love.travel.life.

lonely planet philippines magazine - on assignment: TURKEY || travel photographer

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:12:00 +0800

i am not one to boast, or gloat or brag. at all.

but i figure with my 40th birthday a week away and the timing of this all, that this was perhaps one good reason to do such things. :)

in november i was asked by a dear friend and fellow photographer, pilar tuason, if i would go to turkey for an on-assignment shoot. the feature story. the cover.

whoa. huge assignment. but totally up my alley.

so i joyfully accepted.

and yesterday i got my hands on a hot little issue of ISSUE 10 - the TURKEY issue of lonely planet philippines magazine.

to be honest - it’s so freaky to see my picture of myself, and 17, yes SEVENTEEN! pages, of photos of our trip. and just in time for my 40th birthday.

this is the first time my travel photography has been featured..and i’m hoping this is but the beginning of this exciting adventure! this in itself has made my 40th birthday so rad. <insert happy sigh>

of course i posted the pdf files of the article. so today i am posting ACTUAL photos of the magazine that i took on my patio. not the greatest background…but hey. :)

so many thanks…to pilar for asking me to go…to lonely planet philippines for entrusting me…to madie for being an awesome travel companion as we documented this trip. to everyone in turkey - osman, ensar, yucel and all the other amazing others - who made our trip nothing less than fantastic.

and to my lover…who always believes in me more than i believe in me, and who pushes me to be more than i think i can be. xo

here’s issue 10. it’s so lovely :)

xotracey

Lonely Planet Philippines Magazine, Issue 10 is finally out! || travel photographer

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:49:43 +0800

the long wait has almost come to an end.

last november i was asked to go on-assignment with Lonely Planet Philippines magazine to Turkey.

i received an email almost 2 weeks ago saying that it was out in print and they were sending me some copies!

i am still awaiting the copies - altho today i’m going to go to as many stores as i can and try and SEE a hard copy - but i also got a soft copy of the 16 page article i shot for.

to say i’m more than overwhelmed and honored to have done this assignment is an understatement. with this being my first published travel piece of my photography, i couldnt be more thrilled at the outcome. from the cover to the inside pages, it looks amazing. thank you Lonely Planet Philippines for entrusting me with this great, amazing task! and thank you Pilar for believing in me to execute it. xo

here’s a peak at the soft copies..as soon as i get the hard copies, i’ll shoot those and showcase them here. :)

xotracey

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your one wild & precious life - personal || passionate wanderer & lover of photography

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:32:00 +0800

its a funny thing really.

how in just 15 short months so many things about yourself and about what you value can so change so greatly.

as i read my bloglines.com, where i keep a running list of all the blogs i frequent, and see the broad spectrum of what everyone, whether stranger or friend, i am amazed:

“look at me, look at me and how i shot this engagement session”.

“i simply can’t live without this product or my life will be over!!”.

“if i dont get on my pintrest once a day, i will simply die”.

“i bought this amazing dress for only $200!”

the list goes on.

and as i read through that list, i suddenly realize i have a difficult time and cannot relate…

i dont know if it’s because i’ve been on the mission field in a 3rd world country where life and death are very real things and what i’m going to wear to a cocktail party, or how i’m going to decorate my house with DIY loveliness just dont really hold a light to my current reality. i dont know if it is because in 29 days i turn 40 and am reflecting, “what the hello have i done with my life?”. i dont know if i’m having a midlife crisis - altho i have no desire to drive a sports car, riding a motorcycle or an italian scooter has suddenly popped on my radar and i am not sure that it is even that scary of a deal anymore.

i dont know but i feel like i cannot even relate to the West, my home culture, anymore in some ways. where things and stuff are the basis of…pretty much everything. sigh.

what about life? what your heart? what about LIVING?

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE?

