Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you dear friends! All the best to you and love ones this New Year!
God bless!

A blessed Christmas

A blessed Christmas Everyone!
May the Christmas season bring you peace and happiness!
Love you!

Corregidor

Last weekend, we were at Corregidor. This is a small, rocky island near Manila and is aptly called "the rock". It served as the headquarters of the Allied Forces (Filipino and American) during World War II. There are thus many remnants of ruined buildings and artillery that now serve as tourist attractions here.
The photo is a view of the island harbor from the top. This shows our group as we were waiting for the sun to rise.

It's been a while since I made a post in this blog. I'm really sorry for that. My only excuse is really - I somehow lost my rhythm when we were affected by typhoon Ondoy. After that, it was so hard to get back to my usual daily activities.
Anyway, I will try to post more often again starting today. I just hope and pray that no more disasters come our way.

Anyway, what I'm sharing today is a photo I took when we were assigned "circles" as a theme for our monthly camera club contest.This just a photo of the tubes of a tissue paper and paper towel plus a few pages of a magazine. Isn't it neat?

more patterns

Here's another pattern. This is not a natural one though. As you can see, it's man made. Still the pattern gives it a more appealing view. Don't you agree?

Just imagine how many crabs and shells were eaten to produce this pattern!

Patterns, Revisited

I simply love patterns. I know I wrote about this before but I keep on going back to more of these. Patterns always give some sense of anticipation. I keep on expecting something and when everything falls into place I get that "aha!" moment.

I love patterns especially when they get interrupted suddenly by some surprise element. This makes the whole thing more interesting and dynamic. Don't you think?

In this photo, I love the sudden shift in color.

I also wrote about patterns in my hubpages site. This time I talk about patterns in nature. Please click on the link below to read about it.
http://hubpages.com/hub/-Patterns-in-Nature

sunset, view from a plane

On my flight back from Kalibo to Manila last weekend, I saw one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. The colors were simply dazzling and I could not help but take a shot even if I knew that the window glass is rather thick.

What do you think?

discovery

I am sorry I have neglected this blog for a while. I have been rather busy with other things. Then I am leaving for a week again.
I wish to make up for my negligence by sharing with you another photo that I paired with a quote. I hope you like it.

Follow the light

One of the best photography tip I have ever encountered is "follow the light" or "pay attention to the light". Focus on the light and not on the subject. See how the light works on a subject.

Every time I remember that tip (I still forget it sometimes), my photos would always come out much better than those where I focused more on the subject. Try it the next time you take your photos. You will not regret it, promise.

When I took this photo of the raindrop, I was actually following where the light was and there it was - just where it gave the sparkle to the drop. Perfect, isn't it?

solar eclipse (partial)

I took photos of the solar eclipse today. It was just partially seen here in the Philippines. Since I limited myself to just one photo a day in this blog, I am posting only one photo.

This shows the sun at the maximum (partial)eclipse here. Lens flare created a double image. Isn't it neat?

If you want to view more photos, please click on either of the two links below.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3733344-solar-eclipse

http://saanva.multiply.com/photos/album/18/Partial_Solar_Eclipse

Photowalk

Last Saturday, we (our camera club) joined Scott Kelby's 2nd Worldwide Photowalk. For those of you who are not familiar with the photowalk....This is an activity participated in by photographers from all over the world. You need to register your site for the walk and invite as many as 50 photographers to participate in the walk. The idea is to shoot anything that you encounter during your 2-hour walk around your site and at the end of 2 hours all of you meet at a designated place wherein you share the photos you took and discuss and bond with fellow photographers. Then each photographer can upload to Scott Kelby's site a maximum of 2 photos that can compete for prizes with the photos from other photographers from around the world.

Our site was Antipolo City. We were lucky that there was an activity going on at the park last Saturday so we were able to take photos of dancers as well as other things, people and places around the area. There are so many interesting things and places in Antipolo but we could not cover all of them. The photowalk was limited to only 2 hours.

Anyway, we had fun and we really enjoyed the activity even if it rained later.

taking a short break...

I will be out for a few days and will be back Saturday or Sunday.

While I'm out, please check what I have done to some of my photos at:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Make-Me-a-Picture--Write-Me-a-Line

See you soon!

