frameone vol 8 issue 2 2014

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VOLUME 6, 2013, ISSUE 1THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PH OGRAPHERS FOUNDATION, INC.THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PH OGRAPHERS FOUNDATION, INC.OT

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PHOTOGRAPHER FOUNDATION, INC. VOLUME 8, 2014 ISSUE 2

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Iloilo Paraw Regatta • Zamboanga Workshop • The Importance of Heritage • Lightroom Editing • Sony World Photography Awards

PhotoWorld Cup 2014 Photo Competition Winners

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Cover Photoby Cecilia S. Angeles

Ruins of the ancestral mansion of Don MarianoLedesma Lacson in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.During World War II the Americans burned down thismansion to prevent the Japanese soldiers to use it as headquarters. The house was on fire for three days, yet the basic structures remained solid and uprightuntil today. Local and foreign tourists” itinerary is not complete if they do not visit this impressive treasure.

04 Iloilo Paraw Regatta

06 The Visual Art of G-nie Arambulo - Chloe

08 Summer Kiddie Photo Workshop - CSAngeles

09 Anilao - CSAngeles

10 Circles - CSAngeles

12 Emotions - CSAngeles

14 Woods / Wood - CSAngeles

16 Pitik Mulat Advocacy Photograpy

18 The Importance of Heritage – Betty Lalana

20 Light Room Editing – Chris Malinao

23 Dozen Don’ts / What They Say - CSAngeles

24 Passing Shots - Lito Beltran

26 Sony World Photography Awards

27 Festival of Photos, Reportage and Documentary Film in ASEANCommunity

27 Up, Up and Away - Chloe

28 CCP Pasinaya Festival - CSAngeles

30 Creative Fireworks Photography - Ruwen Verdaguer

31 Funtastic Philippines

33 Kerala – Vinod Thomas

35 A Master at Ten - CSAngeles

36 Noli Yamsuan: Outstanding Photo Journalist – Chloe

36 Birding - Atty. Ramos Quisimbing

38 Photography and Faith - Dr. Czar Adonis V. Lingad

38 Shooting Interior - Maggie P. Badilla

Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc.A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002Tels: (632)524 7576; 524 4175; Telefax: (632)528 0371E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

FPPF PUBLISHERSEduviges Y. Huang, ChairpersonDr.Amado A.Castro, Finance OfficerLito N.Beltran, Project Director

EDITOR-in-CHIEFCeciliaS.Angeles, [email protected] CONTRIBUTORSLito Beltran, Noy del Mundo, Ruwen Verdaguer, Vinod ThomasMaggie P. Badilla, Dr. Czar Adonis V. LingadChris Malinao, Betty Lalana, Chloe De Guzman

PHOTOGRAPHERSEdi Y. Huang, Lito Beltran, Boy Capala, Kim Lorenzo Salvador, Israel Villa

SECRETARIATJobelle

GRAPHIC DESIGNFrando M. Culata • Oji G. Meraña Foto@Work Creative Group


Printed byRoma Print Haus • 757-4680

CONTENTS>Editorial

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The Pride of PPPF

Congratulations, local and international photography contest winners. You make FPPF very proud of you. The same pride is felt by your family, friends, relatives, countrymen or people whom you do not know but have seen your winning picture or simply heard about it. As if only yesterday, you were engrossed in the photography workshop you were enrolled in. Then you happened to capture a picture that looked a perfect entry to this national contest. You were tempted to submit it as an entry. Then the newspapers heralded to the world that you won! Maybe not the first prize. Neither the second. But you still won, and your pride soared with the clouds. Forever, the achievement is glued to your name. The joy was not limited to your heart Happy were your family, friends, classmates, neighbors, acquaintances especially the the people involved in your learning photograqphy. This experience gave you more than the material benefits. It enhanced further your desire to improve your photography to open more benefits. And you discovered that this art is a lucrative source of income and endless opportunities.

Big companies sponsor photography contests and offer big prizes in cash or in kind or both. It is a way of sharing to others a portion of their income which somehow uplifts the financial earning of fellowmen in addition to enriching the experience of contestants in their craft. Some new photographers who become engrossed in photography makeit as another source of income. And this is not bad either.

FPPF has many workshop participants who have won in local, national or international photography contests. Others may not have joined photog-raphy contests, but they have established studios and are now earning from photography. They are indeed the pride of FPPF. (CSA)

Congratulations !!!

