ADOBO PHOTOSHOP

Kindly Follow our New Portfolio Site: Ang Kalsada

2012-01-13T11:24:00.000+08:00

'Kalsada' is a Filipino word which means 'Street' or 'Road'.

Kalsada is a photo and video blog which focuses majorly on street and travel photography captured in monochrome or color.

When you capture in black and white, you capture the color of their souls.

Note: This is the new Adobo Photoshop

Here's the link

http://angkalsada.blogspot.com

Grand Fireworks Display in SM Taytay | Photography

2011-12-30T22:31:00.000+08:00

Hello fellow photo bloggers and photo enthusiasts! During the new year season, fireworks displays are ubiquitous. Everyone are eyeing to see a colorful, dazzling and beautiful pyrotechnical shows dancing in the sky. For sure, before the year ends, you wouldn't want to miss a self-portrait of yourself with a flowery firework as your background or just taking photos of it for souvenirs.

A while ago, hundreds of Rizaleños attended the grand fireworks display here in SM Taytay, Rizal. Everyone were really excited for filling up their eyes with a spectacular fireworks. Most of them brought their cameras ready to record a once-in-a-year event. But do you ever wonder how to capture great fireworks? Let me share to you some of my tips :)

1. YOU NEED A TRIPOD
Capturing fireworks display is somehow similar in taking a photo of light trails produced by moving vehicles. Because you want to capture the lines of light produced by these flamboyant fireworks, you need to have a tripod in preventing blurriness in your photograph. Unless you have a very stable arms with immovable joints and hinges, it is still advisable that you must use a tripod. Rather, your fireworks photograph will look like giggly worms

This is a sample shot of a firework taken without a tripod.

The firework still looks nice because of its colorized electric-like effect but it is better to use a tripod.

Do I sound like a jargon already? Better read my tutorial about the basics of the Exposure Triangle. Here you'll learn basic terms used in photography.

2. APERTURE
Another problem that we face in capturing a firework is the smoke emitted in it. Sometimes these smokes were captured in our pictures because of a large aperture (like f/2.8). Always remember that fireworks emit a large amount of light so we only need an aperture between f/8.0 to f/16 (which I used in capturing fireworks). This is helpful in reducing the amount of smoke and it also prevents overexposure.

3. ISO
Take fireworks photos at the lowest ISO available (preferably ISO 80 or 100) to prevent further noise(grains). This is helpful in producing a clean and smooth photograph.

4. SHUTTER SPEED
This is the most important, you need to use a longer shutter speed in order to capture the movements of these fireworks. If you're going to use a fast shutter speed (like 1/640) then the outcome of your photograph would be dots of lights randomly scattered in the sky which is difficult to discern if it is really a firework. But if you're going to use a long shutter speed (like 2 sec to 8 sec, which I used in capturing a firework) the movements of light emitted by a firework will be recorded to your camera producing a stunning picture.

5. NO FLASH PLEASE
Yes! You don't need to use a flash in capturing fireworks. It'll only distract other watchers and at the same time it's useless.

6. NO AUTO MODE PLEASE
Yeah right. The tendency of auto mode is the ability of your camera to auto-focus itself. Sometimes, the auto-focus function of your camera is not smart enough and it'll produce an out-of-focus picture.

What is this? Bokeh?

Yeah right, the photo above was taken using the auto mode of my camera. See how it ruined this beautiful firework. It's out-of-focus! The solution? Use Manual Mode! Here, you are in full control of your camera. No free will for it and it'll prevent auto-focusing at the same time.

7. EXPERIMENT WITH PERSPECTIVE
Try capturing great fireworks display in a different style. Capture a silhouette of a tree with a firework as a source of light in the background. How about the silhouette of bystanders? That's also interesting. Try different angles. Do you want to capture fireworks on the 27th floor of a building or you want to capture it at a low angle? Experiment and explore! Use your creative mind in composing your shots :)

So there you have it guys, I hope these tips will really help you out. See my other shots of the spectacular grand fireworks display last December 30, 2011 at the SM City Taytay Open Parking.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Happy New Year Everyone! God bless! :)

37th MMFF 2011 Awards Night Results | List of Winners

2011-12-28T22:37:00.030+08:00

Another night of glamour for the country's biggest film festival! Seven film entries honed their way in bagging several awards for fame, artistry and advocacy. Currently, these 7 movies are still showing in cinemas up to January 7, 2012.

This is the Official Box Office Results for the first 3 days according to Executive Charmain Francis Tolentino:
1) Enteng ng Ina Mo: P91, 892,997.10;
2) Panday 2: P51,527,616.00;
3) Segunda Mano: P46,931,780.05;
4) Shake Rattle & Roll 13: P22,756,512.30;
5) My Househusband, Ikaw Na!: P20,839,817.10;
6) Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story: P7,957,716.50;
7) Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: P4,089,922.50

The 37th Metro Manila Film Festival held at the Resorts World Manila Performing Arts Theater, December 28, 2011. The Gabi ng Parangal was hosted by Aiai Delas Alas, John Estrada and Richard Gomez. Special numbers were performed by Gab Valenciano, Iza Calzado and Pops Fernandez. The MMFF Awards Night will be televised on January 1, 2012 on ABS-CBN.

Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga pawned the whole awards night bagging a total number of 11 awards including the Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award, Best Director and Best Picture Award.

As Governor Jeorge Estregan delivered his acceptance speech while receiving the Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award, he mentioned about the struggles they'd faced. But amid the challenges they were still thankful for the myriad number of awards that they received. He also encouraged that it's time for the Philippine Cinema to create quality films that can be marketed internationally.

Eugene Domingo won the Outstanding Best Supporting Actress award. She even joked Gov. E.R. by saying "Gov. ER ang dami mo palang pera, ba't di mo ako kinuha?"

Dindong Dantes and Maricel Soriano both won the Best Actor and Actress award respectively, yet they were absent during the event.

Here are the complete results / list of winners:

Photo courtesy of: Everything in Budget

NEW WAVE CATEGORY
New Wave Winner
Kookai Labayen for "Biyahe ni Barbie"

Best Student Film
"Payaso" - De La Salle University Lipa
"Mate" - Letran College
"Speechless" - Mirriam College

Gender Sensitivity Award
"HIV"

New Wave Best Actor
JM De Guzman for "Pintakasi"

New Wave Best Actress
Iza Calzado - "HIV"

Best New Wave Short Film

"Pintakasi" - Photo courtesy of: Facebook

Best Float
"Ang Panday 2"

Best Production Design
Fritz Silorio and Mona Soriano for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best in Editing
Jason Cahapay and Ryan Orduna for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best Musical Score
Nonong Buencamino for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best Sound Recording
Mike Idioma for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best Visual Effects
Riot inc. for "Panday 2"

Best in Make-up
"Enteng ng Ina Mo"

Best Original Theme Song
La Paloma by Ely Buendia in "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best in Cinematography
Carlo Mendoza for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Gender Sensitivity Award
"My Househusband... Ikaw na!"

MAJOR AWARDS
Best Child Performer
Bugoy Carino for "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13"

Outstanding Best Supporting Actor
John Regala for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Outstanding Best Supporting Actress
Eugene Domingo for "My Househusband... Ikaw na!"

Best Original Story
Lunod by Chris Martinez and Marlon Rivera for "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13"

Best Screenplay
Roy Iglesias and Rey Ventura for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best Director
Tikoy Aguiluz for "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"

Best Actor
Dingdong Dantes for "Segunda Mano"

Best Actress
Maricel Soriano for "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow"

3rd Best Picture
Shake, Rattle and Roll 13

2nd Best Picture
Enteng ng Ina Mo by Star Cinema and M-Zet Films

BEST PICTURE

Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story by Viva Films and Scenema Concept

SPECIAL AWARDS

Kutis Ganda Award (Male) – Ryan Agoncillo
Kutis Ganda Award (Female) – Aiai delas Alas
Sexiest Appeal Celebrity of the Night (Male) - Jeorge Estregan, Jr.
Sexiest Appeal Celebrity of the Night (Female) - Judy Ann Santos
Face of the Night (Male) - Richard Gomez
Face of the Night (Female) - Iza Calzado
Posthumous Award for Excellence – Director/Choreographer Lito Calzado
Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Lifetime Achievement Award - Eddie Garcia
Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award - Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS :) MABUHAY ANG PELIKULANG PILIPINO!

The Best 46 Photographs of Adobo Photoshop for 2011

2011-12-28T19:31:00.000+08:00

A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY

As a starter, I can say that I had done well enough this year for traveling and photography. I only traveled 2 major places for this year (Surgical - Medical Mission in Mulanay, Quezon Province which I haven't documented yet) and (Travel Journal in Donsol, Sorsogon). That's enough for me because I'm still having some baby steps for travelling. I also started exploring some undiscovered places around our place (Taytay, Rizal). As I turned myself into Diego the Lone Explorer, I finally discovered the Tres Escalon River. For almost 20 years of living here in Taytay, I still couldn't believe that there's such a beautiful place here in our town. As I establish my baby steps for traveling, these little things are adequate enough in providing inspiration for myself to further explore our beloved country more.

For photography, with patient online tutorial reading and help of my friends, I finally ventured out myself from the Auto mode of my semi-DSLR camera. I also learned some skills specifically long exposure photography.

Just to summarize everything, 2011 is like a training ground for me. An obstacle course full of ups and downs that would help me create a better Adobo Photoshop for the upcoming 2012. The award and recognition that I received are keys for my inner self to open more of what I have. But I must not forget to give gratitude and thanks to our God above and to the people close to my heart for supporting me all throughout this year.

As a gift, let me present to you Adobo Photoshop's 46 Best Photographs for the year 2011. Happy New Year everyone and enjoy the show :) Click the first photo to launch the slideshow :)

A better Adobo Photoshop is coming your way this January 2012. Subscribe now via e-mail, like our FB page or follow this blog now to remain updated :)

Subscribe to Adobo Photoshop by Email

FOOD FOR THE SOUL HIGHLIGHTS

2011 was a very tough year for me. But it's also the greatest because despite the turmoil that I faced all throughout the year, I finally received the greatest gift which nothing could ever be exchanged to...
It's the gift of sinking myself to an ocean of love, saturating my life with joy and happiness by knowing and accepting Jesus as my King and Savior! :)

This is my Facebook status last December 10, 2011 and it garnered a lot of comments and likes from my FB friends. Yes, I didn't expect that I'll be facing a lot of challenges and struggles this year. I can compare myself to a pencil having its way to be trimmed, rolled and edged in a pencil sharpener. But amid the pain, my journey produced a great sharpened pencil ready to write the future with a handful of hopes and dreams.

While lurking myself inside the dark forest of struggle, I finally see the light. A light that would bring me hope. A light that would mend my wounds in time of sorrow and pain. A light that would give everlasting happiness and peace. And that light came from our Lord Jesus Christ, Our King and Savior.

My bible verse for the year 2011: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." - James 1:12 (NIV)

Like what Rick Warren said in his famous book, Purpose Driven, Life is both a test and trust. In every test we face, whether it's all about your career, relationship, family and faith, God only wants us to do one thing and that is to trust Him. For every man who will stood the test, He will be blessed by God!

And so it is. God is really true to His words! :)

Saranggola Blog Awards 2011

2011-12-22T22:32:00.000+08:00

Hello there fellow bloggers! My blog is so dormant for the past few months due to technical issues. My laptop was wretched and devoured by some sort of negative energy (in short sira siya). I've been going back and forth in this laptop repair center in SM Taytay and they keep on telling me that there's a static problem present in our home which caused my laptop to be blackout! Well, in layman's term, it simply means "di ko talaga alam kung ano ang sira ng laptop mo"

But along the unfortunate events, I keep on thinking about my blog on how it'll be more interesting and at the same time profitable. Interesting in terms of improving and adding features like photography, short films, film review, food trip and many more. In the end, it's really difficult to plan unto something without any inspiration after all. Until, an unexpected breakthrough came in to our blog.

Last December 17, 2011, I was invited by Mr. Bernard Umali to attend the Saranggola Blog Awards 2011 event in Tivoli Residences, Mandaluyong City. My blog was part of this event because I submitted an entry under the photoblog category. There are 2 ways to win; online voting and judges' scores. The winners for online voting or also known as Blog Sikat will receive a plaque of recognition plus cash.

