TAGAYTAY COMES A CALLING (AND A HEALTH CRISIS).....

At the Island Rose Farm.....























We are at it again! John scored a scoop of sorts by being able to get the owners of a rose farm, Arnold and Dustin Andaya of Island Rose (not surprising!)and Sonia of Sonia's Garden in Tagaytay, to agree for us, the club, to shoot in their farm and their restaurant cum garden respectively. Now this is one activity I look forward to doing since I can test using my close-up filter with my lens while taking pictures of flowers and getting to go to Sonia's Garden, which I would have wanted to eat in if I have the cash. We went last Saturday, March 17, 2007.

The day started at 5am, when I met John at Cecil's followed by meeting Norman, Cindy and Aiza in Sucat. Next, we went to his RCBC office in Pasong Tamo and met the rest of the group. I rode in Lian's car while the rest took the van and Bless had her own posse.

I thoroughly enjoyed the shoot, with my close up filter able to do the job that I hoped it would. I could get shots of the flowers up close and I just had to concern myself with maintaining it to be sharp, which is easier said than done. I used RAW, since I wanted to play with the white balance when I post process the pics.

But what I am actually concerned about is my health. The night before, I wasn't able to sleep even for an hour! I thus brought a spygmomanometer along with my camera to be sure that I can monitor my blood pressure. Prior to leaving the house to meet John, my BP was 140/100 mm Hg, which is high. To help it go down, I took a 20mg tab of Furosemide. So even if I don't want to produce more urine during a day of travel, I was left with no choice if I wanted to keep my bp down. What I forgot to do was drink lots of water to make up for the enormous urine production my kidneys were making. Hence, by the time we went to Sonia's Garden to shoot, I couldn't do it anymore. I was so thirsty and tired, I ended up seating on the chairs and resting. I knew at that moment that I have an upcoming "episode". A check on my pulse proved to be me having tachycardia. And even if I wanted to ask Robert right there and then to take my bp, I can't since I didn't want to cause a scene. When we finally had the chance to go to Lian's car and Rob took my bp, I was floored with the results. It was 160/110 mm Hg, give and take a few errors in the numbers, it was still high. I just had to go with them and leave early while I tried to sort myself out.

I still am not convinced that I have essential hypertension! I think my bp spikes are the result of my inability to rest and basically abusing my body. I feel if I change some of my habits, I wont be having such episodes. I recently saw a friend of mine whom I have not seen for years, Dr. Roen Cacas in, among all places, Intramuros, during a bridal fair! She gave me her card. At least when I do need a cardiologist, I know where to find her!

I was thankful to Lian that she stuck it out with me. I told her that I shall be alone in the house if I decided to go home and was not feeling comfortable with the possibility that something might happen to me while by my lonesome. I assured her that all I needed was to get some sleep in her car as we returned to Makati. Rob and I then decided to attend her Aunt Gemma's book launching. And true to form, I did feel better after I slept in the car. Whew! That was close!

ANOTHER WEDDING TO SHOOT......

At The Reception.....






The Bride.....






The Groom.....






With Their Families.....






During my post about the World Pyro Olympics, I mentioned about shooting for a wedding that I have agreed to. It was the main reason why I didn't go to Esplanade for 2 consecutive nights, since I had to prepare myself for the shoot. And that means no physical, emotional and yes, even spiritual exertions the night before a wedding shoot. Shooting a wedding can be very draining because of the long hours involved. But nothing beats looking at a very happy and satisfied couple and knowing that me, as a photographer, am one of the reasons why they were happy during this most glorious day of a couple's life.

It's Jonathan and Te-ann's wedding that I shot. Thank God they are not a Chinese couple! I enjoyed my last shoot but I wasn't prepared to last until the wee hours of the night covering the event. Preparations for the wedding were done at The Astoria Plaza Hotel, which is in Escriva Drive in Ortigas. The ceremony was held at Sacred Heart Church which is in Greenhills. Reception was at The Oasis, a condotel where John Mateos Ong's Imagine-nation studio is located in Aurora Boulevard. I didn't know that the place can hold a wedding reception. So, I was surprised when the rest of us saw the venue. It even has a lawn where photographers can take pictures of the couple for formal portraits for the wedding album.