Mr. Ruwen Verdaguer for winning two major prizes in the 2014 PAGCOR National Photography Contest. He hauled some P250,000, handsome trophies and material gifts froim the contest sponsors. Wig Tysmans recorded the happy moment in a selffie shot.


FEATURES>

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A Perspective of the Paraw THE PARAW

The principal attraction of Iloilo Paraw Regatta are the double outrigger boats called “paraw”. This native sailboat has been in existence for no one knows how long. But the fact remains that the people of the Iloilo Strait are still to this day using the paraw as a means of transportation as well a source of livelihood. With a fresh breeze, and an Ilonggo at the helm, the paraw is a strikingly fast boat, making 20 to 30 kph through the waves. Indeed, the paraw was the inspiring prototype from which the Westerners have developed what they call the trimaran, the fastest sailboats now on the planet.

THE OUTRIGGERS

Paraws are fitted with outrigger floats of bamboo to stabilize the boat and prevent the slim main hull from tipping over. The out-riggers curve upward toward the bow to refine their impact on the waves, and most importantly serve as platforms on which the crew can stand to use their weight to create further stability against the tipping force of the wind in the sails. For maximum speed, the out-rigger will not be submerged, but just kiss the surface of the water.

Now on its 42nd year, The Iloilo Paraw Regatta is the oldest traditional craft event in Asia, and the largest

sailing event in the Philippines. The Iloilo Paraw Regatta Foundation currently organizes the activities, with leading support from the Iloilo City and Provincial Governments and the Department of Tourism, along with private sector donations.

Activities have been expanded to spread over a week. On the Saturday of the climactic weekend there is slalom racing on a course by the beach to facilitate crowd partic-ipation. On Sunday, the thirty-kilometer distance race is sailed on a course in the Iloilo Strait, running up the coast of Panay and then down the coast of Guimaras, before returning to the finish at Villa Beach. Participant exposure to the events is in the tens of thousands.

The geophysical shape of the Iloilo Strait provides year round breezes. Thus the working sailboat still predomi-nates. In these times of high fuel costs, and polluting oil spills, one can appreciate the simple ecology of the tradi-tional paraw. Nevertheless, the skills needed to sail are far more complex.

The objective of the Regatta is to celebrate the skills of the paraw sailors, and bring a fiesta spirit into their lives. And with the colorful painted sails, this spirit is brought into the lives of participants and tourists as well.

I l o i l o P a r a wR e g a t t a 2 0 1 4

THE HULL Built up from a carved keelson with plywood planking for the sides, the hull is pointed at both the front and back ends, with the rudder hung off the side astern. The key feature of the hull is its slim shape, with a length to beam ratio of 20 to 1. Such proportions cre-ate a knife-like effect to cut through the water, freeing the boat from displacement constraints. Also, sideways drift, or leeway, is largely eliminated. For racing purposes, the boats are divided into classes on the basis of waterline length.

THE SAILS Originally made from woven matting, sails nowadays are stitched up from synthetic awning materials. The small forward sail, or blade jib, feeds the wind into the powerful, low-aspect driving mainsail, the boom of which extends several feet beyong the boat’s hull. In ideal conditions, the paraw can sail close to the speed of the wind. For racing, no limits are imposed on the size of the sails.

Source: Iloilo Paraw Regatta Official Website http://www.iloiloparaw-regatta.com/

Francis Dela Cruz Francis Dela Cruz

Francis Dela CruzIcky

Francis Dela CruzIcky


Warm, bubbly, very accommodating is Ms. Ginie Arambulo

of Ad Photo Studio. We had a great conversation some-

time ago which made me discover her talent and passion in

advertising photography. Actually, she is a graduate of Bache-

lor of Fine Arts major in Advertising at the College of the Holy

Spirit. She is now involved in a career she loves very much.

Most of her pictures feature consumer products which regu-

larly grace newspapers, magazines, print ads, billboards and

events. She considers advertising establishments like hotels,

resorts, buildings very lucrative in the advertising photogra-

phy business. Why? Because involved in the photography

is the complexity of the pictures which include shooting the

location, the façade, the interior parts, decorative elements,

and other features. What is the secret in her workplace?

Her day starts with a cup of hot coffee, then the inspiration

coming from her dear mother and loved ones particularly her

pamangkins, Lucy, her pet pomeranian, favorite music, even

special effects in movies tickle her brain and heart to compose

creatively convincing sales ideas.

