WELCOME TO THE SECRET GARDEN.....

The Colors Of The Secret Garden.....

I received a text message from my good friend and fellow photographer John about the schedule of the photo shoot for Repertory Philippines Christmas presentation, "The Secret Garden". It was scheduled on the third weekend of November. But the 14th and 15th came and I didn't hear from John so I asked him about it. Finally, he said that Rep had a scheduled rehearsal on the 16th but the costumes were not yet finished nor was the lighting plan set up. I reasoned I won't be going to shoot since I anticipated the difficulty of using public transport because of the closure of the entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard because of the APEC meeting being held here and the unfinished costumes and lighting. John, Boboy, Boyet, Lian and I provide the photos that Repertory uses in their souvenir programs. So to shoot the actors without their costumes and the lighting pattern rather defeats the purpose of the pictures.

Thank you God! I made the right call! Traffic was terrible and unbearable during that day. I went to Alabang Town Center in the afternoon and a 15 to 30 minute ride became an hour because of the traffic. Some public utility vehicles even cut their trips, stopping their trips at Casimiro while those that travel to Zapote had to contend with the traffic at the RFC area. I guess I have to stay at home for the duration of the APEC Summit since I can't basically get out of Las Pinas. Having your own car may get you out of the city but be prepared to have a full tank of gas. The worse that can happen to a car owner is to be stuck in traffic for hours and with the car running out of gas in the process.

Last Wednesday, the 18th was declared a nonworking holiday. And John informed me of the shoot for Repertory on that night. So even if I vowed not to leave the house during this week, I took a chance and decided to go. I went to Alabang, rode on a bus headed for the north but instead of passing through the normal route of Edsa, it plied the C5 road instead. The whole stretch of Magallanes was closed too. I ended up at Rockwell and then took a cab going to Greenbelt 1. The rehearsal went ahead as scheduled and I was 45 minutes late. No worries though, I was able to get some pictures.

I have no idea what "The Secret Garden" is all about. From the moment I raised my camera to my eye and started to shoot, I noticed the slightly bizarre lighting pattern and the direction of the play. I can't decipher it since I wasn't able to watch the first 45 minutes. The lights were so dark but colorful hues were predominant. These initially caused me problems with my exposures but then I realized the colors were intentional. If I photographed a man in blue light, he was meant to be washed in blue tones. So I had to work with it rather than against it.

"The Secret Garden" will be staged from November 20 to December 20, 2015 at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1, Makati City. It is based on the novel of Frances Hodgson Burnett and adapted as a musical production by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon and directed by Anton Juan. For ticket reservations and schedule of performances can be seen here.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS PHOTOGRAPH.....

The Original Photograph.....

The Finished Product.....

Uncle And Aunty.....

A few years ago, my father's siblings, Aunty Cidad and Uncle Eding jointly held their birthday celebrations at my cousin (and Aunty's son) Manong Kelly's house. As far as I recall, this is my first time to be a part of their joint birthday celebration. They may have celebrated it together in the past but I wasn't around at those times so I was just delighted that I was a part of this one.

My paternal relatives used to have family reunions during New Year's eve when my cousins and I were younger, first at Batino St, Quezon City and later at the Fonacier Residence in Las Pinas. New Year was for us, the kids back then, our Boxing Day, the receiving and opening of Christmas presents. Plus my elder cousins provided the entertainment as they bought the tallest fountains they could find, loudest firecrackers and numerous roman candles enough to put up their own mini fireworks display just for our amusement when the clock strikes 12 midnight of January 1. My aunt was always in charge of the food with her barbecue, spaghetti and macaroni soup my absolute favorite dishes. My uncle, together with my dad, were the entertainers although both share an expertise in cooking traditional Ilocano dishes like papaitan, igado, dinakdakan and sinanglaw.. A wry smile forms on my lips whenever I recall those two talking to each other, seated beside each other with both possessing booming voices that a normal conversation between them sounded like two men quarreling over something trivial. Nowadays, we rarely get together. The kids of yesterday are now adults with families of their own and lives abroad while the elders have aged through the years.

