A year ago, we ran a Valentine’s month contest where we gave away postnup portrait sessions for three married couples. The final group of winners was an interesting mix, as each couple was at a different stage in the family life cycle. Also, two of the winners are close friends of mine. (I swear the contest was not rigged. Hehe)
The first family portrait session we did was with the Barral family, composed of Mommy Gay, Daddy Rowell and baby Mcniel. Though it was supposed to be a postnup session, we inevitably ended up having more photos of Mcniel than mom and dad. 😀
At the time we did this family portrait session in March 2018, Gay and Rowell have only been married for 1 year and 9 months, a relatively new couple. What I like about them is how game and ready they were – they even prepared matching outfits for the shoot. They were super chill and casual as well. I appreciate that we did the portrait session at their condo complex, a place they’re comfy in and somewhere definitely close to their hearts.
Gay and Rowell were able to share a little bit about their love story and their adventures as a couple. Since both of them are mountaineers, Gay was expecting Rowell to propose during a mountain climb, at the summit, while they’re surrounded by a sea of clouds. But to her surprise, he proposed underwater while they were helmet diving in Boracay. I could imagine how difficult it would be to propose underwater, but Rowell was able to pull it off. He even had the whole event caught on video.
Gay and Rowell’s adventures continued even with baby Mcniel in tow. They were hoping to bring him to Baguio soon, where they used to visit annually as a couple for the Panagbenga Festival. Mommy Gay shared that their lives became better since having Mcniel – they became more religious and thankful to the Lord for His blessings. They worked harder and learned to set goals for the family. That said, they advise couples to savor every moment with each other and to create priceless moments together. She recommends scheduling family travels at least once a year (I agree 100% :D).
A lot has changed in one year – shortly after this family portrait session, the Barrals moved to New York, where they are now staying for good. I’m sure baby Mcniel has grown a LOT since we last saw him. I’m really glad we were able to capture their family time together before they left. I hope the photos we took from this portrait session would leave them fond memories of their last home in the Philippines.
