Everybody was totally in awe of the lovely portraits displayed at the awards night for the winners of the Sta. Elena Photo Contest held recently at the InterContinental Hotel in Makati. Pictures of English gardens, Spanish haciendas, French courtyards, Italian villas and Georgian colonial houses had people wondering if the photographs were really shot here in the Philippines. Under the theme “Living in AuthentiCity”, the subject was the six theme-inspired estates in Sta. Elena City -- a 300-hectare residential property created by the country’s largest homebuilders Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc. in bustling Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Both professional digital photographers and hobbyists enjoyed taking snapshots of the surroundings as well as the living spaces in the subdivisions interestingly named Belle Reve, Fontamara, Georgia Club, Promenade, Valenza and Hacienda Sta. Elena. Top-notch lifestyle and commercial lensman Wig Tysmans headed the panel of judges composed of Brittany Corporation chief operating officer Camille Villar, The Philippine Star vice president for advertising Lucien Dy-Tioco, and Ogilvy & Mather’s Randy Aquino. Meticulously designed after some of the world’s most charming destinations, Sta. Elena City is envisioned as the next premier master-planned city in the South. For inquiries, call 794-9999 and 584-1182 or visit www.brittany.com.ph.