His First Holy Communion

My son's first reception of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is cause for celebration and of course, formal pictures. Along with many Catholic 2nd graders with their excited parents, the hunt for proper attire began with frantic visits to the children section at local department stores. After repeated attempts at multiple locations for the correct garment size, the online heavens parted and blessed us with convenient delivery to our home. This is truly a Blessed Sacrament.



Reconciliation finished. Sacrament of the Altar completed. This communicant is well on his way for his rite of passage until his future confirmation. Assigned seating in the third row gave me an opportune view for this unobstructed perfect shot at ISO 3200 with my trusty Canon EOS Rebel SL1/100D. Divine Intervention strikes again!



If you look closely at paintings of the Last Supper in Filipino households, you can see a succulent whole roasted Lechon pig with crispy skin on the table with Jesus and his Apostles. The Lord's Supper and my son's First Communion Reception are not complete without the national dish of suckling swine of the Philippines and Puerto Rico.



Unlike this one, many rites of passage are not a true and straight path. There will be many obstacles sight unseen in your future. Doubt will be cast and certainly authority questioned until you are well past an adult. It will all make sense later.



Your journey will not be alone. This much photographed family will guide you like your gracious unleavened host on this perfect happy day. Like all similes, please don't eat us.



No fancy studio lights and digital cameras here in my First Holy Communion photo shoot, just a Polaroid Instamatic Land Camera with harsh flash bulb lighting. Check out my over sized lapels on my brown leisure suit ! I was "Stylin" in my day !

Welcome Holy Communicants!

I thought all hope was lost when I missed the photograph of my daughter receiving her first blessed host. I can only describe the situation as communicant chaos. My longtime family friend from Los Angeles, California was the only one who noticed me bothered by the mayhem. He offered me a solution that turned my frown upside down.



You will notice the above picture has my daughter receiving the host. That host in the picture is very special. So special, it is made of a simple paper dinner napkin. Yes, the entire shot of my daughter receiving holy communion was completely staged. I am now complete.



No, the fake host is not a precursor to a staged mission to Mars landing like in the movie "Capricorn One" with O.J. Simpson and Eliot Gould. It is a celebration of turning something negative into a positive with a dinner napkin. The negative was overshadowed by all the gleeful recipients in their beautiful dresses and handsome suits.



My daughter was proudly escorted by her oldest cousin up to the altar for this special day. My oldest niece will be graduating this year and going to high school next year. How time flies!



A once in a lifetime event had to be followed by a memorable celebration. Enter the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City , FL. The oldest restaurant in Florida became the ideal backdrop to my daughter's Communion gala. Fabulous food and flamenco dancers filled the festive atmosphere.



The entire event was shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV,the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS version 1 and the Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 L. You can view more photos and videos in my Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Gallery.



You can view more photos in my First Communion Gallery.

First Communion Photo Shoot !

The Blessed Sacrament soon approaches without haste. My daughter and her 2nd grade class have been preparing for their First Communion all school year. It began with Reconciliation and her religious obligations end this year with the Holy Eucharist.



As you probably noticed already, her dress traveled a far distance for her special day. The dress was custom made for my daughter in the Philippines. The ornate material,the intricate vale and the matching purse completed the outfit.



The photo shoot was quite an event. I had less than an hour at the church to set up, shoot and break down the gear before the next Mass service began. A main light with softbox and CTO gel powered by a White Lightning Ultra Zap, a circular reflector with arm stand bouncing the main light for side fill and a standalone battery powered Sunpak flash with a reflective umbrella for separation accomplished the lighting setup.

The First Communion Gallery was shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens.