Mike and I spent the Chinese New Year holiday this year food-tripping at Tagaytay with our then three-month old Terrynator. After hitting Breakfast at Antonio's, we headed off to Bag of Beans for our dessert and coffee.

We have been to Bag of Beans several times and always return for our favorite dessert, their blueberry cheesecake.

I personally think this is the best blueberry cheesecake I have ever tasted. And I have tried A LOT of blueberry cheesecakes. I'm not entirely sure, but I think there is white chocolate somewhere there. Anyway, pair it with Bag of Beans' refillable house brew and you are completely set. It's not that pricey either--totally bang for the buck! Since Nate fell asleep that time, we really took our time lounging at Bag of Beans enjoying our dessert and coffee.

Bag of Beans is located along Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, Tagaytay City. Tip: There's ample parking at the back.

Mike and I spent the Chinese New Year holiday this year food-tripping at Tagaytay with our then three-month old Terrynator. Our first stop was Breakfast at Antonio's.

We read so many rave reviews about Breakfast at Antonio's. So we were pretty excited to find out for ourselves just how good the breakfast joint really is.

We arrived a little past 8 in the morning and the restaurant's parking lot was already full. We had to park by the roadside, but still in front of the restaurant. We waited 30 minutes to be seated. The waiting area was packed!

We got one of the tables near the window, which to us offered the best spot in the house--bright, chilly, with a view to boot.

Mike and Terrynator, basking in the chilly morning sunlight.

Family picture.

Nate having his breakfast.

The menu was extensive and everything looked really interesting. Mike and I usually order two different dishes and share, so that we get to taste both dishes. Mike chose the Eggs Benedict while I chose the Reuben Sandwich. For drinks, Mike had the Hot Chocolate, while I had the White Chocolate.

Eggs Benedict.

Reuben Sandwich.

Hot Chocolate.

White Chocolate.

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The Eggs Benedict was on the petite side, but the taste made up for the size. I was not a fan of the smoked ham which was a bit tart, but Mike said he liked it. On the other hand, the Reuben was gigantic and quite filling--a bit dry though. Our hot chocolate beverages were extremely rich and comforting.

Overall, the food was ok, just really pricey. For so little, we paid over a thousand pesos already. I suppose that's how much the Tagaytay ambiance cost.

Honeybuninski enjoying the cold weather.

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But Nate enjoyed the chill, so we're happy!

Breakfast at Antonio's is located along Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, Barangay Bagong Tubig, Tagaytay City. Tip: Get any table beside the windows.

During my maternity leave, in between nursing and making decorations for Nate's christening, I would take pictures of our newborn. There was a duality in that setup. I was the photographer, but being the mother of the newborn, I was also the client. The photographer sees the shot as an artwork, and rarely has a connection with the subject. But the mother sees the shot as a documentary--a way to freeze the moment and immortalize her memories of her child. It was then, under that duality, that I slowly began to figure out the style of photography that I want to pursue:

Portraits with a photojournalistic approach. Pictures that reflect the lifestyle and personality of the baby/child/family. Shots that document the moments that the parents wish to remember forever. Images that are as natural as possible. Lifestyle portraiture under natural lighting.

These are the kind of pictures that I want to have of my own growing family. These are the kind of photos that I would frame or make an album of. Not the Photoshop-ed baby with perfect skin and zero blotches. Not the postcard perfect family that I would not even recognize was my own.

I started by taking pictures of Nate. Now that I am also doing photo shoots of other families, I thought it would be apt to share the pictures that I took of Nate when he was just weeks old. Here is my set on the itty bitty parts of our bundle of joy. I no longer removed the baby pimples and the molting skin because I wanted to remember him exactly the way he was when these pictures were taken.

Here is hoping there are other parents out there who also appreciate the kind of niche photography that I want to pursue, and maybe they would let me take photos of their family.

During my maternity leave, in between nursing and making decorations for Nate's christening, I would take pictures of our newborn. There was a duality in that setup. I was the photographer, but being the mother of the newborn, I was also the client. The photographer sees the shot as an artwork, and rarely has a connection with the subject. But the mother sees the shot as a documentary--a way to freeze the moment and immortalize her memories of her child. It was then, under that duality, that I slowly began to figure out the style of photography that I want to pursue:

Portraits with a photojournalistic approach. Pictures that reflect the lifestyle and personality of the baby/child/family. Shots that document the moments that the parents wish to remember forever. Images that are as natural as possible. Lifestyle portraiture under natural lighting.

These are the kind of pictures that I want to have of my own growing family. These are the kind of photos that I would frame or make an album of. Not the Photoshop-ed baby with perfect skin and zero blotches. Not the postcard perfect family that I would not even recognize was my own.

I started by taking pictures of Nate. Now that I am also doing photo shoots of other families, I thought it would be apt to share the pictures that I took of Nate when he was just weeks old. Here is my bed shoot set. I had a ton of fun doing this one, with Nate doing all sorts of poses and expressions. I no longer removed the baby pimples and the molting skin because I wanted to remember him exactly the way he was when these pictures were taken.

Here is hoping there are other parents out there who also appreciate the kind of niche photography that I want to pursue, and maybe they would let me take photos of their family.

During my maternity leave, in between nursing and making decorations for Nate's christening, I would take pictures of our newborn. There was a duality in that setup. I was the photographer, but being the mother of the newborn, I was also the client. The photographer sees the shot as an artwork, and rarely has a connection with the subject. But the mother sees the shot as a documentary--a way to freeze the moment and immortalize her memories of her child. It was then, under that duality, that I slowly began to figure out the style of photography that I want to pursue:

Portraits with a photojournalistic approach. Pictures that reflect the lifestyle and personality of the baby/child/family. Shots that document the moments that the parents wish to remember forever. Images that are as natural as possible. Lifestyle portraiture under natural lighting.

These are the kind of pictures that I want to have of my own growing family. These are the kind of photos that I would frame or make an album of. Not the Photoshop-ed baby with perfect skin and zero blotches. Not the postcard perfect family that I would not even recognize was my own.

I started by taking pictures of Nate. Now that I am also doing photo shoots of other families, I thought it would be apt to share the pictures that I took of Nate when he was just weeks old. Here is my set on the classic "sleeping naked covered by a textured blanket." I no longer removed the baby pimples and the molting skin because I wanted to remember him exactly the way he was when these pictures were taken.

Here is hoping there are other parents out there who also appreciate the kind of niche photography that I want to pursue, and maybe they would let me take photos of their family.

Last weekend, I had an awesome time shooting the bundle of energy named Ada and her parents, Jeremy and Lenny. Ada just turned two so this is a bit like a birthday shoot. The Zafras spend quality time by going to parks and the outdoors. So for our family photo shoot, the family spent the morning running around the park, and I spent the morning chasing after them. It was a lot of fun, and a challenge too! Ada was not generous when it came to smiling, so I had to up my game in order to catch her elusive smile. The parents also had a ton of gimmicks up their sleeve, so we got ourselves some pretty sweet grins from the birthday girl.

My take on photo shoots is to capture images that are as natural as possible, so these are 100% natural light, maybe 80% candid and 99% no props (1% goes to the lollipop that I gave to Ada as a bribe).

Happy birthday, Ada!