7/23/08

It gives a different mood. Suddenly, it’s not summer anymore.

Husky

There’s A Trail

7/21/08

The first time I went to Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte I told myself that I would go back. And indeed in less than 2 months, I found myself seated near the boat’s bow getting splashed by the relentless waves. The sun was beaming gloriously and it promised to give us an awesome weekend.

Calaguas makes me happy. We have found a happy beach.

Mahabang Buhangin

Remnants

Perfect

I will be back!

Calaguas or Bust!

7/17/08

Rain is pounding on my window
Like an unwanted visitor
Resented, unwelcome and obtrusive
But still it pounds.

Hello milk tea.

7/9/08

A minor, but immediate errand came up one static Sunday afternoon. It was that kind of Sunday where you’d just prefer to curl up inside your room and think of nothing. Do nothing.  Interruption.

So I hesitantly picked up the keys to my car, went back to my room get my camera and then hied off to nearby Megamall. My sudden sojourn as expected was uneventful except for the dead rat I encountered and photographed. In the midst of the dead-rat-stench I was still deciding whether the bloody rodent looked better on the left or right side of the frame. After some serious thought, yes serious thought, I figured it looked better on the left, leaving some negative space on the right.

Hit and Run

And with that, I resumed what would be a very bland afternoon.

7/4/08

This is my pinhole camera. And I made it all by myself.

Well, not exactly since my girlfriend, Irene, contributed a lot in the construction process.

It’s a 6″ x 8″ x 4″ box made up of illustration board I bought from National Bookstore. I chose to use to construct it black side out for aesthetic reasons. Doing that, I had to spray the white interior with black enamel so that if ever light leaked inside, it wouldn’t bounce off the bright surfaces which would aggravate the situation. The lens is made from a portion of Coke tin can, perforated in the center with a regular sewing needle.

It snugly fits a 5″ x 7″ photo paper which I use as a paper negative. My exposures usually begin from 1 minute to about 15 minutes. More than that I decide not to shoot.

I already have some negatives and positives to show. I just have to have them scanned. Hmmm.

Scanner.

7/3/08

Today I passed by the Lomoembassy at 146B Jupiter Street, Makati City and got myself a long-awaited Holga 120 CFN.

I really love the square format. I love square photographs. I think it’s partly because we see rectangular photos all the time.

I’ve been wanting to shoot 120 film for the longest time and initially thought of going for a Yashica Mat. But I promised myself to only get a TLR after I acquire my own lightmeter. So the Holga is my compromise for the mean time.

It’s so light. And portable. I’ve already consumed a roll and I hope to finish 4 more before Saturday so I can have them processed by Digiprint.

Indeed it’s so refreshing to shoot with a fun toy camera after all the mechanical nitty-gritties of the SLR. But, well-thought, well-composed and exposed black and white frames seem promising.

Holga or Bust!

7/1/08

Low-light shots taken with Tri-X 400. Grainy, grainy grain.

Slant

Nuclear

Eruption

6/26/08

I present to you the first batch of photographs from a personal project I have decided to start.

Travel Photography conjures images of stunning vistas and postcard-worthy scenes. But that doesn’t mean that the little things we often shrug upon do not tell stories. A simple tight shot of a fallen leaf may tell stories as complex and intricate as a wide, grand shot of a beach scene. Shot in black and white film, I bring to you a different approach to travel photography. Although some shots may not have a sense of place, I find stories and interest in the mundane, in contrast, in shadows and highlights, in texture, in composition, in blacks and in whites.

Let me start with these photographs taken from my recent trip to Coron, Palawan shot with a Canon system, with Kodak Tri-X 400.

Breakwater

Rope

No Entry

Straight Lines

FILM or BUST!

6/24/08

After a whole day of encircling some of Coron’s snorkeling sites and islands, we set camp at one of the islands about two hours away from the port. The guidebooks call it Tapachelen Island but the locals know it as Papachelen. I guess the locals are more credible.

Sorry for the heavily cliched sunset photos.

Glint

Boatmen

The Burning Bush

Hovering

This would be the last post featuring my digital images from Coron. Up next, film!

6/23/08

One of the best things about traveling to Coron by ferry is that upon waking up, you are greeted by these huge, imposing limestone cliffs as is announcing that you have arrived.

Crowded House

Naval Blockade

Cliffhangers

Front Row

Coron ROCKS!