Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Common Misconceptions of (Filipino) Photographers
Taken from this Link
Common Misconceptions of (Filipino) Photographers
1. Post processing = anything to do with photoshop
- post processing means post-EXPOSURE processing, even resizing, renaming, and tagging your files CAN already be considered as "PP'ing." Photoshop is just one of the possible tools that can be used when PP'ing but it doesnt necessarily mean that PP'ing = photoshop.
2. Street photography = photos of beggars/ street children/ vagrants with oversharpened eyes
- how many albums have you already seen labeled "street photography" where all photos in the set are of street kids/ beggars/ vagrants? Yes they can still be considered as "street photography" because you can see them in the public but street photography is more of any subject you see out there in the public and not just to beggars/ street children/ vagrants.
3. f2.8 = THE ultimate answer for low-light photography
- yes it lets you gather more light but try considering if a speedlight is better suited for your needs.
4. Noisy image = your photo(s) sucks cow balls (mag ISO 100 newb!)
- in low light situations, i prefer a noisy but sharp image rather than a non-noisy but blurred one. BUT of course it all depends on what the photographer wanted to convery in the image.
5. blurred/ soft photos = you're a noob (benta mo na dSLR mo gago!)
- the photo maybe a little soft but when printed in 4R @ 300PPI, only pixel peepers or people with magnifying lenses MAY complain... (take note of the MAY word) people nowadays are just too addicted with sharpness that they seem to fail to look at the WHOLE picture
6. Photography = memorizing all the technical mumbo jumbo and start reciting famous photographers in the Egyptian language... backwards...
- nowadays some just fail to appreciate a good photo and start to embrace photography "RULES' as if they are absolute. So what if the image was compositionally off or blurred or noisy? Did the photographer convey his message? If yes then screw the technicalities he nailed a GOOD shot.
To you are what are the (other) common misconceptions of (Filipino) photographers?
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Won My 1st Photo Contest!
Won 1st Place in Gawad Kalinga's Larawan ng Kabataan photo contest last Saturday December 6. Woohoo!
I actually didn't make it to the November 30 deadline of submission of entries since I was only able to find time to send my 3 entries a day after on December 1 when they were already supposed to release the finalists that same day! I was so relieved to know via email that they accepted, and ecstatic that they selected 1 to be a finalist. So thrilled and excited was I that I had a messy time mounting the pic, which I had printed at Kodak on an 8x12 matte finish, on an illustration board. I can't remember myself to be as clumsy as smearing the pic with glue! Lots of it! Good thing it was near the edge which was easier to clean up (once dried of course).
The rest of the pics are in my National Sagip Day album.
Winning Pic:
My Other 2 entries:
Thursday, December 4, 2008
A Real Photographer...
Link
A Real Photographer ....
Real photographers are not those only who have PRO Accounts in Flicker or Premium accounts here, nor those who just own an expensive DSLR and lenses.
A real photographer is not measured by how many of your photos appear in Multiply. It appears there simply because Multiply wants you to stay and maintain a Premium account with them.
Real photographers are not those who study photography, nor those who did not study at all.
A real photographer does not rely on his expensive cameras to capture a good photo. His camera, whether it’s the cheapest disposable camera or the D3, is only an extension of his mind. He starts to see a good photo not from the viewfinder but from his imagination.
A real photographer is not bound by photography rules. He is willing to jump outside the box of photography rules and make his originality.
A real photographer does not depend on good locations to photoshoot to have good photos. For him, every place where he stand is the best location.
A real photographer does not depend on expensive Flashes to capture good toned, shadowed pictures, but knows that nature has already provided him the best lighting.
A real photographer knows that he has to shoot thousands of photographs to have a handful of good shots.
A real photographer is not deceived by camera manufacturer’s glittering ads that their CAMERAS are the best.
A real photographer does not get flattered when someone appreciates his work, but was very happy when somebody criticizes his work as for him this is an opportunity for improvement.
A real photographer spends most of his time to appreciate the works of others than his own.
A real photographer knows that the best camera ever created is the EYES. Every person who has a pair of good eyes owns the best camera in the universe.