For one thing, I realized that the secret in having good photographs for a wedding album of the couple is a breathtaking venue, if money isn't an issue. I have said enough! Just enjoy the pictures! c",)

PREWEDDING SHOOT.....

Shot In Lipa, Batangas


















I got asked by one of my Nayon clubmates, John, to go to Lipa, Batangas with him to shoot a prenuptial for his wedding client. Now why go far for a wedding prenuptial shoot? This turns out to be a long story.

The couple that we shot were Miko Gatidoc and Kriscelle Kintanar. And they were the ones who wanted to have the prenup done at the Kintanar farm house in Lipa. John had agreed to do a wedding prenup but forgot to set boundaries when it came to the location of the shoot. Imagine his surprise when he found out that the shoot will take place in Lipa. And I tagged along to help him out. The site was awesome! And the bride to be's mom was a perfect host. John and I wanted to capture everything using available light,the sun! And we were not disappointed. What kept us from working without hitch though was the strong winds coming from the valley across. Imagine the wind during typhoon milenyo, it was that strong! My heart skipped beats when the rings that I was taking pictures of got blown away by the wind, one was saved while the other landed on the grassy lot. Thanks to John, he found the temporarily missing ring! Whew! That was close!

We worked until 7pm. But we had fun doing so. Miko and KC were the perfect couple to work with for the prenup. They were game and were so playful with each other informing us that being "sweet" to each other wasn't their cup of tea. But it turns out that this same playful quality gave us the shots that we needed to be shown in a signature frame and a divider frame during the wedding.

Thank you John for this opportunity. See you during the wedding day!

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!"

BECAUSE THE BABY IS NOW A LADY!

Marianne and Vincent Cabalbag.....





The Bride About to Get Dressed.....








With Mom Helping Her Out.....





With the Rest of Her Relatives.....






It was kinda weird! My niece, Marianne, called me up one time at home to tell me that she was getting married to her boyfriend of so many years (they have been together since their junior or senior year in high school), Vincent. And that she actually prepared everything under her parents' noses in extreme secrecy! Way to go Ian! But that shows just how much my niece has grown over the years. And I am pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

I haven't seen much of her for sometime, simply because she pursued her medical degree, which she actually finished and I was busy with my own career. But she previously finished a degree in Pharmacy as a premedical course. What she actually lacks is to pass the medical board exams which are on hold at the moment, in favor of marital bliss. The last time I actually saw her was when we accompanied my cousin who happens to be my niece's first degree aunt, to the airport for my cousin's trip to Los Angeles. I can't remember any recent encounter.

And what were the chances that my niece scheduled the day of her wedding on the exact same day that one of my best friends in PGH scheduled hers too? I promised Lani as early as a year ago that I shall attend her wedding with Lian but because of Marianne's date, I had to ask my friend for her forgiveness. I can't possibly attend both weddings. Initially, I told Marianne beforehand that I shall not be going to hers since the invitation for my family is for 2 people only. That meant my father and my brother were the ones who were going. But my niece begged me to go; she even spoke to her wedding coordinator to give my family an extra seat for me at the reception which was guaranteed. So how can I ignore that?

As I watched the events unfold during the day, it made me somewhat misty. Her wedding eventually became a time for us, her aunts and uncles to see each other in a joyous time and just enjoy each other's company, even when most of us have reached our 40s when it comes to age. And it also made us cherish each other even more as we now have lost four cousins from our generation due to various illnesses and accidents. Even my Aunt Veron, who rarely mingles with us, her relatives due to her numerous teaching positions in 5 colleges in the field of medicine, was game at that time; enjoying the occasion as well, going as far as dancing with us, her nieces and nephews. Too bad three of my niece's father's siblings were not around, being based in the US, they missed the fun that we had!

I shall miss this day. One of those events that shall be stored in my consciousness for a long time. As much as a lot of flak was received by my niece for her decision, I do thank her for giving us, her immediate relatives, an avenue to enjoy ourselves and just be kids once again. Eventually, I know her parents will come around. Marianne just has to understand that whatever apprehensions that her parents have about her decision to get married is a normal reaction of expressing their love for her. They only want the best for her. And so do I! God bless you Marian and Vincent in your married life.