All the best!

body langauage3

I love this photo of the bond between my daughter and the puppy. Just look at how the puppy is so trusting and full of adoration as my daughter held its paw. What do you think?

body language2

We were on a photo shoot at a park once and we chanced upon this pair beautifully framed by the window in an abandoned tower. Their body language is so beautiful and perfect, I don't even need to write words to describe it. All of us immediately took out our camera and started shooting. They never seemed to notice. They were oblivious to what was going on around them.

You know what, we were shooting around the park for about 3 hours and when we ended, the pair was still in exactly the same position as when we first chanced upon them. Talk about everlasting love or endurance or whatever.

body language

I follow a website that has monthly photo contests on themes that are challenging. Although I don't join the contests regularly, I always learn from the photos of winners.

Last month, the theme was "body language" - supposedly photos that tell something using any body part except the face.

Well, I found that challenging. I did not have time to go shooting though so I just went over my photo files and selected some photos that I thought would fit the theme. We were limited to only one photo though so I had a hard time deciding which to send.

Anyway, I'm sharing today the entry that I sent. Sad to say, I did not win. Still, can you give a title to this photo? I will not tell you what I title I gave it. I'll just tell you another time.

bayan ko

This is the original baseline photo of the collage I shared yesterday. Notice that there is a big white board on the left side. It was thus a perfect place for the two photos I added to make the collage.

Anyway, I wrote down the lyrics of "Bayan Ko" in this white space so that it will not appear too empty and bright. The eye is usually drawn to the lightest spot in a picture in much the same way that we automatically look at a source of light when in a dark room like a movie house. This is one of the many lessons I learned in photography.

When you want to draw the attention to something, then make it lighter than all the others around it. Of course the reverse is true, if you don't want to draw the attention to a part of your photo, then either make it darker or blur it.

collage, bayan ko

I've long wanted to create a collage but I never got around to doing it until we had a photo contest wherein we were supposed to interpret the song "Bayan Ko".

This song was composed during the time of war when we Filipinos rebelled against foreign domination. It describes our country as a land of riches and beauty and has captivated many foreign invaders. However, we have become captives in our own land and we wish to be free.

I thought that the best way to interpret the song was through a collage. However, I learned later on that collages are usually discouraged in photo contests. So what to do with the ones I already made? Well, since I could not submit them as entries to the contest, I might as well share them here. Right?

So, here is one collage I created.

To make a collage, you have to create a new file. Then open the photos that you want to use and move them to this new file as layers. If you want to make a certain layer transparent as what I did here on the left side, then you have to create a layer mask and then use the brush to make a specific part transparent. That's it.

the many faces of water ... as a seascape

I love how the early morning sun softly lights the sky and the still blue water in this photo.

I must admit that the sky was not that vivid when I took the photo. However, the polarizing filter helped to make it bluer. I also used Picassa's "I'm feeling lucky" mode for post processing and this is what came out. I like to use this mode of Picassa especially with landscapes or seascapes. You only need to click one basic button. The results always make me feel lucky! Ha ha.

Architectural Details

I love taking photos of architectural details in buildings. They always tell some intimate stories.
What story is being told to you by this architectural detail?

the many faces of water ... as a mirror

Still water can serve as a mirror. Most of the time we look at a body of water and we see our own image reflected on it. However, sometimes, we are not aware that we may also leave a reflection of ourselves as we pass through someone's life during our journey through this world. This can be literally as shown in this photo or it can be figuratively in someone's memory.

the many faces of water ... waterfalls2

Here is another photo of a waterfalls as I promised yesterday. This time, this is taken with 1/13 sec shutter speed. Notice that the water drops are no longer evident. This time the water has a silky appearance. So if you want water to appear silky, use a slower shutter speed.

the many faces of water ... waterfalls

I love waterfalls but I have never taken their picture until we had a photo shoot where I took this photo. I just knew that since it is running water, I had to use a fast shutter speed if I wanted to catch the water in motion. If you take a closer look at this photo, you can almost see the individual water drops as they fall. I used a shutter speed of 1/1250 sec for this photo. Tomorrow, I will post another photo of a waterfalls using a slower shutter speed.

the many faces of water ... low tide for wading

This is Boracay during low tide. The water is perfect for wading, playing and if you venture farther out to the sea then of course you can swim. But people also swim even in shallow water because everything is so clear, clean and sparkling.

I took this photo early in the morning and the light created this bluish green tint on the water. It was simply beautiful and these two boys could not resist playing in in.

my canon 50D

I am taking a short break from my water photos today.

I am just eager to share a photo which I took with my new Canon 50D (a birthday gift from my husband).

