I was supposed to meet Pal and Zsofia in El Nido on schedule, but the skies had other plans. A typhoon hit the Southern part of the Philippines just as they arrived from Europe, and when Zsofia called — long flight behind her, bewildered — she told me their Manila–El Nido connection was cancelled because of the weather. That’s a kind of travel disappointment that feels sharp in the moment.

Fortunately, we were able to rebook a few days later. And when we finally set foot on Palawan soil again, it felt like a quiet consolation: the kind of postcard‑perfect weather that makes you almost forgive the storm.

The shoot that followed was adventurous, moody, and cinematic. We moved from the limestone frames of Pinagbuyutan Island to the expansive sandbars of Snake Island, through the soft shoreline of Ipil Beach and the settling light at Las Cabanas. The ocean changed mood throughout the day — calm then roiling, light then disappearing — and the energy of the couple shifted with it. Nothing was forced, nothing was staged. Just movement, stillness, atmosphere.

This wasn’t about perfection. It was about being present after disruption — the way they looked at each other once the wind had finally run out of breath.

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A cinematic El Nido honeymoon portrait session photographed on location in Pinagbuyutan Island, Snake Island sandbar, Ipil Beach, and Las Cabanas Beach, Palawan, Philippines — November 2024. Captured by redsheepphotocinema and @_elsewherelse using Sony Alpha cameras with a filmic, candid approach rooted in natural light and unscripted connection.