Underwater Transformation About Face Underwater Transformation About Face

Meet Survivor Maya!

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May 25, 2016/by
Maya, a Brain Cancer survivor I have some exciting news to share! Tomorrow I have scheduled an underwater photo shoot with cancer survivor Maya and NBC Bay Area (KNTV Channel 11) will be covering behind the scenes!

I’ll have more to share next week on the news coverage, so this week I really wanted to introduce you to Maya. She’s a very special gem and I am very excited for our portrait session tomorrow! Maya Sycip, Brain Cancer Survivor, San Francisco, 23 “The name of the tumor found in my brain was called a “Grade III Anaplastic Astrocytoma” and it was about the size of an apricot. Overall I was very healthy and played sports all throughout high school so I was very athletic. However, I did suffer from migraines, but just thought it was normal because my mom has them. I found out August 28, 2012 (the second day of my sophomore year at Loyola Marymount University) in my On-Campus housing apartments. That Tuesday morning, while I was still sleeping, I had a seizure and my roommates called 9-1-1. I was diagnosed when I was 19. (I) had emergency brain surgery the very next morning after I was diagnosed. On June 13, 2016, I will have officially been in remission for 3 years.” Why do you want to be involved in Underwater Healer About Face? “I’d like to be involved in the Underwater Healer About Face because I’ve never done anything like it before and I still have some healing to do of my own.  I’m hoping...
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One FREE Underwater Portrait Couple Shoot this Saturday!



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May 19, 2016/by
Are you and your partner in, near, or can get to San Jose THIS Saturday (May 21st, 2016) at 11 AM? If so, I have one FREE underwater portrait session for ONE COUPLE! I'm looking for a couple who wants to improve the communication, connection, teamwork and confidence through underwater portrait photography. The underwater portrait session includes one Skype consultation, one 30 minute pool photo shoot and requires one short testimonial (written Q&A and video) after the fact. You'll receive one image and by agreeing to this free shoot the image will be used by me on my website and on my social media channels. This opportunity does not come around often, I would jump on this if I were in your shoes!

Unsure what you might be getting yourself into? Here is a testimonial from one couple that has participated in an underwater portrait shoot with me: How was the communications for the photo shoot and during the session? “Initially, we were going to just ‘go with the flow’. I did do some research on different poses as a back up (in case I felt unsure what to do with my body). It was a tremendous amount of teamwork and understanding to be able to carry (this) out underwater. So much multi-tasking goes on…. its a task to execute sometimes. However, its gets easier when someone shares the same goal and view.” Did you guys talk about the photo session after? What did you talk about?
 “How we enjoyed ourselves. It was true quality...
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Nou Magazine

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May 12, 2016/by
Happy Thursday! This week has just flown by. It’s been another fantastic week - I’m so happy to share with you all that NOU Magazine, an online cancer magazine for cancer survivors, featured my work! I submitted an essay entitled “Healing Effects of Water – One Cancer Survivor’s Way of Helping Others Heal” and was thrilled when the contacted me to tell me they had chosen it to publish! NOU Magazine is part of the Women Survivors Alliance, and event who’s mission is to establish a network where women affected by cancer can find their voice, improve their quality of life, and embrace their 2nd Acts. They empower, educate, and connect women whose lives have been touched by cancer. Their publication, NOU Magazine, is not just an online magazine or blog, it’s a digital community that gives cancer survivorship a voice - written and spoken - all over the world. It’s a wonderful place that shares motivational stories of female survivors sharing their gifts of life and experience with the world. They want to move people. They want to amuse people. But most of all, they want to motivate. They motivate others to find themselves again after cancer. It was very much a perfect fit to share my story with NOU Magazine. My aim is to help cancer survivors experience the healing effects of water immersion and to encourage survivors to see themselves as beautiful through portraits. I assist them with their own transformation, just as NOU Magazine aims to assist...
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Celebrate Your Expected Bundle of Joy with a Unique Maternity Shoot!