Mary Oliver was asking the right questions when she asked the above question.

i dont know what i will do with mine. i have never REALLY known what i wanted to do with mine. it’s always felt a little bit of an ambiguous question to me. or maybe my LIFE is ambiguous? i dont know really. but i do know i like the word ambiguous. :)

but i want it to matter. my life that is. i want it to be something that will have made a difference. me being in this world. living how i choose to live, whereever i choose to live it, whatever i choose to be doing.

and maybe that…THAT right there is the key. just to be intentional.

intentional in really LIVING life.

intentional in really ENGAGING life.

intentional in really LOVING in life.

this is all that i’m thinking about this morning. this and my ritual cup of coffee that i need to go sip…intentionally.

xotracey

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where my heart goes... venezia, italia || the voyage snaps - manila travel photographer

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:02:02 +0800

when life gets really overwhelming or i need to find some solice or if i want to escape the demands of every day pressures, i let it think of my most favorite city on the earth…

where do you go to your “happy place?

xotracey

#FF - georgia peach || philippines destination wedding photographer

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:49:20 +0800

ever meet someone on FB or some other social media platform and then suddenly you totally connect and then you are like virtual BFFs and then you skype and then you email and chat and stuff and then you realize you are actually kindred spirits and then the next thing you know they are gonna come and stay in your house with you, and you dont even actually know if they are cereal killers or not? but really hope and pray they are not cuz you really think they are cool and that you could have a blast with them?

ya that pretty much sums up how i met the lovely georgia. :)

and it’s a truly beautiful thing really. and i’m delighted to feature her here on my #FF follow a fabulous person spot! her and her husband and their two minis live in australia…he’s a filoz - filipino raised in australia, and they are coming here in may to the philippines and will be staying with us part of their stay - how exciting!

georgia has an absolutely awesome blog and has a fun photography biz that she has made for herself! all the links to all her social media/blog sites are at the bottom of this post…but you can go there after you get to know her a little bit on here!

georgia - thank you for “stalking” me… hehehehe… i’m so thrilled you did…and i simply love you and your family. cannot WAIT to meet you SOON! welcome to my #FF blog post!

presenting georgia peach… :)

xotracey

TLH: what is the favorite part of what you do (business/organization wise)?

Georgia: The most incredible part of what I do is that I am able to give people the memories they might not otherwise have. To me, memories are one of the most valuable things I have and often - without photographs - are lost. I am in the business of making memories tangible and it doesn’t get better than that!

Being able to document the moments when a parent first meets their child at a birth is, by far, the most incredible thing I’ve done.

TLH: how did you get started? everyone asks, i know, but peeps wanna know!

Georgia: My older sister is an incredibly talented photographer and through her and friends I was able to learn photography.

I started a blog documenting my own children’s lives and, after a while, people started requesting me to take photos of their families and their events. I figured I shouldn’t say no to offers of money doing something I love so I started my business, Georgia Peach Pictures.

TLH: if you could live anywhere in the world for a year, money not an issue, where would it be and why?

Georgia: I would definitely live in the Philippines! I have never visited anywhere where I felt so ‘at home’. I love the Filipino culture, I love the food and oh, I love, love the Filipino people (so much I married one!).

TLH: a favorite story/memory of past client/work/project

Georgia: This little baby who I photographed last week who gave me the finger just cracks me up whenever I think about it. It didn’t seem like an accident at all! Check out his face!

TLH: what is your favorite foods to eat? to make? to buy? why?

Georgia: I love, love tabouleh! It’s my favourite. It reminds me of my childhood and our garden filled with parsley. The smell instantly transports me back home! Plus, it’s healthy and I could eat it by the bowl full!

To buy I love Ube icecream. It is my guilty pleasure. I once ate an entire tub of it at once (under the premise that it would melt on the train home so I’d better enjoy it while I could!). It’s expensive here in Australia though ($16 a tub) so it’s a very special treat.

TLH: where do you see yourself in your biz and life in 5 years?

