I've been reading a lot about project 365 all over the web including the bebots forum and a couple of blogs I frequently stalk. Really tempted to hop into the wagon but I really doubt if it's, by my means, achievable. I sort of just let the thought slip away until I saw Aries' post regarding project 52, meaning a photo a week. Hm.. that's doable I think. Aside from taking 52 photos, the java guru also added another goal which is in form of tags. Tags are categories or subjects to shoot. So by the end of the year, all tags should be covered. Interesting isn't it? I have started week 1 and here's my photo...


Since I'm so tamad, I snagged the photo template from the java guru and made it my own. hahaha... For the credits, kindly refer to his post. (The background was something he grabbed from the net and forgot where he got it from. Sue him for not giving proper credits... hahaha... joke Aries! drop him a comment and he'll credit your work.)

Here's my flickr album for the project. Drop me an email if you want to join the fun. :)

Labels: photography, project 52

Last weekend, I borrowed the studio lights from our office's photo club and setup a mini studio in the house. Here's a lomofied portrait of the warrior and his mark after the battle. Posted this with consent from the model. *LOL*

Labels: photography

Today's the final session of my 5 day Basic Photography class at FPPF. As I mentioned in my previous post, we were required to submit photos again for Still Life and Portrait categories. This time it's for the batch's photo contest. Then the winner's work eventually gets escalated to the next round of competition(s). I'll tell ya about my entries later.

I missed to blog about the 3rd and 4th day of class. We discussed about composition on the 3rd day with Madam Cecille Angeles, which is so taray on the outside yet very dear and kulit when you get to know her better. And on the 4th day, we had basic studio lighting with Sir Toch Arellano. I like Sir Toch very much. I like his works and he's really a very nice person. Very down to earth and approachable despite the fame he has. Really, super daddy-like. Then this morning, the final day, we had portraiture/fashion photography talk with Sir Vic Sison. Again, Sir Vic is really very nice and funny. He claimed he was a gay long before and had turned straight in the recent years. The fact is, he loves to crack jokes to bring out the natural emotions of the subject. This means, magbading-badingan and all. Boy, he really knows how to make poses. Talo ang model sa kanya! He's very approachable too. I love having chit chat with the lecturers after the talk. Parang you can feel their passion for photography and the willingness to share their skills, experiences, and knowledge to us. Even if we're just hobbyists.

Now, let's talk about the entries. These are the photos submitted for the Portraiture category.


Lots of nice photos right? So, where's my entry? Mine was the maternity photo - the 7th from the left, top row. :) My model was a preggy friend who's due to deliver soon. A lot of people were amazed (even the judges) as to how I was able to let her pose half nude on the shoot. Well, I'll skip the story nalang since I think it's really a personal thing between me and the model. All I can say is, she's very enthusiastic in helping me conceptualize the entire shoot. And what's really flattering is her TRUST on me - who's really a nobody in photography. After the shoot, I was still having apprehensions on submitting the photo since it will be posted publicly for critique. Me being conservative, ako yun nahihiya. After I got the prints, I confirmed with her pa several times kung ok lang isubmit ko yun photo. She said it's artistically done naman so ok lang. And approve din naman sa hubby niya. She's really heaven sent!

And here are the photos submitted for Still Life category. The subject is "my favorite things".


Here are the top 10 shots for each category. I was super happy coz my photos were both included. And I was already contented to be on the top 10 list.

Then, the number on each photo were called one by one according to ranking. I was ecstatic when my photos weren't called when the judges announced the 6th-10th place. Again, super saya na ako to be included in the top 5.

So the verdict? I got 2nd place on Portraiture and 4th place on Still Life! Naloka naman ako siyempre. Speechless talaga.



I had fun attending this class. I love the photo critique sessions which really made us strive to do better each time we submit our assignments. Out of fear na laitin kasi in front of the class.*LOL* The lecturers were really very helpful and the students had very good camaraderie too. I gained a lot of friends from this workshop.

I had a little chit chat with the judges before I left Fort Santiago. They were giving me suggestions and comments on my photos. Also giving me tips on how to further hone my skills. Sir Toch left his calling card with me and asked me to keep in touch with him for further questions. They were all encouraging me to enroll in the Advance Photography class. Puwede daw akong maging photographer. *blush* flattered naman ako and at the same time super happy. To think these were professional photographers encouraging me to take photography to the next level. Hay, cloud 9! *LOL*

Here are some more photos to share....

