Photo of the Day - April 30, 2012

Photo of the Day - April 29, 2012

Photo of the Day - April 28, 2012

Free Street Photography Workshop and Photowalk by Usapang Kalye on April 28 2012

For photography enthusiasts who are interested or want to get into the exciting genre of Street Photography, Usapang Kalye (Street Talks) is conducting a FREE Street Photography Workshop on Saturday April 28 2012 from 7am to 4pm.  In addition to the workshop, there will also be a photowalk.

Meetup will be at Plaza Miranda, Quiapo Church at 7am.

For more details and updates about the workshop, please visit this link in U.K.'s FB page: Link

Don't miss it. Highly recommended!

Photo credits: Poster from Usapang Kalye FB page

Photo of the Day - April 27, 2012

Photo of the Day - April 26, 2012

Photo of the Day - April 25, 2012

Photowalk: April 21 2012 with Daan SP Group Part 1

This photowalk was with Daan friends.  Daan is a Facebook group of Street Photography enthusiast where learning SP is relaxed, fun and encouraging to beginners in SP like me.

We started early at around 8:30 am with Boyet picking me up at the Feria Overpass in Commonwealth Avenue. We arrived at Boyet's sisters Makati office at around 9:05 where he parked his vehicle.

We walked from Dela Costa cor. Makati to Ayala MRT-3 station which was the agreed rendezvous with the rest of the guys. It was a Saturday so Makati seems to be less ideal for street photography in those hours.  Passing through the quite Ayala Triangle and the walk ways around the closed shops of Greenbelt, and Glorietta, we took photos warming up for the main event until we reach the meeting point.

Around 10:30 am, Jaime and Joval joined us and we boarded the Shuttle Bus at the New Fort Bus Terminal (first time for me) to Market Market.  We decided to have lunch at Jollibee courtesy of Joval since he was late and the lunch treat was his fine for his tardiness. Thanks Joval, I really enjoyed my Champ Burger, fries and up-sized Coke Zero!

At 12 pm, we left Market Market going to Bonifacio High Street. The main event started.  The hunt commenced for capturing the extraordinary from the mundane!  Although, the place was not too busy, it was just right with enough crowd.  There is something about this place for street photography.  Lots of geometries, the play of lights between the shops shaded area and the open walkways, the shadows, the crowd, the dogs, the ambiance, etc...

A play with geometries and light

Group hug: From Left to Right: Boyet, Jaime, Joval and me
Photo by Jaime Tan Ventura Jr.

By 1:45pm, when another fellow Daan member, Zina, joined us, we headed to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial by taxi. It was just minimum fare.

Arriving at the memorial, we checked in with security and the office for permission to photograph.  They reminded us about the rules and we assured them that we will be respectful in the place and the content and theme of the photos.

The place was fascinating. The rows of crosses and an occasional star of David dominated the landscape.  It was ideal place for shooting patterns, urban landscape, and travel photos.  For street photography, it's also ideal with patience required since the place is not always teeming with people.  But the geometries, the drama, the play of lights in the structures makes it the ideal waters for catching a "big fish" that occasionally might bite.

Rows of Columns

Pondering on what is on the other side

A tourist maybe doing a video documentary

From Left to Right: Joval, Boyet, Zina, Jaime and me
Photo by Jaime Tan Ventura Jr.

We left at around 3:15 pm for Zina to catch a bus at Market Market to go to her University. We had a snack at McDonalds to re-energize from the zapping heat of the previous stage of the photowalk.

After rehydration and carbs loading, we headed again to Bonifacio Hight Street.  It was a different scene in the late afternoon, with more crowds, the dog walkers, and the cooler temperature of course. What really attracted me were the dogs.  There might be a bit of Elliot Errwit influence on me.  Elliot was a very famous street photographer who loves to photograph dogs and include them in his street scenes.  He has 4 books out of 17 books dedicated to dogs.

The crippled dog, owner and a stranger

Guards at rest

At around 4:45pm, we decided to leave the place to meet other friends in Glorietta for the next chapter of this photowalk.