Well, to be honest, I hate online voting and I am weak for it. I had a history of joining a video contest 3 years ago and in order to win a Macbook, which is the MAIN PRIZE, you must have the most number of online votes. Pretty simple huh? So without any further ado, I invited my friends to vote for my entry. Not just my friends but also the friends of my friends and the friends of friends of my friends! I reached about 2,000+ votes during that time and I lead the race! But a nasty hacker ruined the whole game. This contestant had an idea of creating an automatic bot voter. HE PRODUCED ONE THOUSAND VOTES in a matter of 30 MINUTES! In my case, I only produced a thousand votes in a span of 2 weeks. I felt so weak and helpless! In the end, the hacker won the nasty Macbook leaving myself empty-handed. Comparing our entry to the winner you can really say that it's an unfair contest after all. Without considering the content of your entry is like swallowing a smorgasbord of meal without recognizing its flavor.

Good thing for Saranggola Blog Awards, you can also win under the Judges' Scores or also known as Blog Galing. This is my forte. Though I am weak for online voting, the weigh of our content will vivify everything. The winners for Blog Galing will receive a plaque of recognition plus cash.

Oh by the way, photos are courtesy of AXL Powerhouse Production Inc. and Pusang Kalye.net. Maraming Salamat! HAHA. Too bad for me I didn't have the chance of taking pictures during this event because the batteries of my camera were drained. Sad. But I'm still happy, thank you to a bunch of people for taking these pictures (pakopya ako ah hehe)

This year's theme is all about Laruan (Toys). We were also asked to bring old toys to be given to some children this coming Christmas. I donated my nephew's toys because he is currently living in Saudi Arabia. In fact, I donated these toys without any permission from the owner (hehe). Surely by the time that my nephew will go back here in the Philippines, he will no longer search for these toys because, for sure, he'll be having newer and better toys. I guess. (hehe)

This is also my first time in meeting other Pinoy bloggers. I am actually surprised on how awesome these people are. They are all friendly, enthusiastic and fun to be with. You'll learn a lot of things from them. From the photograph posted above, it is obvious that I'm fond of wacky and candid photographs. I'm just not really used to any types of formality in a photograph. (Kung pwede nga lang mag-wacky sa isang formal na graduation picture eh ginawa ko na) Let me introduce to you some of my newly met bloggers :)

Starting from my right is Axl of Axl Powerhouse Production Inc., and Xander of A Boy Named Xander. Starting from my right in the sitting row is Anciro of The Backpack Man, CJ of Silaab Dabaw, Zyra of Blessed Zyra and Iya of When She Cries.

These are name tags used during the event. I really appreciated the effort and patience of the organizers of this event. Kudos for them!

Of course, I will never miss the chance of having a picture of myself together with the official backdrop of Saranggola Blog Awards 2011 :)

Amazed by God's grace, I was shocked as my blog was honored as the winner for the Blog Galing Photoblog category. I kept on stuttering as I deliver my 'thank you' speech because of the adrenaline rush. I even don't have any idea of what I'm going to say! I'm just so happy about it! No words can express my overflowing gratitude.

Now, this will serve as an inspiration for continuing my blog's legacy in exposing our country's natural beauty in terms of culture, travel, art, music and many more.

I would like to say thank you again to the organizers of this event for the time and effort they had given to us. You guys are really amazing! Above all else, I would like to thank God for this great blessing and the talent he had given me. As what the scripture says "God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another" (1 Peter 4:10)

If you are an elementary or high school Filipino teacher, or you're just an avid reader of Filipino stories, poems etc. Then it's time for you to visit www.saranggolablogawards.com. Here you will find myriads of Filipino short stories and poems which are useful for lectures, story telling activities etc.

I honestly miss blogging. But dormancy doesn't simply means inactivity, but it also involves proper and strategic planning for the betterment of a company. So watch out for a better Adobo Photoshop for 2012. Advance Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

Talents | God Art

2011-11-13T20:49:00.001+08:00

Do you have any talents? Do you know how to sing? Dance? Play a musical instrument? Capture great pictures? If yes, then what you're doing with it? Are you developing it? Are you showing it to others? Are you doing it for a living? If your answer is yes again, then I'm going to mark your hand with 5 stars!

If your answer is no then I'll ask why? Is it because you're afraid to show your talent? Or is it because of fear of being criticize? Or because there is already someone in the group who has the same talent with yours and you think that he is far greater than you which tends to leave yourself behind and frustrated.

Well, it's better to do something about your talents.

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In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus told a story about about three servants who were given different amounts of money by their master. The two with the most invested it and gained more, but the one with the least hid it in the ground out of fear. When the master returned, he congratulated and promoted the two profitable servants, but said about the scared servant, “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (Matthew 25:28,29).

No matter what, God has given you something—and He wants you to use it! “God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10). The greatest use of any gift is to bring glory to God so that others will want to know Him. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). - Global Media Outreach

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A great example for this is Mr. Manny Pacquiao. He has the talent for boxing and he puts away the fear and continuously developed his skills in becoming a great boxer for years. He withstands all the pain until he reached the top. But above all else, he's doing it for God! We can see him pray before and after every fight. He offers every fight to Him. No matter what happens, win or lose, it's all for God!

If you keep your talents to yourself, like the man who hid his treasures underground because of fear, it will not bear any fruit. But if you're going to show it, develop it, share it, and do it all for God, it will bear not just a handful of fruits but it will multiply tenfold more! Don't be afraid of criticisms because those things are like sharpeners shaping you out in becoming a great pencil!

Like what He said, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Colossians 3:23-24

Sticker Number 1 - New Stories to Tell

2011-11-10T20:19:00.000+08:00

1 out of 17 stickers!

Here we go again. The craze for collecting stickers is finally on! Many people say that I waste a lot of money in purchasing an expensive drink just for an exchange of a little sticker. Well, I never mind the money I spent, what matters most for me are the stories that I'll be writing on to my upcoming new planner for 2012. Those stories are simply PRICELESS. But something has inspired me and at the same time challenged me in collecting these stickers. Every cup of Joe I spent is a sticker received with a unique story embedded within. Plus a contribution is made for Starbucks' public service programs. 17 stickers, 17 stories; leading to one planner with a handful year of stories ready to be written.

STICKER NO. 1 - NEW STORIES TO TELL
I started my journey with a personalized cup of Toffee Nut Latte. Among the limited edition drinks, this is my favorite. For this year, they remained 2 drinks which were available previously last year (Peppermint Mocha and Toffee Nut Latte) and added the all new cup of Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha.

I love the sweet buttery taste of Toffee Nut Latte and I prefer hot instead of cold drinks. The rich and aromatic toffee scent is perfect in releasing my happy hormones. Scientifically speaking, Toffee Nut Latte is the healthiest beverage among the 3 limited edition drinks. It is packed with more protein and a balanced level of carbohydrates and fats. Perfect as a post-workout drink for athletic people like me.

I started collecting these Starbucks Planner since last year. For 2012, the planner is even more petite and handy; making it less bulky unlike last year. Amid of its size, the allotted space for writing agenda, tasks and appointments is also small. It has less photographs unlike last year and it's also less graphic. I think they focused on a concept of minimalism in creating the design. Minimal yet still elegant. :)

I'm already excited in completing these 17 stickers; for I have new stories to tell for the upcoming year. A few days from now 2011 will be over and another year will come. It's not just a mere celebration for a new year but a message of starting all over again. Everybody deserves a second chance. Happy drinking everyone! :)

All Souls' Day Special | Surrealism | Photography

2011-11-01T20:09:00.001+08:00

How does it feel to be like a soul? A body-less void spirit floating in midair experiencing nothing but lightness and peace. So the thought 'rest in peace' is like saying 'we will see each other again on the other side of life soon'. If dying would lead us to eternal peace then why we can't make the living world peaceful copying the in-between. If peace would perish our living world, we would be all floating in midair. For authentic peace can only be achieved through death.

Wonder when you die, how would it feel? Floating like a light balloon wandering the corners of the earth. Seeing your love ones but letting yourself invisible to them. Invisible yet can be felt like an air.

Free like a bird flying and floating with feverish futility of flesh. Free to explore. Free to know. Free to feel peace. For peace in the living world needs a commodity for exchange.

Surrealism is both an art and a philosophy. It's simply marked by intense irrational reality of a dream according to Merriam Webster. Thus, it can also be applied in photography making it a fantastic technique in producing pictures with a dreamy concept and a story embedded from within.

Example of surrealistic photographs were posted above which simply denotes souls wandering across the face of the earth. Simple yet surreal. Try it! :)

Meeting the God of Lightning | Photography

2011-10-31T21:00:00.002+08:00

Hello there! It's been a long time since I updated this blog. My laptop got short circuited three weeks ago and thank God it's already fixed. Almost three weeks of no blogging and internet is like buying an ice cream sundae without the fudge. There's no sweetness after all. Anyway good thing everything is back and I got a lot of updates to do. For three weeks of disconnecting myself from the cyber world, I kept on experimenting and capturing some images so I can share some discoveries that I made.

An hour after sunset, while heading towards home, I saw a part in the sky some rumbling flashes of light glowing from within. It's a lightning. Suddenly my right brain outbursts its imaginative factor again. I picked my camera and tripod. I climbed up the stairs of my friend's house until I reached the rooftop. Their rooftop is quite perfect for viewing the majestic and erratic lightnings.

Yes I know. I do need practice for this type of long exposure photography. By the way you can check my other tutorials regarding long exposure photography. I have tutorials about light trails and turning water into smoke effect. If you want to know the basics of photography then it's better to read my tutorial about the exposure triangle.

Now the question is, how did I take these photographs? Well, this is how it's done.

1. YOU NEED A TRIPOD
First of all you need a tripod(very important). Without it then you'll produce nothing but an abstract of whips and zaps of total blurriness.

2. PROLONG YOUR SHUTTER SPEED OR SWITCH IT TO BULB MODE
You need a camera capable of taking long exposure photographs. When I say long exposure it simply means prolonging the shutter speed to 15 seconds, 30 seconds up to bulb mode. Bulb mode means letting the shutter open while pressing and holding the shutter button. As long as you press and hold the shutter button, the shutter will remain opened.

3. ADJUST YOUR APERTURE
You also need to adjust your aperture to f/2.8(which I used while taking these photographs). This is helpful in capturing tremendous amount of light needed to produce a good photograph.

4. PATIENCE
Lastly, you need PATIENCE. You really need to wait for the perfect timing until you achieved that perfect shot!

Some lightnings show up between long irregular intervals. The purpose of setting your shutter speed to 15 to 30 seconds is to capture the lightning while leaving the shutter open so that the trace of light will be recorded in the photograph. There are times that I set my camera to 15 seconds, and within those 15 seconds, there are no lightning which showed up. So you must really wait for it. Or better use bulb mode! In bulb mode, as long as you press and hold the shutter button, the shutter will remain open. You can press and hold it for 1 minute and you'll have a one-minute long exposure photograph :) Here are some of my attempted shots.

So there you have it! A simple reminder, what I did is just a little experiment and not really a professional type. If you have in mind which you think is better then it'll be great if you're going to share it with us :) Thank you for your time in reading this posts. Let's remember someone this coming All Souls' Day. Have blessed week ahead and God bless! :D

Light Trail | Photo Gallery

2011-10-08T20:49:00.003+08:00

CLICK PHOTO TO LAUNCH HD MODE

Tutorial: Light Trail Photography
Golden Hour Photography

How to Create a Smokey Water Effect

Photos were taken in Marcos Highway, Pasig City, Philippines

Listen - Stonefree
http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/http://www.murrieta365.com/

Light Trails Photography | Tutorial

2011-10-08T20:35:00.001+08:00

Hello and welcome to another tutorial presented to you by Adobo Photoshop, your 7-in-1 blog site for everyone. Best viewed during coffee breaks. HAHA!

For today's tutorial, we're going to teach you on how to capture light trails. Light Trail Photography is just an specific genre under a bigger umbrella which is the Long Exposure Photography. This type of technique has a lot of creative benefits like turning water in to mist, or making fun shapes by tracing light. (Which will be featured soon).

This kind of technique is actually achieved by alternating some specifications in the exposure triangle. After reading this tutorial, kindly give time in reading some of our recommended photo tips. 100% jargon free and easy to understand! :)

Texture Photography
The Golden Hour
Smokey Water Effect
The Exposure Triangle

This is an example of a light trail photograph. This picture was taken along the busy road of Marcos Highway Pasig City, Philippines. It has an Aperture of f/8.0, Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) 5 seconds and ISO of 80. In achieving this kind of technique, you have to focus on adjusting you're aperture and shutter speed. Also, it is important that you must have a tripod or any flat immovable surface in achieving this technique. The main purpose of long exposure photography is to blur the moving objects (which is our subject) and let the environment or the surrounding of the subject kept still. You can't take a perfect long exposure photograph with your bare hands because it'll only produce a blurry image.