One big improvement that I immediately saw with this camera is its performance in low light. I just tried the camera last night and got this clear, crisp night photo.

The camera is a little heavy, much heavier than my 350D and it has a rather weird placement for its "on - off" button. However, the photos are sharp and crisp even in low light. I am so happy with my new toy.

the many faces of water ... rain

I discovered that it's rather hard to take a picture of rain especially if there is not much contrast in the background. The best way is to take it from a slight angle from the source of light. I had to take dozens of photos before I was able to catch this stream of rain as it fell from the leaves. But I am happy with the results. I hope you enjoy this photo of rain.

the many faces of water ... giant shower

What happens when a pipe opens and pours water all over you? - a giant shower for sure, right? This is what happens in this picture. The man is enjoying a giant shower from an open pipe. Can you feel the refreshing feeling of water falling all over you? It's like taking a shower under a waterfalls.

the many faces of water ... raindrop

I thought since I love taking pictures of water, it would be nice to share photos of water in its many forms. Thus today, I begin a new series and I call it - "the many faces of water".

My first photo is of course that of one of my favorite subjects - a raindrop. The title for this photo is "Hello World". What do you think?

mundane things ... wire mesh

I've been trying to think of what next set of photos to share with you. However, I have not decided yet. So meanwhile, here's another photo of a mundane thing - a wire mesh.

We placed this wire mesh on our gate to prevent our puppies from escaping. The spaces between the gate grills are too wide so our puppies are always escaping and we are afraid that they might get lost or get hit by some passing cars. Anyway, as I was inspecting the wire mesh one day, I saw some water droplets caught in between the mesh and I thought they were interesting. Thus this picture.

mundane things ... clothes on a boat outrigger

We were out on an OTS (on the spot shoot) once and I chanced upon these clothes carelessly hang on the outrigger of a boat. I thought it made an interesting picture and I immediately took a shot. I didn't know if I will ever use the picture but I just kept in my hard drive. So when I was looking for mundane things in my file, I found this photo and here it is. What do you think?

mundane things ... kettle

Another mundane thing to share today.

We use this kettle everyday but do we really see it? Do we notice at all how shiny it is or how it creates some reflection?

I saw this kettle in a showroom for a condominium and I knew I had to take its picture. Just look at its design - doesn't it spell elegance and grace? It contrasted very well with the dark background. What do you think?

mundane things ... a cuppa

Today I'm back to sharing another one of my mundane things photo. This time it's a cup of coffee and a reminder.

I took this last year as I was playing around with some possible still life photos. No, I did not submit this for the photo competition on still life. However, I kept it in my hard drive hoping that I might find a use for it someday. Well, I found that day today. What do you think?

Mother's Day

Today I'm taking a break from mundane photos. I'm sharing instead a card I especially made for all you lovely mothers out there. I hope you like it.

mundane things ... clothespins

It has been raining almost everyday for the past few days, so it was but natural for me to focus my camera on things affected by rain. I of course took photos of raindrops, one of my favorite topics. However, since I have shared several raindrops pictures before, I thought I would share photos of things other than raindrops. So I'm sharing another mundane photo today - that of clothespins. What do you think?

mundane things ... shoelace

What can be more mundane than a shoelace? We use it everyday but do we really see it? So today, I invite you to take a closer look at your shoelace. What does it remind you of? How do you feel about it?

I hope that the photo I'm sharing today will make you take a second look at your shoelace. Did you ever imagine it as making a pretty picture?

mundane things ...soap bubble

Today, I just want to share a photo of a lone soap bubble on a leaf. Notice that it's very different from the soap bubbles photo I shared yesterday.

You can probably guess that I have been playing around with soap bubbles. Yes, I have. Soap bubbles are not only fun to play with, they also make pretty pictures. Don't you agree?

If you look closely, you will also see my reflection as I was taking the picture.

mundane things ...soap bubbles

In my photography adventures, one of the questions I always ask myself is, "what else can I take a picture of?".

A friend told me that that he likes my photographs of mundane things, so this is one theme that I have focused on lately. For the next few days, I will thus be sharing my photographs of mundane things. Maybe you will take a second look at these things after you see the photos I will be sharing.

To start today, I'm sharing a photo of soap bubbles on water. What do you think? Will you look at soap bubbles closely now?

