From here to maternity

MANILA, Philippines - Taking photographs of your pregnant belly during our parents’ time would be considered pretty unconventional and the superstitious would jump in with warnings and nods of disapproval.

These days, women are beginning to celebrate their motherhood even prior to giving birth by documenting this moment in artful photographs. Setting the gold standard in professional maternity photography is The Stork Studio of Sofia Genato and Stan Ong as they recently bagged the top prize with their 1st and 2nd place wins at the National Association of Professional Child Photographers International Image Competition, USA.

“We want to take maternity and newborn photography to a whole new level here in the Philippines. We are not a commercial studio like those you find in the malls. Stan and I are seasoned professionals who have trained and studied this craft for almost three years. We are the only photographers in the country who are members of the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP), USA,” says Sofia.

“We love to shoot pregnant moms and are constantly innovating our ideas on how to shoot them. We treat our maternity shoots like fashion shoots and always try to push the envelope further each time with new concepts and lighting techniques,” adds Sofia.

Family portrait: Julius Babao and Tintin Bersola-Babao can’t hide their excitement.

Newborn photography is relatively new, yet the photos just melt your heart. In our minds, only Anne Geddes is known for such extraordinary photographs of these tiny adorable babies. But Sofia who trained under the No. 1 newborn photographers in the US is becoming quite the local expert on this.

“I love newborn photography! To me, there is no better high in the world than capturing the perfect heart-tugging photo of a newborn miracle. When I have a good shoot, I can stay happily giddy all week just thinking about it,” says Sofia passionately.

When asked how old a newborn should be for the shoot, Sofia says that the best time for a newborn shoot is during the first 10 to 12 days. “After 15 days, they become more awake and alert, thus harder to pose.” I use both natural and studio lighting, indoor and outdoor shots, depending on the baby. A newborn shoot requires a lot of patience, especially on the parents’ part since it can last for several hours in between feeding and nappy changing times. The safety of the baby is my No. 1 priority and parents need to know this at the onset. We have been trained by pediatricians, midwives, and professional newborn photographers in the US and are seasoned veterans when it comes to handling newborns, which is crucial for anyone attempting a newborn shoot.

Sleeping beauties: The Stork Studio’s photographs of newborns can melt your heart.

“I can’t stress enough how important safety is when shooting a newborn and my techniques always put this first. I’ve seen stuff online and cringed at how some novices attempt to pose a newborn without knowing how to do so,” explains Sofia. I shoot from a home-based studio in Makati (or do private home visits and location shoots) — this allows us and the child (and parents) to be more comfortable and relaxed.”

Aside from their work, that is getting more and more popular, Stan and Sofia are regular contributors to WorkingMom, Smart Parenting, and Junior magazines. Their commercial clients include Johnson & Johnson Baby and EQ diapers, among others.

“The difference we want to make is that we are professionals, we care about the process and the output, when our clients hire us; they are hiring a personal photographer to catalogue this moment in their child’s life. Most clients who opt for our services appreciate and value high-end custom work, and have a strong desire to celebrate their families in the form of ‘art’ on their walls, in albums, as gifts to family and friends, and as unique and timeless design elements for home décor,” Stan explains.

As of this writing, Sofia has just completed training in the US under the top-rated newborn photographers Tracy Raver and Kelley Ryden.

So for those parents who are looking to commemorate their pregnancy and child’s birth in a unique and artful way, look no further and check out what dropped in from The Stork Studio.

For inquiries, call or SMS 0917-9127702, e-mail thestorkstudio@gmail.com, or visit www.thestorkstudio.com. The Stork Studio is also on Twitter (storkstudio) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/thestorkstudio).