Focusing on the aperture and shutter speed
You should set the aperture of your camera depending on the amount of light present in the environment. For example, if you planned to take long exposure photographs on a highway with strong amount of light, then it is better to use a smaller aperture (f/8.0). On the other hand, if the amount of surrounding light is quite less, then we should use a bigger aperture (f/2.8).

I tried a little experiment on the aperture setting in this photograph. In this picture, I used a bigger aperture (f/2.8) and the result is quite stunning for me. The picture is brighter and due to its big aperture, it illuminated the surrounding infrastructures, trees, sky and even the people. The only bad thing about it is the light trail of moving vehicles is not clearly seen because of too much light.

Another adjustments made from the same location, I used a smaller aperture (f/8.0) in this photograph. The result is also amazing. Though its quite dim, the light trails are clearly seen in this photograph.

Talking about the shutter speed, the longer shutter speed (15 sec, 30 sec) means longer light trails. The shorter shutter speed (3 sec, 5 sec) means shorter light trails. Is that simple? :)

Additional tip
It is important that you must have someone with you while doing this technique. Hoodlums are everywhere and beware of thieves! It's for your own safety and security.

So there you have it! I know that you've been seeing these kind of photographs in magazines and photo galleries but attaining this technique is really simple! :) Invite your friends now and try this wonderful effect!

Rust | Texture Photography | Gallery

2011-10-05T19:18:00.003+08:00

CLICK PHOTO to LAUNCH HD MODE

Texture photography is another simple technique of expressing your through photographs. Try converting your feelings and emotions into simple textures. Whether you are happy, try capturing a photo of a clear blue sky only. Whether you are at peace, try capturing foliage photos of green leaves. If you are hurt or in pain, try capturing photos of objects with a grungy texture.

Do you have a neutral mode as of the moment? Then use your eye. Observe your surroundings, try capturing the texture of the floor tiles, the ceiling, the varnished walls, or even the texture of your own clothes and shoot it in macro mode. :) Try it and express it! :)

http://thedailywyatt.blogspot.com/

Sailing | Sunset Photography | Gallery

2011-10-04T20:02:00.002+08:00

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Tutorial: Golden Hour Photography

How to Create a Smokey Water Effect

Photos were taken in Tayabas Bay, Mulanay, Quezon Province, Philippines

08 - Sailing - Christopher Cross
http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/http://www.projectalicia.com/http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

The Golden Hour | Photography | Tutorial

2011-10-04T19:38:00.001+08:00

Is it pretty amazing that we're all living in a very beautiful world. Have you ever think that every time the sun sets in the afternoon, we are all seeing it at the very edge of the earth? This is a relevant moment for every photographer in producing a great picture with quality light. Thus, the golden hour of photography is made.

Typically, lighting is softer (more diffuse) and warmer in hue, and shadows are longer. When the sun is near the horizon, sunlight travels through more of the atmosphere, reducing the intensity of the direct light, so that more of the illumination comes from indirect light from the sky (Thomas 1973, 9–13), reducing the lighting ratio. More blue light is scattered, so that light from the sun appears more reddish. In addition, the sun's small angle with the horizon produces longer shadows. Source: (Wikipedia)

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Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec
ISO: 80

I took the photo above at around five in the afternoon. The light is quite hard as of this time and using a faster shutter speed is important in order to prevent an overexposed photograph.

Aperture: f/5.7
Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec.
ISO: 200

The moment of seeing the sun at the very edge of the earth. At around 5:45 in the afternoon, the light is softer and the sun gives a reddish glow diffusing all over the horizon.

The Magic Begins.
Aperture: f/8
Shutter Speed: 1/6 sec
ISO 80

The golden hour is also called as the 'magic hour'. This kind of technique is perfect for landscape photography. A simple tip to all of you, it is great to take photos along the sea shore during the golden hour. Try capturing a photograph with a long shutter speed and small aperture in order to produce a smoky water effect. This will produce a surreal and fantastic photograph. (Important note: don't forget to bring a tripod when capturing long exposure photographs, or else you'll produce a blurry image) I have a tutorial about this smokey water technique and it is located here: Smokey Water Technique Tutorial

Aperture: f/8
Shutter Speed: 1/6 sec
ISO 80

I think the song 'Sailing' by Christopher Cross is the perfect theme song for these set of photographs. It's really dreamy and at the same time relaxing too.

51: Wrath and Happiness (Typhoon Pedring)

2011-09-28T23:37:00.002+08:00

Photo source: Facebook

Filipinos will always be Filipinos. A few years ago, we were known as one of the happiest countries all over the world. Despite the economic crises, poverty and governmental problems; the Filipino people still managed to smile in our daily endeavors.

Two years ago, the whole Filipino nation stood still as Typhoon Ondoy consumed the whole NCR with a massive body of rushing water coming from the mountains of Rizal. The whole world witnessed how the city of Marikina, and other affected places, devoured by nature's wrath and devastation. Surprisingly, Filipinos love the unusual things in life. Every time we see a flood with a bunch of floating cars, which is really unusual, we still managed to smile and laugh. Every time we help people in emergency situations, we still managed to smile and laugh. Even their houses were sank in water and mud, still, we can smile and laugh.

Well, I think majority of the Filipino people are optimistic. If there's a problem, then so what... Life goes on. All problems are just temporary and there is no such thing as a permanent problem.

Look at the picture above. This is really an unusual event. As typhoon Pedring's storm-surge swept Manila bay's waters into tsunami-like waves, people were playing and, in fact, they were having fun! It's really nice being a kid at some point in time.

This is a unique characteristic that everyone must have. It must not just be applied in uncertain situations but also on our every day life. Optimism. It's like faith. Believing on something that doesn't exist.

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Travel Journal: Bebeng's Onslaught Part 4

2011-09-25T21:28:00.001+08:00

At last! This is now the final chapter of Travel Journal Series: Bebeng's Onslaught. Tomorrow, September 26, 2011 is the 2nd anniversary of Typhoon Ondoy Tragedy which almost sank the whole NCR, Philippines into devastation. The final part of this travel journal series is somewhat related from the last and unforgettable Ondoy tragedy.

Like what I have said from my previous posts, it is recommended that you must read the first 3 parts before proceeding. :)

Click on a photo below corresponding to a specific Travel Journal Series. :)

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DANCING IN THE RAIN

We failed on our first attempt in dismissing the current discord lurking the shore of Donsol, Sorsogon. We spend another night inside our previous cottages without electricity and warmth. Only the cool blanket and bed sheet sandwiched my vulnerable body in preventing further hypothermia. I can hear the furious rain rattling like tiny pebbles on the roof. I can also feel the flamboyant wind circling erratically all throughout the place. This must be my coldest night ever. Stuck like a castaway while adjacent from the eye of the storm. Until my consciousness sank deeper, darkness filled my vision silencing my senses.

Morning finally came, the third day of our journey, we already forgotten the Butandings. But I have to accept that this is not the perfect timing for us in meeting this calm and timid creatures. The furious rain and wind still haven't gone their way. Making the trees danced congruently with rhythms of the howling wind. In easing our frustrations from the calamity, our travel buddies had decided a plan in enjoying the remaining hours in Donsol, Sorsogon.

The result? We danced in the rain! Some of our travel buddies wore their snorkels and rash guards as if they were going to swam in the air.

We even took photos of ourselves while raindrops kept on hitting our eyes! Ouch!

We played like kids.

We stroll around like children.

We played together making every moment a memorable one. Supposedly the title of our journey was 'Butanding Interaction' but we joked ourselves changing the title into 'Bebeng Interaction' Hehe.

"Hello Typhoon Bebeng! This is how we greet 'yah!"

Our frustrations suddenly turned into feelings of euphoria. I haven't played in the rain for many years already. In fact, I was still a kid since the last time I did this. It was a great and fun experience for all of us!

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BEBENG

Noon finally came and our things were all packed up. This time, we have a motorcycle rickshaw (tricycle) for transportation. Smaller than our first attempt which was a jumbo-sized jeepney. Our instincts presumed that the flood had already settled since the rain and wind were already gone. We bid our goodbyes in Donsol as we rode away from our temporary haven.

Like yesterday, we met again our main antagonist. The flood. But this time, the water level was already decreased.

So we decided to walk through the flood. This is an another great adventure for all us. Walking through the filthy flood.

As we finally reached the other side of the road, we found a parked bus. The bystanders told us that the bus was stranded because the next flood is three-times deeper than the flood that we'd walked through. My jaw dropped upon hearing those information.

But the bus driver told us that they're going to leave in a matter of minutes. They will try to pass the bus against the chest-deep flood even chances of passing through is quite impossible. Then our tour guide commanded us to took the bus and we prayed for the best.

Rain started to fell for the nth time.

My eyes became wide opened as we faced the flood. The whole placed turned almost into a lake! We hold our breath as the bus driver tried to step on the gas pedal as light as possible. We felt the bus moved slowly. Slowly and slowly until it's already submerged in the floodwater. We have our bystanders in front guiding us while passing through the deep flood. The rain fell harder than before, blurring our sight.

The road was really impassable but our hope was brighter than the dark sky. As we tried to moved inch by inch along the flood. So I closed my eyes and asked for the Lord's guidance. Then I prayed a hymn to Him.

"When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with you above the storm. Father, You are King over the flood. I will be still, know You are God."

Exactly after I've finished my prayer, the rain suddenly stopped miraculously. I thanked Him for the answered prayer He had bestowed upon us. It is true that in times of trouble, as long as we trust and believe in Him. We are all saved.

After a few minutes, we'd finally reached the other side of the road! It was a one full relief! We thanked the bystanders for helping us along the way. They told us that this was the last flood and the rest of the way is already passable. Our burdens were finally lifted away and we went home safe and sound.

This journey is quite memorable for me. It is really unusual experiencing thunderstorms and rain during the month of May here in the Philippines. Even though we failed to see the butandings. We believe that there's a reason for this. We all promised to go back in Donsol next year.

Butandings, we shall return.

THE END.

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http://www.murrieta365.com/
http://katielloydphotography.blogspot.com
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

49: How to Create a Smokey Water Effect (Tutorial)

2011-09-25T11:42:00.002+08:00

A couple of days ago, I posted a set of photographs of Tres Escalon River here in Taytay, Rizal Philippines. Many readers asked me on how to achieve a smokey water effect in flowing rivers. Well, the answer is already here and I'm going to share it with you :)

But before proceeding in this tutorial, you must have a simple background about the basics of photography, specifically related to the Exposure Triangle. Click the link below to read the tutorial:

THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE TUTORIAL

If you also want to view the other photos I took in Tres Escalon River, then click the link posted below:

TRES ESCALON RIVER GALLERY

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Achieving a smokey water effect in flowing rivers is quite simple. Here are the following equipment that you need to bring before the shoot:
1. Tripod
2. ND-8 Filter (ND means Neutral Density Filter, In this case, I used an ND8 filter which filters out 3-stops of light. Choose the kind of ND filter depending on the amount of light present in the environment.)
3. Your Camera :)

THE PROCEDURE
1. Find a river near to your place or any location with a flowing river that you want to shoot.

2. Before taking pictures, mount your camera on the tripod. In achieving smokey water effect, we need a long shutter speed and a small aperture settings, this technique is known as Long exposure photography. It is VERY IMPORTANT that we must mount our camera on a tripod while taking long exposure photographs. The purpose of this is to keep the environment of the photograph still, while the water in the river continuously flows. This technique will blur the flowing water producing a smokey water effect!

3. Another important thing: You must also have an ND Filter or Neutral Density Filter. In my sample photo shoot, I took it with an ND8 Filter mounted in front of the lens of my camera. This filter will help reduce light up to 3-stops. You may choose a variety of ND Filters depending on the amount of light present in the environment. There are ND Filters which can reduce light up to 10-stops so you may only choose what is appropriate. Without these filter, the output will produced an over-exposed photograph. You can purchase these neutral density filters in any photo stores.

4. Adjust the shutter speed of your camera between 5-15 seconds and the aperture size between f/8 to f/11 depending on the available light surrounding the environment. Always remember, the longer the shutter speed, the more light will enter, the brighter the output. The smaller the aperture, the less light will enter, the darker the output. So it's up to you on how you will manipulate these settings until you reached the perfect exposure of your photograph.

5. Take pictures. Experiment and Discover!

6. A simple post-processing tip: try converting the color of your long-exposure photograph from color to black and white. This will give a boost in mood and emotion in the photograph.

