• Philippine Destination Wedding Photographers
  • Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography
  • Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography
  • Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography
  • Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography
  • http://www.imaginenationphoto.comhttp://www.imaginenationphoto.com
  • http://www.imaginenationphoto.comhttp://www.imaginenationphoto.com
  • http://www.imaginenationphoto.comhttp://www.imaginenationphoto.com
  • Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography
  • Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography
Carlo Cecilio - Imagine Nation Photography

CARLO CECILIO | IMAGINE NATION PHOTOGRAPHY

Hi and welcome to my blog! I’m Carlo and we are destination wedding photographers. I love infusing fashion and glamour into the pictures I take. Take a look around and if you like what you see, please contact me or better yet let’s meet up!

Read more: full bio page

twitter facebook rss

From Beginning to End : Mark and Irene’s Wedding + Engagement Session

March 14th, 2013

Hello there! It’s quiet here on my site. So many have happened lately and the dust is just settling in so to speak. Here’s a quick run down of what just happened – Super peak season just finished  which is usually December 2012 to Jan 2013 –  Hyds and I are expecting a baby and [...]

 

Hello there! It’s quiet here on my site. So many have happened lately and the dust is just settling in so to speak. Here’s a quick run down of what just happened

- Super peak season just finished  which is usually December 2012 to Jan 2013

-  Hyds and I are expecting a baby and she is into her 5th month of pregnancy now. So Feb. was a month of adjustments for us since Hyds had the usual hardships of a first trimester preganancy.

So here I am getting back into the blogging game once more. There’s a few changes that you will see on this site wherein I will be focusing more of my non-wedding photography such as food photography and fashion/editorial work. Also, I will be trying my hand at giving more photography tutorials soon.

I am still and will always be a wedding photographer. I just want to expand and share the other things I am doing. I will still be posting previews of my wedding shoots here but for more images head on over to our Imagine Nation Photography website. Click on here Carlo Cecilio of Imagine Nation Photography.

Well, to kick things off again. Let me just share with you a recent wedding I shot with Hyds last weekend. As wedding photographers we always want to show our work from beginning to end, that we’re not just a one trick pony. For the couples out there, that’s the best way to see how a photographer manages the whole day and you can see their skill sets in action.

Here’s some of our faves from the day.  But for the complete set head on over to their complete album.

 

 

 

 

Also, here’s their same day edit photo slidshow. Trying out my hand in incorporating videos with still shots. Take a look :)

Santuario de San Jose and Unilab Bayanihan Center Wedding: Mark and Irene from Carlo Cecilio on Vimeo.

breaker

breaker

Walk on the Edgy Side

February 20th, 2013

Sharing some of my favorite images. Be bold, Be different, Be Edgy…  


Posted in: Weddings
Expand Close
| No Comments | See Full Post
 

Sharing some of my favorite images. Be bold, Be different, Be Edgy…

 

breaker

Websites to Help Plan and Inspire Your Wedding

November 5th, 2012

Getting engaged and planning for your wedding is an exciting but also confusing time. That’s how we felt when Heidi and I we’re planning for our wedding. The exciting part is already a given, but it can also be confusing time especially how to begin planning and booking wedding suppliers. Luckily we are in the [...]

 

Getting engaged and planning for your wedding is an exciting but also confusing time. That’s how we felt when Heidi and I we’re planning for our wedding. The exciting part is already a given, but it can also be confusing time especially how to begin planning and booking wedding suppliers. Luckily we are in the information age and the internet has made things easier for soon to wed couples in searching. But the question is where do you look with so many websites?  As a wedding photographer, I always get asked by my friends or couples I’ll be shooting to give feedback or recommendations on how they can go about with their planning.

