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!

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.

TOTUS TUUS.....

A Portrait of Pope John Paul II.....






Outside the Basilica.....






St. Peter's Square.....












The Caption Tells It All.....






Double Exposure.....







They say photographers will go to any length in order to get that perfect shot. Who "they" are, I do not know. But come to think of it, perhaps the statement came from photographers themselves, as an affirmation whenever a photographer faces staggering odds in doing their jobs.

I encountered my own "do it or else" situation early in my photographic journey. It was 1994 and Pope John Paul II came to Manila. It was the last day of the pope's stay in Manila and I wanted to get a photo of him using a Canon A1 film slr. I got into serious photography with this camera a few days earlier and I did not even own a dedicated flash gun. But my desire to take a photograph of him was so strong that I had to call my parents that day and told them I was not going to come home that night since I was with a few other people who camped outside of the Apostolic Nunciature (the Vatican's equivalent of an embassy) to catch a glimpse of the Pope in his place of stay. I was still unfamiliar with the camera though as I was used to using the film equivalent of a point and shoot digital camera. But this experience of talking to complete strangers as we sat on that closed to traffic section of Taft Avenue, of foregoing sleep and of waiting for the right time to take a photograph (what I call the stalker mode) as I sat outside made me realize that I had a photographer's trait in me. Was I able to get a good picture of the pope? No, because what I thought would happen did not happen when morning came, which was the pope opening his windows when he sees the crowd outside. Was I disappointed for not achieving my goal? A little but I got to see the pope! How cool was that during those times?

May 1, 2011 will be known as the day of his beatification. This is the second step in Canonization which he revised and made more precise into three steps in 1983. Just as I witnessed his proclamation as a pope, his journeys to this country, his slow decline of health and his eventual death, I watched his beatification ceremony. I felt compelled to take a few snaps of the tv screen, which would serve as a reminder for me of this day.

It was rather tricky to get the photos as I was not sure how digital single lens reflex cameras react to television screens. I applied any knowledge that I acquired based on experience of shooting slides off computer screens and these were the results that I got. Photos were then fixed with Photoshop to improve contrast, remove the television screen borders and flatten the photos a bit. The lines on the pictures are the light rays that the television screen emits when it is turned on. Now try this technique!

THE JOURNEY BEGINS.....

A Handshake with the First Gentleman.....



My mother influenced me a great deal in my passion for photography. I do recall that during my growing up years, she would often take pictures of me and my siblings, nothing serious or fancy, just the normal shoot of the family during vacations and during special events like birthdays. I was my mom's favorite model as I would instantly ham it up in front of her camera. Equipment of choice during those days was a Kodak Instamatic, a rectangular box shaped camera that used flash cubes as an added light source. The funny thing about the cubes was that it emitted smoke after the shutter was released and the flash fired. The subjects usually get blinded by the strong flash of light that one has to sit momentarily, to get his bearings. This same smoke was eventually discovered to contain mercury vapors and was proven to poison people hence it was discontinued from the market. Eventually the camera suffered the same fate, that of being discontinued.

My mom then bought a 110 pocket camera. These cams were slim and lightweight that it fits into a man's front polo pocket. It used a 110 film cartridge. My mother would take the camera to school and she would ask me to take pictures. I studied in the school were she taught English at grade school level. She was my English teacher in the first until the second grade. If she was involved in the school program, I took her pictures. If my brother had a school presentation, I took his pictures. If my mom had a new hairstyle, I took her pictures. If my father had his own activities at the Billing Section of PGH, I took his pictures. If I had a school outing or a field trip, I would take the pictures. Soon enough, I found myself more behind the camera than in front of it, unlike what I used to do. I became fascinated with the idea of capturing a person's likeness and transferring it to a photograph. I was hooked, no turning back.

I continued shooting through my high school years. The 110 pocket cameras were still the current rage. My photography was funded by my parents who often requested me to go to this affair or this event with them, so I can photograph them as I listed above. At times, I'd saved enough money from my allowance and buy film for the camera, leave something more for the processing and take snaps of friends at school. Developing charge during those times was around 10 pesos. A single 3R print cost 50 centavos. Armed with the money given by my parents and living within the Sampaloc area of Manila, I'd go to Recto to have the cartridges processed. I can't recall though if the camera shops in Hidalgo existed, perhaps it already did. Having been able to go to Recto on my own from the age of 8, it didn't occur to me to go as far as Quiapo for processing the films, until the costs started to climb up and I was shrewd enough to go shop hopping until I finally reached Hidalgo in Quiapo, the Mecca of photography here in the Philippines.

During one of my trips to Recto, I started to notice these odd looking and bulky shaped cameras as they started to appear along the photo shops. These cams used a 135 film, which was considered to be a professional emulsion back then as only professional photographers who own film SLR's use this film size. However, camera manufacturers saw the potential that the market had, thus produced point and shoots using this film type. And once the trusted pocket camera failed to work, it was time to upgadeto the 135 point and shoot. My father gave me and my brother the money to buy our first 135 film camera and that further fueled my passion for photography.

And the journey continues.....