I have seen in her the talent and passion of a commercial

artist shown in advertising photography, the most difficult

segment of photography. Other fields of photography simply

please the photographer himself, but Genie’s photography

goes beyond this. Her pictures must convince viewers to get,

acquire, buy, own, use the subject she has presented. Her

visuals simply reflect who she is and how articulate she can

be in her art which has been featured not only in advertising

flyers and billboards but also in magazines, newspapers and

television or radio commercials. An example: the liquid spill

of Boysen paints turn into petals of a beautiful flower com-

plete with stem and colorful pistils without using a brush. Her

secret? Better ask her.

Ginie is a versatile advertising photographer who has worked

with Tatay John Chua of Adphoto since 1991. Adphoto is a big

time advertising company whose clients include commercial

companies, movie stars, car companies, businessmen and

many more.

Ginie does a lot of travelling. In fact, she has been to Turkey,

Dubai, Hongkong, Europe, Cambodia, Macau. Travelling gives

her a chance to explore the different cultures of places which

can enrich further her mastery of advertising photography.

TheVisual

Artof

FEATURES>

G-nie ARAMBULO


By Chloe de Guzman

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Somewhere in Mabini, Batangas is a less popular shooting site for photographers, yet when explored

closely these lens men experience a different thrill . . . kilig to the bones. I’m talking about Anilao. Its land-scape features green hills accented with tall trees, wild weeds, big rocks and collectible stones. A more fantastic scenery lies down below the surface of the water . . . the deeper, the more picturesque. Breathing shells and corals of all sizes and shapes caressed by attractive schools of fish and a million more nameless underwater creatures and species are certainly a photographer’s delight. So . . . a necessary skill of a photographer is diving and shoot-ing, not merely swimming while shooting. An underwater camera with macro or telephoto lens powered by full battery is a convenient tool.

On the surface of Anilao waters is an equally exciting activity . . . surfing. This sport can certainly drive a pho-tographer crazy. The subject is not much of the surfer, for he may simply appear a silhouette in the picture. But the grace, forms and lines created by the surf on the surface of the water stir delight among photographers. Anilao at present is often visited by surfers particularly the place of Mr. Noy del Mundo, a businessman and a pioneer photographer/surfer in Anilao. He acquired a property here sometime in the early l980 at an extremely give away price. Even its easy lay away mode of pay-ment did not become a problem to Mr. del Mundo. He provided tents to visitors, surfers, excursionists, even to foreigners who earlier came to this place. And why not? They were the only facilities he could offer. Many visitors spent their free time there. In fact, Mr. del Mundo invited Kameradare with 45 members to visit Anilao. I was then the club president. We stayed there in tents, and we exhibited our pictures at the Traders’ Hotel Gallery on Roxas Boulevard. (Mr. Noy, Thanks a lot.)

The Philippines consists of 7,107 islands, so wind surfing is very popular here. The water activity has become so popular and universal that some water sports lovers have organized regattas in various places, including Anilao. Members of the Seventh Day Adventist usually spend time here for their holy retreat. Another constant visitor in Anilao was Ernie Marcelo of Malabon who used to take his children there to enjoy surfing. Mr. Marcelo’s kids actually started the wind surfing regatta here. A German surfer, Nikos Tiguel, was invited to a wind surfing event in Cebu and also in Anilao

Mr. Noy del Mundo who used to work in Channel 9 and 13 and some local dailies invited a sail maker from Hong-kong. Soon regattas in Anilao with limited surf boards became a regular activity. Mayor Manny Cabili currently organizes the wind surfing regatta in Anilao. Francis Rivera of the Camera Club of the Philippines and Luis Manzano, the young people’s idol often visit Anilao to surf and shoot.

Anilao By CSAngeles

Haven for Photographersand Surfers

“Congratulations! You can now establish your own photo studio and have your own business in photography. Your portraits are outstand-ing!” The participants clapped their hands hard. I was not kidding after they themselves finished critiquing their own on- the- spot activity. . . . I shoot you, you shoot me. Then I realized that I was not talking to the mature participants of the regular photo workshop but to a group of kids who were enrolled in the FPPF Kiddie Photo Workshop at Fort Santiago, many of them still in the elementary school and not yet teenagers. But. . . yes, a big but, their equipment fits what professional photographers use. Digitally complicated. So many bottons to adjust before getting the correct exposure and a sharp picture. They were taught by instructor Elwin Noche the rudiments of the camera and other technical aspects in photography. I gave them a lecture on Composition and on the second day lighting patterns on Portraiture which they applied in their shooting. Guided by the lectures previously given, the children personally critiqued their personal shots. Asked how he captured a close up composition of a white flower against a solid dark background, the participant answered, “I focused my camera very near the flower, bent my knees lower to avoid the direct sun on the trunk. The background is actually the shadow of leaves of the same tree.”

