Smile when direk Quark says, ‘Cheese!’

When independent film director Quark Henares is not busy calling the shots behind the cameras, he tends to his "babies." Not his own, though, but the kids Quark subjects to full production photography in Blow-Up Babies, a studio that specializes in colorful, upbeat portraits for children.

Quark put up the studio early this year with five other accomplished professionals from the fields of photography, advertising, motion picture and management. "We are all from the creative industry and we share a common passion for creativity," Quark allows. "Although each of us has his/her own profession, we wanted to have an alternative source of steady income and invest in the future, as well. So we pooled our resources to put up Blow-Up Babies."

Quark is still beaming from the critical acclaim and box-office success of his first commercial film, Star Cinema’s horror-suspense thriller, ’Wag Kang Lilingon. He has megged critically acclaimed indie films like Keka and Gamitan. His next project, the fantasy flick Super Noypi is Regal Films’ official entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

The son of NU 107 station owner Atom Henares and noted dermatologist Dr. Vicki Belo apparently got his keen business sense from his famous parents.

"Filmmaking is not a stable industry," Quark asserts. "I needed something, a business that can constantly bring in earnings. Hopefully, I can finance films I want to make with earnings I will make from our photo studio."

Opened only last April, Blow-Up Babies presently has two studios – the head office at Cinema Level Gateway Mall, Araneta Center in Cubao, QC and its newer, bigger branch at the Second Level of Serendra Shops, Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Although the store specializes in children’s portraits, Blow-Up Babies offers a full range of photo service packages for family, solo and group shots.

"Another potential market for us is barkadas and friends who want cutesy and fun group pictures," Quark says. "We are also starting to offer graduation and year-end group or solo package portrait services to schools, with a special focus on pre-schools."

What sets the studio apart from competitors is the kind of concept photography that it produces – far from the standard, run-of-the-mill portraits created by other photo shops. Interesting set designs, props, costumes and backdrops are made available for the clients. The new branch at Serendra Piazza even offers pet photography for animal lovers.

"We have an array of costumes and backdrops displayed in our portfolio and are made available in our storeroom," Quark offers. "Each costume has sizes that fit children in our target age range."

The studio set-ups created, according to Quark, vary from the very basic (plain backdrop with simple but distinct lighting) to mid-range (with costumes and a few creative props) to complex (with constructed, pre-built sets).

"Blow-Up Babies wants to provide the best quality photos possible, regardless of the set-up complexity," Quark says. "Our studio is a controlled environment and is built in such a way that it is a fun place for children to go. Kids will immediately be made comfortable and the atmosphere will take away the tension photo shoots normally may bring."

Aside from the paraphernalia in the studio, customers can bring their own props and costumes for their photo sessions. The staff and in-house lensmen are trained by the owners in photography and production. They assist the customers in putting together the concept they had in mind. There are even graphic designers on hand to create digital background for the pictorial.

Like Quark, the other owners of Blow-Up Babies have their respective enviable credentials which give them an edge in managing a business like a concept photography studio.

J.A. Tadena is a multi-awarded photography director who won an award for Best Cinematography at the young age of 27. He has worked on such films as Mano Po 2 and has also shot numerous TV commercials for San Miguel, Pepsi, Smart and CloseUp.

Ning Tadena is a film and audio visual graduate from the UP College of Mass Communication who has handled various events. She is also experienced in working with children, having been a pre-school teacher for two years.

Lia Martinez is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University and is one of a handful of specialist film/digital colorists in the country. She has worked in post-production for numerous TV commercials and films including Erik Matti’s Exodus, Lav Diaz’s Heremias and Cesar Montano’s Ligalig, an official entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

Jessie Pastor is a commercial director and cinematographer who won a bronze medal at the New York Festival in 2002 for a breast cancer awareness advertisement. He was a multi-awarded creative director for J. Walter Thompson for 13 years before pursuing his love for photography.

Jenny Lao-Pastor worked as advertising art director after graduating from the UP College of Fine Arts. For 10 years, she was art/associate creative director at J. Walter Thompson and Jimenez Advertising (now JimBasic), where she earned medals and trophies from London International Awards, the New York Festival, Philippine Advertising Congress and the Creative Guild. She now works with free-lance production designers, doing sets and costumes for Pepsi, Coke, Bench, Penshoppe and Oxygen.

To date, Blow-Up Babies has had celebrity clients such as Christine Bersola and daughter Antonia, Amanda Griffin, Mylene Dizon, Angela Velez, Tim Yap and Juliana Gomez, daughter of showbiz couple Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres. Even rock stars Raymund Marasigan of Sandwich and Buddy Zabala of The Dawn have posed for their distinctive concept shots.

For the holiday season, the photo studio offers a one-year membership through Christmas gift checks which come with a video CD. For details and pictorial appointments, call Blow-Up Babies Gateway at 912-9101/913-7710 or at Serendra Shops at 909-7999/909-7998.