AN ANATOMY OF A LUNAR ECLIPSE.....

One of the simple pleasures in life that I occasionally indulge in is stargazing. I remember when my cousins in Sta. Lucia used to own a pick up truck. I would come along with them whenever they plan to go to faraway places. Of course, the "unlucky" ones were the ones who sat at the back of the pick up truck. But for the teens like me, I enjoyed sitting at the back. What with the wind blowing across your face, your hair moving as carefree as possible and your clothes, flapping incessantly. Then as you looked up to the sky just around dusk, you see the stars illuminating the road ahead of you, guiding the pick up truck as it journeyed back to the house which we lovingly christened the "bodega". Magical! Isn't it?

These recollections of what I used to experience during my youth shaped my present preferences. It is awesome to see these celestial bodies right before our eyes. And to be able to capture it on film (or should I say the digital sensor) heightens the joy. The ultimate event to photograph has to be a solar eclipse. But because of the variables involved (for one thing, the eclipse has to be fully visible in the area I am at) in order to get a series of solar eclipse photographs, the next best thing shall be a lunar eclipse.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth's shadow obstructs the light coming from the sun that shines on the moon. A lunar eclipse happened last June 16 and I decided to photograph the phenomenon even if it meant being awake until the wee hours of dawn. The result is the photo on this page.

Now to the technical stuff. Prior to setting up my camera on top of my tripod, I watched the local news to figure out the time the eclipse would begin. Once I got the information, I then set my camera using the longest telephoto lens that I have, a 70-300mm zoom lens set at the 300 mm distance. ISO was at 400 and on manual mode. I then slept and awoke just as the eclipse started.

It was 2:29 am when I went out and started shooting. The first, second and third pictures were my establishing shots. For the first frame I chose an aperture of f/5.6 and 1/40 shutter speed. The result showed the beginnings of the eclipse and the moon's outline but it totally overexposed the majority of the moon's surface. I decreased the shutter speed for the next shot to 1/60 and it showed a slight improvement. I further decreased the shutter speed for the third shot at 1/100 and this yielded a much better result. The moon's surface can now be seen but the obstructed part is now completely black. The fourth and fifth frame had a different exposure value altogether. Aperture was set at f/11 to increase the zone of sharpness on the moon's surface and shutter speed at 1/500. At this point, I was concerned with which part of the moon shall I be putting more emphasis on when it came to exposure, whether it was the obstructed part or the unobstructed area. I didn't want to end up taking a picture of a totally blacked out moon so I adjusted the exposure once again and went back to an aperture of 5.6 and a shutter speed of 0.5 for the sixth frame. The photo shows the moon's surface while it is obstructed and the overexposed part is the remaining clear area. The seventh photo, I adjusted the shutter speed to 1/4. The final picture shows a totally eclipsed moon, aperture at f/5.6 and shutter speed of 3.2 seconds and taken at 3:58 am. Scientists say that the reddish hue can be attributed to the smog and pollution present on the earth's atmosphere.

I wasn't able to take pictures of the reverse process as it became cloudy. I did not mind though, as I was so drowsy by this time and went inside the house with my camera, satisfied with what I shot. Next time, I'd give emphasis to the unobstructed side and have a blocked out moon.

RIA AND AD'S DATE AT THE ALTAR.....

A Set Of Shots Of The Bride.....





The Groom.....






Dr. Ada Soriano With Her Husband And The Couple.....




There is something about shooting weddings that I find uplifting. I think it's the concept of romance, of two individual people about to be joined in marriage because of their love. And to be part of the team chosen by the couple to cover the event is an added bonus.

Ria and AD were a pleasure to take pictures of. They were married at the Archbishop's Palace in Mandaluyong. Reception then followed at Richmonde Hotel. I noticed the groom was not comfortable in posing for their formal portraits hence I asked if he was more comfortable doing informal poses. The shoot then sailed smoothly from there on.

An incident happened when I went to the groom's room to shoot his preparations. I was surprised when I entered the groom's bedroom. I saw a familiar face from my past. As I shot the groom's preparation, I tried to recall the name of this person. I was sure though that she was one of the doctors that I have worked with at the Philippine General Hospital. Then when I was finished doing so, I remembered her name. It was nice seeing you again, Dr. Ada Soriano! She happens to be AD's older sister. Cool!

CELEBRATING IN STYLE.....

The Celebrant And Her Family.....






Michael Jackson Comes Alive.....






I received a call from one of my cousins, Manang Petty one day. "Gusto mong pumunta maki-birthday?" she asked. "Sino ang magbi-birthday?" I asked in reply. "Si Manang Meriam mo at ang venue ay sa Quezon City Sports Club. Magkita tayo ng mga 5:30 sa Cayco. Sama ka?" she answered back. I consulted my brother and asked if he wanted to go. I called my cousin back and told her of our intention to go and tag along with her and expect us to be around the meeting place at 5:30 pm.

So this time, it's Manang Miriam's turn to celebrate. And for someone who is officially a senior citizen, I say her looks do not show it. I guess it is in our genes to actually look younger than our age. There may be some exceptions but overall, my maternal blood relatives have this trait.

I was looking forward to attending this birthday bash, as I recently just visited a sad event, attending a burial of someone, just to lift my spirit up a bit from the gloom of sadness. It made me stop for a moment and ponder about life in general, the alpha and the omega; the yin and the yang; the good and the bad; joy and sorrow. Man may never know when one's life is about to end but this is what celebrating birthdays are for, to give thanks to the Lord Almighty for giving as another year to tread this earth.

I secretly envy watching my cousins who belong to a large family. Every occasion becomes an informal reunion of sorts, with noisy kids and chatting adults. Also, the added bonus of having to rely on a much bigger support system when life gets difficult is also a plus. It may be chaotic but it can be loads of fun.

It was rather great to see Manang Miriam's other siblings who flew in from the United States just to celebrate this occasion with her. And Manang Miriam decided to go all out for this bash. It is a pity though that the weather did not cooperate as the rain started to fall. If it didn't rain, perhaps there would be more guests who were able to come and party with the celebrant too.

The highlight of the night was the appearance of some dance instructors who started to dance with everyone (well anyone who fancied dancing the swing). And in the end, the dancing just got longer when the instructors began to teach everyone (well as in everyone who cared to dance) the steps to line dancing.

We did went home around night time but it was quite evident that everyone had fun. To Manang Miriam, Happy Birthday! And thank you for celebrating this momentous occasion in style and including us. My prayers for your good health and until your next birthday bash..... c",)