Labels: photography

I need to submit portraits and still life photos for our final assignment. This time, it's going to be submitted as entries for a photo contest amongst Sept-October students (including Sunday classes). My ever-dearest hubby obliged to my request to go around and look for subjects to shoot. This has been my constant headache since day 1. We decided to go to MOA, but left the mall without a single photo. I wasn't keen on taking out the SLR kasi baka sitahin ako ng mga guards (as I often read in forums). So off we went to Harbor Square. My loving husband was very much willing to be my model. On top of that, he was also the one holding the reflector (we used the shade for the windshield) so that the light would bounce onto his face. Imagine the picture... people must have thought we're crazy! *LOL* While shooting, we met 2 hobbyists - a doctor and a lawyer - who also took classes in FPPF. They were kind enough and also volunteered to be my model. But with the beautiful sunset in front of us, I ended up shooting the bay instead of the people around. *LOL*

Actually, this is my second attempt to take sunset and night shots at the bay. Needless to say, umuwi akong luhaan during the first attempt. I guess I got the settings right this time and my newly acquired gadgets also proved its worth. :)

Labels: photography

We were asked to submit one photo for portraits and one photo for still life today in 3R prints. The day started with a photo critique session wherein all the submitted photos were posted on the board with proper code labels. Each of us were asked to pick a good and bad shot for each category. Entirely anonymous pick. Sabi ni Madam (our teacher for today), there were cases before na umiiyak yun student kasi super sinabon siya sa photo critique. Well, bato-bato nalang sa langit. Mababaw lang kaligayahan namin. Ok lang na hindi na mapili as "best" shot yun submissions namin, as long as wag lang malagyan ng big X mark! I submitted these photos:




There were shots na sinabon talaga ng husto. Luckily, I was spared with any X mark signs but got a couple of check marks instead (otherwise I won't be blogging 'em here. *LOL*). I got a couple of helpful tips from Madam and a few classmates. I hope to do better next time.

I was suppose to submit these but weren't allowed to since they're in black and white. Colored daw kasi dapat... (!?!)

The afternoon session was lecture about composition. Before the lecture started, would you believe Madam made us learn her composition - the song "Hymn of Photography". GAAAASSH!! Kilabot talaga... medyo march kasi yun tune, na tipong magfa-flag ceremony kami. Ang masama niyan, I kept singing that song the whole day even after class!!! Eeeks!

Just as last week, we weren't blessed with a rain-free weather. Actually there was even a typhoon today. At around 330pm, we were asked to shoot na sa Fort Santiago. Luckily, medyo drizzle nalang yun rain. Super challenging talaga kasi ang dami naming bitbit. Besides the camera bag, siyempre nakapayong pa. Anyways, it was a fun experience. Iba talaga if you're shooting in groups. You could exchange ideas from time to time tsaka hindi boring. Some behind-the-scene photos:

Here are some shots from today's session to be submitted for another photo critique next week. Tell me which one is the best. I will submit the one with the highest votes. :)

Labels: blabs, photography

I've been wanting to enroll in photography class since I got hold of our very first digital camera. I wasn't able to pursue this plan earlier because most of the photography seminars require attendees to have a manual SLR camera. I tried to look for ways to borrow one but obviously I didn't succeed. I'm just so glad DSLRs are "in" these days, hence cameras became relatively cheaper and digital photography classes likewise became popular. I learned through photography forums that there are actually a couple of good workshops being held around the Metro. I was really interested to attend Jo Avila's workshop but his studio is just a bit far from our place. So, in the end, I settled with the FPPF in Intramuros which is more accessible to me.

I enrolled in the Basic Photography Workshop which runs for 5 Saturdays. Today's my first day in class and boy, I was surprised to see almost close to 50 people in our class - different age group and profession - all gathered in one room. It's really fun to make new friends! And they all thought I'm still in my early 20's *cough*. *LOL* Anyways, most of the lecturers are already over 60 years old in age, but they do know their craft really well. Ika nga nila, dami nang pinagdaaanan. And it's quite interesting to learn about the technical side of the camera/lenses to understand fully how each component works to capture that perfect shot. The topic earlier today focused mainly on the different elements of controlling exposure. Since I've been scanning through different photography tutorials on the net, I kinda have a head start already compared to my other classmates. Siyempre, etong si nagmamagaling naki-tutor naman kunwari sa ibang classmates na kala mo ang galing galing *LOL* I kept emphasizing though that I just know about the theories... that's it! I dont' really know how to put every theory into practice. Trigger happy lang ako. And I doubt it if I can replicate the shots I've done in the past. *LOL* I also learned the difference between camera bodies with full-framed sensor and those with 1.5 or 1.6 cropped sensors. Hm... enabler eto for future camera upgrade. *LOL*