Georgia: I see myself documenting things that are real. Love, laughter, life. I want my work to reflect my clients as they are - real and bursting with their own uniqueness. I hope that in five years I will be quicker at post processing and or that technology will invent something to it all for me. I would love for my business to grow to be ‘our business’ as I long to work side by side with my husband, Errol.

TLH: how do you want to be remembered?

Georgia: As happy, as genuine, as a good mother & wife.

(I’d be delighted if I was remembered as those but if not I hope that someone at least remembers how good I am at making mexican layered dip! )

connect with georgia on the interwebs at:

website/ blog: http://www.georgiapeachpictures.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgiapeachpictures

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an amazing NGO called YOUNG FOCUS - WEdnesday || manila travel photographer

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:01:00 +0800

remember WEdnesdays? wednesdays - WEdnesdays - WE is us, you and me..community. wednesdays will be featuring stuff going on in communities that people need to know about…like SMUG metro manila, or NGOs like Gentle Hands, and so much more. WE. love we. :) and we love what others are doing around the metro!

i met ann at my tagalog class this last january. and INSTANTLY i fell in love with her. she is so awesome; she is candid, real, and funny. all things i COMPLETELY appreciate in people. :)

her and husband work with YOUNG FOCUS, a non-government organization, aiming to improve the spiritual and social well-being of young people in poor communities by means of education and personal support. they give underprivileged children and young people the chance to develop themselves mentally, physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually by means of education and personal coaching. it’s truly a beautiful organization!

their main program is the Education and Development Program, which involves sponsoring the education of students from elementary to college; and providing them supplementary learning, personal development opportunities, and family intervention. We have a Student Center, where students can study and do their homework using the computer and internet, and where most of our activities are held.

to see more about them and the great work they are doing in tondo, metro manila, you can find them online at:

website: http://www.youngfocus.org

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngfocus.org

you tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/youngfocusmovies

all photos copyright of youngfocus.org

love, love, LOVE what you and your husband and team are doing in manila, ann!

xotracey

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bloody mosquito - heart beats || manila travel photographer

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:37:30 +0800

yes i just used BLOODY in my blog post title. relax. :)

but seriously. it amazes me still, after experiencing it myself, how one SINGLE mosquito can take out a person with dengue fever.

a nasty little mosquito photo courtesy of wiki

lover (if you dont know i affectionately call and have called my husband that for almost 17 years) suddenly came down with the high fevers in the early hours of thursday last week while we were still at the beach.

paracetamol and lots of liquids have been his friend right now. the moaning and pain he is in almost kills me.

bedside paracetamol..

and if i’m really honest, which i will be today, cuz it’s heart beats tuesday, i have really struggled with him being this sick.

everytime he flies or goes somewhere for any length of time more than a week, my mind goes into a sudden panic - what if he doesn’t come back? what will we do? where will we go? how will we cope? how will i cope??

the morning ritual - getting his blood checked at the hospital down the road to make sure his blood count and platelets dont get too low and are going up as the days progress…he’s SO thrilled to do this every day… no, not really.

these are all very real questions and fears i have EVERY SINGLE TIME HE GOES AWAY. and many of you know how often he goes away.

and him being sick this last week is no exception. of course there is always SOME chance of any sickness to go the wrong way…and so, my brain is in panic mode. and being i’m not so medical and am heavily relying on my veteran inlaws for dengue advice, i feel somewhat “special needs”. :)

at one point when he was so very ill, i said to him, i’m going out..now don’t go anywhere. and dont you DARE die on me, jokingly, but also seriously.

lover looked at me, and said, babe…you really need to “go there” and figure out why you have such a great fear about me dying.

yes dear, you’re right, i do need to go there. but not whilst you are sick. i’ll deal with my heart once i know you are out of the woods and recovering. :)

today’s blood tests…can i also give a plug here to the country of the philippines? canada medical system, take note: here, for under $10 we can get a complete bloodcount, rbc and platelet count done and back in 20 minutes. you should try it. :)

any prayers you can offer on behalf of lover would be incredibly coveted and really rad of you. :) thanks.

