I See Light
2007-11-14 22:25:00
Light is the ultimate essential in photography. I remember many sayings of masters: "wherever there is light you can photograph"..."light is your crayon"..."paint with light"..."light gives them shape"... and so on. Indeed, a picture is underscored or given emphasis with how a photographer plays with, positions or frames the light. It's because light produces shadows, provides depth, creates colors, and distinguishes details, shapes and forms. Beyond the literal, however, light also gives figurative meanings to an image, one which can inspire, move, motivate, stir, arouse, encourage, reassure, bouy up or raise the spirits, cheer and make our day. A dedicated photographer will always think of his light source and how it will affect his image, before he presses his shutter. That may very well spell the difference between a simple snapshot, and a picture of photographic quality.
The Art of Black and White
2007-11-13 08:12:00
We see in color. Hence, black and white photography presents a serious challenge to photographers. We have to train our eyes to see subjects that would look good in monochrome. We have to watch out for subtleties in contrast, how to balance the dark areas with light portions, distinguish shades and shadows, and define textures, depth and patterns with gradations and tonalities. Initially, black and white photography did not interest me. I wanted my images to be bright, alive and bursting with colors. At one photography site, I was known as "Mr. Vivid" because of my richly-saturated photographs. But looking at photo gallery sites of masters and experts, I found beauty and art in black and white photography. And I engaged at it on a sustained level until I had a sizeable collection of photos in this classic medium. The point is (the fun part) I just started a blog that features my black and white images. Titled (the blatant promotion) Visuals & Verses Pictures & Prose, it is at (
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, White
Island Hopper
2007-11-11 06:32:00
Travelling in the Philippines is not complete without a boat ride. That ride can either be a cruise ship that can carry hundreds of passengers, complete with all the amenities such as aircon cabins, on-board bars and restaurants; or small motorized outrigger canoes (locally called bangka) ideal for short distance island hopping. Bangkas come in a variety of sizes - from single seaters to those that can carry more than a dozen. I took this shot of a medium-sized liner while I was in a bangka with ten other people as we left the port of Surigao City on our way to Dinagat Island
, two hours away. Discovering the scenic blue, watery nooks and crannies of the archipelago can only be possible with this trusty transport of Filipino fishermen.
Level Horizon
2007-11-18 08:23:00
A level horizon gives greater visual impact to a photograph, especially for landscapes, sunsets or sunrises. But, in the rush of trying to capture a beautiful scene, we almost always forget to carefully balance the horizon in our viewfinder. The result? A slanted horizon line where the sea meets the sky, or where the mountain range meets the sea. All the photographic elements you hoped for were in the picture; you even reviewed it in your digital camera's small LCD screen and it looked proportional enough. But when you viewed it in your computer screen, the picture struck you with a mixture of disappointment and mild horror - the horizon was tilting to one side! There's a small leveling gadget that can be attached to the flash lock on top of your camera. But without this, what do you do? This is where the editing software Picasa comes in. It has a nifty feature for straightening uneven or unbalanced horizon. The above sunset pic I took in Batangas Bay had a horizontal centerline tilt
A Love Affair With Life
2007-11-22 20:06:00
A master's saying rings loud in my consciousness: photography is a love affair with life. This always holds true without us knowing it when we take pictures of people, flowers, trees, seas, rivers, streams, sunsets and a host of other subjects. The object of our focus may be inanimate like a rock or a mountain but, I am not delusional yet certainly imaginative, how often have you thought that a rock, stone or pebble throbs and when you held it in your hand it was warm; and of a mountain that seemingly heaves as it hosts and itself sustains millions of breathing creatures. A sunset smiles, a river flows, flowers sway, winds roar, clouds roam, trees dance, and even that butterfly above poses for my shot! This earth of ours, with billions of elements, things and inhabitants, is life itself. Photography embraces them all!