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May 4, 2016/by
I’m blessed to have been able to meet many incredible cancer survivors with my Underwater Healer projects. I love seeing their transformations and hearing how much I’ve made a difference in their healing process. But what you may not know is that my most requested portrait shoot is actually maternity! I love underwater maternity photo shoots! There is something special about seeing the joy, love and excitement on the mother-to-be’s face. A new baby is the most exciting moment in a family’s history, and it be part of the celebration and documentation is an honor. I’m lucky to see firsthand a very special connection being made under the water - a feeling of floating that reflects what the bundle of joy is experiencing within the womb. Maternity client Kris had this to say about her underwater maternity shoot on Yelp: “Erena is great to work with. She captivates chemistry with grace and turns it into art, providing you with great shots of natural movement. Very patient to work with and really down to earth. I've always wanted to be a mermaid as a little girl swimming in my own pool, which is what sparked my interest and thoughts of this underwater maternity photo.  It’s definitely an experience because its not as easy as it looks, Erena is just a great photographer." If you, or someone you know, is expecting a new bundle of joy please consider booking an underwater maternity shoot! Not only is it a very unique experience, but proceeds of the...
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Ready for My Close Up?!

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April 29, 2016/by
It’s been a very busy week! I am thrilled and overwhelmed with all the amazing projects and opportunities that have been coming my way this year. I can’t tell you everything just yet, but I am going to tease you with some details of one upcoming project that has me extra excited! Last week I had an introductory conversation with a lovely European couple on being part of their documentary! They are soon to be documenting stories on cancer survivors and are interested in including my Underwater Healer project and one of the survivors that has had their transformation documented! With one of the filmmakers currently undergoing chemotherapy themselves, it’s an extra personal project that really touches my heart. It’s a very unique project: gathering inspiring cancer survivor stories from different cultures and countries worldwide, and I am so honored to even be having conversations in being included. However my participation might end up with this project (remember - it’s very early!), its moments like these that reminds me how far the project’s awareness has come since it’s launch. Thank you to all of the survivors’ family and friends, and my own supporters, who have championed us all. And don’t forget, I’m still looking for one Asian young adult (age 20-30) cancer survivor for a piece I’m working on with NBC Asian Pacific America with Robert Handa. If this sounds like you, or someone you know who may be interested in participating in an underwater portrait shoot for NBC, please reach out...
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Sign Up Now For an Underwater Transformative Daycation!

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April 20, 2016/by
Join us Saturday, May 14th, in San Jose for a half day dedicated to transforming your body, mind and soul - all while having a fun time - the Underwater Transformative Daycation! I’m excited to be teaming up with a personal trainer, body builder and nutritionist, who will work with you to start a change both inside and out. Then, we’ll rediscover your beauty, heal emotional scars, and improve self-esteem through an underwater photo therapy session. Start the Transformative Daycation at noon with an introduction and then at 12:30 we’ll dive in with a hour body sculpt transformation class. After a break and some healthy snacks, we’ll jump into an emotional transformation with an underwater photography shoot with yours truly! All participants will receive one group shot and one individual portrait. We will then end the day with a nutritional education class for maximum wellness. We then will all enjoy a delicious vegetarian meal with wine together before parting ways. It’s sure to be a fun, engaging and enlightening experience not to be missed! Spots for this Transformational Daycation are extremely limited - only eight slots are available! Sign up now to ensure you participation and lock in the early bird price of $275. Please contact me with any questions. And as an added bonus, proceeds go towards my Underwater Healer About Face Project! No cancer survivor pays for their transformational underwater portrait shoot - attending one of my events or booking a portrait shoot yourself helps support my work. I...
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Wigs for Kids