A real photographer does not brag, and does not expect his work to be appreciated by others, as he does photography as his soul. He is ashamed to show his soul and is only obliged to show it to a few privileged persons whom he know more.
A real photographer feels awkward brandishing a big DSLR and long lenses and still dream that technology could shrink DSLRs like a matchbox.
A real photographer does not care discussing the best models of cameras in the market rather he practices his skill on what he has, not what he's dreamed to buy.
A real photographer appreciates technology advancement on newer camera models, but still relies on experience as the best teacher in honing his skills.
DISCLAIMER: Do not take this seriously, and do not believe this as this is only to test your EMOTIONAL MATURITY as a photographer. Take it lightly and go, stare your camera, caress it, love it, and most especially get an Eye Drop, place a few drops in both your eyes, and see the world in the BEST CAMERA you ever had. You are the best photographer in your own category.
"Tis the Season: A Photo Journal Challenge
'Tis the Season: A Photo Journal Challenge
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
- A general leave of absence from a regular occupation for rest or recreation.
- A specific trip or journey for the purposes of recreation /tourism.
- Official or unofficial observances of religious/national/cultural/other
significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities (public/religious
holiday)
A holiday or vacation trip/break will often be undertaken during specific holiday observances, or be made for specific festivals or celebrations. Certain religious holidays may be of a more somber nature. Vacation or holidays are often used as a time to spend with friends or family."
"All the colors of the world emerge in this tapestry of original photographs, brought to you in Life Images, a new, 144-page quarterly special publication. Full-page images, accompanied by the photographers' journaling, invite you to share a moment in someone else's life." - from Stampington & Company's website.THE CHALLENGE: "'Tis the Season": A Photo Journal Challenge
Get your cameras ready. Between now and December 28, 2008, however you celebrate the holiday season, take a photograph of an image that makes this season meaningful to you. Take a picture of people or a person, an object or a thing, an act or a gesture, a place, a tradition, or even a random thing that caught your eye and made you feel so good that it made you say to yourself, "Yes, the holidays are really here!" Capture the magic of the holidays. Capture the meaning of this season. Then share it by sending it to us.Here's how:
- Email your photograph to: Challenges@bookoto.com or sign up and upload them to our gallery on or before December 28, 2008.
- You may send up to two (2) entries. Make sure it is original and taken for the purpose of joining this challenge. Photo entries should have been taken after November 20, 2008.
- This challenge is open to all, where ever you may be in the world.
- All property rights will be retained by the photographer. Entries will be posted in our gallery, while winning photos will be posted in our store site and blog . (No further compensation will be awarded to the winner over and above the prize pack.)
- You may use photo editing on your entries to enhance the quality of your photos.
- the title of your photograph
- the story behind your photo, or your photo journal
- what camera brand/model and lens/es did you use? Please include camera settings used to take the photos, as well as the processes/work flow utilized to achieve the end result of the photograph.
THE WINNER'S PRIZE
The winner will receive these: the whole year's publication of Life Images magazine courtesy of http://www.bookoto.com/ and Stampington & Company
Take us to your world through your photographs.
Take this challenge!
D80 Finally!
Finally, after one week of continuous searching for both brand new and pre-owned online postings fueled by a foiled transaction that shattered my heart into a gazillion pieces (please forgive me for being too emotional), my much awaited new toy has arrived.
Presenting... my new D80! (actual pics to follow)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
My Yahoo Pingbox
Check out YM 9.0's new feature. Too bad it can't be embedded on Multiply's main sections yet.