Kudos to Tim of Just my Two Cents for sharing his knowledge in making this post accurate :)

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THE RESULTS (Click a Photo for HD Mode)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

48: Promise Me

2011-09-21T16:02:00.002+08:00

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You light up another cigarette

and I pour the wine

It's four o'clock in the morning

and it's starting to get light

now I'm right where I want to be

losing track of time

but I wish that it was still last night

You look like you're in another world

but I can read your mind

how can you be so far away

lying by my side

when I go away I'll miss you

and I will be thinking of you

every night and day just...

"Promise me, you'll wait for me... Cause I'll be saving all my love for you..."

"And I will be home soon..."

The photo above is just a representation of the famous song Promise Me by Beverly Craven. It's one of my favorite song about loneliness and leaving the one you love in times of urgent need. This simply applies to our fellow Filipinos whose parents or love ones are working abroad for the sake of prosperity and green pastures. We should always be reminded that we must feel the same way too... That they'll be home soon...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://www.projectalicia.com/

Isang Malabong Daan

2011-09-20T19:28:00.004+08:00

Lahat tayo'y nangarap ng isang daanang tuwid.

Isang daanang patungo sa kagandahan ng buhay, pag-asa at pag-unlad ng bayan.

Maganda ang daanang tuwid.

Ngunit kung ito'y magiging isang pangarap lamang na walang direksyon, purong maling proseso at pag-gabay.

Walang aksyon.

Puno ng korapsyon, pagnanakaw, walang pag-mamahal sa kapwa at purong sarili lamang ang iniisip...

Masasabi kong tayo'y naglalakad sa Isang Malabong Daan.

P.S. Ito ay isang metapora

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Ang entry na ito ay isang kalahok sa darating na 2011 Saranggola Blog Awards sa loob ng kategoryang Larawan (Photo blog).

Travel Journal: Bebeng's Onslaught Part 3

2011-09-17T19:50:00.005+08:00

Hey! This is already the Part 3 of Bebeng's Onslaught | Travel Journal. If you wish to read back the first 2 parts, then the links are posted below. Kindly click the photo you wish to read.

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After a thrilling ride at the Lignon Hill Zipline, we continued our journey to our next stops which are the Cagsawa Ruins and Daraga Church.

Again, I would like to give thanks to typhoon Bebeng's dark angry clouds for covering the mystique mountain of Mayon Volcano. Supposedly in this HDR photograph, the volcano is positioned at the back of this church. Unfortunately, due to its upcoming onslaught, the whole sky were coated with hues of gray clouds. But still, we continued to enjoy every single piece of our journey here in the Bicol region. Rainy season seems a little bit early during this time.

If you're going to observe the photograph posted above, this is actually the bell tower of the Cagsawa Church! Knowing Mayon volcano as one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, its molten rocks and lava which came from the volcano buried this church and the town of Cagsawa in devastation! I'm giving you a little piece of history about this historic church and I find it interesting. :)

This is an old photograph of Cagsawa Church dated back August 14, 1928. Knowing the tragic eruption had happened a hundred years ago during this time, you can still discern the gloomy and eerie feeling in this old photograph. (Source: Wikipedia)

Another old picture of Cagsawa Church. This photo was taken before 1960 and the facade of the church was still intact during this time. (Source: Wikipedia)

Comparing the place from our present time, the area are now filled with souvenir stores and various shops. This Franciscan church was built in 1724 and destroyed by the 1814 eruption of Mayon Volcano. The ruins are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area of Daraga and it is currently protected in a park overseen by the municipal government and the National Museum of the Philippines. (Source: Wikipedia)

This is now the present Daraga Church. Photo Source.

I'm so really unfortunate during this time. My camera's battery had run out and rain started to fall. Look at my photograph posted below:

This is a picture of Daraga Church's window. Still, heavy clouds keep on covering the volcano giving it a gloomy atmosphere. Our tour guide suddenly announced that we must go back to our vans immediately. Then we headed off to a restaurant for lunch.

After having a sumptuous meal, we went to a beach resort in Donsol, Sorsogon and there we checked-in to our specific rooms. During our stay inside the cottage, heavy rains kept on falling and we can hear the roaring waves hitting the shore. According to our itinerary, we were scheduled for a trip in the firefly river by 6:00 pm. But unfortunately, the river began to overflow because of the heavy rains. This simply means that the remote town were already flooded!

Darkness finally came and to our disgrace, the electricity were cut off! Good thing we were filled with optimistic people. We still managed to enjoy our stay in the resort with a candle light dinner.

This is Laing (Taro Leaves), one of the best Bicol dishes. Made up of shredded gabi(taro) leaves filled with coconut milk, spices and meat! The hot spicy flavor of this Bicol dish gave warmth to our cool stormy nights. I recommend that you must try this dish if you plan to visit the Philippines, specifically in Albay. :)

After having our dinner, we had a little socialization with the other tourists. Our tour guide told us that we may hope that the ongoing storm would subside by tomorrow morning so we could go home safely. We felt sad that our butanding(whaleshark) encounter and interaction was discontinued due to the ongoing typhoon. Well, it's also for our safety. I would choose to go home instead of pursuing the whaleshark encounter while the waves are roaring like a hundred horses running in a field. At around 9 in the evening, we all headed to our rooms and had a relaxing sleep.

Morning finally came and the heavy rains were now partnered with strong wailing winds. It's worst than we expected. But we still tried to escape the turmoil. Thank God our tour guide rented a huge jeep for all of us. Feelings of hope and excitement filled our hearts as we hoisted our travel bags and sat on passenger seats with comfort.

This is it! We can finally go home! We left the resort with our face painted with smiles and hope. But unfortunately, in the middle of our journey, we can't pass through because the road was blocked with a waist-level flood. Even though our jeep is huge enough to pass through that flood, our driver is still worried because there's a chance that the vehicle would fail if the floodwater would consume the engine. So in our disgrace, we decided to return in the beach resort. There we stayed for another night just to let the flood to subside.

Even we failed on our first attempt in going home, still, I am thankful that we are safe. For me, it is God who showed our way. He let the driver not to continue on our task because He knows that the road is not yet safe. It seems like there's a hidden purpose why we should stay for an another night in Donsol. As for me, I don't know it yet...

TO BE CONTINUED...

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http://www.murrieta365.com
http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

45: Tres Escalon Taytay, Rizal

2011-09-17T08:48:00.005+08:00

NOTE: Click a photograph to launch HD Slideshow

One lazy Sunday afternoon, I was searching for different tourist spots here in the Philippines. Suddenly, an idea popped-up in my mind like a sprouted mushroom. I lived here in Taytay for almost 20 years and, to be honest, I haven't discovered everything yet about my beloved hometown. So I decided to search the tourist attractions in our municipality and to my surprise, there are 3.

1. The Club Manila East Resort
2. Tres Escalon Falls
3. Parish in the Sky

I visited Club Manila East (a.k.a. CME) for many times and their amenities are really superb! They have kayaking, zip line, beach wave pool, ocean wave pool (which is good for surfing), river pool, olympic size pool, a swimming pool similar in shape of the Laguna de Bay, volleyball, billiards and many more. I tagged this place as an 'artificial paradise near home'. Due to the remote vicinity of our home, which is only a walk-distance away, had made me create of such tag.

The rest of the tourist attractions, which are the Tres Escalon Falls and Parish in the Sky, sounded new to me. I never heard of a waterfall here in Taytay before. So I searched for it and grabbed some relevant details about the place. Again, in my surprise, the place will only take 2-short jeepney rides from our home. With a sudden gush of inspiration, I grabbed my tripod, kept my camera inside the bag and I brought a Neutral Density Filter.

I was disappointed when I reached the place. First of all, it was polluted with garbage. Second, I never had a chance to go down the river and see the waterfall. Because the way towards the scenic view of the waterfall is blocked. Though the place is open for everyone, there are no people inside the clubhouse if you're going to search for assistance. Neither the people playing around the basketball court knew the way down. There's another alternative route and it will take you, not to the waterfall but; to the top of the waterfall!

The place is filled with big chunks of rock. Masking out the garbage, you will still appreciate the mystique appearance of the place. It's quite eerie though. I felt like there's someone staring at me even though I was only during this time. But still, this feeling of paranoia didn't hinder my purpose of taking photographs.

Did you observe how smoky or misty the flowing water is? Well, it's achieved through a simple technique in photography and I'm going to share it with you by next week. But before that, kindly read my previous photography tips posted here.

In the end, I decided to take a self-portrait as a souvenir in this almost-wonderful place. I hope by the time I would visit this place again, there'll be some improvements. Improvements in the cleanliness of the place, the accessibility and security.

HOW TO GO in TRES ESCALON FALLS?
> From Robinson's Galleria, take a bus ride (G-Liner, Green Star, RRCG) going to Tikling, Taytay, Rizal.
> From Tikling, take a jeepney ride going to Antipolo City and go down to the first gasoline station which is Caltex.
> Beside Caltex is a subdivision known as 'Melendres Life Homes' and walk straight ahead until you reached the clubhouse and there you have it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/
http://www.lgordonphotography.com/
http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com

44: Banchetto

2011-09-14T21:49:00.004+08:00

CLICK A PHOTO to launch HD SLIDESHOW

One of the main reasons why you should shout the phrase 'Thank God it's Friday!' enthusiastically is because of this midnight food fiesta known as Banchetto. Here in the Philippines, every certain nights of the week, some specific places in the metro light up in festivity due to myriad galore of food stalls with various cuisines and street foods.

Last Friday night, I went together with my friends at Banchetto Ortigas to have a little midnight snacks :) Unfortunately, due to Banchetto's numerous and countless number of choices, our little midnight snacks turned out into a bunch of midnight LUNCH!

There are a number of choices here at Banchetto. You can choose from barbecues to pastries and cakes; or even a healthy treat of fresh fruit salad.

This is one of my favorite! Shawarma! Shawarma is an Arab sandwich-liked wrap of shaved lamb, goat, beef, chicken, turkey or a mixture thereof. (Source: Wikipedia) Most countries in the middle east enjoy shawarma in a pita wrap filled with tomatoes and cucumber. Here in the Philippines, most Filipinos are rice people, so we enjoy shawarma as a viand and partner it up with java rice and sweet sour sauce. Yum Yum!

Barbecues are ubiquitous here at Banchetto! You'll choose from a variety of pre-made recipes with different ingredients like chicken, corn, pork etc., and have it barbecued right in front of you :)

Pastries, cookies and cakes as a midnight snack? Regardless of its high-caloric content... Why not? You can burn it right away with a morning jog once you wake up! Hehe. I really love those blueberry cheesecakes! It's so delicious!

Well, all of us ended up with a big tummy with a sense of fulfillment! We all had a lovely night here in Banchetto! :) Do you want to experience this midnight food market? Better catch Banchetto on the following schedules:

LIBIS
Every Tuesday night from 6pm 'til 4am
Located at the open parking area of Shopwise in Libis, QC

FORUM
Every Wednesday and Thursday night from 8:30pm 'til 6am
Located at the back of Robinson's Pioneer (delivery bay area), Mandaluyong City

MEGATENT
Every Friday night from 5pm 'til 7am
Located at the open parking area along Meralco Avenue between Renaissance Tower and the DepEd building, Pasig City.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/
http://www.projectalicia.com/
http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

43: The Exposure Triangle (Tutorial)

2011-09-12T21:05:00.001+08:00

The Exposure Triangle

Photography nowadays become a popular habit. Due to our recent digital age, we can now capture the best moments in life with just a push of a shutter. Most people's knowledge about photography is just all about taking photos. Yes, having a story in a photograph is an element, but if you're going to enter deep inside your camera, there's a wonderful and scientific process going on.

Photography is the art, science and practice of taking pictures by capturing light on a light-sensitive medium such as a camera film or a digital image sensor. Photography is all about the art of playing with the light. In fact, you can't produce a photograph if there's no light present.

For today, I'll be discussing the most basic part of photography... The exposure triangle.

The Exposure Triangle is composed of three elements the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. Each element is responsible for the interaction between the light and the camera. Let's discuss each element.

The Three Elements of Exposure Triangle

1. ISO – it's all about the light sensitivity of the camera or digital image sensor. If the ISO value is low (ex. ISO 80) then the image sensor will be less sensitive to light resulting to a dim photograph with less noise or grain. If the ISO value is high (ex. ISO 3200) then the image sensor will be more sensitive to light resulting to a brighter photograph with more noise or grain.

In the picture above, you can clearly see that the higher ISO value results to a more grainy image.

2. Shutter Speed – it's all about how long the shutter will remained open in letting the light enter through the image sensor. Usually it is represented as 1/4 sec, 1/500 sec or 2 sec, 5 sec etc.

The longer/slower shutter speed (ex. 5 sec.) the more light will enter through the image sensor resulting to a brighter picture. The shorter/faster shutter speed (ex. 1/500 sec) the less light will enter through the sensor resulting to a dimmer picture.

Here, you can compare both photographs. I took this photos inside my room with a weak light source, thus taking a photo with a fast shutter speed(1/40 sec) results to a darker image. While taking a photo with a slow shutter speed (2 sec) results to a brighter image.

However, if you planned to take photos with a slower/longer shutter speed(5 sec., 10 sec.) it's recommended that you must use a tripod. A long shutter speed remains the shutter opened for a specific period of time. If you don't have any tripod and you used your arms alone, then a blurry or shaky image will be produced.

3. Aperture – it's all about the size of the opening inside the lens when a picture is taken. Usually it is represented as an F number (f/2.8, f/4, f/5.8, f/22).

The lower the f number(f/2.8) the bigger the opening(aperture), the more light will enter the image sensor resulting to a brighter image.
The higher the f number (f/22) the smaller the opening(aperture), the less light will enter the image sensor resulting to a darker image.

Also, the aperture is responsible for the depth of field. The smaller the aperture (f/22) the less depth of field is produced. The bigger the aperture (f/4) the more depth of field is produced. Like in the photo above, f/4 has more depth of field than the photo with f/8 aperture.

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Now, how to combine these 3 elements of Exposure Triangle? We will use a metaphor that I learned in the website http://www.digital-photography-school.com/

The Window
Imagine your camera is like a window with shutters that open and close.

Aperture is the size of the window. If it’s bigger more light gets through and the room is brighter.
Shutter Speed is the amount of time that the shutters of the window are open. The longer you leave them open the more that comes in.

Now imagine that you’re inside the room and are wearing sunglasses (hopefully this isn’t too much of a stretch). Your eyes become desensitized to the light that comes in (it’s like a low ISO).

There are a number of ways of increasing the amount of light in the room (or at least how much it seems that there is. You could increase the time that the shutters are open (decrease shutter speed), you could increase the size of the window (increase aperture) or you could take off your sunglasses (make the ISO larger).
Source: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography#ixzz1DBSkWIGw

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There you have it guys. Try exploring your camera now and discover the functionality of the exposure triangle :) Our main goal for every DSLR camera owner is to verge yourself away from the auto-mode!

Have a blessed week ahead :) I hope you learn something from my post :)

P.S.

This tutorial is a re-blog from my previous blog, Adobo Photoshop. :)

42: Trust Your Path to God

2011-09-11T14:39:00.005+08:00

Click Photo for HD Mode

People's mind nowadays are all sinking in a vast field of knowledge. Intelligent people seems to become more rational about the things happening around us. In certain situations, when people tend to meet a bifurcated road, most will rely on their instincts, rational and logical reasoning and even laws of probability. Making knowledge and idol for knowing everything is their most addicting possession. But if you're going to think about it... The more you know, the more things will become more complicated. The more complex knowledge you have, the more things will become worse. It's alright to have knowledge about certain things and I'm not saying that knowledge in general is totally bad. But knowledge only becomes a negative field if you're treating it as an idol in your heart.

For example, in health care situations, a patient who had a vehicular accident had gone into a terminal level of illness wherein all hopes are void. He is hooked in a mechanical ventilator which supports his breath and his life. The doctor would give the relatives a chance to decide if they will continue the machine from supporting the life of their love one or stop it in order for the burden to cease and have a rest in peace.

In crucial situations like this, sometimes, even we have the greatest knowledge of knowing the proper interventions, diagnosis, pathophysiology etc, still, we don't know anything at all. But for sure, we have a God who will always be there to direct our path... For you must... Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. - Proverbs 3:5-6

PHOTO NOTES:
This is a photograph of my cousin's foot wearing a very cute and colorful sneakers. It's like a subliminal message of going through an another journey. In a journey with no direction and filled with darkness, only God is our way the truth and the life. He will be our guide and He will direct our path, as long as we trust in Him!

Have a blessed week ahead! God loves you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/
http://www.litratongpinoy.com

Travel Journal: Bebeng's Onslaught Part 2

2011-09-11T12:50:00.006+08:00

If you haven't read the Part 1 of this travel journal series, then it'll be better if you're going to read the first entry before proceeding :)

Travel Journal: Bebeng's Onslaught Part 1

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After we had breakfast and discussed the agenda for that day in Bigg's Diner Legazpi City, we went to our side trips which were the Lignon Hill, Cagsawa Ruins and Daraga Church. Our first stop... Lignon Hill.

Lignon Hill (pronounced as Liñon or /li-NYON/) is located near Legazpi Airport. The hill stands at 156 meters (511 feet) tall and has best view of Mayon Volcano and the whole Albay. (Source) It is said that the perfect time for you to view the majestic volcano is every morning or afternoon. The golden rays of the sun contributes in adding up beauty all throughout the volcano. In our situation, we experienced a tropical depression lurking around Albay which made the sky a little gray. But still, we had hoped that we'll enjoy everything despite of the bad weather.

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We were so thankful because the rain had stopped falling as we reached Lignon Hill. This simply meant that our prayers were answered! Thank you Lord!

Due to wet and slippery zigzag roads going up the hill, our guide had decided to take a walk instead of driving our vans up because it'll be risky for us. Instead of thinking the pain, we just focused our mind in enjoying everything that we could in climbing up the hill. The whole place were filled with various types of plants, trees and flowers positioned in either side of the road. It also has an identification tags which includes their common name and the taxonomic classification. This is fun, it's like you're learning simultaneously while walking together with your newly met travel buddies.

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On our feet! We started climbing the Lignon Hill full of excitement! In a few moments, we can now see the majestic Mayon Volcano in person.

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Together with our newly met travel buddies, we enjoyed our time in climbing the hill. Though its quite tiring at first, but our efforts were paid off as our eyes unfold inch by inch the beauty of Albay. It's like scanning through a fairy tale book wherein every page you turned is a new beauty and value revealed. I also took HDR photographs of some gorgeous views of Legaspi City, Albay.

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In this HDR Photograph, you can clearly see the Albay Gulf and the Airport's Runway.

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A few more steps and we're finally there!

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The west side of Lignon Hill showing the residence and industrial area of the city.

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YES! After almost 15 minutes of non-stop and tiring walk, we finally reached the top of the hill. At last! I now clearly and personally see the Mayon Volcano covered with gorgeous rain clouds! It's actually an enormous volcano. In various photographs, the volcano looks small but personally it is HUGE! It's like Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings! HAHA kidding!

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Zooming in to Mount Mayon, you'll see the molten rocks and lava along the mountainside of the volcano. Obviously it's one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines and it is known for its popularity because of his perfect triangular shape.

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Again, I would like to thank the tropical depression sarcastically for covering the Mayon Volcano with his angry dark clouds! In this HDR photograph, I can say that this volcano really looks like Mount Doom! HAHA.

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Anyway, as what we have said a while ago... LETS ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS!!!

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Lignon Hill has its own amusements too, like this Lignon Hill Zipline! For only PHP 150 to 300, you'll feel the wind gliding through your ears as you swift down the zip line! The package also includes a printed photograph of yourself in the zip line together with the Mayon Volcano. It's really exciting!

After almost an hour of enjoying our stay in Lignon Hill, we finally decided to went down and proceed to other side trips... Our next stop... Cagsawa Ruins and Daraga Church!

TO BE CONTINUED

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://www.murrieta365.com
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

40: Fierce Sky

2011-09-08T19:38:00.003+08:00

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A wordless set of angry skies forming abstract images. Thanks to the rainy season of the Philippines :) This photos were taken before rain fell into the lands of Rizal, Philippines. :)

39: LP-Malaki (Big)

2011-09-07T21:32:00.005+08:00

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Happy Litratong Pinoy (Filipino Photographs)! It's Thursday again! For this week's theme, we're going to talk about something big or malaki in Filipino language. May I present to you a set of HDR photographs taken in St. John the Baptist Church in Taytay, Rizal Philippines. It was built during the 16th century when the Spaniards conquered our country for almost 300 years. This historic place is maintained by the city governance and kept visited by thousands of people looming the vicinity every Sunday.

I'm not superficial enough to relate this to our weekly theme. It doesn't mean that this church is huge and it's not a reason for me to choose these photographs for Litratong Pinoy.

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My main reason is very simple. The message that I want to convey though these photographs is that even you have a BIG PROBLEM facing right now... Always remember that we always have a BIGGER GOD who will never forsake you, nor leave you alone in times of adversity. For He is the truth, the way and the life (John 14:6). He is your refuge! He is your savior! As long as you believe, you will be SAVED!

Simple yet powerful :) Always keep that in mind :) Have a blessed day ahead :) God loves you! :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

See Puerto Princesa in a Different Light! Airphil Express Sale! PHP 488

2011-09-06T21:51:00.002+08:00

Photo source: http://www.airphilexpress.com/images/ads/express-sale-0905.gif?1315316783491
Travel with a peace of mind to Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo and many more with Airphil Express! :)
Book your own flight now!
http://www.airphilexpress.com

38: Emotive Captures in Philippine National Railway

2011-09-06T21:26:00.006+08:00

According to a famous song, a picture paints a thousand words, so does our photographs can tell a story. By simply viewing a photograph for a minute or two, a viewer can expand his imaginations in deciphering the message that you want to convey. What's the proper way of viewing a photograph? Don't just focus on the subject, focus also in the environment. There are things happening in a photograph which can be riveting and you may find it interesting too.

The following set of photos that you'll about to see were all captured in Buendia Station of the Philippine National Railway (PNR). PNR, is a state-owned railway operator in the Philippines and it began its operations since 1875.

Can you decipher the message stipulated in every photograph? Let's all find out :)
CLICK PHOTO for to LAUNCH HD SLIDESHOW

PHOTO NOTES
I went in Makati City one time to render some appointments. I decided to took a ride in the PNR because its the best alternative route going to my workplace. Good thing I had my camera with me during this time and I took advantage of capturing every moments happening here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/
http://www.thelongroadtochina.com/
http://www.projectalicia.com/
http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

37: Zephaniah

2011-09-04T19:42:00.005+08:00

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Patience is the only one-item-question-exam that you must face after passing the board exam. This is the part 2 of the previous post entitled "A New Hope". If you haven't read the first part yet then it's recommended that you must see it before continuing. :) The link is located here: http://biboyordinario.blogspot.com/2011/08/33-lp-liwanag-light.html

PART 2
Nurses are really saturated nowadays all over the Philippines. Even we are overflowing in number, still our government doesn't have any plans of utilizing its resources for better health outcome of the community. If you're going to analyze, some nurses enter to other unrelated field (e.g. call center industry) and surprisingly most of them excel. If only our government has the capacity to discern this simple analysis, they may come up in building a mathematical equation. If there are 200,000+ unemployed nurses here in the Philippines; and let's say 50% of these nurses excel on these fields. Then why not used the skills of these 50% in health related jobs in boosting our nation's health status?

Still, the common denominator of all is PATIENCE. In my part, after a year of waiting... My time had already come.

3 months ago I applied in this prestigious hospital with an empty hand of clinical experience. Most hospitals nowadays require an applicant to have at least months of clinical experience. My only weapon during this time is my resume, credentials and FAITH. I walked alone in this journey. Weeks after passing my contact details, in my surprise, I received a text message from them. I was scheduled for an examination! I was flabbergasted after reading their message. It was an answered prayer! Due to its rarity, I prepared and honed myself for the upcoming examination. With continued praise, worship and prayer, I totally believe that through Him there's nothing impossible. I WILL PASS THE EXAMINATION!

Then it was remained. I passed the exam! I was so happy during that time and I thank Him for everything He had done for me. Without Him, I will never be able to reach this spot. Then his blessings continued to flow seamlessly. I passed the initial interview and final interview!

Finally, I already made it! After a year long of patience, I finally hit the target! All throughout my journey, God is like my warrior. He is always at my side to guard me against any negative things that would hinder us in achieving our goal. He comforts me in times of loneliness and defeat. But even I fell down for many times, still He's there to pick you up and motivates you to go on. For The Lord your God is always with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing! - Zephaniah 3:17

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

Travel Journal: Bebeng's Onslaught Part 1

2011-09-03T23:24:00.005+08:00

INTRODUCTION

Travelling is one of my passion. I always believe that learning is a never-ending process. Even after you finished your studies in college, you still have to learn, learn and learn. Without learning, your brain will look like an empty vessel. We all started like a tabula rasa (an empty blank sheet). Eventually as we grow up, this empty sheet are scribbled with fruitful knowledge, skills and experiences that would mold us on what we are today. But people tend to repress things easily, thus continuous learning is essential in keeping our brain perfectly fit. A good way to learn continuously is through travelling.