This post's continuation is in Part 2: http://thescienceandartofphotography.blogspot.com/2012/05/photowalk-april-21-2012-with-daan-sp.html

Workshops: Street Photography Workshop by Luis Liwanag

If you want to learn about Street Photography, I recommend this workshop by Luis Liwanag. It's a two days intensive workshop. The next batch is May 12-13, 2012.

For more details, see poster or contact Luis on +63919-485-2870 or
e-mail: luis.liwanag@gmail.com or info@luisliwanag.asia



About Luis Liwanag ( Source: http://luisliwanag.asia/about/ )

Luis Liwanag is a freelance photo/video journalist. His photos and stories depict humanitarian issues,  reproductive health, poverty, environmental  issues and disasters.

He has worked for Gamma Liaison, Agence France-Presse, New York based Getty Images, Asoociated Presse, European News Agency, Xinhua News Agency and TV, ABS-CBN TV, and GMANews.tv.  His works has been published on the pages of The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Financial Times, Stern,Der SPiegel, The Guardian, and various other International and Local magazines and Newspapers. Luis has also shot various Video Documentaries for NGO’s like United Nations, World Food Programme, World Bank, Reproductive Rights in New York.

Luis took up Advertising at the University of the East, and undergraduate courses at the University of the Philippines in Baguio and  at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University where hereceived a diploma in photojournalism and is a facilitator of the Wide Open Streets “Classic Street Photography Workshop”


Credits: Poster from http://luisliwanag.asia/wideopenstreets/street-photography-workshop/

Competition: Mega Fashion Crew 2 Photographer Search

Are you into fashion photography and are looking for break into the fashion industry?  Here is your chance to show what you got as a fashion photographer!

MEGA Fashion Crew, the first fashion reality show of its kind, is back! They are searching for a crew that includes Hair Stylists, Makeup Artists, Stylists, Models and of course Photographers!

Photographers must be 18-35 years old and with less than 5 years professional experience. Applicants should submit maximum of 3 images, each with a maximum size of 2MB. Only ten (10) photographers will be selected. Select ones are automatically part of the MEGA Fashion Crew TV show.


Here is the older teaser video from the previous season:




Interested applications can register using this link: http://mfc.megastyle.ph/
Register now and get a chance to be part of MEGA’s next Top Fashion Crew!


Credits:  Poster and Videos by Mega Publishing.

Photo of the Day: Guards

Free Photography Seminars by Canon on April 21 SM North

In celebration of its 15 years in the Philippines, Canon is holding a free photography workshops (PhotoSkwela) at SM North EDSA on April 21, Saturday, from 11 am. Canon brand ambassadors Jay Jallorina,  Per-Andre Hoffman, and  Jay Tablante, and will be conducting the seminars on Landscape, International Photography & Printing, and Fashion Photography respectively.

Registration starts at 10 AM. First come, first serve to all Canon camera and printer users.

There will be also free camera cleaning, limited to only one body and one lens per person. In addition, there is also free photo printing.


Learn and Enjoy!

Erik Kim is Coming to Manila to Conduct Street Photography Workshops

Erik Kim is a famous international street photography currently based in Los Angeles. He has done street photography in various cities around the world such as Paris, London, Korea, Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague, Switzerland, and Lebanon.  He conducts Street Photography workshops in the major cities of the world, and he will be conducting basic and advance workshops here in Manila on January 2013.

For queries and registration on the workshops, please email Ernesto Velasco Jr, ebvelascojr@yahoo.com or listratistasadaan@gmail.com.  Hurry, there are only limited seats available, reserve now!

Interested sponsors for this milestone event, a workshop to be held by a famous international street photographer here in the Philippines, please email: ebvelascojr@yahoo.com.

Daan, which means"Street" in Filipino, a Facebook based group of Street Photography enthusiasts, is the one organizing the event.

For more details about Eric Kim, please see his blog: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/
or his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/erickimphotography

Visit the Eric Kim in Manila Facebook page for the latest updates: https://www.facebook.com/EricKimInManila.