Ten Legal Commandments of Photography
Taken from PhotoJojo I. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it’s technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space. II. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of private property. If a building, for example, is visible from the sidewalk, it’s fair game. III. If you are on private property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obligated to honor that request. This includes posted signs. IV. Sensitive government buildings (military bases, nuclear facilities) can prohibit photography if it is deemed a threat to national security. V. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay. VI. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion: VII. Although “security” is often given as the reason somebody doesn’t want you to take photos, it’s rarely valid. Taking a photo of a publicly visible subject does not constitute terrorism, nor does it infringe on a company’s trade secrets. VIII. If you are challenged, you do not have to explain why you are taking pictures, nor to you have to disclose your identity (except in some cases when questioned by a law enforcement officer.) IX. Private parties have very limited rights to detain you against your will, and can be subject to legal action if they harass you. X. If someone tries to confiscate your camera and/or film, you don’t have to give it to them. If they take it by force or threaten you, they can be liable for things like theft and coercion. Even law enforcement officers need a court order.The Ten Legal Commandments of Photography
What To Do If You’re Confronted
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
To Save Wildlife, We Have to Enjoy It
Taken from UPMENCOM Link
Save-Wildlife,-We-Have-to-Enjoy-It.html
Thursday, October 16. 2008
by Mads Bajarias (GMANEWS.TV)
Yet ask a Pinoy kid what Philippine bird species he knows and he can probably come up with ten, including those not normally occurring in the Philippines, like those darn-cute penguins, toucans and the American bald eagle (a raptor that is actually a lot smaller than our spectacular, albeit almost-extinct due to deforestation, Philippine Eagle).
It’s not the kids’ fault that they know so little of Philippine avian life. Or that they know more about cartoon ones like Daffy Duck or Tweedy Bird, or non-native species like penguins and robins than local species like the Philippine Duck and the Celestial Monarch.
Natural history—wildlife and outdoors appreciation—does not feature prominently in our school system. Nowadays, the grim economic reality makes it prudent to produce nurses, welders, and healthcare professionals for export rather than wildlife biologists, naturalists and scientists who will study our own flora and fauna.
In school, what we have are the annual visits to the zoo to “learn” about animal behavior, despite the fact that caged animals act, even sometimes look, different from their cousins in the wild. Caged parrots, for instance, stop grooming and cleaning themselves causing gunk to matte and destroy their naturally beautiful tails. Wild parrots are lustrous and the clean, well-maintained tail feathers are a source of a male’s pride. Once you have observed at length a parrot sunning itself in the wild, showing off its well-kept feathers and bright-red bill for the world to admire, you’ll realize how a filthy and tiny cage can destroy an animal’s spirit and pride. Zoo visits have their educational uses, of course, but they should not be substitutes to saving and observing animals in their natural habitats.
Let’s see, what birds can you name? Maya? Philippine Eagle (formerly known as Monkey-eating Eagle)? Tamsi? Tarat? Kuwago? Uwak? Tagak? Pugo? Tikling? Loro?Kolasisi?Kalaw?
Oldtimers can probably still identify and differentiate the lawin, agila, mamuhag, sakbit, bangkas, tikwe, limbas, labuyo, salagunting, talabong, lapay, kamaboy, kanduro, tariktik, balikasyaw, manunubing, salaksak and mamumugot.
Former hunters can probably tell you the differences among punay, alimukon, tukmo, balud, bato-bato and punyalada. They will also exaggerate their stories, while at it.
Pinoys who can tell you the difference between the kandarapa and the hagibas are becoming rarer. Those who can differentiate loro, abucay and kolasisi probably number more, although these birds are becoming rarer due to illegal collection for the bird trade and destruction of forests—their homes.
Those who think the national bird is still the maya (Chestnut Munia) are mistaken; it’s the Philippine Eagle. And then again, what is a maya? We have lots of “mayas”: mayang-bahay, mayang-kawayan, mayang-kosta, mayang-paking and mayang-dampol. There’s even a so-called “Baclaran maya,” those poor juvenile munias and sparrows which are hand-dyed blue, green or maroon by vendors and sold to kids outside the Baclaran church, along with Crested Mynas and Javan Sparrows. Sometimes, one sees these artificially-colored “Baclaran mayas” in the wild, escapees, joining their natural-colored kin. So when you see a maroon-colored maya zipping by, don’t call National Geographic yet to report a new discovery, chances are that red dye will wash off after a few rainy days.
Amid this dearth of information, any effort to increase public awareness about the plight of Philippine wildlife is welcome.