Uncle, at that time was 85. I engaged in small talk with him and surprisingly, he still recognized me. Although he had forgotten my name, he called me as "anak na babae ni Doming. It was obvious though that some memory gaps started to show. He was still able to stand and walk but it was a matter of time before he fades ultimately. Actually, all of them (including my father) are in their advanced years. And I so want to take photographs of them while they are still strong and able, lucid and active and not weak and frail. Hence my delight when my uncle remembered me and so did Aunty.

I had my camera with me and I wanted to take some pictures, specifically portraits of the celebrants. Aunty though is rather shy when she stands alone in front of the camera so I opted to have the magkapatid in the frame together. Initially I was concerned that Uncle and Aunty will not be able to hear or understand my instructions. But I was so pleased when Uncle understood what I wanted him to do with regards to his poses. I then decided I wanted to take a solo picture of him. Rather than the normal "I.D. type" of pose, I wanted to do a character study without me imposing on him. The opportunity came when he went outside of the house in order to smoke. At first, I took a photo of him with his grandchildren. But when he had a lit cigarette between his fingers, I told him that I would take his picture and jokingly instructed him to not look into the camera but "to look far, far away." He did not disappoint me! He nailed the look that I was going for! I wanted to make a black and white, sepia toned picture of him with some vignette effect that would make the picture look like a vintage old photograph. I also wanted to remove his skin imperfections (Manang Ellen calls it "libag!" lol!) since it will not look pleasant in the picture. Hence the resulting image.

Last Sunday, November 15, 2015; Uncle Eding breathed his last breath. I do not have the exact details yet on the cause of his death since I haven't spoken yet to any of his daughters. All I know is that he has been battling prostate cancer for some time. Rest in Peace, Uncle Eding. We will miss you.

As for the picture? I will not be surprised if my cousins decide to use it and I get to see it placed on top of his coffin when I go to his wake on Friday.

I SPENT SOME TIME IN JAIL.....

Vigan Provincial Jail.....

Election Campaign Poster.....

The Prisoner And The Jail Guards.....

Students From UNP As Tour Guides.....

Jump Shot Daw.....

Relax!!!!! I did spend some time in the Vigan Provincial Jail, which has been renamed Gregoria M. Rivera Memorial Library. This former provincial jail was renamed in honor of the sixth President of the Philippines, Elpidio R. Quirino's mother. Rivera gave birth to the young Quirino on November 16, 1890 in one of the rooms on the second floor since his father, Mariano Quirino was the jail warden. The jail, located behind the provincial capitol and beside the Burgos Museum, still served its purpose until last year when it began its transformation as the new art center of Ilocos Sur.

I was impressed with this new museum because it was air conditioned and had thermostat controls. In one of its chambers, the 14 paintings of Esteban Pichay Villanueva which depicted the 1807 Basi Revolt were showcased. The paintings were originally displayed at the National Museum before it was returned to the provincial government when the art center was finally operational. Other exhibits being displayed were artifacts of tools used for basi making and some woven fabrics. On the second floor, some paintings of the former president Elpidio Quirino and his wife, Alicia Syquia which were all done by Fernando Amorsolo can be seen.

I think more exhibits are in the planning stage at the moment but I am so glad that such a repository of our heritage exists here in Vigan. Don't forget to check out this museum when you find yourself strolling around Vigan City in the future!

MAGIC MIKE XXXS.....

Caloy and Kyler Iblasin.....

Magic Mike XXXS.....

Last Friday, Lola and I went to Imus, Cavite to meet fellow photography club member Caloy Iblasin and his family to shoot his son for some portrait pictures for his birthday. I readily agreed to tag along since I wanted to try out my Pocket Wizard remote flash trigger and receiver. I've had it for a long time but because of my preference for landscape photography, I rarely get the chance to use it. So when I was asked to come along, I readily said yes.