I did not use actual photos to illustrate lighting patterns for portraits. Instead I created line drawings on the board to illustrate the light and shadow of these lighting patterns: split, broad, short, Rembrandt, butterfly. They also learned where to angle one source of artificial light to create the light patterns. They captured three of these lighting patterns for portrait which they themselves critiqued. When they did, I had goose pimples. They talked like experienced photographers already. Below were some of their comments:

This photography class is very wonderful and fun. I learned a lot of things about photography like balance of light is important to make a photo good. I also learned how to use different modes. Thank you for teaching us. I learned how to adjust and control my DSLR. The lessons helped me enhance and improve my skills. The shots that I made were great. I will continue to learn and work hard in my photography.

I learned that every control in the camera is very important. I learned how to use the law of thirds. I thank the FPPF photographers for helping us and for their patience and time.This photography lessons are fun for me. I learned a lot of tips on Com-position.

I learned sooooo much. I am thankful to Ma’am. My favorite lighting pat-terns on portrait are split and Rembrandt. I can’t wait for more.

The Kiddie Photography lesson is so fun. We learned many things like: the picture must tell a story and have law of thirds. Subject must be off the center and show contrast in tones and colors. The subject can be framed or have an accent. Shoot interesting sky, not bald ones. Avoid false attachment and vary perspectives. Shoot deep depth of field or shallow depth of field. Bracket composition. Ma’am Cecilia S. Angeles is a very good photography teacher. She is very talkative in a teaching way.I like this Kiddie Photo Seminar because I learned many lessons about what Ms. Angeles taught. . . how to be a good photographer.

I learned that photography is a form of art and each photo gives mean-ings. Position of light and angle of shooting also has meanings.

This photography class or seminar showed me different styles of taking pictures in different modes which I didn’t know how to use before. It also taught me how to critique photos and how to make them better. The teachers are nice.

I have learned that photography is a form of art that shows different meanings. Each lighting pattern has also meanings. Important in photog-raphy is the angle in shooting (perspective) and the story it.

Masaya ang workshop. Marami akong natutunan dito. Marami na akong napuntahang photography workshop pero ito lang ang nagustuhan ko.

Ang paborito kong lighting ay split.

FEATURES>By CSAngeles

Summer Kiddie Photo Workshop

1ST MAI MAI LANDSCAPE

3RD JESELLA LANDSCAPE

5TH CHESKA LANDSCAPE

2ND JALYSSA LANDSCAPE

4TH RUDEZA LANDSCAPE

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CIRCLES

Circles . . . a perfect form in geometry. At a stair case from the highest floor of a multiple story building,

Alexander Mempin of PLDT Lens Camera Club saw the winding stairs of the building, its light colored hand rails creating circles at bird’s eye view. This merited the first place. The club entry of Manila Avid showed a still life composition of salakot, bilao, buko cut in half, a bowl containing mongo beans, a mortar containing round fruits, a pestle on one side plus a plastic jar cover. These circles landed second place. Third placer Jose Edward Jr. of GenSan Camera Club presented a dozen colorful raw food ingredients, not necessarily round, but each of them contained in round plates, saucers and bowls.Captured at the right moment is the circular line created

by a fishing gadget thrown by a fisherman on a banca, an open net within the line. No other element disturbed the sea. This landed fourth place for Manalo Ong Jr. of Imaje Camera Club.

Focal 7 photographer Joan Salvador won fifth place for her concentric circles, apparently the passage of an an-cient antique structure built of lime and stone.

Completing the ten top notchers were Randy Elip of Oro Photography Society, sixth place; Dani Sico, Alpha, seventh; John Paul T. Fernandez, PLDT Lens Camera Club, eighth; Robo Formacion, Luneta Camera Club, ninth; Nula Jo, Images Camera Club, tenth. (CSAngeles)

