Bleeding Love

The reason for this Christmas season - Jesus. (Above) Photo of our christmas lantern (parol) made out of recycled items. (Below) Bleeding love. This is the cross at the center of our lantern, which sums up why Jesus came to Earth to become human in the first place - to die on the cross, for ME and YOU. Merry Christmas and enjoy the yuletide season rememberting God's great love for us.

Kalesa

This is a horse-drawn carriage or kalesa I shot from my trip to Vigan a few months back (edited with photoshop). This is a common sight in the streets of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Philippines and a common sight as well in the streets of Chinatown in Manila. This post should've been posted a long time ago, but since I'm quite busy nowadays I haven't got the time to shoot some new photos, so I decided to sift through my old ones, which also explains my absence for two weeks. Also, this photo is exactly how I shot it, minus the radial blur. Enjoy!

Photoshoot Anyone?

The photo above is a shot I took at the Photography Living Gallery Exhibit at the National Museum of Singapore. This is the kind of studio camera they use to photograph people back in the 19th century (Thank God for compact DSLRs nowadays). The second photo (below) is a picture of the device they use to manually retouch the photos, somewhat like the darkroom processing of films. Talk about manual photoshop. Basically, these were some of the more pertinent equipment that a photographer needs to produce a sound photograph. Anyway, it's just amazing how these things are preserved so that younger generations such as ours will be able to appreciate and see the creations of the past. My visit to that museum was particularly extraordinary. It was very modern, hi-tech, creative and educational at the same time.

* More photos and stories from Singapore soon.

Cig Lighter

This is my dad's cigarette lighter, although he already quit smoking for years. It's nice to have one of these things around for display or for still life subjects. I was practicing with the flash mode of my camera. I'm trying to utilize the flash effectively without making the picture look "washed-out" or too white because of the built-in flash. One thing I've realized in this exercise is the importance of the use of white balance. In Manual mode shooting, it is best to adjust the WB according to your shooting environment to have the best results, in this case I used the flash white balance option. I still have to work out on the glare seen when shooting shiny, metal surfaces --- the natural way, meaning no photoshop.

Bread and Fish

"They all ate and they were satisfied..." Mark 6:42.

Five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish. This is my still life attempt on fish, given as a photo assignment last May. It took me more than two days to figure out how to interpret the topic. Finally, I decided it would be interesting if I can tell share the story of Jesus feeding 5000 people with just 2 pieces of fish and 5 loaves of bread in just one picture. I had to find a nice basket to place the bread and fish. The bread is actually spanish bread and the fish are little "galunggong tinapas" I found at the supermarket. I arranged them and after employing the painting with light technique, I shot about 100+ shots to get the perfect one. When we were taught how to shoot still life with nothing but a flashlight, I was fascinated by it. Couldn't wait to try it at home. And once I tried it, I realized it wasn't as easy as it looked. It took a lot of trial and error to get a really good shot. That's why it took me more than a hundred shots. At first, most of my shots were way underexposed. Eventually, I got the hang of it after about a dozen shots. Anyway, when the time came for judges to critique our work, I received some interesting comments on my picture (which was fun by the way). There were some who appreciated it. Some even suggested ways for me to improve it. Some of course didn't like it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but it was all good. Great learning experience, especially from the experts. There's just one comment I would certainly never forget. I remember one judge saying the the fish doesn't go well with bread, it should have been shot with garlic rice on the side (famous Filipino breakfast). I tried containing my laughter, but perfectly understood where he is coming from. We all have different perspectives and interpretations on what we see. He just happened to be an advertising photographer (forgot the name though), thus, he wanted to see a material more inclined to advertising or promoting a product, I guess. Anyway, I'd be definitely doing more still lifes shot this way. It's totally cool, fun and at least something new to me.

Mickey

Mickey. Yet another one of my attempts at shooting a still life - more of like a product shot actually. I shot this in my room with nothing but a flashlight. I think I haven't got it quite right yet. I need more practice - I have failed to properly illuminate Mickey's ears. Anyway, I have to give credit to Mr. Victor Sison, a reknowned paintographer (painter/photographer) here in the Philippines, for teaching us this technique in shooting still life with nothing more than a completely dark room, a tripod and a flashlight as light source. I love this method of shooting. It gives you more freedom to choose the kind of lighting you wish to use and artistically create lighting effects in shooting a subject. It gives you the chance to express yourself in a whole new way.