Caloy and Maricar's little boy is such a cutie! And I kind of laughed when I saw that the parents came prepared with outfits. But they forgot the toys! No worries! We just have to rely on ourselves and make silly faces to elicit laughter from the young charmer.

We started shooting Kyler who wore a yellow collared shirt, black and white checkered shorts and a cap which also has the same pattern as his shorts. The next style was so cute! He wore his diaper with a suspender attached to it and wore a bow tie. Shades of Channing Tatum in Magic Mike! The final outfit he wore was a long sleeved onesie which I think made him uncomfortable because of the heat. A few hours under the shade of a tree, we decided to pack up since our star refused to smile anymore and preferred to be carried around.

The above photos are samples of what the Pocket Wizard can do. The photos I took of Caloy's with his son while we were at the park looked great on the lcd screen of my camera. But I didn't expect it to look this awesome when I saw the photos on my laptop screen. The fourth and fifth photos where taken at the garage. I am quite pleased with the results but I wish I can explore more set ups in the future. I still have to nail the ideal settings though as some shots have a slight blur like the last one. As for the set up, we asked Caloy to set up a sofa chair, covered it in white cloth and my flash was on the left side at an angle of 45 degrees with the young lad's high chair as its stand.

I carry a lot of my gear whenever I go out to shoot. Ever since I switched to using the Think Tank modular skin system, it has given me ample mobility whenever I shoot since it frees my back from the burden of carrying most of my gear. The system spreads the weight of my gear around my waist but I have to relieve the pressure when I am at rest. As I think about the possibilities of using my flash triggers for outdoor landscape shoots, the thought of adding extra weight makes me cringe. I wish I have a roller case!

ART IN THE CITY.....

Inspecting The Display.....

Guess! How Much?

Amazing Brushstrokes.....

Calligraphy, Anyone?

Almost Done.....

A few days ago, I went to the Padre Pio chapel in Libis, Quezon City to hear mass since it was the 23rd, a day when healing masses are offered monthly. A friend invited me to meet up at that location afterwards also as he had to attend a meeting of Lego enthusiasts. We initially planned to go somewhere else to shoot after meeting up (Antipolo was the first place that came to mind) but because of the heat, decided to just stroll Eastwood Mall.

It has been ages since I last visited the place. It is quite far from where I live that is why I rarely set foot on this area of the metropolis. My friend is a bricks (all things Lego) collector and I was amused when he saw a store selling alternative bricks (bricks not named "Lego"). He found some pieces that he liked and bought it. The next stop was to search for computer stores that sell printers.

I saw an advert about an ongoing art exhibit posted beside the store where he brought his bricks and reminded him that we should check it out as with strolled leisurely around the mall.The surprising thing about this exercise is how we seemed to enjoy ourselves. Perhaps it is because only a few people can be seen walking around the mall too.

Part of the reason why I got into photography is because I am not good in drawing. I had a good art teacher when I was in sixth grade but once I graduated, I wasn't able to take up any formal lessons in sketching/drawing afterwards. The principles are the same, anyway. A still life painting is actually a study of lighting and form. It is the same with photography which is all about shape and texture, of light and shadow. A painted portrait is a character study of a subject which is also the same with photography. To appreciate other mediums of art broadens one's photography instincts. It helps me to hone my craft without clicking the shutter. So art exhibits are a must see for me.

We finally exited the mall and found the green space where the art exhibit was held. And we found interesting pieces of art, from paintings, to wire sculptures, to doodles and calligraphy. There were ongoing group painting and drawing sessions too. I do admit that I felt a tinge of envy, of wishing that I could do something with art brushes, paints, oils and canvas. My friend and I discussed that modern technology has lessened the value of a photograph, that while it took us long hours to master photography during the years when film reigned supreme, it is now an everyday past time where a photography novice takes a selfie. We discussed just how can photography be elevated back to a medium that involves skill. I do agree though for as long as the everyday phone/tablet shooter is still unable to take a picture of a back lighted subject resulting to an underexposed subject (totally black sometimes) and perfectly exposed background, there is hope for us skilled photographers! c",)

As the sun started to set, more people filled the space, with call center agents and condo residents who walked their dogs mingling within. But my friend and I decided to call it a night as tiredness slowly began to crept in our bones,

I wasn't able to take photos of the Padre Pio chapel though. That will be for another time.

WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG, YOU'RE NOT INVINCIBLE.....

My nephews ( Manang Petty's kids) and some of their friends participated in a basketball game during the town fiesta in their area. But the heat of this particular summer really zaps my energy so I decided to stay put at HQ rather than watch my nephews play. A little bird actually mentioned that my nephews were behind by a big margin in the game anyway so I guess I have been proven right. Who wants to watch and support a losing team? Lol! My apologies to my nephews but I don't want to watch them when they suck at basketball.

It was night time and the boys have not arrived yet. Right after dinner, I heard Manang Petty answer her phone. I did not know who was on the other line but I heard her voice.

"Si Lorraine? Naatake? Saan na sya ngayon? Paano nangyari yun?" The conversation continued but it made me think about the person involved, Lorraine.

Lorraine was the daughter of another cousin of ours, Manong Danny. I didn't really know personally this niece of mine that much since I am not based at Sta. Lucia. And if ever I do come over for a short visit, I don't go out of the house that much. Manang Petts told me that Lorraine grew up being close to her children. From childhood playmates to future drinking buddies, those kids were tight. So we were surprised to hear the news that she suffered a heart attack and her next of kin, given the dreaded "The TALK" by doctors at the Philippine Heart Center.

I know what "The TALK" is. Whenever doctors give "The TALK" to family members of a patient with poor prognosis, a nurse must always be present to witness such conversations. And I have been a witness to such conversations numerous times. Doctors explain to a patient's relatives in simple language what exactly happened to their loved one, any possible treatment modalities and the chances of survival. So "The TALK" helps to prepare the kin for any worst case scenario, particularly death. And why is it important? Because it enables the medical staff to proceed with their duties according to what the patient or the family wishes after knowing of the possible outcome.

On April 30, 2015, we received the news from Manila that Lorraine passed away at the age of 30. How unfortunate that I have to meet some relatives whom I haven't seen for a long time in such untimely fashion. Reunions are celebrated with joy normally but not this one. Instead, it was for commiseration and comfort.

The saddest thing about her death is its sudden turnout. It didn't surprise me though, I know that when the heart is involve, time is of the essence. I have never taken care of a patient who underwent post coronary angioplasty at the young age of 30. Neither have I known of cases of heart attacks in a young female like her. I mean it is possible but I didn't expect it to happen to someone related to me. May her death serve as a lesson to the youth. BEING YOUNG DOES NOT MEAN ONE IS INVINCIBLE. I can only surmise how painful this experience is to her mother, Manang Connie. To witness losing your only child when it should be the other way around, according to the laws of nature. She spoke about how she was able to converse to her daughter and just be with her the night before her death when we attended the final night of the wake prior to internment the next day.

I could have chosen to stay in Sta. Lucia and not attend the wake and funeral. But I recalled the days of my youth, of hanging out in front of the big abandoned garage as we read comics, of playing basketball at the town plaza basketball court at 12 high noon every summer, of wearing only slippers or even going barefoot as we ran up and down the court, of playing makeshift Basque pelota (jai a lai) with rectangular plastic motor oil bottles cut across one corner to its diagonal corner as cestas and a tennis ball and heck, even boxing matches with the use of boxing gloves! They were a part of that. I didn't hesitate, so I  joined the trip back to Manila. Besides, being the cheapskate that I am, I can't refuse a free ride! c",)

