Tag Archive: Photography



LOVE. How best to express it in a single frame?

 

 

20130126-232742.jpg

Retiro Park. Madrid.

 

 

Honestly….. I took this shot without noticing the couple by the stairs. Was more concerned with the pond and the clouds, too blinded by the sun to observe the sweet pair caught in the frame.

 

 

20130127-001908.jpg

Elephants in Knysna Elephant Park in South Africa.

 

 

Caption this! Elephants express it way better, methinks.

 

20130128-050140.jpg

20130128-050831.jpg

A Man and A Child. Chimi Lakhang. Bhutan.

 

 

I’m a grandmother myself. So I’m drawn to images of grandchildren. When one speaks of true love, a grandparent’s love tops the list 😉


THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: LOVE.


WHAT’S BEYOND?

 

20130124-123401.jpg

20130124-123819.jpg

 

 

Beyond the Walkway. Beyond the Sea. I’ve decided to join the Weekly Photo Challenge and eagerly await each week’s theme. This amateur has resisted in the past, thinking this is for pros. But then, this challenge is so inspiring and potentially a good system to update one’s blog.

 

 

20130124-124217.jpg

20130124-124429.jpg

 

 

Beyond Sunset is Twilight. Sunsets are awesome. Twilights are magical.

 

 

20130124-124735.jpg

 

 

Landscapes. Seascapes. Skyscapes?

 

 

20130124-125058.jpg

20130124-125259.jpg

 

 

Beyond the savanna. What lurks beyond?

 

 

20130124-125457.jpg

20130125-072604.jpg

 

 

This is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond.


Whenever I find Nat Geo-type photos, I turn green with envy. But pragmatic me insists I should be content with my Point & Shoot Cam. Many times too, I shoot with my trusty iPhone 4S. The light P&S wins over the desired DLSR, always. Non-pro that I am, I should be alright with these “light” gadgets.

20130124-103317.jpg

20130124-103512.jpg

Many are enchanted with sunrise and sunset photos. I think twilight photos are lovelier, but that’s a matter of opinion. I am also fascinated with cloud formations.

20130124-103756.jpg

20130124-103849.jpg

Perhaps that explains why a rainy, cloudy day or an overcast sky would never deter me from seeking adventures. I was in these places when a strong typhoon hit: Taiwan, Boracay, Palawan. Yet I had the most amazing time. Yes, even when we were “marooned” in Boracay at the height of “Sendong”.

20130124-104335.jpg

20130124-104446.jpg

Who doesn’t want to see a rainbow? Cast against mighty falls, over a mountain cliff, or across vineyards?

20130124-104723.jpg

20130124-104806.jpg

No tripods for me. The scenes can do with a little shake. I just pause, snap and go!

20130124-105152.jpg

20130124-105226.jpg

LIFE AS A MOVIE (Part 1)


I’m on a REVIEW MODE. I always tell my family that when I grow too old to be able to travel without breaking any bones or being a burden to my travel companions, I’d be quite content in a lazy boy watching my OWN MOVIES and photo albums. It’s my MEMORY AIDE these “memory catchers”. I want to remember all the happy moments!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Safari videos certainly rank up there in my collection of memories. How else can you replay those moments when you’re just a few feet from a rhino or a pride of lions? It’s a miracle my hands stopped shaking to capture these moments in video. But my Zambian adventure tops the list too. Aaah….. Zambia. It’s everything I did not expect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first helicopter ride didn’t happen in Zambia. My first heliflight was back in 2007 in Alaska. Setting foot on Mendenhall Glacier was a top thrill too. That’s when I knew I can give up shopping anytime to blow dollars on these expensive adventures. But there were also happy moments where I didn’t have to burn a hole in my pocket. Times with family. Adventures with my “elves”. *Happiness*

 

 

 

 

 

WHY WE PHOTOGRAPH


In this day and age, photography has taken hold of nearly every young adult’s life. DLSR or P&S, a camera slung on someone’s neck has now become part of the wardrobe. One photo — which I’m borrowing from the Net — speaks volumes about everyday life now.

 

 

 

20121031-133023.jpg

 

 

We take photos of places we’ve visited, restos we’ve dined in, food we’ve eaten, celebrities we’ve seen, or just about anything or anyone we found interesting. “Found interesting?” —- OR very candidly, something we wanted to share with others. “Something we wanted to share……?” — or quite honestly, something we wanted OTHERS to know about us. 😃😀😊

 

 

20121031-134001.jpg

 

 

Social networking like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. render it almost obligatory to “document” our everyday activity. Our circle of friends et al get updated with our not-so-private lives through our status updates and photos we post. In my time, we wrote on our diaries. Now, some of us BLOG. Still others feel free and absolutely unrestricted with the ways they wish to express themselves. Then as in now, we were provided ways to express ourselves. But the rules have changed. What we wrote on our diaries then stayed a secret. These days, what we blog is available to everyone including strangers. Same Same, but different.

 

20121031-135743.jpg

20121031-135932.jpg

 

 

Whatever the reasons or motivations, I’m happy I don’t have to shell out a big chunk to get my films developed. I’m glad I need not scrimp on my shots, that i can in fact “experiment”, and that a bad shot can so easily be dismissed with one click. I’m overjoyed that I can do my “diaries” complete with photos that make them great memory aids! And that I can even share them with others. Really, isn’t it amazing we can do all these things now?

 

 

 

20121031-140650.jpg

20121031-142110.jpg

 

 

Sure, there are those who really go overboard. The camwhores who truly think others are genuinely interested in them, what they do, and how they look. (Yeah, forget the VIEW, just check out my jumpshot!) Or they are exhibitionist-wannabes. As for moí, I need my memory aids. That, plus I do love it that I continue to learn something new. For someone who has not had a camera until her early 30’s, you can say I’m a late-bloomer. After all, self-expression is available to everyone of all ages.

 

 

20121031-143350.jpg


All my life, I have only owned 4 cameras. Imagine me traveling with only a disposable cam before. No wonder I had very few shots — all blurry — back then when everything was an adventure. Many first times then, largely undocumented. A pity.

Twilight in Donsol, Sorsogon, Philippines

I owned my first digicam only in 2004. Away with trips to the photo shop to have my films developed. Away with photo albums. These days, we simply just snap away and store what we like and delete the rest. I look at others and at times, feel envy watching them change their lens, set up their tripods and the like —- all for a better shot. I don’t have that option. My bad neck and shoulder won’t let me carry all that weight around my neck nor balance that cam even with 2 hands. Thanks to many photo editing apps, I am now able to “improve” even bad shots taken on a whim.

BenCab Museum Garden in Baguio City

Traveling around the Philippines, I began to appreciate my new Canon G12. It’s light and easy to operate. I set the cam on automatic and it makes all the decisions for me. Other times, I pretend to know my stuff and tinker with the camera. I sometimes end up with better shots but most of the time, you couldn’t tell whether I set it on automatic or not. 🙂

The Face Masks @Balaw Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal

There is no reason to complain. I do not have to tote around a heavy DLSR and adjust my lens or set up a tripod. God knows I’d easily lose patience and interest if I have to go through all these steps just for a good shot. It is enough that I find something worth photographing as a memory aide so I can revisit my fond memories anytime I choose. When I am in the mood, I would choose an angle or several angles to take a photo. Often, I love taking distant and close-up shots of a place. Human interest shots are swell, but they come and go. One has to have quick hands to get the cam ready or you lose the moment. I have been lucky with a few. But they are few.

The Street Vendors of Quiapo, Manila

Wish there were more.

Sheltered, Educated, Loved. These are the boys of St Martin de Tours in Bustos, Bulacan.