The classroom lecture was quite long and we weren't able to shoot much since it was practically raining the whole day. *sigh*


Tried shooting in between session breaks and I was trying to search for lines and patterns. Not really very satisfied with my shots but this is the best among the crap. *LOL*


I hope to do shoot more in the next few days since we were given assignments before the session ended. Pressure pressure! I've been randomly going through photos in flickr since I got home hoping to trigger some inspiration.

Before I end this post, I just want to share this cutie gift my friend gave me for my birthday. I was wondering why she asked for our pictures a couple of weeks ago. I thought she's cooking up a photo AVP for her son's 1st birthday this coming October na featuring the ninongs and the ninangs. Eto pala ang surprise niya *LOL* I sooooo love it!!! Cutie diba?? :)

Labels: blabs, photography, techi stuff

I started receiving gifts weeks before my birthday. Boy, I'm speechless. Totally gadget-packed! :)

This one's from my sister-in-law. Oh so happy to finally get a book on photography. Imagine after days and hours of reading at Powerbooks, wala man lang akong nabibili ni isa. :) Thanks Achi! :)


This one's from my ever-dearest hubby. Muah Muah Muah!!! Finally a new phone after 3 (or 4?) years!! This is my first ever non-Nokia phone after what? 9 years? I chose this over other hi-end Nokia models coz I so love the built-in camera of the K800i! It's a good substitute to our 5 year-old point and shoot camera. Takes a while to get used to the keys though. And I love it's capability to support animated themes! Cool! Here's where I download stuff for my mobile phone. Oh by the way, got the Allure Brown edition which is totally ME! My stuff nowadays are all in brown - Shoes, bags, shirts, whatever! *LOL*




And here's what I got for myself - a 17-40mm wide angle L lens!!!! *LOL* Ok, I know we just added a couple of stuff in our bag a month ago. Here's the story. 2 days after we bought the 28-135mm lens, Canon announced a mega sale and they're selling it for thousands of bucks cheaper than the price we got (considering super mura na kuha namin). IMAGINE!?!? So, to even out our loss, I decided to purchase my next target, which is an L lens (which is also on big big sale)! A lot of pro photographers were raving about it's performance - image quality and sharpness are superb. I got to test it when I was purchasing my other lens. Just as my photography guru was telling me, it's a lens for keeps. And it has a good resale value if I decide to upgrade later on (naku, wag na mag-upgrade!) So, ayun - pikit mata nalang. Iiyak nalang ako next month when we get our credit card bill *LOL* Btw, I was hoping hubby will stop me from splurging on another gadget (as he always do). Surprise surprise, he didn't object! Alam niyo naman ako, mahina sa suhol *LOL*

Labels: events, photography, shopping, techi stuff

One of the problems with a digital SLR camera, which uses interchangeable lenses, is that dust can build up on the sensor. Though Canon 400D has it's own integrated cleaning system, it's still not fool proof against stubborn dusts. I noticed my photos had black spots on the left corner when shot using slow shutter and aperture with bigger f-value. Of course, I panicked. I didn't realize this piece of equipment needs that much care and attention. My friend at the photo club promised to help me bust 'em. But our schedules won't meet so this thing has been tormenting me for quite some time. I found the video (embedded below) by chance and decided to give it try. The big mole in my photos are now gone! :)



P.S. Don't forget to clean your camera bag too! Read this for more information.

Labels: photography

Here are some additions in our bag:



And here's what I got with 12" extension tube on top of 50mm f1.8. Light source? hehe... hand-held flashlight from the supermarket! *LOL* Used a DIY lightbox (made by my wonderful husband) as diffuser in the first two pictures. Hubby love the tubes very much! He's starting to brush up on photography tutorials. yeepee!

(ETA: I forgot to mention ... got the idea of the ring shots from digitalphotographer forum. ^_^)





Yeah, I was just a wee bit depressed when I composed my previous post. And now, I'm happily in-love with photography once again! *LOL*

Here's hubby's labor of love... :)

Labels: photography