A BOY NAMED ADAM.....

This little boy has grown up quite fast from the last time I saw him seven months ago. No more chat, just photos for this....

REVIVING A FAMILY TRADITION.....

Even before my family transferred to our present residence here in Las Pinas, I am no stranger to this area. My cousin, Manong Kelly and his family was one of the early settlers during the time when going to Las Pinas was such a tedious journey. The coastal road did not exist at that time, the main road in Baclaran ended at MIA Road and the area of Pulang Lupa actually smelled of the sea because of the sea salt being laid out in front of the houses to dry and be sold as table salt. My cousin would actually pick my family up in our rented apartment in Sampaloc and we would stay in his new (at that time) house to usher in the New Year. My aunt who used to sell meat and meat products in Central Market would be the one who would cook the food for the media noche. It was a tradition that my paternal relatives observed until everyone grew up and led their own lives and my aunt stopped selling and passed the business to one of my cousins.

A lot has happened since then. My father's siblings have been succumbing to illness, particularly to different cancers one by one. From a brood of six, only three remain. Majority of my cousins are now based in the U.S. And even my nephews and nieces who I used to carry or even play with are now grown up and have kids of their own.

I guess the recent death of one my father's sisters prompted my cousin and my remaining living aunt to revive the family tradition of spending New Year at their place. So right after observing mass for New Year's eve, my brother and I went to their place. Now, the gathering is not about the food and merrymaking anymore. It has evolved into a coming together and keeping in touch with one another.

Just as the clock struck 12 midnight, I went to the second floor and took pictures of exploding fireworks. This proved to be more challenging for me. Unlike the fireworks during an organized show like the pyro olympics where in I can actually see the barge from which the fireworks are set off, I had to anticipate for the area where the next explosion would be. Not all firecrackers are created equal. The ones that actually form glorious light patterns in the sky are more expensive than the ones that just produce a blasting sound. And it is these expensive ones that I looked out for and tried to photograph.

Here are samples of the photos I took. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome 2012!

I NEVER THOUGHT I'D MISS THIS.....

The fun thing about New Year's Eve is watching the sky for the fireworks display that takes place before the clock strikes 12 midnight of January 1. But nowadays, firecrackers and fireworks are getting more expensive that one buyer of such things has to ponder deeply if money spent to buy these "pyrotechnic entertainers" is worthwhile. And with the DOH campaign to avoid firecrackers to prevent bodily harm and that gas leak in Makati that can certainly turn into a huge fireball of catastrophic proportions prompting the city government to issue a strict warning not to use firecrackers in their area, I am now hearing myself say, I miss watching a fireworks display.

There was a time in the past when me and my friends from NAYON Photographer's Club braved the throng of people and proceeded to Esplanade to watch the World Pyro Olympics and shoot fireworks to our hearts' delight! And the last time we went there, we actually placed ourselves on top of those huge boulders along the break waters of Manila Bay, since the thick concrete barriers have been occupied by people who arrived ahead of us. I also recall about a time when I had to walk quite far just to be able to get a bus as I head home to Las Pinas. This started my ritual of never again try to get a ride at MOA during a very busy night like this and just head towards Plaza Lawton.

A lot has happened with this event. For one thing, we were privy with what happened behind the supposed misunderstanding between the organizers of the Pyro Olympics and SM Management. Whatever the controversy was, it made the organizers transfer the pyro olympics venue to around the area in the Fort, in Taguig and also made SM organize a similar event which SM now is a sponsor of.

If ever another event similar to the World Pyro Olympics is held here in the future, who knows, I might blow the dust off my tripod and proceed towards wherever the location for this event will be and shoot fireworks once again!

FIRE IN THE SKY.....

The fun thing about New Year's Eve is watching the sky for the fireworks display that the ordinary people put up from their houses. I remember the time when firecrackers didn't cost that much. And my adult relatives really splurged on buying these things as a source of entertainment for us kids way back then. I really wasn't into the loud sound producing variety. I have watched to much television showing injured limbs with blasted fingers when I was young, only to see it in reality when I became a nurse at PGH and had first hand encounters of treating such injuries. The loud sounding, noisy types are the major culprits for producing these injuries that I call the chicharon bulaklak. I prefer the colorful ones as it may seem more "user friendly" than the previous one that I described. The types which showcase a certain pattern or figure. It may produce a sound but it's not like the big bang noise of the bawang or superlolo. Rather, it produces a whistling sound, a sound which I can withstand without making me deaf. I may be wrong in terms of its safety but I'm basing my assumption on the fact that almost all the victims of the chicharon bulaklak injuries say that the noisy firecrackers were the main cause.

