Trip to Binondo 2012

At last, after years of waiting, I finally experienced Chinese New Year in Binondo!!!

It's a good thing that, for the first time (ever?), the celebration to welcome the year of dragon was declared a special non-working holiday by the Malacañang, and that's the primary reason why I can go there and got a first hand experience of the festivity.  And according to some, the declaration was basically the reason why the number of pinoys that trooped to Binondo, primarily Ongpin street, doubled or even tripled as compared with the previous celebrations.  Well, I do not have even the slightest idea as to how many people came that day, but I can tell you that a lot is an understatement.

I went there alone to shoot and at the same time, being a first timer, to be an usisero.  With the throng of people in Ongpin, no one will feel alone and no one can tell that I am an usisero. 

The moment I stepped out of the bus in Sta. Cruz and walk towards Ongpin, people in red and cameras flashing (literally and figuratively) are as common as the ponkans and oranges selling 5-for-P100.00.  It wasn't that hot, but you'll sweat with the energy of the place coupled with the endless walking and countless bodies that merged into that area.

My objective was to watch and shoot a dragon and lion dance.  The moment I heard a vicious beating of drums, I run towards to the area where the sounds are coming and found a lot of people circling around some performers, but they're not dragon/lion dancers, some kind of ati-atihan group that joined the business of giving and collecting envelopes to all in exchange for some dance and fire eating.  I stayed for a while, shoot some and walk away.

I saw some dragons "walking", and the mere sight of them excites a lot of people (including me) and before I can say dragon, people swirled around them and have their pictures taken.  I thought it was a main recipe for chaos and I was in the middle of it, so I excused myself and settled in the nearest corner, and took my time shooting.
 

 

It was after coming from Dong Bei (for a take out dumplings) that I got to witness a Lion Dance, the dragon performers just finished their part when I arrived though.  It was an amusing sight!  My adrenaline pumped with the beat of drums and cymbals, I almost forgot to take pictures as I was glued watching their routine, hehehe.

 

 

They performed in a newly-opened restaurant, and the coins thrown by the lion dancers to spectators were, understandably, more than the usual and the kids and oldies alike have a merry time catching them.

As I went my home, I walked again going the Sta. Cruz way, it was a long walk as I stopped every chance I got to see a dragon dance, and taking picture of other stuffs.  I also waited in line to get my share of shanghai fried siopao.  Oops, sorry, no picture of the actual siopao, I forgot hehehe.

If the next Chinese New Year falls on a weekday, will it be a holiday again?

Hopefully, so I can go back and dance with the dragon and lion again!!! :)

On aperture and shutter speed (and a pre-nup shoot)

I was asked by a friend to do a pre-nuptial shoot for her college friend. I excitedly said yes right away. Moments later when it sunk in, I panicked! hehehe.

Last year, when I did my brother's pre-nup shoot, I wasn't that high on the outcome (some pictures came out dark!!!), and I need to do a lot of post processing (in Picasa, I am yet to try my hand on photoshop) to brighten up my day, uhm, the pictures. Although they came out fine, I would have preferred less post processing (read: i am lazy).

As the day draws nearer, that feeling of not being able to deliver pressured me to no end, and that pressure is slowly overtaking the excitement i initially had.

Until I realized my mistakes (or stupidity if you'll allow me hehe)

The problem with "dark" pictures is in the setting!!! I've been on manual focus since day 1 with Zeus but instead of figuring out my problem, I always let frustrations reigned over me when faced with low light scenario, I just patched it by going into Aperture mode or by using the pop-up flash, which in both cases, add more frustrations whenever i see blurs and/or a washed out picture. Maybe I am just too excited to take pictures that I let some important technicalities of photography to the side. Or maybe I am just plain lazy.

Punish me for not putting into heart that a combination of large aperture and a slow shutter speed lets more light in, and if the scene is too bright, doing the opposite (or with the help of a filter) will do the trick. There. Not rocket science, just a simple turn on the dial saved my bleeding brain! Poor me for being one s*@#$%@#@$!

I admit that yours truly is not technically proficient, that whenever I read some photography stuffs, the mere mention of exposure value intimidates me. I should have faced the technical aspect early on. I should shoot more to know my camera more. And I should listen to photographers' experiences to learn more and be better on the craft.