If someone will give me a hundred thousand pesos (USD 2,500), and asked me 'what will I do with the money?'

Then, most of us will answer... "I'll buy a new laptop, a new camera, the latest gadgets in town etc..." Obviously, the most common answer that we always hear involves purchasing material things. But if you're going to think of it, material things doesn't last for long. Even you planned to buy a new laptop, as time goes by this laptop will devalue itself due to the upcoming innovations and advances added to the new generation of laptops. Likewise our cellphones and cameras will also face the same thing. This somehow leads the things we'd spend into nothingness.

According to research, people nowadays tend to be more wiser than before. In fact, instead of spending their money in material things, most people will spend it through traveling because it involves memories and experiences which we can treasure for a lifetime. These experiences will never devalue because they are all priceless. Money can only buy your airplane tickets, hotel accommodations etc., but the experiences and things that you'll learn from it are the only things that money can't buy.

As for myself, I would spend my hundred thousand pesos by travelling together with my family or group of friends. :)

=========================================================================

With the synergistic combination of photography and literature, this led me to an idea of sharing my travel stories.

As a start, I would like to share to all of you my travel journals. For the month of September, I will feature my 4-Part Travel Journal entitled Bebeng's Onslaught. It was all about my journey in the Bicol Region, Philippines with an unexpected surprise. I'll post each part every Sunday for the whole month of September. So come and let's unfold this journey with a zesty twist of mystery.

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A damp warm night entered the month of May as my friend, Bhel, and I went to Cubao bus station. This was our meeting place for the Dive Donsol Trip that we purchased in Travel Factor a couple of weeks ago. A feeling of excitement was tickling our nerves for we were about to see a timid creature known as the 'Butanding' or whale shark. The peak months of February to May are the perfect time in seeing these wonderful creatures. Due to warm weather, this makes the whale shark become affluent by the sea.

As we finally found our meeting place, we were greeted by the other travelers with a welcoming smile. Our tour guide instructed us which bus to take and she reminded us that we will depart at 8 'o clock sharp.

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This is a picture of our Travel Factor lanyard which is included in the package. The whole package of our trip costs around PHP 4,700 per person. This includes the bus fare, hotel accommodation, meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and of course the main attraction, diving with the whale sharks. Side trips were also available like visiting the Cagsawa Ruins, Daraga Church, Firefly River, Lignon Hill etc. The arduous long trip from Manila to Albay is equivalent to a whopping 500 kilometers. But you'll never discern it because you were asleep all throughout the trip. Exceptions were applied due to bus stops which make your restful sleep be interrupted.

After 12 hours of long bus ride, we finally arrived in Legaspi City, Albay at around 7 o'clock in the morning. But our joyous morning were dampen due to an unexpected event. It was raining heavily during that time. The wooden seats in the bus station were all wet and I even want to slap myself and verify if I'm dreaming or not. This must ain't be happening! Umbrellas are used for protecting yourself from the scorching heat of the sun during summer! Check! But umbrellas used for rain during summer? This is a mystery!

Our morning turned more gloomily when our tour guide announced that there was a tropical depression lurking around the Bicol region. This made our heart sank into deep desperation. I came here to see those whale sharks! I want to see those whale sharks! My heart was having tantrums already. But according to rule number 32 from the movie Zombieland... ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS!

Nevertheless, we still had hope of seeing those creatures. From the bus station in Legaspi City, we rode our hired van to our first stop... BREAKFAST TIME!

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We had breakfast in Bigg's Diner in Legaspi City. http://www.biggsdiner.com/v1/ By the time we arrived on our destination, the dark clouds continuously cowered the blue morning sky amidst our prayers and hopes. But our worries were somehow thrown away to oblivion when we saw the whole place.

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I was amazed on how they decorated lucratively the interior of Bigg's Diner. The main theme of their design was like converging the classic to the modern times. Here you will see replicas of old wooden Ford cars hanged on the wall to photos of classic icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. It's like you're time traveling while enjoying your sumptuous meal.

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This is the 2nd floor of Bigg's diner. As you can see, the place has a festoon of chess-like-patterned black and white tiles. The seat covering were also clothed the same way. You'll also observed the replicas of old cars hanged in between windows. It's really a combination of the old and the new.

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Supposedly, it is a requirement that I must try a variety of major cuisine here in Albay. But instead of ordering those meal showered with coconut milk and sprinkled with spices, I ordered Bigg's Special Tocilog! What makes this breakfast meal special? Well, for me... their cilogs are tastier and more juicy than in Manila. I'm just wondering if the taste of these famous cilogs were different from other places. That's why I ordered this tocilog. HAHA! Sorry for my superficial curiosity.

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Finally, our stomachs were filled. My friend decided to socialized with the other travelers after finishing our plate. We spend almost an hour in Bigg's Diner until our tour guide announced that our next destination were the following: Lignon Hill, Cagsawa Ruins and Daraga Church. This was just the start of our short stay here in the Bicol Region. The sky was still hazy but the enormous dark clouds were already gone. I believe that our prayers were answered! Thank you Lord! Finally we'll be able to see those whale sharks...

I hope so...

TO BE CONTINUED...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/
http://www.murrieta365.com/search/label/SOOC%20Sunday
http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com

35: Ganito Kami sa Makati

2011-09-02T13:36:00.005+08:00

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GANITO KAMI SA MAKATI
During the 19th and a part of 20th century, Tondo Manila is the center of business and industry. If you're going to read various novels and short stories regarding people living in the provinces. They'd all wished and longed for a better life in Manila, specifically in Tondo. Tondo before was a highly urbanized area great for career building. But after the World War II, another town escalated itself into increasing developments of real estate.

The town of Makati is part of the Rizal province before until she received her cityhood last January 1995. Like Tondo, Makati became a highly-commercialized area with myriad numbers of business, industry, leisure and residence. Walking through the pavements of this city is like having a tour in a different country. But as Makati continues to rise, another city is currently making its own way to the top. The Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Though most of their infrastructures are still on its way to completeness, BGC shows another remarkable place that would show our country's capability of developing our land through excellent prefecture and management. Is BGC will be the next Tondo?

PHOTO NOTES
I took this HDR image along the busy road of Ayala Avenue. Due to heavy traffic, I decided to capture this enormous skyscraper together with the traffic light. The sky is brooding its way in dropping his heavy watery content. I love how vibrant and vivid the colors reflected through the window pane. HDR photography never fails to amaze viewers due to its highly dynamic and contrast imaging technique.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

34: Pop-up Flash Diffuser (Tutorial)

2011-09-01T22:17:00.005+08:00

Top-Plain White Diffuser, Left-Warming Diffuser, Right-Cooling Diffuser

6 months ago, I bought these package of flash diffusers in Ebay Philippines for only PHP 350. Flash diffusers are helpful in reducing too much exposure by diffusing light all throughout the environment. They also help prevent having red-eye in our subjects and it can produce a well balanced lighting amidst too much exposure of straight pop-up flash. The adapter is inserted on any hot-shoe available in various cameras with pop-up flash.

Photo with no diffuser

The package I bought includes three different sets of flash diffusers. Plain White Diffuser, used for simply diffusing the light produce by flash. Warming Diffuser, used for giving your photographs a warm sunny tone and; Cooling Diffuser, used for giving your shots a nice tinge of cool temperature. As a baseline data, we will use the photo above, taken with no diffuser, for comparison.

Photo taken with Plain White Diffuser

The photo above were taken with a plain white diffuser. If you'll compare this photo from our base image, it is obvious that the light produced by the flash was diffused and evenly spread all over the environment of the subject. Let's see the effect of other diffusers:

Photo taken with Warming Diffuser

Photo taken with Cooling Diffuser

See how it beautifies our photographs! Flash diffusers are really helpful in producing pro-like images. (By the way, I'm just a photo hobbyist, I learn things from the people around me, my experiences and through self-studying). Try purchasing one now and see how your plain photographs will turn into a picture with a wow-factor. :)

Shoot to express. Not to impress.

P.S.
This post is a re-blog from my previous blog Adobo Photoshop. :)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

33: LP-Liwanag (Light)

2011-08-31T23:09:00.007+08:00

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ANG BAGONG LIWANAG (A NEW HOPE)

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7"

This bible verse continues to emblazon in my mind since the first time I read this a couple of months ago. People tend to become impatient in times of frustration and disappointment. But if you're going to think of it, it doesn't really matter if someone steps further ahead of us. All they need is a cheer and a clap. It is not necessary for us to envy them because soon our time will come. All we need is a childhood virtue known as 'patience'.

I'm a nurse. (and a photo hobbyist too). Speaking of priorities, nursing is my chosen profession. In other countries, nursing has a lot of opportunities in terms of monetary fund and other health care advantages. But here in the Philippines, after passing the board exam is not a tantamount achievement for every registered nurse. What matters most is by having a stable hospital or any nursing related job. You may hear ubiquitous things about nurses working on other field, specifically the 'call center career', because of lack opportunities for the booming number of RNs here in the country. The truth for every nurse: Patience is the only one-item-question-exam that you must face after passing the board exam.

There's a story behind this and I'm going to unfold it this coming Scripture Sunday (September 4, 2011) :)

Photo Notes:
This photo is actually a self-portraiture. During the golden hour on a nice sunny morning, I decided to set my friend's camera in timer mode, positioned it on the floor and ran straight towards the window and voila! A magnificent conceptual image of hope is produced! :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

32: Child's Play

2011-08-30T21:03:00.004+08:00

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PHOTO NOTES
One cozy morning, I saw my nephew playing his toy car in our terrace. I had a chance of capturing this brilliant shot while my niece was busy playing his car. I love how the light diffuses all throughout the environment of the subject. It gives an ample amount of emotion and sweetness to the message it delivers. The depth of field is also perfect! The subject is perfectly focused while the background sinks in pure lens blur. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

31: Flower Macro

2011-08-29T09:11:00.004+08:00

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Happy Monday Morning everyone! During the infancy stage of my photo-hobbyist skills, I am fond of macro photography. In fact, what I love the most about macro is the depth of field applied in every photo. I have a photo here of a petite flower which I took somewhere in Mulanay, Quezon a couple of months ago.

Have a blessed week ahead :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

Macro Monday: http://lisaschaos.com/
Yellow Mellow Monday: http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com

30: Saved

2011-08-28T12:15:00.006+08:00

Happy Sunday everyone! A week had passed and another new week will come again full of blessings and challenges. As you can see, I have a new blog layout. I made some major changes like better navigation and exemplary photo viewing experience with bigger resolution. I remove the HD Mode of this blog because it's quite hassle for my readers in clicking each photograph in order to view a bigger resolution. But now, say goodbye to that javascript and welcome to my new and better blog layout!

Click Photo for HD Mode

For today's scripture, let me share to you this wonderful and powerful verse.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9

Yes indeed, our God is the greatest and the most kind. He had given us His only begotten Son to save us from our sins and He will bring us to life everlasting.

There's a story in the bible that I embedded in my heart in which I applied to my everyday life. It's a story about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11). When Lazarus died due to his illness, Jesus went to them and Martha runs hastily to Him and said "Lord if you had been here, my brother would have not died" (John 11:20). But Jesus retorted, "I am the resurrection; whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever is alive by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

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Yes, I believe. Every day we face different kinds of situations. It may upset you sometimes or even degrade your spirit. But as long as you have a firm belief and faith that Jesus is always here to help and guide us. We will be saved.

Anxiety is everywhere. You may be anxious for your upcoming oral examinations, job interview, case presentations and even doubt your forthcoming performance while these tasks are rendered. But as what Jesus said... Do you believe this? As long as you believe, never let your hearts be troubled. Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we will be saved. Trust your heart to God. Never let your doubts, fear and anxiety devour you in discord. But leave your useless doubts, fear and anxiety to Him... and He will keep you safe.

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Photo notes: I do love jump shots. We took these photos in Tayabas Bay, Mulanay, Quezon. The first time I learned this photographic technique, I felt proud of myself. Jump shots are quite difficult to take. It involves the right timing, right camera settings and right place. I used a camera phone before whilst achieving this kind of technique. Majority of jump shots that we took involves an emotion of happiness. This leads me, together with my friend, an idea in building a new concept about jump shots.