Still Life

Still Life. This is my first real attempt in shooting a still life photograph. Still life photography is the art of putting inanimate objects together in an artificial setting or purposefully arranging related objects together, or at least that is how I understood it. I admit, this one was difficult. Lighting was important to create a good effect and I had a really hard time. I wish I had a studio (wishful thinking). It took me more than an hour to shoot this one (Whew!). I shot this in a very dark room and used only one light source. I tried backlighting it to minimize the glare, but apparently was quite unsuccessful. I think I shall practice shooting some more.

Contrast

Contrast. This is a photo I took at Fort Santiago, Intramuros. Our photo assignment was to for our photos to manifest the proper way of arranging the composition in our photo, such as following the rule of thirds, etc. I don't know if this photo will pass for a good composition, but I guess I'll find out tomorrow when we show our photos to our teachers. Anyway, what caught my eye actually is the contrast that the plant makes with the red door and red bricks.

Frozen in Time

Frozen in Time. Ahh! I'm back at last. I get to post again, after a week. Turns out the battery for my laptop is not available, thus, I decided not to buy first. So, I'm using another computer. I won't be able to post daily, but at least maybe I'll try every other day. Anyway, this is a fountain in Fort Santiago. One of the photo assignments given to us was to shoot a picture with a very fast shutter speed. This fountain, of course, was one of the more famous objects photographed by people which represents a fast shutter. This is my version. Took this by: 50mm, f/5.6, 1/200s. This was quite challenging actually. It was almost 5:30pm and it was cloudy, hence there wasn't enough light. I wanted to shoot it at 1/800s to put emphasis on the droplets but it was too underexposed. I didn't want to use flash, so I had to settle with 1/200s. By the way, I entitled this "frozen in time" since the droplets of water were like "frozen" in the air. Our lecturers said that when you talk about shutter speed, you always talk about two words, freeze (fast) or blur (slow).

Leaf

Leaf. Last Saturday, I went to my first day of Basic Photography Seminar-Workshop conducted by the Federation of Philippine Photographers' Foundation held at Fort Santiago at Intramuros, Manila. The introduction was held by Mr. Lito Beltran and the lectures were facilitated by a reknowned photographer Mr. Ador Pamintuan. This is one of my shots when they asked as for a field work. They asked as to shoot photos showing the use of shutter and aperture. Instead of shooting the usual scenes in Fort Santiago, I tried shooting at the less noticeable objects there. I had a lot of fun, especially for the field part. Wow, my first actual seminar. Shot this by: 50mm, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO-500. I feel its a little bit underexposed though, I could've slowed the shutter more. Anyway, although, it's a holiday, I'm looking forward to this Saturday's class. Can't wait what else they're gonna teach me.

Cables

I found some CAT-5 cables lying around the house and decided to photograph them. I laid them behind a blue board and just threw them there, forming into whatever shape it can form. I liked how this shot turned out. There's a sense of abstraction in it. I think photography is a very good medium for people who can't draw very well to express their visions of art; and, I am one of them.

Comb

Comb. I was looking for objects around the house to photograph, for practice and I found my friend's comb. This was taken using ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/13s and 50mm. It turned out more blue than I would like, probably because the background I used was blue. There wasn't much light in the room and my curtains are blue; thus, the result.

March Madness

March Madness. Summer is approaching, well at least here in the Philippines. A time for me and my family to go the beach, sun bathe, relax and just have a vacation away from the city and stress. I chose this picture, because, flowers blooming is usually a symbol for spring, but since we don't have spring, we usually associate it with summer instead. Anyway, by this time, it's supposed to be hot and sunny here; but, the funny thing is the whole month of February has been rainy up until now. The weather is even colder than usual. It's just the most unusual thing. It never rains in February and March, except for this year; well, at least as far as I can remember. Meteorologists explain that there is a La Nina phenomenon affecting the country; bringing more rain and flash floods expecially in the provinces. I say it's climate change. Global warming is showing its effects and bringing unusual weather conditions. I wouldn't say I'm not happy with a cold weather. I love cool places. I would pick La Nina over El Nino anyday. But who would want to be going to the beach when it's raining, right?