The newly-produced “Birdwatching in the Philippines Vol. I” is therefore a timely addition to the literature. This handsome book, produced by the Department of Tourism with help from The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and Recreational Outdoor Exchange (R.O.X.), was designed by Robert Alejandro and written by Carlos M. Libosada Jr.
The book features photos of birds seen in the Philippines by leading Pinoy or Philippines-based wildlife photographers like Tina Mallari, Ivan Sarenas, Bobby Kintanar, Benedict de Laender, Nicky Icarangal, Orly Punzalan, Luis Limchiu and Nilo Arribas. The book shows the basics of responsible birding in the Philippines.
It’s human nature to save anything enjoyable. While various Philippine environmental NGOs are knee-deep in the nitty-gritty and often thankless (and not enjoyable) job of working with local communities to help preserve our forests and other natural habitats, this DOT book aims to make birdwatching an enjoyable pastime for foreign and local tourists. It is hoped, that when more Pinoys enjoy the wildlife around them, they will take an active interest in preserving these wild places and creatures, and not pave them over to make way for casinos, condos and parking lots.
What worries me about the fate of the almost-extinct Philippine Eagle is that most Pinoys don’t really enjoy this magnificent species outside of cages. Pinoys have become so used to seeing Philippine Eagles inside cages that there seems to be no urgent action—aside from pockets of conservation like the Philippine Eagle Foundation—to save the Eagle’s remaining wild population, or to seriously stop the cutting of native Philippine hardwoods, the preferred nesting trees of this unique raptor. If the Philippine Eagle goes extinct in the wild, it will be a damning indictment of Filipinos—a people who cannot even save its own national bird!
To observe and record birds in the Philippines, one needs a reliable guidebook. For all its nice features, “Birdwatching in the Philippines Vol. 1” is not a guidebook that will help one identify birds in the wild. It will not, for example, help you separate a Buzzing Flowerpecker from a Pygmy Flowerpecker, or a Chinese Goshawk from a Japanese Sparrowhawk. The only bird book guide for the Philippines remains “A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines” by Robert S. Kennedy etal. which is published by Oxford University Press. Unfortunately, this is not available in local bookstores.
But despite its limitations as a guidebook, “Birdwatching in the Philippines Vol. 1” is a good book for the beginner birder and budding naturalist to have. Some people I know always get goggle-eyed when I show them a picture by Tina Mallari of a White-bellied Woodpecker, a species found in the Philippines. Yep, we have woodpeckers in the Philippines, although, since they need extensive stands of forest to survive, they need our help. Clear-cutting of forests to make charcoal and furniture is dooming our woodpeckers.
Another family of birds that are harmed by our rapacious need for forest resources are owls. Little-understood, owls need big stands of trees to rest in during the day.
Aside from the larger, easier-to-see ones, we have a host of tiny, unobtrusive species like the smart-looking Silvery Kingfisher which can only be found in Mindanao, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. It has a chic black-and-white ensemble and bright-red “boots.” A photo of an individual by Benedict de Laender appears in this book.
And of course, a beautiful Blue-naped Parrot foraging on the tree canopy, by Tina Mallari, can also be seen in this book. Hopefully, people will note the difference here between caged and wild parrots and put an end to the practice of caging birds. If we take the time to search and observe these birds, we’d realize what a colorful country we have. If only we’d take better care of it.
All the birds require is that we leave them alone. Leave their nests alone, leave their feeding trees alone, leave their nesting-trees alone, leave the trees where they perform their courtships, leave the trees where they raise their young, leave the trees where they rest and sleep. Respect: It’s really not too much to ask.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Speechless
Just moments ago, my youngest sister handed me a brand new Nikon 50mm f/1.8D, all boxed up with a Worldwide Service Warranty card. She said it was from a colleague of hers who was apparently impressed with my photos on this site.
I was totally dumbfounded. 
Gestures like these just inspire you to improve your craft further. If you're reading this, I sincerely and deeply appreciate the gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuloy pa rin ang Ligaya!