The road is still long for me to be even called a mediocre shooter, more so as a mediocre photographer, but that road can be traversed, and while on that road, I need to absorb all lessons and take each mistake as an opportunity to learn. I expect them to be a lot, just like the buttons on the camera and the menu on the lcd screen. :)

Back on the pre nup shoot, for now, let me just share you this.


more to come, happy weekend... :)

Da Istudyo shoot

huli man daw at magaling, huli pa rin. (pasensya na po...)

eto yung first studio shoot ko, syempre namangha na naman ako tulad nung first time. syempre kinabahan na naman ako, syempre pinagpawisan na naman ang lolo nyo.

isa sa mga tip na nakuha namin para maghanda sa mga ganitong shoot ay magbasa/tumingin sa mga fashion magazine, at kung me nakitang gustong posing ng model, aba ay kopyahin at ilagay sa kodigo. namemorize ko yata yung mga posing na gusto ko pero nalimutan ko rin, memory gap! me ilan sa amin me dalang magazine, me dalang picture, at me kodigo talaga. ako? nakitingin-tingin, nakiusyoso, nataranta hehehe.

ewan ko kung ano ang nangyari pero nung ako na ang nakasalang, parang me sapi yata ako at nakapag-isip ng ilang posing, mga simple lang pero nagustuhan ko ang kinalabasan!!!

sya si Jem, ang model na natapat sa akin, sya talaga yung tinatarget kong pikturan dahil bukod sa kakatapos lang nyang lagyan ng make-up, napakaamo ng mukha nya, at ang ganda pa ng bone structures (me bone structures pa akong nalalaman hehe). for a face like that, parang gusto ko ng medyo edgy, so nosebleed na naman!

buti na lang, napaupo ako at naisip ko ito:

ay, putol ang bumbunan at siko! take two:

ayos?


eto, group shot ng apat na model (tapos na yung grupo namin dito pero nakisingit pa rin ako hehe):

Models: Jem, Kim, Hannah and Jon

Location: Imagesmith Studios

Make-up artist: Charlie Rivera

Stylist: Archie

gusto ko pang umulit! me magpapa-picture sa inyo? libre! :)

Basic lighting

I am yet to get a basic photography course or be enrolled in one, pero ako itong malakas ang loob dumiretso agad sa basic lighting na kung tutuusin ay isang advance course. Hindi naman ito sa isang photography school kundi initiative ng aming grupo sa Flickr, ang Flickristasindios. Hindi rin isang professor ang resource person namin, pero si Ten Paras ay master na sa pagtitimpla ng ilaw.

Pinasadahan nya ang basic terminilogies sa lighting (primary light, fill-in light, etc.) tapos nilatag naman ang practical applications ng mga ito base na rin sa mga experience nya. Of course, he still encouraged us to enroll in a photography lighting course as what he had shared with us in 2-3 hours normally take about 2-3 days of discussion. Ayos, hindi naman kami nagmamadali nyan hehehe.

Seriously, para malaman kung me natutunan ba kami syempre kailangan me application, kailangan me shoot using a one-light set-up, tapos two-lights, tapos studio shoot TAPOS ME MODEL!!! ako kinabahan dun sa huli kasi mahiyain ako di ba, pano ko kakausapin yung model? ahihihihi.

When it was already my turn to shoot, despite the intimidation and nervousness factor, i get to instruct Christine and Kaya (oo, dalawa pa yung model!!!!!!) on what I want them to do and it also helps that they are very professional and won't hesitate to do a pose that we told them to do. Tawanan nga kami kasi pagkatapos ng lighting kailangan naman namin ng seminar on how to deal with models and how to be a supermodel (kailangan naming i-pose kapag malabo sa model).

Tingnan nyo na lang kung papasa na ba sa panlasa nyo ang ilang kuha ko, one-light set up lang ang ginamit ko sa mga yan.

Halata bang hindi ako nakapagpa-pose ng marami? hehehe

Next: Model shoot in a professional studio with complete lighting accessories (nag-overheat ang brain ko kakaisip ng poses sa mga model hehe)