Anyway, 2008 is the year of the rat! And since I do not have a picture of a rat in my files (I have a pic of a rat that has been killed by my pet tomcat, I know it's gross so I deleted it!), I guess the most apt photos to signify New Year are images of fireworks, which I have!

And speaking of fireworks, one of the events that we photographers look forward to before is the World Pyro Olympics. It has been staged for the past two consecutive years now at the Esplanade and photographers asked each other about the news when it will return for this year. To our disappointment, it seems that it won't be held within the months of January and February. The organizers who brought the spectacle here (can't recall the company's name) said that people should wait for further developments and announcements. Hmmm, they sound like they are having problems huh! HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Buboy, Bless, Moi and Peter at Esplanade.....





For us photographers, one of the most challenging things to photograph are fireworks displays. Each exposure value represents a different kind of image in relation to the kind of fireworks being photographed. This makes it difficult to perceive the intended outcome of the image. Hence the World Pyro Olympics always causes a shooting frenzy among amateurs and professionals alike as we all headed along the breakwaters of Esplanade and with tripod and cable release in tow, took shots of exploding fireworks during the weekends of the first and second weeks of January. Unlike New Year's Eve, these displays lasted for 30 to 45 minutes and were carefully constructed by each country representative to create a symphony of color, fleeting images and noise. Such an activity can test the skill and the quick reflexes of a photographer hence the huge turnout.

For me, it's the amazingly colorful patterns that the fireworks produce that I go for. Though it is impossible to predict what kind of image will register in a camera, its rather awesome to see these fireworks exploding and leaving lasting impressions. Some look like particles of dust suspended in mid-air, while the others look like long spindles of thread emanating from nowhere. The shapes that it produces are interesting to photograph too. Some appear like palm trees, others appear like scallop shells and others look like hearts and cowboy hats.

Much has been said in photography how to- books about the techniques involved in shooting fireworks. But one thing that is seldom mentioned is the importance of the photographer's location in relation to the firing area. Hence I wasn't surprised when almost all people who understood photography and wanted to shoot the fireworks lined up along the barrier walls of the breakwater, with their tripods marking each other's territory. But during the last day, me and my club mates had to position ourselves down the wall and on to the huge boulders that line the shore because the entire stretch of the wall that was near the firing area was already occupied. We wanted to shoot the display with minimal interruption of the foreground area by unwanted human heads and our chosen location proved ideal but uncomfortable.

I wasn't able to go each night to shoot the event, since I had commitments to shoot a wedding in between, unlike some of my NAYON colleagues who were present each time.
But whenever I went there, it was such an amazing experience. At some point, I would just stop from taking pictures and with child like eyes, ogle at the display as it took my breath away. And finding inspiration in what I see, I revert back to being a photographer and fire my shutter button, hoping that the pictures will come out great. With the advent of digital cameras, it is easier to weed out the bad from the good ones. But nothing beats an image that in my mind, gives me satisfaction.

The only dilemma that I have to face in such a crowded area was when it was time to leave and go home. Traffic was at a standstill and the overflowing sea of humanity made it more difficult to get out of the Esplanade and get a ride going home to Las Pinas. At one point, I reached home at around 2 am the next day and was committed to go back that night and shoot again! In another day, I had to ask my friend Bless, if I could hitch a ride with her going to Quezon City, along Welcome Rotonda. Then I had to go back to Lawton and take a bus or an FX cab. It seemed I went full circle for the trip going home but I just didn't care anymore! At least it assured me of riding comfortably, seated in an air conditioned vehicle, not standing! But despite all of the hardships, I did enjoy the experience of shooting something which presents a different dynamic from shooting people. As most physical instructors say, "No Pain, No Gain!"