For the following weeks, my friend and I will be working with some cool stuffs that you will truly love. Imagine a jump shot with a quirk and unusual emotion. Well, you'll know about it soon. :) Have a blessed week ahead. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

http://www.murrieta365.com

29: Visions of a Human Eye (HDR Photography)

2011-08-26T23:09:00.006+08:00

A Hidden Paradise in a remote beach somewhere in Mulanay - Click Photo for HD Mode

Photo taken in Mulanay, Quezon - Click Photo for HD Mode

National Road in Mulanay, Quezon - Click Photo for HD Mode

Mayon Volcano, covered with vast clouds during Typhoon Bebeng's onslaught. - Click Photo for HD Mode

Whew! What a busy week! :) Anyway, I'm so hooked with HDR photography nowadays. The vibrant and contrast imaging of each photos are quite riveting. You can see every detail of the photograph which turns almost near to the vision of a human eye. Our cameras can't clearly produce a dynamic photo with a single shot in a specific exposure level. Capturing 3 photos with different exposure levels and merging it with a computer software is a great way of producing HDR photographs :) I'm going to explore more about this technique. It's really amazing! :)

28: Padre Burgos Agdangan National Road, Philippines

2011-08-23T20:48:00.004+08:00

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Happy Outdoor Wednesday! For this week's entry, I have an HDR photo of Padre Burgos Agdangan National Road located along the provinces of Quezon heading towards Manila. I took this photo while heading our way home from the 3-day medical-surgical mission that we rendered last May 2011.

The Padre Burgos Agdangan National Road is composed of more than 200 kilometers of traffic-pollution-free ride surrounded by a wide forest area, zigzag directions and a variety of ecosystem. We took this route from Lucena City, Quezon, Philippines in reaching our destination to Mulanay, Quezon. There's a certain part of this national road wherein the track is positioned at the side of Tayabas Bay wherein you will see groups of mangroves living along the sea. Due to its wide area of trees and clean environment, you'll enjoy the fresh unpolluted air whirling all throughout the stress-free ride. Even you need to consume an ample amount of time in reaching your destination, the arduous long trip are all worth it because of the welcoming scenery.

27: Mayon Beauty

2011-08-22T07:11:00.004+08:00

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Good morning! Another Mellow Yellow Monday! For this week's entry, I have a photo of these beautiful and petite yellow flowers with the Mayon Volcano as their background. I know it's not obvious because of the depth of field effect.

These flowers were positioned at the top of Lignon Hill Viewing Deck. By the way, this week will be full of HDR(High Dynamic Range) images! Thanks to Dynamic Photo HDR Version 5. :)

Have a blessed week ahead! :)

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

26: Waiting Patiently for Him

2011-08-21T20:22:00.004+08:00

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Happy Scripture Sunday to everyone! :) For this week's scripture, I'm going to share with you a simple verse from Psalm 37 with a powerful message.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7

Nursing is one of the in-demand courses here in the Philippines during the decade of 2000s. The Filipino people were given a lure of limelight due to the great opportunities that had opened in various countries like the USA. Unfortunately, this opportunity went down in a landslide as it blurs away leaving the Philippines overflowing with unemployed nurses. Part of the nursing experience is to face the arduous trip in passing the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examinations.

In fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, BS Nursing is one of the most difficult courses in college. We faced thousand sets of examination and hours of clinical duty with case presentations, drug study and of course the great tempest of our journey, the Nurse Licensure Examination.

After I graduated last March 2010, our barkada(a circle of friends) had decided to take the July 2010 Nurse Licensure Examination. Unexpectedly, only one in our group failed to pass the exam. We were sad about the event and we couldn't feel ourselves completely as a registered nurse because of our friend. Nevertheless, we continue to motivate him. We helped each other in providing the things that he needs for the upcoming December 2010 Board Exam and we kept our faith for our friend who strongly showed his willingness not just to pass the board exam but also to top it. Then, he took the board exam for the second time last December 2010.

2 months after the exam, the results were out and the roster list of successful examiners lurked the internet. As we searched for his name in the list, we were shocked because he didn't passed the exam again.

Our spirit were downed and our hearts were filled with emptiness. Days after the results were released our barkada decided to have a dinner together. From there, he opened about his plans of taking his 3rd exam by December 2011 instead of July 2011. He even asked some advice and suggestions for he was still undecided during that time. In the end, he made up his mind by taking the July 2011 Board Exam. After all, he's still motivated and he even told us that "There is no such thing as failure... Only success-delayed"

Then finally, his third board exam rendered... July 2 and 3, 2011. Our barkada prayed hard during this time and we believe that He deserved to have that R.N. title. Even after the examination, we continued praying for him.

A few days ago, one of our friends invited us to have a get together with the whole barkada on Saturday, August 20, 2011. Many of us came and a miracle happened. August 20th was the day wherein the results for the July 2011 board exam will be released! We stood aghast when we heard the news that our alma mater had 388 board passers out of 389. We hoped and prayed that it's not our friend who didn't passed the exam. As the roster list were finally uploaded and we searched for his name...

GOD IS SO GREAT!!!

HE PASSED THE BOARD EXAM!!!

A loud sound of cheers and greetings enveloped our friend. We were all happy because we witnessed a rare event wherein all of his friends were present when the results for the board exam came out! Some of us cried for the wonderful blessings He had showered in our barkada...

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Waiting on God. It seems right before dinner is the time you get the hungriest, and you feel you just can’t wait. It’s tempting to eat a cheap snack and then have your appetite spoiled for the great meal awaiting. That’s how it can be in life too. We are hungry for things—a job, a spouse, healing—and it feels like we just can’t wait, not even for God. You see, if you have a promise from God for something, it can be tempting at times to make it happen yourself.

A lady named Sarah in the Bible did this—and greatly regretted it. God had told her husband that they would have a son, even though she was old and infertile. But she just couldn’t wait any longer, and so she told her personal maid to sleep with her husband so she could adopt the child as her own. But this wasn’t God’s plan and it caused great heartache for all involved. The Bible says over and over, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).

Sometimes God’s timing may seem a little…slow. He does this on purpose. When would we have time to grow faith and trust in Him if we got everything we wanted the second we asked? No, the Bible says instead, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time” (Psalm 145:15). At the proper time is the key phrase here. What are you waiting for? Don’t do it in your own strength; let God make it happen for you. That doesn’t mean that you have no part in it; it just means you don’t act and do something when you know it isn’t what He wants for you.

You’ve got to know that His plan is way better than yours. God did indeed bless Sarah with her own son, Isaac, and he brought her great joy and laughter to see God do such a miraculous thing. But she didn’t have to make the mistake of not trusting Him. Take a moment right now to ask God to help you be patient and direct your paths. You can trust His perfect plan for your life. :)

Photo Hunt: Drink

2011-08-20T06:41:00.003+08:00

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Having a nice cool drink during one hot afternoon. Orange juice for refreshments and invigoration of the inner soul :) Happy Photo Hunting! :D

24: Before the Storm

2011-08-19T06:03:00.003+08:00

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High-Dynamic-Range imaging of a photo taken in a seaport of Mulanay, Quezon. It looks like there's a storm coming but actually there's none. I love HDR photos. I'm fascinated on how vibrant and contrast the color on every part of this photograph. Happy Sky Watch Friday!

LP 163: Comfortable

2011-08-18T10:40:00.004+08:00

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Another Litratong Pinoy Thursday Photo Challenge of the week. This week's theme is all about 'Comfortable or Cozy'.

I can officially say that my photo for this week is completely incomprehensible and inappropriate from the related theme. HAHA. Well, this is my perception. It has something to do with our 'comfort zones'. Every time we're stressed from our work or we perceived threat from our environment - we tend to find something or someone to mend the wounds in our hearts. I remember when I was in college I encountered 2 sets of failures from my consecutive projects, the first thing that I craved for was 'ice cream'. Ice cream as a comforter. :) I think you get my point hehehe... Enough said...

Food for Thought: Loyal Readership

2011-08-17T17:25:00.000+08:00

What a blessed day! I had an initial screening and interview a while ago in this huge health care institution somewhere in the south. It was tiring because my noodles were tangled and squeezed while answering those spear-headed questions of mental ability and personality. I wonder why do we have to experience pain while our primary purpose is to help our fellow countrymen. Maybe that's the reason why the health status of our people is not yet improving. There are myriads of people inclined in a medical profession (nursing rocks) but with no job in their related field(Hello Call Center). Welcome to the Philippines! Well, this could be a perfect sarcastic greeting for those who still wants to pursue a medical-related course here in the Philippines.

Anyway going back to the main topic, while filling up the application form during our initial screening, I was jotting down my data in an attendance sheet given by the HR-assistant. As I passed it to the girl in my left, her eyes grew as she read my name written on the sheet. I was flabbergasted when she asked 'Sino si Blaine Ordinario?' (Who's Blaine Ordinario?)

I replied hastily in a mellow voice, 'Ako po yun bakit?' (That's me, why?)

I was so bemused during that time. Maybe she's wondering because of my special first name with an ordinary last name. (Well, I'm used to that already hehe) Or maybe she's my long lost friend that I almost forgotten her identity. Bottom line, I really don't know the reason. Then she finally replied.

'Ah! Wala lang, nababasa ko lang kasi yung blog mo... Nakakatuwa kasi yung mga photos and videos mo...'
(Oh it's nothing, I'm used in reading your blog and I'm fond of viewing your photos and videos.)

Today's generation is totally different from the past. Everyone can see your information through the power of searching skills in the internet. Thanks to Google.

Here's how her story goes, she was searching this song entitled 'Tabing Ilog' by Barbie's Cradle then she saw my uploaded video somewhere in Multiply or YouTube. She told me that she was amazed and astonished to the video which I created 3 years ago...

The video is all about our 3-week community immersion in Liliw, Laguna. It was one of the most memorable events that had happened to me in my college life. This was the time we grew and developed our character and professionalism for the society. After watching this video she discovered my previous blog, (http://bla07.multiply.com) which is already close for public viewing, and started reading and viewing post every now and then.

According to a famous kindergarten song... It's a small world after all...

God is really good all the time! Sometimes you feel like you're alone in this world. You feel alone like no one's viewing and reading your posts but I'm thankful that God had showed me how great He is. He is always there to show His support. Even though you're not receiving comments from your posts but guess what, you have many people reading your blog. It doesn't matter for me how many readers I have per week but what matters most is the fact that I continue to inspire others. Even there's a time you are walking alone in an alley and you saw a guy wearing a t-shirt saying 'no one cares about your blog'... Well guess what... Jesus cares for you. He appreciates on the good things that you have done. The way you express and write that post is already enough in spreading the good news to your followers. He is always there for you because He loves you so much and His plans for you are for your own good and prosperity. (Jeremiah 29:11)

You know who you are :) Like what J.K. Rowling said, no author could ask for more wonderful and diverse loyal readership. I never knew that there is someone like you who kept on reading my blog for 3 years now. With this kind of blessing, I would like to say thank you for your time. God bless! :)

22: Memories of Yestermorn

2011-08-16T20:33:00.004+08:00

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The sound of rain rustling through the trees; dancing with the wind. The cold damp air enveloping my skin. The muddy brown road. The laughter of running children bathing in the rain. The white noise flamboyantly waving in my ear. As I close my eyes, I can feel nostalgia of the yestermorn. The peaceful terrain of Liliw, Laguna, Philippines.

Hello guys! The above thought is just a piece of my emotion every time I look in this photograph. When I was in college, I am used to be a community health nurse. I love working with various communities. I am fond of learning the traditions and culture of a certain community. The way you appreciate their beliefs, values and heritage is already an art of embracing humanity. The most memorable community that I worked with was in Liliw, Laguna.

I miss the temperate cold climate of Liliw. Every afternoon you'll experience rain which kept our laundry wet and unkempt. I also miss showering with the rain together with the children. This is how peaceful living in a community. How I wish to work in this place again... :)

21: Only in the Philippines

2011-08-15T21:34:00.005+08:00

Happy Tuesday and Wednesday Morning to all of you guys! :) Let me show you some of the beautiful and enjoyable things that you will discover only here in the Philippines. As of now, I observed that my blog is going global due to the increasing number of people viewing my blog. With this kind of blessing I would like to say thank you to your lovely comments. I appreciated it so much! :)

In the future, some of you will travel here in the Philippines and I'm going to show you two things that you must see and experience.