1ST PLACE, ALEXANDER G. MEMPINPLDT LENS CAMERA CLUB

2ND PLACEMANILA AVID PHOTOGRAPHERS CLUB

3RD PLACE,JOSE EDANG JR. GENSAN CAMERA CLUB

4TH PLACE, HAROLD ONGIMAGES CAMERA CLUB

6TH PLACE, MATOY ELIPEORO PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

7TH PLACE, DANI SICOALPHA CAMERA CLUB

8TH PLACE, JOHN PAUL T. FERNANDEZPLDT LENS CAMERA CLUB

5TH PLACE, JOANNA SALAZARFOCAL 7 CAMERA CLUB

9TH PLACE, ROBO FORMACIONLUCIDA CAMERA CLUB

10TH PLACE, MIKE JO,IMAGES CAMERA CLUB


Eyes wide open. Lips firmly closed. Skin, pixelized maybe to enhance its black and white print. Head

cropped tightly just above the eyebrows. Pupils of the eyes reflecting mystery. So the judges were likewise convinced to give Archielou D. Romero of Beyond Lenti the top prize for February. Contrasting emotions for the happy parents and the crying baby enhanced beautiful-ly with perfect backlighting. Outlining the composition gave perennial photo contest winner Rod Vicente of Tropang Pinoy, second place.

“Yehey . . . . .” the third place picture of R.S. Almazan of Montalban Camera Club mutely shouted as he leaped in joy to express his happy emotion. Contrast to the happy emotion expressed by the previous subject. The fourth place entry of Noel Uvaldo of Pangasinan Photographers

Club showed sadness. The boy framed by discoordi-nated straw strips and without ever repeated patterns. Maybe the sad foreground is an frame for a said subject. This won fourth place. Fifth placer of Carlo Zamora expressed Rembrandt chiaroscuro style of a very sad Asian monk. Sad maybe because it lacks breathing space.

Completing the top ten for the February PhotoCup monthly contest were: Manny Javilionaso of Samahang Litratista ng Rizal (SLR), sixth. Seventh place went to Wiba Abido of Pangasinan Photo Club, eighth place to Alfred Tan of Nayon Photography Club, a pioneer in the FPPF organization, ninth to Dr. Anton Vasquez of the Camera Club of Negros and the final tenth place to Joey Ramos of SLR. (CSA)

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Emotions

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1ST PLACE, ARCHIELOU D. ROMEROBEYOND LENTI CAMERA CLUB

2ND PLACE, ROD VICENTETROPANG ARTISTIKO CAMERA CLUB

6TH PLACE, MANDY JAVILLONARSAMAHAN NG MGA LITRATISTA SA RIZAL

3RD PLACE, RJ ALMAZANMONTALBAN CAMERA CLUB

7TH PLACE, WIBS SABIDOPANGASINAN PHOTOGRAPHERS CLUB

4TH PLACE, NOEL UBALDOPANGASINAN PHOTOGRAPHERS CLUB

5TH PLACE, CARLO ZAMORAFRAMED SHOTS CAMERA CLUB

9TH PLACE, DR. ANTONIO VASQUEZCAMERA CLUB OF NEGROS

8TH PLACE, ALFRED TANNAYON PHOTOGRAPHERS’ CLUB

10TH PLACE, JOEY RAMOSSAMAHAN NG MGA LITRATISTA SA RIZAL

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How the photographer interprets it is valid. To clarify the connotation of the words, woods refer to

the forest or the area where lots and lots of trees grow whether in the wild or in a vicinity. Wood refers to the material taken from trees and used for specific purpos-es like firewood or for material for furniture, houses, or carved art pieces.

Isabel Angela Galang of Twilight Zone won first place for her beautifully being carved wood into two active children, the smooth sculptor’s hand included. Beyond Lenti’s Lee Viray Cahili captured second place for cap-turing a pair of sculptured Ifugaos traditionally sitting under a house, a handsome Ifugao sitting with the two in the same manner. Third place went to the club entry of Twilight Zone, a lovely image of a girl. Rows of artis-tically designed window bars framed by floral wooden walls on the upper and lower horizontal parts, a monk peeping, gave Dan Doughlas Ong of Image Camera Club fourth place. Jet Velas of SLR captured the fifth place. His picture showed the cross section of the neatly filed cross section of fire wood, a old aluminum percolator underneath.