E-Heads reunion concert update!
Philip Morris has turned over promotion rights of the much-anticipated reunion gig to Radiohead Media after the much ballyhooed protests over the sponsorship of the said tobacco company.
Yey!: The concert is still scheduled on August 30 and this time at the open grounds of The Fort (IMHO, a better location).
Boo!: Tickets are NO longer free. They'll be priced at P800 and P1,300.
Read the rest of the story here.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Jump No. 2
Jump No. 2 would be way easier. Or so I thought.
Owing to the sweet urge of wanting to do a 2nd jump right after the historic 1st, I confidently yet erringly thought that the feeling would be the same even after 2 months. It wasn't at all! Not even close. It was like the 1st time all over the again. What's even worse is that it took all 5 big guys of us roughly an hour and a half of deliberation, easily outdoing my 1st time.
"Wala naman 'to sa itenerary di ba? Wag na lang!"
"Kaya ko e pero di ko lang talaga makita ung baba." "Wala naman tayo kelangan i-prove e." "Mauna ka na. Nakatalon ka na naman dati e." "Sige mauuna ako pero sunod kayo agad ha."
"Gano nga ba kataas to?"
Yada... yada...yada...
It took Manong JR, our bangkero, for us to finally take the approximately 33-foot drop. He looked every bit the veteran of the jump yet you could still see the split-second hesitation before the he finally took the leap. Ricky came in next, just seconds after Manong JR. I ended up 2nd again after Carl backed out the last minute. He mustered enough courage to jump next though. Exe made it last after 3 tries. As for Onin, well, enough said...
Jump No. 2, check! Jump No. 3? Nah.
You can check out Jump No. 1 here.
The pic above is a reference on how high the cliff was. 1 pink segment is approximately 5'7" high (my height). You do the math.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Nonopolitan - MyMiniCity
For all you Sim City fans out there, this is not for you. MyMiniCity is an online city-builder that looks a lot like SC2K, without the usual Sim City god-like control **evil laugh**. Population, industries, etc. grow by having your city endlessly clicked or visited daily. It's that simple. A great way to waste your time on the net!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Rumor No More
Can't wait for the biggest event of the year.
http://www.philstar.com/archives.php?aid=2008071263&type=2
Flash: Eraserheads reunite!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
According to the STAR source, all the original members (photo) are performing — Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro and Raimund Marasigan.
This piece of good news should make the Eraserheads fans very happy.
Said to be the ‘greatest Pinoy band,’ the Eraserheads will sing all their hit songs, including Alapaap, Toyang and Ang Huling El Bimbo.
So much water, so to speak, has flowed under the bridge since the band broke up years ago.
Ely, who survived a heart attack two years ago, has formed two bands, Mongol (which didn’t last long) and Pupil (still playing).
‘It took one big company to bring the former band members together,’ said the source who is keeping the company’s identity ‘confidential’ for the time being.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
DIY: Dry Box
Presenting the Dry Box, a box that exactly does just that. Perfect for tagging your precious DSLR along beach trips or plain storage at home, the Dry Box comes in many different sizes and ummm, flavors. Some simply hold a ton of dessicant inside for sucking the moisture out the air while some employ electronic dehumidifiers. Other include a hygrometer for monitoring and even a sensor for detecting broken seals. Whew! Talk about technology for such a simple box. And technology comes at a price.
So since I couldn’t afford a PHP3k+ dry box, I decided to go DIY. All items were purchased from SM Hardware section.
- 10L Lock and Lock container: P599.75
- 1 box of Silica Gel: P64.75
For thousands less, you get the same air-tight, water-tight and moisture-free compartment its more hi-tech counterparts offer. Ok, it's probably not the same as those that pump air out but the Silica Gel still works as expected. If you manage to scour for Silica Gel packs from your old shoeboxes, you could shave 60 bucks more. That’s about 1 liter of gasoline already! 
I could have added a Hygrometer but I really have no intention of making humidity readings, more so, monitor the humidity level inside the box. I'll just remind myself to recharge the Silica Gel everytime they’ve already sucked in enough moisture from the air. To recharge, just leave the packs under the sun or cook it very quickly in a microwave oven. until the color clears up. The Silica Gel I got turns reddish when packed.