So I thought about giving a rundown of helpful websites that Heidi and I used to find inspiration and direction for our wedding. I believe that Filipino wedding suppliers are one of the best in the world and they are so capable at matching other foreign counterparts. Here they are in random order:

Weddings@Work(W@W) – Run by the dynamic couple, John and Benz Rana. It’s one of or if not  the largest and pioneer online wedding resource guide in Philippines. Aside from the site itself.  It has a strong forum network where brides can interact and compare notes for their wedding. Also, the W@W chat is a cool podcast where couples can know more about wedding suppliers that John and Benz interview.

weddingsatwork

Bridal Book – Is a creation by Summit Media, one of the biggest magazine publishers in the Philippines. It’s relatively a newcomer in the wedding industry but they have grown quickly. They provide good content and features to help give couples ideas and inspiration for their wedding.

bridalbook.ph

 

Rebellious Brides – If you’re the type of couple who wants your personality to standout, to go against the tide and be different. This is the site for you. “Being a Rebellious Bride, is about creating your own rules and your own traditions for YOUR OWN WEDDING because you feel it in your heart that this is what YOU and YOUR GROOM want and not what society, your parents, or the wedding magazines have carved out for you.” from the words of Kai and Mica who are the creators of this site.

Kai and Mica of rebelliousbrides.com

Bride and Breakfast – Site founder Janna Simpao describes her blog site ” Bride and Breakfast is a wedding resource committed to style, taste and beauty. We feature only the most stylish, gorgeous and magazine-worthy weddings in the Metro, tapping the crème-de-la-crème of wedding suppliers (both seasoned and upcoming), and showcasing inspiring ideas that can help make your wedding fashionably chic and character-filled.”

I kinda noticed that most sites are catered to brides in particular. What about the groom? When I got married, I also was very particular with the suit I wanted to wear and I scoured the internet for inspiration. Don’t worry boys, here are some groom-centric sites to help you voice out your opinion and for you ladies send this to your man so he can be more involved in your wedding :)

Well-Groomed –  ”The Guide to Tying the (Windsor) Knot” pretty much says it all. Well-Groomed is where men’s style meets matrimony. Whether you’re looking for examples of  real guys mixing patterns, non-cheesy groomsmen gifts, or easy, guy-centric DIYs, you’ll find them here.” – Darren Strong the site founder. I give lots of credit to Darren for being the grooms voice in a seemingly bride-centered wedding world.

Darren Strong of wellgroomed.com

Although they are not primarily wedding sites. They offer a multitude of out-of-the box inspirations.

Pinterest – In case you’ve heard about this site but you’ve been putting it off to join. Wake up! If you’re getting married there are so many hidden treasures for inspiration. Pinterest is basically a visual collection of anything you want to get inspiration like fashion home decor and weddings. Pictures are divided into “Pinboards” to make searching categorized and easier. Here’s my pinterest boards if you want to get inspirations.

pinterest.com

Style Girlfriend – This is a site run by a girl who loves men’s clothing. We guys should always listen to the girls, after all we dress for them right? I recently discovered this site from a feature done by GQ magazine. Megan Collins, the brainchild of this site, dishes out style ideas for guys from a female perspective. Again, I’d like to encourage the grooms to be more proactive :)

Megan Collins of stylegirlfriend.com

 

If you have sites that you’ve found interesting and helpful for weddings please share them on the comments section. Have a great week ahead! Hope this helps your wedding plans!

By the way! Here’s a sneak peak from my San Francisco Wedding that I’ll be sharing soon…

 

 

 

breaker

We’re again included at W@W’s Top 10 Wedding Suppliers

November 1st, 2012

Weddings at Work (W@W) is one of the biggest and most influential wedding resource for soon-to-wed couples in the Philippines. We are blessed to be part of their Top 10 wedding suppliers for 2012. This is based on the votes of  W@W couples or site members, a big thanks to our W@W couples whom we [...]

 

weddings at work top 10 suppliers 2012

Weddings at Work (W@W) is one of the biggest and most influential wedding resource for soon-to-wed couples in the Philippines. We are blessed to be part of their Top 10 wedding suppliers for 2012. This is based on the votes of  W@W couples or site members, a big thanks to our W@W couples whom we have served. Also, congratulations to our fellow supplier friends included in the list!

breaker

My New York Bridal Fashion Shoot

October 29th, 2012

” In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of,  Oh there’s  nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new. Big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York…”-Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys I’ve been to New York City four [...]

 

” In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of,  Oh there’s  nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new. Big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York…”-Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys

I’ve been to New York City four times already and there is always something new and exciting to see and explore. I chose the lyrics from Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind song, as cliché as it may sound, because it really embodies what I experience whenever I’m in NYC. I really get so much inspiration whenever I go there. Walking around the streets and absorbing all the culture around me gives me a new perspective on how I see things. This always translates into inspiring me as a photographer.

