Ondoy Disaster

My pathetic attempt to help out in my girlfriend's house was stopped by the deep floods in imelda avenue. people have been waiting there for almost two days already just to go home. some people were already braving the chest high water going to Ortigas Avenue extension.

Thank God they're okay. Seriously, we should plant more trees.

Reality Check for the Gearhead in me...

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/09/light-is-not-your-problem.html

A recommended read from the great David Hobby of strobist.blogspot.com. I was looking for articles about aesthetics of photography when I decided to change channels for a while. I saw this recent post of David Hobby while I was contemplating on a new project and my master plan of killing myself with event shoots, a research paper and procrastinating. It really got me thinking because I was thinking of new things to light since I always do journalistic work with event that I don't seem to have time for conceptual project. In a way, I have an itchy finger when it comes to using my strobe lights for quite some time and just thinking of excuses to use them. I guess, when you strip the art to it's bare essentials, its not about "photography" or light for that matter, its about your message.

Back To Basics

This post is a bit late since the Lateral Drift Championship finished a long time ago. Already got full with the champion Alex Perez's dinner at Ryan Agoncillo's house in Alabang. It's been weeks but I just have to post this entry because the shoot really put me into a very tight situation.

Charlie of Burnt Rubber hired me to shoot for the last leg of the Lateral drift Championships held in Greenhills. Now, I have been shooting drifting photos for PLDT since March so I thought it would be the same. Boy was I very wrong! The PLDT events only lasts for 3-5 hours max! But this one lasted the whole day! Anyway, the reason for this post to tell you guys about how it's like to be in a shoot where your trying to do something different yet everything happens so fast that you end up not getting what you want or envisioned. I had that pre-visualized photo that I bet most of you have before even toting your camera in an event or a session. I started a little bit smug because I was doing this every weekend since March, the heat from the sun didn't bother me, I had "experience" under my belt. But it happened, I couldn't get "the shot". I was trying my very best but with this kind of event you really don't get what you were wishing for the cars to do.

I took a break like a good worker deserved and thought about it for a while. There was no way I could get the cars to drift perfectly everytime, and I was limited to only a number of spots to work with. I wasn't really "researching" or looking at drifting photos in the net. The only thing that will save me now was a throwback to my first year in college. FA 11 Visual Perception, meaning the BASICS! In the end I was happy with my shots. The client was happy, I was happy.

Here's something I wish I'd think about everytime I go out for a shoot. When everything is awry and nothing is going for you, stick to the basics.

Here are some photos of the Lateral Drifting Championships:

The People














The Action











Lights Off

Talim Island, Binangonan, Rizal

Barangay Tabon is at the southern part of Talim Island in the middle of Laguna Bay. The island got its' name because of its' shape which looks a lot like the edge of a knife or "Talim" in filipino. It's an hour and a half boat ride from the Pantalan fish port in Binangonan, Rizal.









Raul Funilas or "Tata Raul" as most people calls him is an artist based in UP. This high school graduate has won several accolades with his literary works winning along side people with degrees and doctorates for literature. Most of his works revolves around the culture surrounded by fresh water in Laguna Bay.

He was kind enough to tour us around his home and town where he grew up and the source of his inspiration. He also introduced us to fisher folks that told their own stories in the island. Though much have changed since his youthful days at the southern part of Talim island, his memories are immortalized in his poems, books and compilations of languages native on the island long forgotten by the generation.






more photos here:

Talim Island

Photo Blogging

I have recently listened to the Dubai blogging workshop featuring David hobby from strobist.blogspot.com and Chase Jarvis through my ipod on the way to school and on my home. It was partly for my thesis research paper and for my personal stuff. I am all about sharing my experiences and techniques to people who bothers to ask and I tell them everything. That tradition is not that promulgated here in the Philippines because there's not much money for professional photographers here and the influx of entry level cameras just encourages cheapening the industry.

That said, I am still positive about the photography industry here in the country because there are a lot of talented photographers here. I believe it is just a matter of time before people will realize that not because you have a DSLR entry level or professional level, it does not mean that you'll produce professional results.

Be sincere and do something cool with the camera!