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, Love Affair
Sunrise At 25,000 Feet
2007-11-30 06:59:00
Perspective is the photographer's point of view. As effective as composition, finding the right perspective greatly enhances a photograph's quality. We have heard and read it before from experts: when taking a picture of a kid, stoop to his level; when photographing a flower, try it from the side not from the top (which may mean you have to crouch down low); when shooting a sunset, do it from an elevated position; and the tips go on. But the point is to find your perspective and that is taking a picture which people normally don't see. This explains why pros take great pains to climb a mountain, or go flat on their tummy just to take pictures from a different orientation or outlook. Well, we amateurs don't have to go through all that efforts, yet knowing where to stand, taking a higher position, or a shot from the side, below or vertical, can result in photos which may not only impress picture-viewers but also personally satisfy the picture-taker. With that in mind, instead of dozi
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See For Yourself
2007-12-05 19:58:00
The Philippines is always on the global news, in a disastrous sort of way - political, natural or accidental. Mentioning them all would require me to set up another blog for the purpose but surely it would be disheartening and uninspiring. However, the list would include attempted coup d' etats; violence-marred elections; towns buried in a landslide; volcanic explosions, typhoons and earthquakes that claimed thousands of lives; ferry sinking with hundreds of passengers; bombings at malls, buses, government buildings; and actually a lot more but my tummy churns just typing these. Well, beyond the news the country is endowed with abundant natural resources - clear, emerald waters and rich deep-blue seas that teem with 2,400 species of fish and 485 species of corals; powdery, white sand beaches that highlight a coastline of over 36,000 kilometers; lush tropical forests that are home to 2,500 species of animals and insects and 12,000 species of plants of which 3,800 are trees; the most be
Read more: Yourself
Creatures of All Sizes
2007-12-04 20:35:00
One thing great about photography is the power it gives us to see things we normally can't. Eyes perceive impressions in this constantly moving world, and that's looking. Seeing things as captured by our camera opens to us a whole new dimension, a different image, a totally varied view - from the tiniest details to the largest subject. The Pinoy Kodakeros presents these images from the animal kingdom - raw and wild, mild and tame, fine and hairy, great and small - all captured with intensity, flair and the power of seeing.
End of Day
2007-12-15 06:15:00
A chapter of individual lives close every end of the day. Body and mind need to recharge. But there are moments of reflection before we lie down to rest. Have we done any meaningful thing the past 24 hours? Perhaps nothing earth-shattering that could change the world. Just small, simple acts of an ordinary life. Yet some deeds stand out. The boy above, tying his boat in a makeshift pier after an afternoon at sea, was all smiles as I approached him after taking the picture. I asked him if he caught any and he showed me a medium-sized pail full of fishes. He added that his father was sick and could not go fishing, and what he caught would be food for dinner for his six siblings. I was touched and impressed. What the boy did will never matter to the world, but it is all the world for him to make sure his family would not sleep on empty stomachs at the end of the day.
Friendship Pic
2007-12-10 22:17:00
For this post, a shot I took at the majestic Chocolate Hills in the province of Bohol, I will let the picture do the talking and partner it with a quote from an unknown source: "Best friends never tell each other that they're best friends, they just know".
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A Picture Contrast
2007-12-10 08:38:00
A picture becomes more interesting when there is some contrast in it. These may be silhouettes during sunsets where shadows form to provide dark contrast to the last remaining light, or thematic like mother and child, boy and girl, a skyscraper beside a small abode, or a picture such as the above, contrasting modern with the aged. That's the frontage and belfry of Baclayon Cathedral in the province of Bohol, built by the Spanish friars in the 1500s. Beside it standing out in color is an ice cream cart, which is a relatively new invention. Photographers are trained to spot nuances in subjects that may provide contrast and better composition. The eye is attracted to colors and images beyond the ordinary, and a quick, dedicated photographer will always be in a position to spot them and capture them.
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Bright Sun Shiny Day
2007-12-20 08:14:00
This picture post needs no story or description, it needs music. With much of the northern hemisphere freezing in sub-zero temperatures nowadays, I offer a warm visual alternative with this pic taken at Tambuli Beach Resort in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu province. Enjoy the pic while listening to the song I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash. Just click player below.
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, Bright
Reminiscing The Moments
2008-03-06 07:20:29
Time flies by so fast we can only recall so much of what we did in a day. How much more in a month, or a year. But humans have the power to recall, to remember and reminisce, particularly special moments - your first love, first kiss, the time you said "I Do", the shrill cries of your first born, the smell of your new car, your first out of town trip, family reunions, the first time you stood as god-parent in a baptismal or main sponsor in a wedding, the initial steps as you moved through the door of your very own house, the best sunset you ever saw, the most beautiful flower that beheld your eyes, your first cellphone or digicam, the highest mountain you climbed, the most laps you swam, the fastest you have ever driven - these and many more are the memorable entries in your life's journal
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Commune With Nature
2008-02-24 21:52:48
Find time to commune with nature, and find your inner peace. Though this is a wonderful world, man has abused his blessings and created chaos, degradation and imperiled the fine balance that keeps continuity of life on earth. Each individual can contribute his share in preserving Mother Earth, and the list is long and known, it need not be itemized here. For sure, one thing nature ask of us is respect. Learn to appreciate the seas that provide essential water, the sun that keeps us warm, the trees which help provide the element we breath. There is so much in nature that we must give high regard and understanding and esteem. As we admire nature, we give reverence to the One who created them. Find time to commune with nature, and be one with your God. (Photo taken at Ninoy Aquino Parks and W
Blue Beyond
2008-02-17 03:11:33
To one who has been long in city spent, 'Tis very sweet to look into the fair And open face of heaven, - to breathe a prayer Full in the smile of the blue firmament. ~John Keats, Sonnet XIV
The World Is Your Canvass
2008-02-10 22:08:55
With photography, the world is yours to capture, to portray, to paint. It is your canvass, to put your image, to give your interpretation, to express yourself. While traditional painting may take hours or days, photography takes just an instant to create your art, and the considerations are the same - light, shadows, depth, texture, colors. These are elements which, in the hands of a a dedicated photographer with the mind of a poet and the heart of an artist, can create a personal magnum opus. Continue clicking and pursue your art.