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April 13, 2016/by
As some of you may know, I just celebrated a birthday! I spent it with many people I hold dear and loved every moment of it. Thank you to every one of my family and friends who sent lovely birthday wishes or helped me celebrate. It was a wonderful day and this year is going to be the best one yet! For this birthday, I wanted to do something extra special - something that would make a difference. A friend of mine suggested I look into Wigs for Kids, an awesome organization that creates wigs for children that suffer from hair loss due to illness. Wigs and hair replacement treatment is always covered 100% at no cost to the families. There are many ways you can support a child through their organization - either through sponsoring a child’s hair replacement treatment for a year, a monetary donation or a hair donation. It’s a wonderful charity and I was so moved by their mission that I decided I would donate my own hair for a child’s wig!  See my dramatic birthday transformation below! Change is wonderful and I’m thrilled that I was able to help make a difference in a child’s life. The hairpieces and treatments Wigs for Kids obtain for children in need help boost their self-esteem and not feel self conscious about being “different”. Growing up is hard enough, and battling a difficult illness is something no child should ever have to go through. I am happy to go through my...
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Inspiring Young Minds

Underwater Healer About Face
April 5, 2016/by
As you may remember, one of my resolutions for 2016, is to increase my speaking engagement frequency - and yes, still aiming for that TED Talk! I’m so excited to tell you that am speaking at not one, but two, college photography classes this month! First, I’ll be speaking at City College San Francisco in mid-April, and shortly thereafter at City College San Jose. I’m excited to share my passion with young, budding photographers. My work, and my Underwater Healer project, has evolved so much over the years. I’ve learned and grown so much. I’m excited to share a few of the lessons I’ve learned and hopefully inspire THEM to tell their own empowering stories. Hopefully this is a great opportunity for me and the students alike and that they will also find an interest in my project sharing survivor stories. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find myself leading them in a workshop because they discovered an interest in underwater photography! The possibilities are endless. I’m also happy to try out some of my new-found presentation skills and tips I learned at a public speaking workshop I attended earlier this year! I am taking my resolution very seriously and am proud at myself for accomplishing what I have so far this year. I have a few more surprises in the works that will bring me even closer to my goal. Stay tuned, only good things are...
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Announcing The Transformative Daycation!

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March 23, 2016/by
The Empowering Transformative DAYCATION I’m very excited to let you all in on a secret project I’ve been working on! I’m thrilled to share I will be co-hosting a Transformative Daycation with Chelsea Good! Join us for a day dedicated to transforming your body, mind and soul - all while having a fun time! Start the Transformative Daycation with Chelsea, who will lead us in an empowering body sculpt class. Chelsea - a personal trainer, body builder and nutritionist - will work with you to start a change both inside and out. After the body workout we jump into underwater transformation with an underwater healing photography with yours truly! Rediscover your beauty, heal emotional scars, and improve self-esteem through this mini underwater photo therapy session. All participants will receive one group shot and one individual portrait. We will then end the day with a nutritional education class, led by Chelsea, for maximum wellness. It’s sure to be a fun, engaging and enlightening experience not to be missed! Spots for this Transformative Daycation are extremely limited - only eight slots available! Sign up now to ensure your participation and lock in the early bird price of $275. Be sure to stay tuned for more details on this first-of-its-kind event! I look forward to hosting this event and many...
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San Diego Trip Recap!

Travel
March 17, 2016/by
I’m back in San Francisco after an amazing, whirlwind trip to San Diego to shoot three beautiful and strong cancer survivors.  As you may remember, this trip included working with two tattooed mastectomy survivors in collaboration with Shane Wallin, founder of Mastectomy Tattoo! It was incredible to meet him and see his work in person. In addition, I also was blessed to document a happy couple, one of which is a two time testicular cancer survivor, expecting their first child in May! It truly was an incredible weekend. Photos are coming soon, but in the meantime please read and watch their testimonials! JUANITA SAYS: It was my father’s birthday yesterday and this is dedicated to him and all cancer survivors. My underwater photo shoot was a great experience! I felt so free, happy and relaxed - to be underwater my soul was at peace. Underwater I was able to find joy. Having this experience alongside two other survivors was incredible; I am happy I was able to share that moment with them. Erena made me feel so comfortable and at ease, she is a great photographer. I would recommend anybody who survives anything traumatic to go for it - there’s peace in the water! Also, thank you Tony and Shane, my great tattoo artists, for helping me find my “sexy” back. There is beauty after breast cancer! I am a survivor hear me roar! 

TINA SAYS: I felt it was harder than it sounds! In turn, it was more fun than...
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