Once Every 4 Years

Leap Year. It's not every year we have a February 29. Since, this is my first leap year in photoblogging, this is my photo tribute to Feb 29. By the way, ever wonder how children born on this day celebrate their birthday? It's an age long question. And if you're wondering why the playing cards? Actually, I was looking for something unique or a unique representation of the number 29 and I couldn't find anything to photograph, thus, I ended up with playing cards. Enjoy!

Cubiertos

Cubiertos. Silverware in English. This is the aftermath of my boneless chicken barbeque with java rice dinner at a famed native Filipino restaurant, Aristocrat. They are known for this specialty, which goes well with their homemade Java sauce.I remember when I was young my family would always eat at the original branch during weekends located along Roxas Blvd., Manila after a nice little jog or badminton game near the Cultural Center of the Philippines. We would always order the same thing and even followed it up with a famous Filipino dessert, halo-halo with a scoop of Ube ice cream on top. Their halo-halo is equally tasty. Next time I'll take a photo of it.

Palms

Palms. I haven't got out much with my D80. So, I'm posting my other pictures taken earlier by my G6. Anyway, this is a "tree" line at the back of SM Mall of Asia. We were waiting for the pyro-musical display that happens every weekend night, so I got the oppurtunity to shoot some photos. The funny thing is, I forgot to charge my batteries. By the time, the fireworks display was on, my batteries were already running low and I couldn't get a decent shot. Tough luck.

Water Tank

Water Tank. I finally got my first (D)SLR camera at last. I bought a second hand Nikon D80 with 70-300mm telephoto lens and I went into a shooting frenzy. I am planning to buy a standard and wide angle lens for this. I scouted for prices, and, my, they are not cheap. I've got to save for it first. But for now, I love my telephoto, and I guess my Canon G6 will suffice for landscapes, for now. I haven't got the hang of using the D80 yet, but I'm practicing. This is the very first nature shot that I took. Tell me what you think?

Wedding Giveaway

"Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate."

--- Mark 10:9

This is the common verse that priests and pastors say during wedding ceremonies. Weddings are supposed to be a once in a lifetime, magical experience of finally being with the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. No, I'm not thinking about getting married in the near future. But, what prompted me to take a picture of this just now, is the story that I read while browsing some headlines. Amidst the controversies of corruption in the Philippine government and word wars between politicians and diverse individuals alike, a sad story emerged out of nowhere. Check this out! It's a story of a runaway groom from Cebu. If what the bride-to-be claims is true, then this is a sad, sad ending for her.

By the way, the photo above is a wedding giveaway of the best couple I know, who had almost 18 years of a happy and wonderful marriage. A stark contrast to the story above.

Signs

Signs. Was sifting through some old photos again, reminiscing my trip to Baguio last year, and i was able to dig this. This is a sign post of the Baguio Arts Guild inside Baguio Botanical Garden, where you can get a portrait of yourself drawn in a matter of I think 30 minutes tops. You can purchase local paintings, henna tattoos and other artwork. At the time I wasn't planning on putting up a photoblog yet, but was glad I took the picture anyway.

Happy Valentine's Day

I know it's probably a little late for this, but heck, better late than never. Right? I just want to greet all of you a happy valentine's day. I hope you guys had a wonderful time. I should've posted this earlier, but my computer got screwy so I had to re-format it and also I think something was wrong with blogger a while ago. Because it took me a while to re-arrange the layout of my blog. Anyway, I was planning to have a shot of a rose, heart or chocolates (traditional) to symbolize st. valentine's day, but alas, I couldn't find any. Fortunately, while I was re-installing some programs into my computer I saw this. It's the outer cover of my CD case, and I said to myself: "Perfect!" I grabbed my camera and... *click* Voila!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!