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A Life of Waiting
2008-02-03 21:28:31
There I was standing at the edge of sea, greeted by the last luminous sky, waiting for dusk to arrive and change the horizon from glorious waning light to the emptiness of night. The wind was cool and the water was surging forward, waiting for the moon to pull it upshore. Something crept into my thoughts. Nature has its seasons and its times, and there is always a point of waiting for things to come, for moments to arrive. Such also is life. We wait to be born, to be fed, nourished and to grow. Without us knowing it, we wait for physical changes, for voice to deepen, for muscles to flex, for height to stretch. We wait for feelings to bloom in adolescence, and fall in love, real or imagined, over and over again. Then we wait for that special person to be with us the rest of our lives. An
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A Prayer of Faith and Trust
2008-02-02 16:46:13
For this post, which falls on a Sunday in the Philippines, I present a poem by Barbara Kasey Smith:Magnify and strengthen my faith and trust... My wings of strength and faith are under attack,grant me vigor like a newcomer to Your word.Draw me nearer to Your tabernacle to mature,ripen the seeds in my soul for Your word and You.Instill in me wisdom, knowledge, and understandings,help me to touch others as You lay a hand on me,lending me the courage I need to connect with others,allow those I speak to see You live within my soul.I'll communicate with You during difficult times,knowing my requirements will be heard...You'll supply my necessity as You deem fit,I'll wait upon You to provide and nurture my heart.Lord, I love You b
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, Faith
I Shall Return
2008-01-31 07:12:59
The serene sea in the background belies the fierce battle that occurred here in the town of Palo, province of Leyte in the Philippines from October 22 to 26, 1944. The Battle of Leyte Gulf is generally considered the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history. The numbers prove it. Between the United States and the Imperial Forces of Japan, the following weapons of war were involved: nine large aircraft carriers, 27 small carriers, almost 1,900 aircrafts, 21 battleships, 44 cruisers and 175 destroyers. Also called the Leyte Landing, it was the realization of Supreme Allied Commander of the Pacific Forces General Douglas McArthur's promise of "I Shall Return
" to liberate the Philippines from four years of Japanese occupation. The event us
To Photograph Is To Exclude
2008-01-22 04:03:36
To photograph is to exclude, said one of the masters. Much as you would like to include all sceneries in one encompassing, panoramic shot, sometimes you can't. So you have to be selective, find your point of interest and focus on your subject. For the shot above which I took in the town of Libjo, Dinagat Island, I could have moved farther away from the coconut tree and included the palm leaves and blue sky as background. But here a photographic decision had to take place. If I moved back from the tree, I would miss a lot - the root details, the soft shadows made by the leaves, white sand beach, clear waters of the shore, and the gradation of sea colors. I had to crop, frame the subject and exclude all others in the pheriphery. And I liked the outcome. Ultimately, how a subject looks photog
The Gift of Talent
2008-01-17 15:24:55
Deprived of sight, this tandem of vocalist and guitarist play beautiful music at the historic Fort San Pedro park in Cebu City. Serenading park visitors with their songs full of spirit, love and hope, I felt a lump in my throat as I listened to them, enforcing once again my belief in the gift of talent and the power of life over disability. My hats off to these virtuosos.
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Saturate Your Subject
2008-01-16 05:39:36
Oh how I love to saturate my pics! Green must be green! Earth tones must be deep! Colors must be rich, vibrant and vivid. But always be careful. Details can be lost. Shadows can blot. Luster can fade. Endeavor to find that fine line between saturation that enhances hues and highlights, and saturation that "burns" an image.
Paradise Reborn
2008-01-09 03:37:15
"The kingdom of heaven is spread out across the earth, only people don't see it."~Jesus (from The Gospel of Thomas). Let me help visitors to this blog see some eden-like places that can be found in the Philippines, starting with the picture above which I took at Panglao Island in the province of Bohol and, of course, exotic locations taken by the Pinoy Kodakeros (featured in the sidebar). Wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous 2008!
