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Gawad Kalinga Fun Run 2008
2008-04-14 16:38:00
GK Fun Run '08. Yesterday, I woke up early to witness a small yet unforgettable event, 2008 Gawad Kalinga run for a cause. My very good friend, Faye was of course ever present in the 5K marathon together with her mom, Tita Anna. I arrived there around 6:10 AM, just in time to see the runners take off from the starting position (left). The event took place at SM Mall of Asia near the SMX Convention Center. There were all kinds of people who joined, I saw kids, old people, foreigners, airforce personnel, etc. I got a chance to photograph the largest group who joined, a contingent from the Philippine Airforce (right).But of course, I went there to give support to my friend and her mom. Faye's dad, Tito Jun and I were waiting for them at the finish line. We counted and counted and almost lost hope after about fifty or more runners already crossed the finish line. But to our amazement, surprise, shock and joy, Faye won second place in the 5K women's division. Tita Anna finished 11th (...

Still Life
2008-04-08 03:57:00
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.
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Flips
2008-04-03 06:02:00
Flips. Last Monday, we went to 9 Waves at Rizal, a cheaper counterpart of the 8 Waves resort in Bulacan, I think. It was my friend's company outing and I decided to tag along. I didn't swim. I went there to actually shoot some photos, beautiful scenes probably. But it turned out that the place was inside a subdivision, so there were no beautiful landscapes and such, so I decided to take portraits of people instead and luckily also because I needed them for my photo assignment. I got a couple of good ones including this. I found some teenagers doing somersaults and flips. It was kind of difficult to shoot them using telephoto lens. I had to stay very still to avoid motion blur and I had to capture my subjects at the right time. Since most of them didn't really know that I was taking their picture, so I had to time it perfectly otherwise I would've missed the action. Also, I shot this using aperture priority(A) mode. I set it to f/5.6 and let the light meter decide the proper shut...

Contrast
2008-03-28 02:51:00
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.
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Frozen in Time
2008-03-24 15:12:00
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 abou...
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Leaf
2008-03-18 06:02:00
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.
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Flowers in the Sky
2008-03-13 17:51:00
Flowers in the Sky. I'm back to photoblogging, for today at least. My computer's having some trouble. It's been automatically shutting down after prolonged used, especially when I'm connected to the internet. Then, after I turn it on, I will find out that there is only 3% battery power remaining and even if I use the AC adaptor, it doesn't increase. Hmm, I think it's time to buy a new battery since it's almost 3 years old. Anyway, since I wasn't able to post for the last 5 days, I'll make it up today with 2 shots of fireworks. Both photos were shot on the same day. I took these shots at the pyromusical display at the Bay Area of SM Mall of Asia. They have this during Friday's and Saturday's at 7pm. Good oppurtunity to practice shooting fireworks and for free too. I was taking pictures using the continuous shooting mode of my D80, handheld. Forgot to bring a tripod. My, was I having so much fun, especially with the fact that wheI was viewing my photos, I realized that they...
More About: Flowers

Pinay In Action
2008-03-09 04:43:00
Pinay In Action . I haven't posted in a while. My computer's having some trouble. I just took this picture a while ago at the start of the 5 km. "fun run" in an event entitled "Pinay in Action". This event was headed by Sen. Pia Cayetano in celebration of the Women's Month at NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City. My very good friend Faye and her mom joined the event. They didn't win first place but hey, it's running for a cause. So, it's all good. For more pictures, check this out! Anyway, some of my pictures are not that good, since it's my first time shooting an outdoor sporting event. I also went to try my telephoto lens. I'd say it worked well for me, but I need to have more practice. Enjoy! P.S. Added one more pic. I edited this one. But I used the continuous shooting mode, thus I was able to capture this sequence of shots.
More About: Pinay

Cables
2008-03-05 09:23:00
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.
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Trees
2008-03-04 15:47:00
Trees (under Baguio's blue skies). Shot this at Baguio Botanical Garden. I love the shadows, the light and most of all the color of the sky. Very relaxing scene actually. I wish I could go back there soon. I wasn't able to go to their Panagbenga Festival. Figured there were probably too many people. Maybe next year. Anyway, just a little story of our experience at the garden. We went there on our last day in Baguio, just a few hours before leaving. Outside the garden, there was a sign saying Baguio Botanical Gardens. Naturally, we wanted our picture taken with the sign, for remembrance. But to our surprise, some old Ifugao natives quickly ran to where we wanted to take our picture. They said they will be charging us 10 pesos for every native who stood there with our picture. There were probably 8 or 9 of them. They just wouldn't go away. We tried moving but they kept on following us. I was like, hey, I just want my picture taken with the sign and nobody else. Besides, why would I...
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Comb
2008-03-03 05:32:00
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.
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March Madness
2008-03-02 04:29:00
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. ...
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Once Every 4 Years
2008-02-29 16:29:00
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!
More About: Years

Cubiertos
2008-02-28 04:19:00
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
2008-02-26 06:10:00
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.
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Water Tank
2008-02-25 04:28:00
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?
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Wedding Giveaway
2008-02-22 05:42:00
"Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate." --- Mark 10:9This is the common verse that priests and pastors say during wedding ceremonies. Wedding s 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.

