Anticipation

Back in the day, when I was still learning photography using a film camera (my father’s Canon A1), buying a roll of film was pretty darn exhilarating. Well, first of all, ‘twas due to the fact that I could hardly afford any – I was a high school student then – and times when I had the chance to steal/beg/borrow some cash were rare. Once every four months or so, I went to the photo center in Alturas (it’s still there, I think) to buy a 36-roll Kodak or to BQ Arcade to grab some Fujifilms which were cheaper. Sometimes, I get my stash from Ramasola Superstudio which sold 36-shot Agfa films that had a couple or so extra frames at the end – such joy winding the frame to 38 or 40!

That was the bulk of my shooting then. No digital cameras yet. No cellphone cameras either. I shot film which regularly kicked me in the face with more than half a roll of garbage. But, I was not to be deterred. Or, maybe I was somehow deterred but stubbornly went back at it because I easily forget. But mostly, it was the thrill of shooting film though. The thrill in the hunt for the perfect capture.

See, during those times, photography classes and workshops were hard to come by. There were only a few people doing photography so I did not have photo buddies of any sort. My father taught me a few things and I had a single photography book to guide me through. Nothing more. So, most of my frames were estimates and experiments while trying to memorize the settings for different shooting conditions. One time, I had to list down the settings for every frame as a guide. But still, nobody really knew what was to finally come up on the negatives.

Street Photography Tips

According to Wikipedia, street photography is a type of documentary photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings.

Street photography uses the techniques of straight photography in that it shows a pure vision of something, like holding up a mirror to society. Street photography often tends to be ironic and can be distanced from its subject matter, and often concentrates on a single human moment, caught at a decisive or poignant moment.

Now, walking down the street and shooting with a camera in tow is already street photography by any means. But, the challenge is to raise the bar and create art pieces that matter. For last Saturday’s Tagbilaran Group Worldwide Photowalk, we walked the streets of Tagbilaran from the plaza to the K of C wharf. For the local walkers, especially the first-timers, it was a real challenge to take.

Finding the light

Light reveals the different shapes of the bottles.

The camera is a brilliant little contraption. It takes pictures, captures scenes and produces photographs. But, technically, it basically gathers light through its lens and a sensor captures the light streaming in. All cameras – whether SLRs, rangefinders, DSLRs, pinholes or what-have-you – are built the same in this sense.

But not a lot of photographers realize this. Most are oblivious to this fact and go on their ways taking photographs without taking account of the light when in fact, some of the essential questions a photographer should ask before pressing the shutter release button is: Where is the light? After which, the photographer should ask: Where is it coming from? What color is it? How strong is it? How weak? Is it appropriate for the shot? Among others.

To be a successful image creator, one has to see the light and describe it in terms of its direction, source (or sources), power, color, size, duration and most importantly, usage.

Shooting the town red

(L-R) Charles Borja, Dennis Oppus, Ryan Macalandag,
Ariel Angalot, Justin Paolo, Lourd Pocon

Not just the town nor the city, but, some parts of the province as well.

September 3, 2011. We just came back from MetroCentre Hotel in downtown Tagbilaran for the Visayas leg of the 2011 Canon Photo Marathon. The Canon Invasion as some Nikonistas were calling it (you know who you are, guys) prompted all photographers from all walks of life in the region - and from all camera brands, too – to line up and get red-tagged.

Now, most of you know that I am a Nikonian (I use a Nikon D7000 for my professional work). But, I also own a couple Canon film cameras which make me, at least, eligible I suppose. (Paste smiley icon here.)

Red is the color of Canon and together with a few hundred others, we wore red Canon shirts and scoured the whole island to capture three photos to best represent three complexly-worded themes. The whole-day photo contest was a literal battle of wits, creativity, muscle (for those who walked and jogged) and gas for those who – like us – were driving around with cars, motorbikes and huge beer bellies. We went to as far at Loboc to shoot. Well, a few of us anyways.