgot about having portraits taken of our new family.
I should have just hired a photographer whose time and expertise would have been valuable at the time. I was then beginning to understand the crucial role of photographers as 'visual historians'. What they do was more than simply taking photos -- they are preserving legacies!
A Loss in the Family
A few months after we celebrated our second kid's first birthday, my maternal grandmother passed away. I was rather close to her as I spent a large part of my young and adult life with my grandparents. It was a painful experience since she breathed her last while we were on the plane on the way home so we could see her for the last time. But we were too late.
It was a tumultuous year of regret and anxiety for me. And the only thing that has offered me comfort was this photograph:
Knowing that I have this photograph of her and me provided me with peace in my heart knowing that I will always have her with me. And that I can keep her memories alive.
Once again, it occurred to me how important the work of photographers are. Because of one photo of me and my grandma, I was able to get through a year of anxiety attacks.
Finally Taking Steps
In June 2013, I finally took the first step to turn my long-forgotten hobby into a professional side hustle. I took a photography crash course, bought myself a full-frame camera and lens, and invested in newborn photography courses. When Ana Brandt announced that she's coming to Thailand for an in-person newborn and maternity masterclass, I bought a spot in her class the first chance I got.
Why I chose the maternity and newborn genre is because both these stages in life happen quickly. You're only pregnant for 9 months and babies are newborns for only a few weeks. And with my values centered on being family-first, photographing families and see them welcome new life gives me joy and fulfillment. I'm one of the lucky few who can work doing the things I love.
Do you know of any friend or family who will value my services? Send them my way and you both receive a special offer worth THB 500. All you have to do is get in touch with us about our Referral offers.
20 Comments
Jul 22, 2022, 9:53:09 AM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Thanks Hazel! Good luck!
Jul 21, 2022, 6:52:33 PM
Hazel Latanga - Looking forward to experience your free giveaway Photography session Manay! Godbless 😍
Aug 11, 2020, 4:07:42 PM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Thank you Annabelle! I would have loved to capture newborn photos for you back then. :)
Aug 11, 2020, 4:06:41 PM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Thank you Katrizia! Our grandparents will always have a special place in our hearts. :)
Aug 11, 2020, 4:04:52 PM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Thank you Sadia!
Aug 11, 2020, 4:04:19 PM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Thank you Priscilla!
Aug 11, 2020, 7:21:20 AM
Annabelle Salido - What a touching story of you and your grandma. I was close to my grandma to and I can relate how painful losing someone so dear. Indeed, you may forget the moment but the pictures will really last forever. It was such a great regret to just bump in to your account just now. I was looking for a baby photographer when I gave birth to our daughter here in Bangkok in 2018. You have your way with your camera. I love all your works. Great job!
Aug 10, 2020, 10:41:35 PM
Katrizia Necesito - Your story of your grandma brought tears to my eyes. I miss my mama! She passed away last Sept 2019. It was extra painful and sad for me as she did not get to see my newborn, her first apo sa tuhod. She died 2 weeks after I gave birth to my son. They did not meet because my mama had pneumonia that time and was just extubated so we wanted to wait a little more time before we bring our son to her. It really breaks my heart that she did not get to hold him :( But thanks to photography, I have beautiful photos of my mama to share with my son.
Aug 10, 2020, 10:19:45 PM
SNS - Thanks for sharing your story, what a lovely read!
Aug 10, 2020, 10:18:41 PM
Intan Tirta - :)
Aug 10, 2020, 9:27:48 PM
Priscilla - I love this story. And you take great photos.
Aug 9, 2020, 12:05:14 PM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Hooray! Thanks Inah!
Aug 9, 2020, 12:04:52 PM
Francine Kaye Acelar - Thanks for sharing with us your wonderful memories! Seems like Xmas always has the best memories.
Aug 9, 2020, 12:53:35 AM
K - Hooray for Filipino mommy photographers!
Aug 9, 2020, 12:36:18 AM
AKB - Yeng, thanks for sharing those memories. Some of my most memorable moments with my grandparents included visits to their house at x-mas and during the summer. I distinctly remember helping my grandfather in his garden and making fresh horseradish afterwards. And at xmas, baking all kinds of cookies with my grandmother.
Aug 6, 2020, 7:54:51 PM
Kim - Wonderful and professionally captured...
Aug 6, 2020, 12:26:00 PM
Yeng - Thanks you C!
Aug 6, 2020, 12:25:33 PM
Yeng - Yes! I too have the best memories during the holidays! It's wild and wacky sometimes but I miss those good ol' days.
Aug 5, 2020, 4:33:28 PM
Kimberly Rabins - My most memorable moments with my grandmother were Christmas'. Every Christmas we would have a huge dinner at her home and I believe it was the only time all of our family got together. She has always been the glue that connects our family and every Christmas shows her importance to our family
Aug 5, 2020, 1:59:29 PM
C - Love the newborn pictures ❤️