Aliwan festival 2009

Hi, I attended the Aliwan festival 2009 last weekend. I also wrote a short news item about this in Allvoices.com. Please click on the link below if you want to see it.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3071470

Anyway, the photo I am sharing today is one of the colorful floats that participated in the festival.

my hometown...another view

This is a view from another side of my hometown. It's almost like a postcard perfect view, right? I did not even color manage this photo. I just used a uv filter.

patterns...for the last time in this series

This is the last photo about patterns for the moment. I'm sure you have had your fill of the topic for the last few days. So next time, I will start with a new topic.

Anyway, this photo is the headdress of a costume worn by one of the "atis" during the ati-atihan festival which I posted sometime end of January.

If you would like to contribute any "patterns" picture to this blog, you are very much welcome. Just send your photo to my email and I'll upload it for you. Many thanks.

patterns ...created

Playing with water and oil created these patterns.

Just shows that water and oil do not mix. In the presence of water, oil droplets tend to join together and form bigger drops.

patterns ...rotated

This is the same photo that I shared in yesterday's post. However, I rotated it to a vertical orientation and look what I got...doesn't it look more dynamic?

Sometimes, rotating a photo can give it a new twist and maybe make it more dynamic as what happened here. However, everything of course depends on one's preference. I just discovered that I like the vertical orientation better than the horizontal one. What about you?

patterns ... one more time

I'm sharing another "patterns" photo today. This is a wall decor of a hospital.

In this series, I just want to show that we can find patterns everywhere. That's why the photos I have been sharing for the last few days include both living and non-living materials.

Patterns are really interesting focus points in composition. Don't you agree?

more patterns

I am still into the "patterns" mood today. So here is another pattern for you.

I know I have already shared several fern photos before but ferns are just simply beautiful. They do create patterns that are very graceful and pleasing to the eye. Don't you agree?

patterns2

Here is another "patterns" picture.

patterns

In my other blog, http://whatilikeabout-anything.blogspot.com/, I talked about patterns as one of the things I like. So I thought of repeating here what I wrote there. I still don't know how to link one blog with another, that's why.

Patterns are exciting subjects in photography. I'm thinking that I might do a series about patterns in the next few posts.

For today however, here is what I wrote in my other blog...

One of the many things I look for when I compose my shots during photography is to look for patterns. So when I thought about "P" as my topic for today, I immediately thought of patterns.

We find patterns everywhere... in things at home, in the office, in school, in nature.

Just look at how crayons are packed or how bottles are stacked. Take a look at the leaves, or the flowers, or the stones. Observe the things in your closet, or your bag, or your desk. You will find patterns there, everywhere.

The challenge in photography is to present these patterns in such a way that they create pleasing pictures. This is the challenge that always excites me. That's why I love taking pictures.

city lights

This is my first city lights shot. I have not tried this before. It just so happened that the hotel we stayed in last time has windows that overlook the city. The skyline is fantastic at night with all the city lights. I just had to take a picture. The rays of light at the lower part of the photo come from lights that illuminate workers who are on night shift. They are building another hotel just beside the one we were in.

Happy Easter

Hello Everyone,

May the miracle of Easter bring you blessings and happiness.

Happy Easter!

a day in the farm

When we were in the province last time, we visited my mom's farm. My daughter, Smarla, enjoyed the day by having pictures with the animals there. She carried in her arms a newly born goat and also tried to catch some chickens.

Here, she is posing with "Babe" (how original!), the pig.

Flying baby

One of the things I love doing when in a public place like Boracay is to watch what other folks are doing and to capture some interesting shots. I love taking "stalker shots" as I call them.

Well, the photo I am sharing today is about a baby being repeatedly thrown up the air by the father. I took a series of shots of the activity. I'm certainly glad that I had my zoom lens with me that day. Although I could not hear them from where I was, I'm sure the baby was squealing with delight or fright then. There was even a point when both father and mother were throwing their baby like a ball between them. Should I say "poor baby" or "lucky baby"? I really wonder if a baby remembers such activity with "delight" or with "fright"?

Do you remember being thrown up in the air at all?

morning mist

When I went home to the province last time, one of the activities I did was to climb a hill and tried to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, going up the hill took longer than I projected such that the sun was already up when we reached the hill top. However, the morning was still cool such that we were able to catch the morning mist.

So, even if I did not catch the sun rise, the view was still breathtaking because of the morning mist.

The picture I'm sharing today is just one of the many photos I took that day. Don't you feel like singing "...the hills are alive with the sound of music..."?