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, Reborn
Magical Morning
2008-01-08 20:46:15
It is magic, when the morning sun seeps through the horizon and envelops the sky in a warm, golden glow, ushering in another glorious day for us mere mortals. What makes the image more tantalizing are the subtle shadows, the delicate ripples, and the feel of peace and solitude. Come to think of it, a picture is more than the subject it represents and the colors it portrays, it is emotion which captures the heart and passion that touches the soul. It is art of the highest order.
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, Morning
Coconut Country
2008-01-05 04:11:25
The Philippines is the world's number one supplier of coconut products. No wonder, because the country is a top producer of what it calls "The Tree of Life". Some fast facts: Of the 12 million hectares of farmlands, 3.1 million hectares are devoted to coconut; 68 out of 79 provinces are coconut areas; there are over 324 million bearing and non-bearing trees and 3.5 million coconut farmers; 25 million Filipinos or a third of the country's population, are directly or indirectly dependent on the industry; the country accounts for a 59 percent share in world coconut exports, or roughly $760 million in foreign exchange earnings. And the monicker Tree of Life? Well, almost every part of the tree, from its meat, oil, leaves, fruit, water, husk, pith, shell to its trunks and roots, can be used fo
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The Hard Art of Simplicity
2007-12-29 15:46:28
Photography is about simplicity. Keep it simple and you get your message across. But how often do we get a simple picture? And what is a simple picture? From what the masters say, the image should be uncluttered, clean with all other elements and background not competing with your main subject. Easier said than done! And it takes a lot of practice to get that oh so simple image! Come to think of it, I am still honing myself. I don't even know if the photo above I took in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato would pass the art of simplicity. Ah well, pursuing this passion for photography requires learning from experience, knowledge from experts, and having a discerning eye.
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Love The Sea
2008-03-21 17:56:14
Love the sea, sand, surf, sky. For a country like mine with over 23,000 kilometers of coastline, the sea is a favorite scene, a postcard staple, a weekend getaway, a summer fixture, a representational image of a tropical eden. I took this shot in a resort in the town of San Juan, province of La Union. I was waiting for a wave or for the surf to splash on shore, all the while observing the surrounding colors. There was so much tonal and color contrast in the scene - the brown sand, the white crest, the emerald sea, patches of smoky clouds and the blue sky. It dawned upon me that photography is a successful synthesis of colors. Though the art of black and white photography is deeply moving and inspiring, an image of compositional colors is likewise visually celebrated and felt, probably even
Rise Early
2008-04-05 07:53:30
I have touched often on waking up early especially when outdoors. Lots of photographic moments happen during early morning, and these include the mood of the surroundings, the stillness of things, the almost monotone color, elemental shadows and forms, and the slight tinge of light in the horizon preparing for day to break out. The unholy early hours always beckon. It is such an enigmatic power that pulls you at the core, touching your consciousness, pricking your heart, hugging your persona. Such is the feeling maybe because all your senses take it in - cool breeze caress your skin, the scent of salty sea overpower your nostrils, the shrill cries of birds passing overhead echo in your ears, and the soft watercolored views delight the eyes. You get your camera and snap on, hoping to captu
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Earth Day
2008-04-22 20:42:12
What does Earth
Day mean to me? As a photography hobbyist who love taking pictures of nature, at least in my side of the world, this global celebration means a lot. I may not have joined conservation or lobby groups, but I have a deep appreciation of the need to protect Mother Earth. I watched last night the National Geographic special titled Earth Report and that gave me a wider understanding of what has been happening to our world - degradation and abuse mainly caused by humans. Figures on carbon emission are staggering; prospects in the next decades are frightening. Which is why a deep-rooted awareness of everyone through celebrations like Earth Day
, and the resolve of people and countries to stem activities that contribute to global warming, are welcome developments. Though violent and
The Traveler
2008-04-30 01:09:33
For most creatures, to travel is a natural instinct. Migration or movement is dictated by primal reasons - food, mating and general preservation of the specie. For humans, the reasons are varied - the search for food, the need to explore and discover, to pursue leisure, peace and happiness. The distance we go through is also varied, it may just be a neighborhood alley we haven't passed yet, a provincial tourist spot we read in travel magazines, or a distant country. Given the opportunity and the means, we hunger for travel. We are meant to move, and our consciousness urges us to seek places we haven't been to. We are destination-seekers, trekkers, journeymen, sightseers, wanderers. We long for adventure, vacation and exploration. It is an unquenchable thirst. Why? Our need for knowledge is
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