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.

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!

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?

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....

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!

TEST SHOTS.....

Head and Shoulder Portraits.....









Low Key.....





Black And White.....






Low Key Profile.....





"Hija! Gayahin Mo Ako....."






The Paparazzi.....






The Formal Group Shot.....






To the Wacky Gang Shot.....





I've been to a lot of lighting classes and it does not hurt to attend one again, and again, and again! The principles of lighting in photography does not really change. What I am after is to see how each photographer uses light as a tool and how do they use it in their work. One can say that a photographer's skill can be judge by the way he uses light since photography literally means "to paint with light".

I've been using the strobist lighting technique ever since I bought myself a Flashwaves remote trigger. Some of my still life shots were used with this technique. But it was fun to know more about how it can be used during portrait shoots. The trend nowadays is to use portable flash just like one would use a studio strobe for lighting portraits. The flashes can be attached to light stands or better yet held by a "voice activated" light holder who moves the flash according to how the photographer tells "it" to do so. Talking about advance technology!

It does imply that the photographer must own at least two flash guns for this to work but one would suffice in order to produce that dramatic lighting effect. And with accessories that can be attached to flash guns to modify the kind of light it emits just like a studio strobe would have, flash photography has evolve into another realm. Knowledge in using this technique lessens the load on the photographer during location shoots. No more heavy lifting of lighting bags that may contain three or four strobe lights plus their stands and whatever light modifiers (umbrellas and soft boxes) that goes with the lights. Believe me, I've carried one of these bags before and it was a back breaker.

For this refresher class with Sir Mel of DecisiveMoments, we shot two models while he explained the different lighting techniques. Not only did he discussed these, he also gave the models some posing techniques. Even if I know the concepts, I felt it was necessary that I listen to him talk out of respect. Problem was other people just started shooting the models instantly. I hope these guys were able to learn something from this class.

I do have to applaud the two models though, Fatima and Muriel (sorry if I got the other model's name wrong). They were real troopers. And they were both game enough to actually last the whole session as it was almost late when Sir Mel called it a wrap. I'd also like to give my thanks to the group they belong to which is Image Factory of Arvin Matunding.

In the end, Sir Mel just gave everybody a chance to shoot and the guys had fun. And I also would like to thank you sir for giving me the permission to borrow your photos and allowing me post it in my blog.

MANO PO.....THE NAYON WAY.....

The Wacky Group Photo.....




Ito, Tunay na Chinese.....




Ito, May Pagka-Chinese.....




Ito, May Pagka-Chinese Din.....




Ito, Mukha Bang Chinese?.....




Ito, Mas Mukha Bang Chinese?....




Ito, Feeling Chinese.....




Ito, Nagpapanggap na Chinese.....




Ito, Ang Chinese na Best Friend ni Wanda!.....





I don't like to have my picture taken. That is why I became a photographer! But on a sunny day, when my mood tells me otherwise, I relent and this fierce persona gets out of me and decides she's the model of the day and begins to strike a pose! As I said, this happens rarely, okay?

So it's time for the annual Christmas Party once again. And Nayon Christmas Parties are like sleep overs for adult people. It seems that the Penthouse Suite of the Miramar Hotel is the favorite place to have the party and since it is a hotel room, we can stay overnight. And along side the party is the annual photo op. As a tradition, the club agrees on a particular theme during the party and everyone is required to dress according to the theme and have their pictures taken as a requirement to replace the banner photo on the Nayon website. Except for the 1950's scene which was done in Black and White and which was the follow up to the well known montage of 2003, I have not seen any photo at all that is worthy to replace the banner! We do have graphic artists in our midst, they are just so busy with their jobs right now. Until I get to see a decent group photo with me on it, I guess I just have to continue to dream on. Who knows, I might be in the mood and strut my stuff!

This year's theme is Chinese! C'mon people, do I look like one? If you think that's funny how about a pure bred insulares like Betty? Does she look like one? I'd rather eat Chinese Food than be one! A real Chinese bred in our group, Bless isn't around though as she has to be at her sister's wedding. And me be dressed in Cheongsam silk? I bet reed thin people like Kate Moss will look good in it not the curvaceous people like me! Oh well, I just have to suck it up and be a real trooper for this one.

CINDERELLA STORY.....

The Cast Of Repertory Philippines' "Cinderella".....





Cinderella.....










Evil Mom With Wicked Daughters.....







It was such an honor to proceed to Repertory Philippines' office in Makati and meet the staff, crew, actors and actresses who comprise the organization. Me and my clubmates took the portraits of everyone and have their mugshots updated. Such shots are going to be used for their souvenir program in future Rep plays. It also included a photo shoot for the publicity campaign of their upcoming production of "Cinderella".

It was a division of labor, hence I didn't have photos of Prince Charming! Niccolo Manahan plays Prince Charming while Michael Manotoc is his alternate.

I invite everyone to watch the show, geared towards the younger generation.