In my recent trip last May. I made it a point to make a personal project, which, I believe every photographer needs to do periodically in order to sharpen one’s creative mind. I wanted to do a Bridal Fashion Shoot in NYC. The challenge was two primary things – People and Location. I wanted to work with models who are building their portfolio. Also, I was looking for a location that was not over used.

NYC will never run out of models since its one of the fashion capitals in the world but where do I find them? Model Mayhem  is a great resource for creative collaboration. It’s like a Facebook for creatives such photographers, models, stylists and make-up artist. You just sign up and begin connecting. A word of caution, moderators also do a background check and review one’s portfolio. We want to keep the site a place for professionals and avoid posers who just want to hook up.

union-square-new-york

Union Square, NYC

Eventually, I was able to build the team after I made an announcement at Model Mayhem that I was looking to collaborate for a Bridal fashion shoot. It was an international team – A Russian, Canadian, New Yorker and Filipino worked on this shoot. Our first task was to meet and do a pre-production meeting and discuss what we will be doing during shoot day like the theme, clothes to wear and location. We met at the scenic Union Square ( a must-see area in NYC) where I also took a few snaps to study their face and body features.

Before I go on with the actual shoot. Here’s the folks that made this possible:

Svetlana Danilina – She’s from Moscow, Russia and pursuing a modelling career in NYC. She kind of resembles the actress Milla Jovovich, think Resident Evil movies. And when I told her about it, she told me she gets that a lot from people.  For more of her portfolio visit her model mayhem site

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-bycarlocecilio

new-york-bycarlocecilio-4

 Alex Nazar – He’s from Quebec, Canada pursuing an acting and modeling career in NYC.

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--3

 Reneé Strong – She’s a hair and make-up artist based in Brooklyn. We owe a lot to her since she offered to do the hair and make-up of Svet and Alex at her salon. Most importantly, she also had a few bridal gowns she invested in for her bridal make-up portfolio. It would not have been a bridal shoot without a wedding gown right? Here’s more of her work – facesbyredience.com

renee-strong-facesbyredience-makeup-artist

Since Reneé’s salon was in Brooklyn. We decided to look for a location that was close by and she recommended Prospect park. When you think of NYC, one would always think about Central Park. However, there are so many parks that one can explore around the city and Prospect park offered a change of common scenery. I think my post is also timely since Brooklyn is also experiencing a revival of sorts since they also now have the Brooklyn Nets with their new home at the Barclays arena. So there’s a lot of buzz and excitement in the area.

It’s really a dream of mine to put together this fashion shoot in one of my favorite cities in the world. Enjoy the images!

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--6

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-bycarlocecilio

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--7

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-carloceclio-weddingphotographer

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-philippines-wedding-photographer

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-philippines-wedding-photographer-9

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-philippines-wedding-photographer-17

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--18

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-philippines-wedding-photographer-14

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--16

prospectpark-brooklyn-bridal-fashion-shoot--11

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--10

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--19

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot--12

new-york-bridal-fashion-shoot-carlocecilio-13

Thank you again Alex, Svetlana and Reneé for this cool collaboration! It was an honor working with you guys. If anyone would like to work on a fashion, beauty or editorial project. I’d like to make this also an open invitation with all you creatives out there. Let’s do something edgy and creative! Just email me or give a comment on this post on how I can contact you.

By the way watch out for the next blog post. I’m not yet done with Svetlana and Alex. I also had to help them update their model folios so watch out for that!

breaker

Make your Engagement/Prenup Shoot Special

October 29th, 2012

Sometimes all you need are the things you love and love to do in order to make your engagement shoot more intimate, meaningful and special. Looking forward shooting your wedding this coming January 2013 Charles and Yeng!   Oh by the way, coming up next is my adventures from NYC. Lots to share and it [...]

