Maternity Shoot with Ian Santillan

I wanted to have a maternity photo shoot, but I didn’t really prioritize it when I became pregnant. Our medical bills spiked up because of our fertility workup. We have a house amortization to worry about. We also needed to save because my husband and I knew that giving birth in St. Luke’s would put a stress on our savings. But God really knows the deepest desires of our hearts. He did not simply give me the maternity shoot that I hoped for, He also sent the best person to do it for me!


Ian Santillan was our wedding photographer in 2011. When we first met him in a coffee shop in Makati back in 2010, he already made a mark in the wedding industry. And over the years, he managed to make that mark indelible. But despite of his stature, he has remained to be the same nice and unassuming guy who gave us a beautiful and memorable wedding.

Our prenuptial shoot was cut short because we had some glitches with the venue. And due to time constraints, our postnup shoot was also cut short. After the wedding, Ian said that he was willing to have another shoot with us to compensate. We didn’t feel the need for it because his photos were more than enough for what we paid for! But I remember telling him, “Sige, ‘yung postnup kapag nabuntis na lang ako para maternity shoot na rin!” And because it took me four long years to get pregnant, I totally forgot about it. Hahaha! But when I wrote about our battle with infertility, Ian was one of the people who shared our story in social media. I then had a chance to have a chat with him. In one of our conversations, I said, “See you in January” because Joie also got him for her wedding. Ian said, “We can meet earlier. Let’s do a maternity shoot!” He said that he feels that our story has been a blessing to other people so he just wanted to return the blessing. :) Aarte pa ba ako?! E Ian Santillan na ‘yun! =))

I received a lot of compliments from people all throughout my pregnancy.

“Blooming ka!”
“Parang hindi ka naman buntis!”
“Sure ako, girl ang baby mo!”

But in my head…

“Shet! Ang taba ko!”
“Ang dry ng hair ko!”
“Ang panget ko!!!”
“Ang laki ng ilong kooooooooooooooo!!!”

We scheduled the maternity shoot on my 32nd week. Sabi ko para may natitira pa akong ganda, kaso mali pala ako! Umasa na lang talaga ako sa lens at galing ni Ian! Hahahaha!

Because Ian was doing the shoot as a favor, I volunteered to have the shoot done in Alabang for his convenience. I initially wanted to have an outdoor photo shoot, but I didn’t have the time to research and acquire the necessary permits. I then decided to do it in a hotel. I contacted Crimson Hotel, but they were asking for a lot of things! They wanted me to PERSONALLY meet the Duty Manager to sign a waiver so we could shoot in the hotel premises. Shooting inside the room that we would book also requires coordination with their Duty Manager. I removed Crimson out of the picture and contacted Acacia Hotel instead. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive any reply from them. I then asked Ian if we could just shoot in his studio in Alabang. Ok lang daw. So ayun. Goodbye, outdoor shoot! :p

Days before our shoot, Ian asked me for some pegs. Sabi ko, “Wala. Magaling ka naman so ikaw na ang bahala!” Hahahaha! On the day of the shoot, I received a call from Ian. I was already dolled up and ready to leave the house when Ian told me that there would be change of plans. He thought he had flu. He was worried that I might catch whatever he has if we shoot in an enclosed area. Days later, he found out that it was Dengue Fever! Nakakahiya! Nag-shoot siya kahit may sakit! @_@ Kaya ayun. Hello, outdoor shoot uli! :p

I actually crammed for the shoot. Wala akong pegs. But we brought some props for the shoot. Hindi rin prepared si Boyet. And for some odd reason, I felt really awkward during the shoot. Panget na panget siguro ako sa sarili ko. Hahahaha! I didn’t have the time to go to a salon to have my hair trimmed. Kaya ayun, sabog sabog ang bangs ko! I did not have the energy to go to the mall so I just looked for a dress in my closet. The printed dress was given to me by Aubrey. I borrowed the white one from her her, too! She also coordinated with Cor to do may hair and makeup. Bwahahaha! I wanted to look all diyosa-like (hahaha) so I meant to buy a flower crown. Joie got me one in one of her trips to Divisoria. Ang parasite ko lang! :p

Anyway, there are more than one hundred photos, but these are my favorites. =)


The shoot lasted for more than an hour. We had to cut it short because Ian was not really feeling well. Ok lang. It also started to rain, and I was also a bit tired because of the extra weight. Ian was very apologetic. Sabi ko, “Ano ka ba?! Ok lang!!! ID picture nga lang na kuha mo, masaya na ako!” Ayun, bawi na lang daw siya sa next baby! =))

Thank you, Ian! You have been a blessing to our family since Day 0! :)

My Instagram

Copyright © jE's AnAtOmY.