As for the container, the dimensions I chose are good enough to store the Nikon D40 body + the long 18-200VR lens attached, a Nikon Speedlight SB-800 flash (if I decide to buy one), another small lens like the 50mm f/1.8D or even a Nikon 12-24 UWA, and several stacked filters. Perhaps even a 70-300mm would still fit sideways. Plus it’s got a neat handle for carrying around.TIP: Never store or place your camera in the following conditions:
- Direct sunlight (that's hot!)
- Wooden closet (it's very humid in here)
- Near places with water such as aquariums, sinks, laundry room (I mean why would you?)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Infobits: Normal and Slow Sync Flash
In the aftermath of a failed UP night shoot last night (how redundant), I decided to fiddle around my cam while reading Ken’s User Guide in the hopes of learning something new.
After around 5 minutes of endless browsing, I came across a topic I rarely delve into – flash. Well, it’s about time I got to know a tad about it anyways since I get to use it every now and then without really knowing what it does. So for the first time, I got to grasp the difference between Normal and Slow Sync Flash and how it affects the exposure. Or at least that’s what I’d like to think
Normal Flash
In Normal flash, the flash fires instantly after the shutter is released. My friends call this the “blinding mechanism”.
In P(rogram) and A(perture) modes, it also normally tells the shutter to stay open no longer than around 1/60 seconds (according to Ken and which I was able to validate last night).
1/60 seconds is relatively short so usually you may notice that indoor pictures taken with Normal flash produce a brightly exposed subject but with a substantially underexposed (near black) background.
The dark background is due to not having a long enough shutter to let enough ambient light fill the background.
The bright subject on the other hand, is caused by too much direct light hitting the face. On people with make-up, it’s as if too much face powder was put on. Might as well used a cheapo flashlight if you really intended to have this effect. This is where flash diffusers or bouncers come in very handy because they diffuse or soften the intense light hitting the subject (thus also minimizing harsh shadows) and/or bounce the light off, say the 10-foot ceiling, to create incident light (which is softer on the skin) and adequately light the background as well.
On bright sunny days especially when you have no choice but to have the sun behind your subject to capture the breathtaking backdrop, you can also use Normal Flash to provide fill light to an otherwise shadowed out subject. I use this a lot.
Slow Flash
Slow Flash on the other hand, which is only available in P(rogram) and A(perture) modes, lets the shutter stay open long enough to let ambient light expose properly with the flash. This creates a very well exposed image since both the subject and background are well lit – the subject is lighted by the flash while the background is illuminated by ambient light (and the flash as well) due to the longer shutter. The trade-off though of the longer exposure is that moving subjects are blurred and in very dark rooms, the shutter can be awkwardly very long for people as subjects.
The rule of thumb for capturing sharp pictures with no blur is to use a shutter speed of 1 over the focal length (1/f). With the kit lens at say 50mm focal length, the ideal shutter speed would be somewhere around 1/50 seconds. Note however too that it may be hard to avoid blurs while taking hand-held shots at shutter speeds slower than 1/50 seconds, especially if you’re “pasmado” like me. If you have Vibration Reduction (VR) lenses like the Nikon 18-200mm VRII or the 55-200mm VR, you could lower this minimum to around 2 to 4 more stops. Otherwise, a tripod is a must if you want to use Slow Flash in inadequately lit rooms.
In daylight, Slow Flash would presumably have the same effect as Normal Flash since the required shutter would be relatively short anyways.
Slow Flash ain’t available in M(anual) mode since you can adjust the shutter speed as desired. But it gets tricky since it would be hard for newbies like us to estimate how long it would really take to have a well-exposed image with flash. It comes with experience. So I guess this reason is enough for me slowly shift away from M(anual) and start familiarizing myself with P(rogram) mode now.
Test Shots
Both shots were taken at 18mm focal length using P(rogram) mode at P* f/3.5 under ISO200. I used a tripod as well to maintain the same framing and counter my unsteady hands.