"Chasing" Cable Cars
2008-02-21 02:12:00
Cable Cars . This is a shot I took during my cable car ride at Ocean Park in Hong Kong. I was going down to the lower portion of the park and the fastest way to get there is riding this cable car. I read that there is an ocean park built here in Manila near Quirino Grandstand if I'm not mistaken and is yet to open or has recently opened (I'm not really sure). Apparently they also have dolphin shows I think, but I haven't had the chance to visit it yet.
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Colorful Bird
2008-02-19 23:54:00
Colorful Bird . This is a photo of a colorful bird in captivity at the Animal Farm at Island Cove Resort in Cavite. I think the bird is a certain type of parrot. I wasn't able to get the exact name. Anyway, I remembered the bird wasn't too lively, unlike other talkative parrots. It only moved when I tried to move closer for a better shot; otherwise it just stood there. Well, at least I got to take a clear picture of it. Ain't it beautiful? However, at first, I had an impression that the bird was a bit 'dusty'.
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Dyorge
2008-02-18 02:36:00
Kenneth Jorge. Last friday, a very good friend of ours joined the first ever Slimmer's World Mr. and Ms. Bootylicious '08 modelling contest at Adriatico, Manila. Faye, Mika, Cel and I were there to witness the event and of course to give our support (GO Ken!) Too bad he didn't win, but hey, it's good experience. Took this with an N95. There is a colored version, but I think this one's a better portrait. The colored one was a bit noisy, since everything was happening so fast and I had to click fast not giving the camera enough time to focus.

Signs
2008-02-17 07:44:00
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.
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Happy Valentine's Day
2008-02-14 16:34:00
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!!!

Pool Slide
2008-02-12 15:00:00
Pool slide. Following up on my previous post, this is a photo of the pool slide at the resort I stayed in last weekend. I am refraining myself from mentioning the place since it might be conceived as an advertisement. I took this picture after having breakfast before actually diving into the pool. Anyway, I discovered something interesting during my stay here. I mean I've visited this place about more than 5 or 6 times already, I think and it was only last weekend that I found out who the owner or one of the owners of the resort is. All the while I assumed this resort was owned by a rich private businessman but was actually surprised to find out that a very prominent and public figure (politician actually) owned this place. The circumstance in which I was able to find out who owned it was actually quite funny. My friend and I were having dinner at the hotel cafe the night before, and there was a huge flat screen television at the cafe. It was tuned in to a particular news channel, ...
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Spot Light
2008-02-11 06:36:00
Spot light. This photo was taken 2 nights ago at Island Cove at Kawit, Cavite. I stayed there for two days to celebrate the Chinese new year, relax and clear my head. Moreover, it is a perfect oppurtunity to take pictures. Anyway, there was this huge spot light that reminded me of the "bat signal". It also looked like a Star Wars light saber. There was actually a valentine concert by David Pomeranz that night, reason for the festive, party mood probably.
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Chinese Lanterns
2008-02-06 12:33:00
Kung Hei Fat Choi! This is my chinese new year entry as we welcome the Year of the Earth Rat tomorrow. I remember the good ol' days when I used to stay at my mom's office in Chinatown, Manila. Every chinese new year they hang two red chinese envelopes with money (ang pao) and a piece of cabbage on their office ceiling and they would wait for the longest dragon dance group that would pass by and invite them in to dance for luck and take the ang pao. I remember the loud tune and sound of drums as the dragon would dance and act as if they are ready to prance on anyone. When I was 3 years old, I remember being frightened at those dragons because they seem very intimidating, but now I kind of miss seeing a dragon dance performance. It's been almost 5 or 6 years since I've seen one originating from Chinatown. The mood is just festive and their are fireworks, like January 1st all over again.
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Faye
2008-02-05 10:30:00
Faye. An exercise and gym maniac, a hi-lo expert, a Landbank building co-searcher, a thesis partner, a laughtrip buddy, a food trip consultant, a cam-whoring partner and most of all a best friend. A tribute to my good friend Faye Bautista. It's your day today, happy birthday! Remember this shot? You used to hate this (you know why). But now I think you'll love it. (Wink*_*) Took this shot at UPLB, Laguna during our undergraduate thesis.

Bottlebrush (Red Inflorescence)
2008-02-04 13:06:00
A macro image of a red inflorescence that I happen to notice while strolling at Camp John Hay, Baguio. I'm guessing its a spike or a catkin type of inflorescence. An inflorescence is a group of flowers arranged on a stem composed of a main branch. Technically its part of the stem where the flowers grow, simply think of it as modified form of a flower.UPDATE! Thanks to a very smart friend of mine (jraymags), he was able to identify the flower. It's called a bottlebrush (Callistemon sp.), which prompted me to also update the entry title.

Sunset Lovers
2008-02-01 01:14:00
I am very fond of taking sunsets. This is another shot of the Manila Bay sunset including a couple enjoying the scene. This time of the day really has great light, producing striking images. This is similar to my previous shot only this has a different theme.
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Jungle Trail
2008-01-31 01:06:00
This is a photo I took way back last May 2007, again at the beautiful island of Palawan. We took a hike at a forest in an island before going to Sabang River. It's a little off-beat since it was at an awkward angle. I guess I was trying to make it more abstract with emphasis on the winding trail. Don't know if I accomplished it fully though, but I guess it turned out well.
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Lamps in Black and White
2008-01-30 01:48:00
Hanging lamps (below) in black and white. I was thinking about it and decided to post the black and white version as well. I found the shapes interesting, so I leave it up to you to decide whether the colored or the black and white photo is much better.
More About: White , Black , Black and White