BACK FROM THE US OF A.....

Charles With Wife Rose And Sister Tintin.....









It is quite odd to meet some of my relatives from my maternal lineage who I have not seen in a long time. For one thing, there is this apprehension that time and distance have somehow conspired to allow the minds of these rather young people to forget.

Such was the feeling when I asked one of my older cousins, Manang Ella about her kids, who happened to be in the country at the moment. Manang Ella and her husband Manong Eric migrated to the US sometime around the 1990's. They were able to take their two younger kids, Tintin (who was just a toddler then) and Amang (who was only a cute little baby then). Their eldest child, Charles, was the one who got left behind a bit due to over age but was able to follow soon with the rest of the clan.

My cousin was one of those next of kin who briefly stayed with us, as they needed a place to stay when they went to Manila for their college education during my childhood since my parents were the ones who were based in Manila during the early 1970's. Sure, my Aunts Veron and Trining and her kids, Manang Jeanette, Manang Verna and Manang Vicki are around but they are different, being Manila born and raised here just like the brothers and I. Imagine the age difference between Manang Ella and I! c",)

Slowly, Manang Ella and others who followed her path, became our circle of relatives who became Manila based. Even when she found a job, she and her sister (the late Manang Dida) would come to our small place in Sampaloc and spend a weekend with my family. At times, my mother and I would visit their office in Vito Cruz since their office was the one responsible for making the checks for the salaries of public school teachers which was my mom's occupation. Other times, my mother and I were the ones who visited their respective homes.

Fast forward to the present. I'm going to meet people that I have not seen since the day Manang Dida died. Some I have not met ever in my lifetime. So it was such a pleasure to see Charles and the rest of his family, the mother of his children Rose and the kids themselves. The eldest Charo was just an infant being held by her mom when I last saw her. And now they have two other kids that I basically do not know. Charles' only sister, Tintin was only seven years old, if I recall correctly, when she migrated to the US. Today she also is married and has kids of her own.

I talked to Tintin via sms and we agreed to meet at SM North Edsa. Imagine my relief when Charles was the one who saw me first! He! He! He! This man-child ( I say this with fondness as he doesn't look his age) nephew of mine still looks the same. If he gets rid of his beer belly then one can mistake him for a young lad. My image of Tintin, that of a seven year old little girl was replaced by an adult version instantly. And Charo? She has her dad's genes.

I handed Charles the package that I asked that be delivered to my mother when they go back to the States. Seeing him all grown up and with his family made me laugh quite a bit. They look like a group of friends hanging out. Too bad Amang did not join them for this trip. Meeting this nephew of mine would be awesome as I heard he is into photography just like her smart and clever aunt! c",)

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.

THE FINAL ROUND OF SLIM AND GORGEOUS BIKINI CLAD LADIES.....

The Finalists Showing Off Their Agility.....
























The Second Runner Up.....






The First Runner Up.....






The New Miss Bikini Philippines 2011....






The Winners With The Branch Managers.....






Ready To Pounce.....






This Is How It Ends.....






The Winner's Bio.....






Here is the continuation of the set of photographs that I took of this event. It was a great experience to get to know people who have the same passion just like me, to work with people outside of my NAYON buddies. Sure, some of them lack the experience of shooting a live coverage but I am confident they did a good job.

This has been my first time to work with Sir Mel Cortez of DecisiveMoments. I know I did my best despite my equipment failure. I also hope that with the work that I have done, that I have caught his attention and showed him that I can be depended upon to deliver quality photographs.

Thank you Sir Mel! c",)

BIKINI BABES OF SLIMMER'S WORLD PHILIPPINES.....

The Ladies In Their National Costumes.....















The Wonder Of Human Engineering.....






Some Of The Judges.....






Some Of The Girls Strutting Their Stuff.....
















The Winners Of Special Prizes.....






The Ten Finalists.....






Going Gaga For No. 11.....






The Event Performers.....










The Background Says It All.....






I am now part of the staff of Mr. Mel Cortez of Decisive Moments as one of his apprentices. Sir Mel has been the pioneer of reportage wedding photography here in the Philippines and it was a no brainer that I join his stable. His style is what I would want to do when I venture into wedding photography on my own.

For this project, Sir Mel actually needed a platoon of photographers to cover the whole event from every conceivable angle. The photographers were divided into pairs and with each pair, was assigned a certain area of the theater to shoot.

The event was held at the Resorts World Theater and based on the number of people who came to watch the show, the event was successful. However, there were a lot of viewers who were refused entry because of the limited sitting capacity in the venue.

Without further ado, I am posting the photos to the delight of well, everybody! But I have to do another post for the second half of this contest to include photos of the eventual winners! c",)

PIZZA DONE MY WAY....

Thin crust pizzas are my favorite. This kind of pie enables me to savor the flavors of the pizza toppings.Shakey's Pizza is the place I go to whenever I have a craving for thin crust pizzas.

I recently discovered another place to go to for thin crusted pies, and that is at Handuraw Pizza along Xavierville Avenue. I find their prices a bit cheaper than Shakey's and offer more flavors. Too bad though that the owners have not opened a branch at the southern portion of Manila that is near the place I live.

So, I tried doing my own pizza. using those large flour tortillas as the crust. The next thing I did was prepare my own pizza sauce which is actually marinara sauce that I use for spaghetti. I then used ground beef, bell pepper, store bought mozarella cheese and pepperoni as my pizza toppings. The verdict? Yum! But I have to replace the ground beef for something less oily (fatty) in the future. I so wish that I have a brick oven! It did not take that long for the pizza to cook though.

Oh, lighting for the shot was done via flash placed on top of pizza and fired using my Flashwaves radio trigger.