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The Jeepney
If we have 10 commandments for travelling here in the Philippines, then it'll be enacted that you must experience riding a jeepney. Your journey in the Philippines is not complete if you will miss this one.

The Jeepney is the most popular public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US Military Jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. (source: Wikipedia)

It is an affordable means of transportation and it only costs PHP 8.00 (USD 0.19) for the first five kilometers with an additional PHP 1.25 per succeeding kilometer. You'll also enjoy the colorful and eye-catching designs of each jeepney with booming music. If you want to save money for local transportation here in the Philippines then you will rely on these festively designed jeepneys.

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Cycle Rickshaw
This is a kind of a small scale transportation. In the Philippines, we call this as 'Pedicab' for it is powered with a regular frame bicycle attached in a chromatic vinyl-covered passenger seat. The pedicab is useful for short-distance transportation. The fare is a little bit expensive than the jeepney (fare ranging from PHP 10.00-20.00 or USD 0.23-0.43) for it can only accommodate up to 2 persons only and it is a tiring work for the driver.

So there you have it guys. It's just a glimpse of the enjoyable things here in the Philippines :) Better put these to your list if you plan to go here in the pearl of the orient. :)

Have a blessed day ahead :) God loves you :)

P.S.
By the way, if you love my work of art and you wish to have a printed copy of it, you can purchase it right over here.
http://www.redbubble.com/people/blaineordinario

20: Yellow Blossom at Lignon Hill, Legaspi City, Albay

2011-08-14T21:16:00.004+08:00

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Yellow Monday for today! :) According to a Color Test in Psychology, the color yellow is associated with laughter, cheerfulness and good times. Scientifically speaking, if we are surrounded with the right intensity of the color yellow, our brain releases serotonin responsible for optimism. :)

I took a picture of this vibrant yellow flower located besides the zigzag road of Lignon Hill in Legaspi City, Albay, Philippines. At the top of this hill is a wonderful viewing deck to the perfect cone-shaped volcano known as Mount Mayon. Photos of this volcano will be posted soon :)

Have an optimistic week ahead! :)

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

19: Blue Sky

2011-08-14T12:23:00.006+08:00

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Happy Sunday dear blog readers! :) It's been a wonderful week full of inspiration, lessons and values learned. For today I'm going to show you another set of jump shot photos taken last May 2011 in Mulanay, Quezon. These photos reminded me an OPM song ubiquitously heard from the radio when I was in high school. That song is "Blue Sky" by Hale and it's emblazoning in my mind while writing this post.

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Did you observe the vibrant blue color of the sky? To tell you straightly, these photos are unedited.

I'm living in an urban city and, for sure, most of us already observed how filthy and polluted our surrounding is. In the great city of Manila, you can clearly see the brown and dark-colored fumes scathing in mid-air. Due to the tremendous amounts of smoke coming from vehicles and factories, our sky had already turned into a natural sepia tone.

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Of course, from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we didn't waste our time during our stay here. We enjoyed taking jump shots making the blue sky as our background. It's like a station ID of a certain television network.

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I'm wondering when will be the time that this blue sky will be displayed again in Manila. Considering our generation and current situation today, I'm still thinking that nothing is impossible.

All environmentalist has this vision of restoring the beauty of our surroundings and this could be done with a small simple step. If one family will stop burning their own garbage and pursues proper waste disposal; that will be good. But if you do the math, how many families are there in a city? Let's say for example, one hundred thousand families. Then if these one hundred thousand families will follow the proper waste disposal act, imagine how many million tons of garbage will be dispose off properly; that would be excellent. Also, imagine how many million cubic meter of gas emissions will prune in the air we breathe; that would be perfect.

See? In just a small simple step followed by many is already helpful enough in resuscitating our ailing mother nature.

Anyway, this will be the end of my post. Happy Sunday everyone :) Have a great week ahead! :)

SOOC Sunday - http://www.murrieta365.com/

LP 162: Gone

2011-08-11T10:08:00.005+08:00

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Good morning! I have another entry for Litratong Pinoy's weekly challenge. For this week, our main theme is all about Gone or in Filipino (Wala na, ubos na).

I submitted a subliminal photo to them and it is posted above. This is a conceptual photograph which I took during the Good Friday of this year's holy week. While searching an entry for this difficult theme, I suddenly felt something about this photo. An emotion of how venality corrupts the country leaving the poor empty-handed. You see people everyday living in the streets for many years now and still only a few do care for them. Like what the LP(Litratong Pinoy) said in their latest post...

Kapag wala ka na sa mundong ito, anong alaala ang iyong iiwan? Minsan lamang tayong daraan sa buhay na ito, kaya’t kung ano mang kabutihan ang maaring mong ipakita sa ibang tao ay iyo na itong gawin dahil hindi na tayo muli pang mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na gawin ito. Masarap malaman na ang buhay mo ay naging makabuluhan para sa ibang tao. Ang kanilang buhay ay ang markang iyong iiwan sa mundong ito. - Litratong Pinoy

Therefore, before we leave this cruel world, we must do something for our people. Try volunteering yourself in Gawad Kalinga or any community programs offered in your city. In fact, the greatest gift that you can give to a person is your own personal time. Giving time for helping the poor, volunteering in a feeding program and many more are enough in building a prosperous future for more than a thousand Filipinos.

17: Emotive Portraits Part 1

2011-08-10T15:34:00.004+08:00

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How thankful I am for having a gear with 10x optical zoom. The advantages of having these zoom lens are the capability of capturing subjects even you are a hundred-feet away from them. I developed this habit of taking images from afar like a patrolling sniper. I would stay from an elevated ground obscured inside an indistinguishable hiding place and take photos as many times I want.

I love taking candid photos. It enables you to see the genuine personality of an individual. You can also observe vividly their mood, feelings and emotions through the viewfinder of your camera.

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I also observed that the more a photograph is taken naturally, the better. With this kind of style, you can easily divulge the message of a photograph. It also adds value and meaning. For example, from the photo posted above, several questions will burgeoned on your mind like "Where is he looking at?" or "What does he thinking?" This is an effective technique in making your photos interesting by letting your viewers rivet to your interesting subjects.

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I also love monochromatic images. Likewise, it adds up more meaning and value. There's a certain type of mood acting through your synaptic connections in your brain while viewing this photograph. Either you feel sad, lonely and abandoned, but that's how an effective photograph works... The viewer must feel the mood of your photograph. It doesn't matter what type of mood the viewer felt but what matters is, they FELT it. :)

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Another factor which makes your photograph great is by adding up a story on it. Let the viewers decipher the hidden plot in your photos. They may ask "Why are they laughing?" or "What does the two guys in the background talking about?" It's like virtually embedding the viewer inside the photograph and let him/her interact with the subjects.

This is one of the main reasons why people love photography. Many can't express their emotions through words and actions but they can express it through art. Thus, these emotions and feelings are then embedded in their masterpieces. Making it a medium of communication between the photographer and the viewer.

Love Photography <3
Shoot to Express.

16: Gilmore Station

2011-08-09T09:00:00.006+08:00

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This is the LRT Gilmore Station located besides St. Paul University - Quezon City. For 5 years of enjoying the benefits of LRT when I was a student, this station discerns as a good place for photography. Among all stations, the vertical elevation of the platform is high enough for you to see the dramatic setting of the sun. Considering the golden hour of photography, this place is also good for landscape photography viewing a wide range image of the Metro.

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I really love the mood of a photograph taken during the golden hour. It denotes loneliness or sometimes nostalgia. Deciphering the photograph above is a message of how time is adamant for all of us. Every second passes by, is a time earned or wasted. According to M.B. Ray

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in an eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake."

But the best thing to do here on our planet is to live by faith with God not by sight. :)

15: Tranquility

2011-08-08T07:00:00.004+08:00

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Tranquility. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, this word means free from agitation of mind or spirit; free from disturbance or turmoil; steady and stable.

Every individual person has its own aspect of tranquility. We have our own way and preferences on how to keep our inner spirit calm and timid. Today is Monday and for sure most of us will experience stress and disturbance from our surroundings. Your source of stress could be the long and time-wasting traffic along the highway or your unending numerous assigned tasks and assignments in the office. It could also be the people you are working with or even your boyfriend/girlfriend; or worst...your boss/professor.

Stress is ubiquitous and it's also virulent.

But if you can adapt easily in any stressful situation then you will have a seamless flow of positive aura leading to tranquility.

Try reading this article posted on the link below:
http://www.howtofightstress.com/5-stress-relievers-to-help-reduce-stress.html

This will give you some idea on how to fight stress :)

P.S.
I observed that this post affects the main theme of my blog. This is a photoblog not a health-tips-blog. HAHA. Quite bemusing though, but today is Monday and for sure most of us will be rattled again because of work/school. Well, then close your eyes, breathe, smile and your on the go. :)

By the way, I took the photo above in the province of Mulanay, Quezon last May 2011.

Have a blessed week ahead guys :)

<3 Photography
Shoot to Express!

14: The Marcos Shirt

2011-08-06T11:44:00.004+08:00

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Filipinos who were born before 1986 experienced the so called 'great' and 'bloodless' revolution written on our history books. The EDSA People Power Revolution. The Filipino nation fought hard against the dictatorship of Marcos's regime which forced him to abandon the presidential position. This historical event marks a triumphant denouement in Marcos's two-decade autocracy.

25 years after the successful revolution, some Filipinos believed that everything had changed negatively...
And the biggest question that always emblazoning in our mind is... "What are we really celebrating in People Power Revolution?"... Is it the fall of Marcos regimen who gave economic growth in the country? or the rise of the Aquino(s) who made our economy fall on a landslide.

I was born after 1986... Going back to our elementary days, our history text books gave us a different perspective about President Marcos. We were taught that Marcos was a dictator, a corrupt politician, chickboy, a bad person and many more. Generally, we view Marcos as a bad president and an abomination in the republic. The myriad achievements, late-president Marcos made, gone through the pits of oblivion. But later on, this perspective had undergone a Gaussian blur until our mind grasped a view glimpse of his positive side.

If we're going to talk about Marcos differently, his achievements for the country are notable. According to the SWS survey, during Marcos's time more than 70% of the Filipinos said that they don't experience hunger and poverty. But during President Corazon Aquino's time this rating had a steep drop of more than 30%. Even the international leaders are more loyal to Marcos than Aquino because of his exemplary leadership and management skills. Some people also say that he is the most intelligent president in the Philippines. He landed Top 1 in the 1939 Philippine Bar Exam with a board rating of 92.35% (Originally 98.01% - highest grade ever recorded).

And for some Filipinos, they still consider that Ferdinand E. Marcos was a great man.

I bought this Marcos Shirt yesterday from my former student. I consider this shirt as a metaphor and symbol of leadership and intelligence. This shirt doesn't express anger or turmoil from his dark history. It doesn't promote protest or fight against the Aquino Regimen but it is just an expression of showing that Marcos was a great man.

You can purchase this Marcos Shirt here: http://www.facebook.com/TheNostalgeek
http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario/

Litratong Pinoy 161: Nakasabit/Hanging

2011-08-04T22:58:00.003+08:00

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Hello there! This is my official entry for Litratong Pinoy's Weekly Challenge. :) The assigned theme for this week is all about 'hanging'. I took a photo of a laundry clip 'hanging' in a sampayan (tenterhook) located on our backyard in Ilocos Sur. :)

The vibrant blue color of the laundry clip gives a riveting effect that stands out against the blurred background. :)

Photo located here: Biboy's Flickr

12: Jump

2011-06-18T22:08:00.003+08:00

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This photo was taken last May 2011 at the seaport of Mulanay, Quezon Province, Philippines. We took this photo after we ate a sumptuous meal as a reward for the arduous long trip from Manila to Quezon Province. I love this shot because of the parallel colorful flags posted in this seaport which produces a unique view and perspective. As an altruistic alumnus of my alma mater, I volunteered myself a month ago in a Medical-Surgical Mission here in Mulanay. It was a great experience helping hundreds of community people :)

Happiness in excess displays in different ways, sometimes we jump... sometimes we cry... but most of all... we smile :)

Check out my Flickr Account :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/biboyordinario

11: Lunar Eclipse

2011-06-16T06:53:00.006+08:00

I read a news about an astronomical event that had happened last night which is a Lunar Eclipse. Well, I felt excited after reading the news and I hastily grabbed my phone to set my alarm clock. I set the alarm at around 2:20 AM for to witness the partial lunar eclipse and at 4:00 AM for the total lunar eclipse.

I was lucky because I woke up at the first alarm... Thanks to my sleep cycle who haven't reach the REM Stage yet haha...