May 5, 2015 came and it was the day that Lorraine was laid to rest at Loyola Marikina. The last time I was here was I think 30 plus years ago, when Uncle Tante was laid to rest one rainy morning. I still remember that day, how difficult it was to reach this location before since the earth was wet, the roads unpaved yet and the distance that we had to travel from Sampaloc in Manila felt like eternity. Now. it just seems like a stone's throw away from Gateway Mall. A special shout out to the cab driver who patiently drove his cab that I was in inside the compound of Loyola as I searched for the burial site since I had to go directly to the park. I missed their departure from the funeral home. I am so pleased that there are still cab drivers worthy of the public's trust. And a big thank you too to Manang Petty who updated me of their real time whereabouts as I tried to catch up with them and Manong Andy who drove the van passed the cab that enabled me to find them in the park.c",)

Rest in peace, Lorraine. Your time here amongst the living may be fleeting. but you have brought immense joy to those you love.....

THIS IS WHAT EVERYBODY MISSED.....

Suko Na!

Kiss No. 2.....

Sya, Try Ulit Natin Ito.....

Kiss No. 1....

Time To Give Me A Kiss.....

Aunty, Nakuha Ko Na.....

O, Bitawan Mo Na Kasi.....

Hijo, Pakibaba Ng Siko.....

Just when everybody had left the wedding reception venue of my niece Tonette and her husband Neil, a handful of the groom's relatives stayed over since they lived just across the newlywed couple. And because I didn't have any bed to sleep on at the ancestral house in Sta. Lucia, Manang Petty asked the newlyweds in my behalf if I could stay the night in their house. The cowboy that I am, I was glad I get to sleep on the divan at the living room. I really didn't mind though. I reckoned I would stay for a night or 2 nights at the most because by that time, some people would have eventually left the house with Monday being a day of work. Give me a bed with a tv, I'm okay. I have insomnia and the tv helps me relax so I can get some sleep. The problem is when I do find something entertaining to watch, bye bye sleep.

As I cleaned my camera, inspected my lenses and about to place them back to their cases, my niece called me out to join them in their merriment. I went out and talked to them a bit, played with my granddaughters when my niece blurted out something.

"Aunty, kunan mo kami ng picture ni Neil na umiinom. Wala yun sa reception kanina pagkatapos na mahiwa yung cake dahil walang baso at alak na binigay yung caterer."

I smacked my forehead and realized that indeed that scene didn't happen. Then I replied, "Naku, sana kahit anong baso na lang na may lamang beer ang ibinigay sa inyo para lang makunan lang kayo ng picture ng umiinom after nyo magsubuan ng cake!"

She further went on that they have talked to the caterer and expressed their displeasure when it came to that supplier's service. I also mentioned, "Sorry nakong, hindi ko na napansin na wala yun kasi naman expected ko yung coordinator mo ang magsasabi at magdi-direct.

Although I love taking pictures of events of my relatives, I came here as a guest and I started to notice that the wedding coordinator was not assertive enough in his duties. It came to a point where I had to give suggestions to Tonette for her to be the one to give the orders to the coordinator since he wasted so much time. I assume that anyone who did not know me at the reception may have mistaken me as part of the crew. And I do not want to do that. I wish suppliers will realize that a single bad recommendation can spell doom to one's business. There were just too many lapses and faults. I'm sure Neil knows how to deal with them.

So, I went back to the house and took my camera and acceded to my niece's request. I didn't really know what to do. But I saw bottles of San Mig Light and some pulutan. I have no idea what they were munching on the side but I asked them to get the plate and two bottles of beer. I ordered them to reenact the whole scene. I didn't get my "cinematic kiss". But I knew they enjoyed themselves from this exercise. And that is more important for me to capture as a photographer, the happiness on their faces.

 Hala! Magpakalasing kayong dalawa dahil kahit papaano, nairaos nyo na ang kasal nyo. Kampai! As to those who might perceive my presence at their house would spoil their honeymoon, they already have two kids! Need I say more? c",)

Thanks for letting me stay at your abode Neil and Tonette, Until next time..... Wait..... There is a next time?