Maddie Moments: Post-3rd Birthday Shoot at Mayad Beginnings

Hello, hello, my very few readers! I am still alive! 2 years of blogging break and I am back now because 1) I miss writing 2) I just renewed my domain and I want to get my money's worth! Hahaha. Seriously though, I sooooo missed doing this. I also felt that I need a rehab from Facebook and I think blogging is a good diversion. Still online but much more worthwhile. Right?

So for my comeback post, let me share with you Maddie's post-birthday shoot with no less than Mayad Beginnings! Mayad Beginnings is the family and lifestyle photography arm of Mayad Studios -- yup, the famous wedding photographers! We were lucky because they had a contest in Instagram back in April, and even luckier because we were one of the two winners. Let me share with you my entry... (and oh, follow me in IG will you? :D)

TBH, I prayed to win because I want Maddie to have a yearly shoot to mark her milestones but I don't want to spend so much. She was here with us for two months and while I am very thankful for the precious time with our daughter, it also meant hurting our bank account (Singapore being the world's most expensive city to live in). So when I was informed by the Mayad team that we were chosen, oh boy I was on cloud 9! And to think that they are one of the industry's best, it was like hitting the jackpot!

After a few exchanges with their staff over IG, we got a slot on April 21st, 1pm. Days before the shoot, we were sent a mood board to help us with our outfit choices. I got even more excited because the color palette consists of beige, blush and gold which are my current favorites (blame it on Pinterest!) For the little girl I didn't have any problem -- I got her dress from Cotton On in like 15 minutes and it couldn't be more perfect for the theme. Then I got her sandals and crown headband from H&M. Easy-peasy. For J he just got himself a pink polo from G2000, and a nice pair of brown shoes from SM - all done. The hard part  really was choosing my dress because out of excitement, I bought a beige and black dress before I received the mood board. It was dominantly black so it's gonna kill the soft and feminine mood. I searched high and low for a new dress but time wasn't on my side. The night before our flight, my husband went through our closet and found a Dorothy Perkins dress that I bought some months ago but haven't really worn. I tried it on et voila, I have an outfit! Moral of the story: Shopping for more than what you currently need isn't a bad idea after all ;-)

Then came the day of the shoot. Locating their studio in Quezon City was a breeze, thanks to Waze. Traffic is also bearable so we arrived there with a few minutes to spare. The staff was very welcoming and I was quite surprised that they were all very young (like millennial kind of young). But I guess that worked to our advantage because Maddie felt like they were just her aunties (hello my millennial sisters!) That's one step to warm Maddie up. There was also another set in the studio with some toys so we played a bit to make her more comfortable.

A bit of side kwento: she saw a toy whisk among the stash of props and said "Remember Mommy, we use this when we were baking?" It's a beautiful feeling knowing that kids remember what you do together. So a little piece of advice to young moms like myself, spend more time with them and engage them in your activities. They are gonna treasure those moments, and I'm sure you will too!

Okay sorry to digress. When Maddie seemed ready, we were led to the actual set. The theme was Bedtime Story and the backdrop was just gorgeous - it was prettier in person, I tell you! Another thing worth the mention is the photographer (forgot the name though) because she was very nice and patient with our baby girl. Maddie was shy as usual but she followed the photog's instructions very well.  She asked her to smile, say "Three!" since she's three years old and turn the pages of a book while asking her some shapes and colors. It was an interactive session, so Maddie loosened up just a few minutes into it.

Unlike her infant photoshoot, they didn't mind when I took BTS shots. So here's one from my phone :-)

Shall I make more kwento while I show you the official photos? :D

Kumbaga sa exercise, stretching palang 'to :)
But I like this because it captured her shy yet still adorable personality.

I'm three, folks!!!

This one I want to hang on her future reading nook ^^, I hope someday, Anak, you fall in love with books.

Her Daddy's mini-me!

This is one of the two I've chosen to be printed 12x18. When I saw this I realized, anlaki-laki na ng anak ko! Can we just slow down a bit? T_T

After that, we joined her for photos already. Please bear with my humongous arms nalang, ha? Thankie :)

My favorite shot of them all! We are all so happy here. That's the real Maddie, bungisngis! :)

Our obligatory kiss shot. We have shots like this yearly! Planning to do this for as long as she lets us to ^^,

This is the other photo that I got printed. Planning to get the two framed in rose gold (specific eh? :)) and put up the wall above our bed. If you know where I can get customized frames, comment please? TIA!

In fairness, magaling sa candid ang asawa ko! :)

I'm jealous of this one. Huhu.

I told you, excuse the arm T_T

Her photos with her daddy look more natural than ours. Kainis! Hahaha.

I requested for a photo just the two of us, and the photog obliged. Maddie happily moved to the side, too. Then when I looked at her, she was also smiling while watching us. Katuwa!

Then nainggit, sumali na! :D I would have chosen this for blow-up but Jhay's eyes were so small here. Sayang!

Then, towards the end, hubby suggested this pose. Good job, Daddy!

And this one. Just love. Super inggit talaga ang Mommy! T_T

Actually, they are closer in real life, so I guess their photos reflect that. I couldn't complain, really. Seeing them like this also warms my heart.

This is such a cutie, too! This is the last one na pala, after this she was shy na ulit. But it's okay, I think we got great photos already.

After that, I hugged Maddie and told her that she did an awesome job in front of the camera. So proud of her! We got the photos two weeks later and I was squealing in delight! Ang ganda lang talaga. Even J loved every single shot.

We are very grateful to Mayad Beginnings for the opportunity. While doing this post, I checked out their website and saw the published rates. Naloka ako ng slight! I showed J and asked if we can do this again for Maddie's 4th birthday shoot but he said only if it's free. Hahaha. But I think now that we experienced a real professional shoot, my standard got even higher. Maybe I should start saving up so I can afford another session with them. I think the quality of the photos as well as their work ethics make the price worth it. Thanks again, Mayad! More followers to come, and more and more years of capturing beautiful memories!

On a final note, I highly recommend Mayad Beginnings to parents who are willing to go all out for their little ones' milestone shoots. After all, they are only young once :D

Cheers,