There is a photowalk cum orientation about the workshops this May 19.  For details, please see this link:
http://thescienceandartofphotography.blogspot.com/2012/05/daan-photowalk-sneak-peak-avenue.html

These workshops are not to be missed for photographers who wants to get into the joys of street photography and for current practitioners who want to advance their skills and have the opportunity to join Erik Kim on photowalks in the Philippines! 

BMSD EB-Cosplay Open Photo Shoot and Earth Day Photowalk on April 22 2012

BMSD, Bawal Mag Shoot Dito ((NO SHOOTING ALLOWED HERE), a group that advocates photography rights in the Philippines, is having a Grand Assembly EB this April 22, 2012 with an open photoshoot with Cosplay theme at the Emilio Aguinaldo College, Dasmarinas, Cavite.  Members, and non-members are welcome.  Entrance is free.

Tentative list of cosplay characters attending are:

• Baby Doll - Sucker Punch
• Genan Shiranui
• Ohana Matsumae
• Spawn
• Carina Veritti
• Nakoruru
• Li Syaoran
• Ran Mao
• Loki
• Hatsune Miku

The event will be held at the Dasmariñas (Cavite) Campus of the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) at Congressional East Ave., Burol Main, Dasmariñas, Cavite. Below is the google map location:


View Larger Map

Simultaneous to the Grand EB, there is also an EARTH DAY Photowalk  in conjunction to the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day.  The assembly will be 8am at Bluewave, Edsa corner Macapagal Avenue.  It will be a photowalk to highlight these environmental issues:

• No to cutting of trees in SM Baguio 
• No to irresponsible mining in Paracale, Camarines Norte

Hope to see you in one of these events!

Event: Digital Photographer Philippines VI Anniversary on May 26, 2012

Fellow photography enthusiasts, mark your calendar on May 26, 2012.  An event not to be missed!

I can't believed that just within 1.5 months, DPP is coming up with bigger event following the one they did last April  11, Chillin'.  There is something about DPP events that always sets it apart: great venues, very good speakers and workshops, fantastic raffles prizes, trade shows and most of the one I attended delicious food and flowing drinks.

According to the DPP Facebook page, Manny Librodo will be one of the speakers and they will be doing something special with him.  Also, they mentioned that there will be a strong emphasis on live shoots.  With Manny being there, definitely it will be beautiful models with fantastic hair and makeup with colorful concepts to match.

Definitely not too be missed. Bring spare batteries, charges, lots of media because its from 9:30 am to 12 midnight!


Credits: Poster from DPP Facebook Page

Zooperb Shots On the Spot Photo Competition Results

The Zooperb Shots On the Spot photo competition was held April 15, 2012 by the Zoomanity Group.  The first leg started at the Paradizoo Farm at Mendez, Cavite.  Registration started around 8am and the briefing at 9am with the theme "Zoo Happy".  Photographers were allowed to shoot from 9am to 11am at the 1st venue.  The place offered a lot of subjects to be photograph from camels, horses, a 5 legged buffalo (Yes 5!), assortments of farm animals. The best part is that you can really interact with most of the animals like touching them, feeding them, aside from photographing them!

By 11:30, the photographers went to Residence Inn for lunch  and by 1pm the second leg started up to 3pm at the same venue.  The photographers were also granted free rides to the zipline attraction to enjoy the experience of simulated flying with the view of Taal Lake.  The downloading stations opened by 2 pm and closed by 3:30pm when the judging began.

The awarding was held around 4:30 pm with the presence of the honorable Mayor of Mendez Cavite.

Prizes:
1st - P10,000 + Epson Printer
2nd - P 5,000 + Benro Bag
3rd - P 3,000 + Lenspen Cleaning Kit

Here are the winning entries:

1st Prize by Mark Anthony Sola

2nd Prize by Jovy Amonoy

3rd Prize by Joseph Tan

4th Prize by Gerry Dumacos

5th place by I J Molina

The competition was fun and exciting. The excellent cool breeze of Tagaytay made it easier to brave the summer heat.  Lots of new photography friends met and more experience added to our photography hobby.
Both the venues are ideal for family weekend outings especially for children.