xotracey

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wedding dresses in italy - the voyage snaps || destination wedding & travel photographer

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:04:00 +0800

the last time i was in italy, i had the pleasure of visiting a delightful little bridal boutique in spoleto, umbria.

vogue sposa is owned by a wonderful woman named lina, who has been in the bridal business for many a year.

she showed us so many divine designs…

the boutique was BURSTING with gorgeousness! and the way in which she decorated and accented it was truly lovely…

looking for something simply ITALIAN for your wedding? go to this gorgeous little shop in spoleto, umbria. it will be worth it! tell lina i sent you!

ciao!

xotracey

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la union lifestyle session || destination photographer

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:56:40 +0800

the last time i did a lifestyle session with my sister must have been at least a couple or 3 years ago…we were due. and our landscape of la union coastline was perfect…

my sister came to manila over a month ago…she’s here til june. it’s been so great having her and watching her grow in ways only being here can do, hehehe… :)

presenting my baby sis… and a couple at the end with my sweet rosie and her tita k.. :)

xotracey

contact me for lifestyle sessions - there is a pinoy summer sale going on! email me at tracey@traceylheppner.com

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#FF - Rose Stein Hair & Make-Up Artist || manila destination wedding & travel photographer

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:15:45 +0800

only being in manila for over a year, i have been meeting lots of people in the photo and wedding industry, online and in person. connecting is one of my favorite things.

when i was doing a search of make-up artists, i came across rose’s name and looked up her facebook page and loved what i saw. her artistry is very broad - she does gorgeous bridal make-up - natural yet glamorous. and her editorial work is outstanding. she simply stood out for me as a great artist.

i wanted to feature rose’s artistry on my #FF blog - i think more people need to know her, if they don’t already!

today may i introduce to you, rose of rose stein hair & make-up artist. thanks rose for taking the time to connect and hope to meet you in “real”, real soon! :)

xotracey

TLH: what is the favorite part of what you do (business/organization wise)?

Rose: Apart from the earning i get from doing make up and making brides and people show their beautiful selves, It’s when i see the smile on their face after i done my work. It’s the happiness i get from it from making them happy. Also meeting different people all over and expanding my network group. I also love to be part of their weddings and to witness such meaningful ceremonies.

TLH: how did you get started? everyone asks, i know, but peeps wanna know!

Rose: I used to work in the modeling industry, doing tv commercials, print ads, shows and events. I was surrounded with artists half of my life and so when i decided to do something else, make up business was one of my top lists. I love make up. I started it last 2010 when i first took my class at Make up forever basic and bridal class then H.D and airbrush class at CAS.

TLH: if you could live anywhere in the world for a year, money not an issue, where would it be and why?

Rose: Oh it’s going to be Paris perhaps! I never been but i’ve seen enough of beautiful things about the place, i would love to explore the city, learn the language and fall in love! Cheesy it may sound but i wanna do that! I can do for a year i will not complain! LOL

TLH: a favorite story/memory of past client/work/project

Rose: My first wedding work. it was full of excitement and so happy that everybody loved my work, that time i knew i made the right choice.

TLH: what is your favorite foods to eat? to make? to buy? why?

Rose: Being an artist, i appreciate all the good things in life especially the food! I took up culinary arts about 6 years ago, i love trying any cuisines, i love spicy foods, italian, french, asian, i think i love them all!

TLH: where do you see yourself in your biz and life in 5 years?

Rose: I dream to make a big name in wedding industry, to be known for the quality of service i give to my clients. Aside from make up, i want to be a wedding coordinator or supply other stuffs in wedding business. Just thinking big, it’s free to dream anyway!

TLH: how do you want to be remembered?

Rose: I want to be remembered not just for the service i give to my clients but also for being a person with a good heart. That one day they remember i made them happy.

to see more of rose stein hair & make-up artist, visit her on the web at:

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steinmaryrose

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