Normal Flash (1/60s) Slow Sync (2s)
Keep on shooting!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lakbayan Says I Need To Travel More
My Lakbayan grade is C!
How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.Sunday, June 1, 2008
Worth the Climb
After more than a month, Team Gulatan once again headed off to another weekend adventure - the Team Gulatan way. This time around, we decided to try our luck in nearby Tagaytay.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tips: Changing Lenses
While being the cheaper alternative, a major drawback though of changing lenses quite often is that it greatly increases the chances of dust entering your body. Dust appears as tiny specs or even smudges on your images and could ruin your sensor if not taken care of properly. Here are some tips on changing lenses.
- Always change lenses in an environment that is as dust-free as possible.
- Always have the body facing down to minimize dust from falling/getting in.
- Minimize the use of blowers unless really needed. Blowers don't easily get the dust out of the body, especially for dust that has already stuck to the sensor/mirrors and instead cause them to just fly around. An anti-static blower/medium is needed to really get the dust off.
- Don't leave the mount open without the body cap on for prolonged periods of time.
- Try to change lenses as quickly as possible.
Clean as a Whistle
Finally, I was able to have my sensor cleaned at Columbia in Cubao after having my beloved cam endure the long wait from my trip to dusty Bolinao. According to the attendant, cleaning normally takes only 45 minutes to an hour but since the technician wasn't in yet, I had to wait around 3 hours before I got my cam back. It's a good thing Cubao was just a stone's throw away so I went home for lunch instead. Ok, it's not that close really. Well, at least if Superman threw the rock, it could be.
The attendant was kind enough to send me an SMS that my cam was ready for pick-up. Sensor cleaning cost me a very-difficult-to-let-go P1,250. It would take another P1,250 for body cleaning (includes viewfinder, etc.) but is not recommended outright unless really needed. At the current health of my cam, body cleaning wasn't needed yet. Whew! But the technician was nevertheless aghast at how dusty the sensor was and obliged to show me before and after images. Check this out...
BEFORE CLEANING
AFTER CLEANING
I think I'll be getting myself a Nikon 18-200VR instead after this experience. Shuffling between my 18-55 and 55-200VR is just too worrisome. Now where is that lotto ticket...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
There's A B-Side To Every Story
This billboard showcasing the new Penshoppe B-Side collection pretty much summed up my day today - B-side material. Doesn't B-side connote something like "not good enough for A-side material but will rather suffice"? Hmmm... I wonder if Penshoppe marketing ever thought of that.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Making up for lost time
OMG! How time flies when you're too caught up! June 27th was the last post in this blog I tried so hard to find time to maintain. And here I am 7 months later, wanting a new blog, a photo blog in particular, to compliment my new toy and hobby.
To recap the last 7 months:
- The project that rid me of blogging time, or any other personal time for that matter, is finally over (yey!)
- Only to be replaced by an equally demanding new project (boo!) but less time-consuming at that (yey!)
- Spent almost a week in Singapore for a well-deserved respite (yey!)
- 300 bucks for a beer in over-hyped and undersized Hooters (boo!)
- A business opportunity itself for a partnership to revive a provincial road-side bar (yey!)
- Only to have me, and eventually the principal partner, retract for the very same reason I wasn't able to blog (boo!)
- I turned 1 year in the coolest company I'm currently working my ass off for by the time the project went live (yey!)
- But it took less for me and the love-of-my-life to call it off (sob...)
- I was able to finally grab my hands on the much-coveted Nikon D40, an early Christmas present and long-overdue birthday gift in one! (yey!)
- While some cheap bastard was able to get his hands on my wallet at the same time (boo!)
- I'm loving every bit of my new found hobby - digital photography (yey!)
- While still struggling to find that oh so precious time (boo!)
- Our barkada finally was able to book a trip to Bangkok (yey!)
- Which only purged my purse empty, at least for the time being, for my dream lens, a Nikkor 18-200mm VR (boo!)
Ok, I'm gonna stick it out with Blogger.