 

Sometimes all you need are the things you love and love to do in order to make your engagement shoot more intimate, meaningful and special. Looking forward shooting your wedding this coming January 2013 Charles and Yeng!

prenup-engagment-wedding-photographer-3

prenup-engagment-wedding-photographer-2

prenup-engagment-wedding-photographer-1

 

Oh by the way, coming up next is my adventures from NYC. Lots to share and it took longer than I expected to go through so many images but watch out for my next post. Have a great week ahead!

breaker

Keep Pushing The Envelope

October 24th, 2012

God always wants us to be excellent in anything we do. My mission is to be a blessing to couples that’s why my goal is to always think of new and creative shots for my couples. Last weekend, I had a fun shoot with Ric and Mae in Tagaytay. I just want to quickly share [...]

 

God always wants us to be excellent in anything we do. My mission is to be a blessing to couples that’s why my goal is to always think of new and creative shots for my couples.

balay_indang_prenup_bycarlocecilio

Last weekend, I had a fun shoot with Ric and Mae in Tagaytay. I just want to quickly share one of my fave photos from that day. Our last stop was at Balay Indang. I just loved the idea of creating a picture-frame like shoot so I used the the window and highlighted the colorful sliding door behind the couple. At Imagine Nation, we are trained to really be equipped with any lighting situation. Whether bright or dark, expect us to deliver :)

 

breaker

This Coming Week: All About New York

October 21st, 2012

It’s a great and sunny weekend. Yesterday, I shot engagement session while Hyds shot a wedding. Get ready this coming week for a visual overload. Here’s a peak of my favorite city, New York City! I’ll be sharing the shoots I did there this week.

 

It’s a great and sunny weekend. Yesterday, I shot engagement session while Hyds shot a wedding. Get ready this coming week for a visual overload. Here’s a peak of my favorite city, New York City! I’ll be sharing the shoots I did there this week.

gugenheim-new-york-bycarlocecilio-1

times-square-new-york-bycarlocecilio-2

nypd-mounted-police-new-york-bycarlocecilio-3

washington-square-park-new-york-bycarlocecilio-5

breaker

Thailand Engagement Session: Nemboy and Kamela

October 17th, 2012

I’m doing a flashback today. Remember Nemboy and Kamela’s Wedding? Before their big day, we did an engagement shoot in Thailand. Why? because that’s where they first met  and that’s where Nemboy is currently based for work. Hyds and I are really blessed and grateful to this couple for flying us to Thailand and it [...]

 

I’m doing a flashback today. Remember Nemboy and Kamela’s Wedding? Before their big day, we did an engagement shoot in Thailand. Why? because that’s where they first met  and that’s where Nemboy is currently based for work. Hyds and I are really blessed and grateful to this couple for flying us to Thailand and it was a very memorable and fun trip. Although this one’s a bit delayed, I really believe this shoot is worth sharing.

We started our shoot at Holy Redeemer Church in Bangkok where they first went on a date. They wanted to be in theme with clothes they wear at work since Nemboy’s an engineer and Kamela is a flight attendant. Funny thing is, there was an ongoing wedding when we shot there but it was all good.

holy-redeemer-church-bangkok-thailand

 

After a quick lunch, we travelled to Silver Lake Vineyard, Pattaya which was about 100 km. southwest of Bangkok. It’s mainly a resort town. When Nemboy told me about the place, I was blown away with the huge area and development of Silver Lake. I hope we get to develop something like this in the Philippines. The place has so many areas to shoot and Hyds and I just went ballistic shooting.

The vineyard kinda reminds me of Napa Valley.

silverlake-vineyard-pattaya-thailand-bycarlocecilio

silverlake-pattaya-thailand-carlocecilio

After an intense afternoon of shooting at Silver Lake, we then headed to Hilton Pattaya. The hotel was awesome! Our room offered a great view of the beach strip at night. Hyds and I got so excited, that we wanted to shoot around the hotel after dinner.

pattaya-thailand-bycarlocecilio

hilton-pattaya-thailand-carlocecilio

After a good night’s rest we wanted some more! The interiors are so amazing at Hilton Pattaya that you will not run out of areas to shoot.



If you’re looking for a different kind of engagement/prenup, consider having an overseas prenup like this one. Thailand is a great place to shoot. Thank you again Nemboy and Kamela for the great experience of travelling and shooting you guys. Till our next visit to Thailand, maybe it will a family shoot already!