See you on the next On the Spot Competition in Clark and Subic on April 28 2012.
You can download the entry form and email it to zooperbshots@gmail.com:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dL7TRLu4mgbeR_MpYKhzFrW-fQcB4TxNTNx3przTKXY/edit

Here are some of my shots at the venue:

Paradizoo Horse Play

The 5 Legged Buffallo

The carabao cart ride at the farm

Taal Photosafari with Grupo Potograpika

Last Palm Sunday, I went with the group Grupo Potograpika (GP) with their Taal Batangas Photosafari. We went to the town of Taal and visited the Taal Basilica, some heritage house, balisong store, balisong factory and a peanut brittle/panutsa factory.

All photos where taken with Canon G12.

Here are some of my SP photos:

Juxta of palaspas vendor

Minimalist style frame within a frame. Shot inside Taal Basilica.

Same style but with another subject.

Here are some of the travel photos:

Inside the Taal Basillica. Two of my photog friends Kat & Mon was in the spotlight.

The Taal Basillica

Raw peanuts for the peanut brittle/panutsa

Cooking the peanut brittle in the kawa (big wok)

Cooked peanut brittle shaped laid in the table for hardening/cooling before packaging

Sharpening the balisong at the factory

Ballpen balisong and the cute baby balisongs

Traditional capiz windows

Photo Competition and Event: Aliwan Fiesta

A busy weekend for photographers!  Aliwan Fiesta, the biggest street dancing and float parade, will be held this Saturday, April 14, starting from the Quirino Grandstand, parading along Roxas Blvd, to the grand showdown at Aliw Theather in CCP complex.

Join the photo contest.

Prizes at Stake

• First Prize                     P50,000
• Second Prize                P25,000
• Third Prize                   P10,000

For more details about the contest, please see:
http://www.aliwanfiesta.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=100114

Entry form: http://aliwanfiesta.com.ph/images/official_entry_form.pdf

Credits: Photo from the Aliwan Fiesta official website.

Zooperb Shots: On the Spot Photo Contest

Looking for a good weekend getaway with an on the spot photo competition?
Join this!
For more details, see: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=382200905145735&set=a.159042200794941.32844.147921728573655&type=1&theater

Evening Street Photography Photowalk at Makati

Last March 23, 2012, I joined my friend Ed Marfori for a SP photowalk at the Greenbelt Area. It was quite late already, almost 6pm when I arrived, so there's not much sunlight anymore.

I like to roam around the Glorietta and Greenbelt areas of Makati for street photography. It's a different atmosphere. It reflects more of upscale urban settings of the business districts and at night the nightlife and fun of the area.

Instead of my Canon 40D, I used my daughter's Canon G12, which I prefer for SP because it's smaller and thus more stealthy. One of the least advertised capability of the camera is the low light mode.  Although it can shoot only 1824 x 1368 pixels JPG Medium, since it uses pixel binding techniques to control noise, it comes out with amazing results.  The ISO settings can be set to ISO 12,800 even though the G12 specs only limits it to 3200 in the normal modes.  The trade off is it shoots like in auto mode, you cannot control the aperture or the shutter speed. Of course you can alter the ISO for it to adjust to a closer aperture/shutter speed combination you want.  You can also set the exposure compensation dial in this mode for more control. All photos below are shot in lowlight mode except for the last one.

Here are some of the photos shot that day:

1/160 at f/4.0, ISO 3200

Shot on the way home, using the Buendia MRT overpass. 1/40 at f3.2, ISO 3200.  I got away with slower shutter speed because the person is walking away from the camera. If he was moving left to right, it will require at least 1/125 to freeze him in the frame.

1/125 at f4.0, ISO 400, metered at background for silhouette effect. 1/125 shutter speed to at least freeze the moment of the passer-bys since they are moving across the frame left to right.

1/40 at f2.8, ISO 3200.  I utilized the street light for rim light effect + shadows. 1/40 acceptable since they are moving away from the frame.

1/40 at f2.8, ISO 3200

1/200 at f/4, ISO 1250

1/30 at f2.8, ISO 1250, shot in normal mode, not in low-light mode