Backlighted from a window are various collections of sculptured religious images, the old hairless sculptor working on another image of a saint. This won for for Jair Murcillo of Manila Avid sixth place. Leny Z. Cabilen of Montalban Camera Club landed seventh place while Anthony T. Into of Ifocus got the eighth place. Com-pleting the top 12 entries included: Danny Victoriano, SLR, nineth; Team Juan Makasining, tenth; Danilo Vic-toriano, SLR, eleventh; Dexter Bongo, Lucida Camera Club twelfth. (CSA)

PhotoWorld Cup 2014> VOLUME 6, 2013, ISSUE 1THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PH OGRAPHERS FOUNDATION, INC.THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PH OGRAPHERS FOUNDATION, INC.OT

1st Isabel Angela GalangaTwilight Zone Camera Club

4th Dan Douglas OngImages Camera Club

6th Jai MurcilloManila Avid Photographer

7th Leny Z. CabilenMontalban camera Club 5th Jet Velas

SLR9th Danny Victoriano

SLR

12th Dezter BongoLucida Camera Club

8th Anthony T. IntoI-FOCUS

3rd Club EntryTwilight Zone Camera Club

10th Club EntryTeam Juan Makasining

11th Danilo VictorianoSLR

2nd Lee Viray CahiliBeyond Lenti

WoodsWood

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group effort shoot to join photo contests and raise funds for our outreach activities by pledging to donate part of the prize for all our winnings, the donation ranges from 10% to 100%.

The first S4C was a big success. We won the grand prize, 4th and 5th places in Children@Play photo contest and we were able to donate P25,000 from our prize to Margaretha Home for the Blind. Our good intention was highly blessed and rewarded with consistent winning in the following photo contests such as:

Second Place 2012 Canon Photo Marathon Second Place, People’s Choice Asian in Cultural DiversityGrand Prize and 2 Finalists Zagu Photo Contest.

Grand Winner, Culture Cat Pagcor Photo ContestThird Place PigrolacEnvironment Cat Snowden 2013Second Rrunner Up Canon Marathon 2013First Place non-DSLR TO FARMSecond Place DSLR Cat TO FARMCategory Grand Winner Hyundai

Grand Winner Shine a Light International Photo ContestFirst Place Picture Perfect New Zealand Adventure

To share our blessings we joined the Makabuluhang Pasko sa mga Batang Bulag last December 15, 2012 and December 16, 2013 at Margarethe Home for the Blind in Proj. 4, Quezon City. We provided free portraiture and distributed free frames to the poor couples in Kasalan Bayan in sitio Buhanginan, Antipolo.

https://www.facebook.com/PitikMulatAdvocacyPhotography

awareness in various social concerns.

The first workshop was held on July 7, 2012 at HTNP. The topic was about Composition. On August 4, Exposure; September 1, Basic Lighting; October 6, Studio Lighting; and last December 1 was about Conceptualization.

Workshop for a Cause

On March 9, 2013 we organized a workshop for a cause for the benefit of Kanlungan ni Maria home for the aged in Antipolo.

Shoot for a Cause (S4C)

We participate in documentary photo shoot, donate the photos and allow the NGO’s to use the images to promote their advoca-cies.

In one particular example, we organized a campaign to produce images about violence against women. First, we organized a group discussion participated in by volunteer photographers and representative from DSWD women desk to have an insight about the issue. Second, we organized a group effort shoot to produce images about VAW. Third we joined and won the grand prize in the Muhammad Ali Foundation “Shine a Light International Photo Contest about VAW, the $1,000 prize was donated to Phil NGO – CESDev.

Another experience was the photo documentary of the effects of quarrying operation in the environment and the community in the boundary of San Mateo and Montalban, Rizal.

Active workshop participants were organized into a team for a

PITIK MULAT is a venue for photographers/artists to share our passions and skills in the field of photography for various social concerns ranging from environmental issues to upholding people’s rights and welfare. “Pitik”, commonly associated with a camera click, refers to the artistic ability to capture compelling images, while “mulat” means aware-ness. PM is an advocacy photography geared with its motto, “Change the World One Photo at a Time”, aims to raise so-cial awareness and hopefully, influence concrete action. The group was organized by some members of SLR Camera Club sometime in February 2012.

Advocacies:

“Pitik Mulat para sa Hinulugan Taktak” (PMHT)

PM started last March 22 during Earth Hour Day as a discussion group about the current condition of Hinulugan Taktak National Park and the actions we can do as photographers to help save it.. Then, on April 22, 2012, in celebration of International Earth Day, we mobilized around 30 photographers belonging to SLR Camera Club (Samahan ng mga Litratista sa Rizal); Photography Guild of Antipolo); Camera Club of Antipolo and socio-civic NGO like the “I Love Antipolo” and joined the “Pitik Mulat para sa Hinulugan Taktak Photowalk” to capture both the splendor and the degrada-tion of our National Park.

Hinulugan Taktak waterfall has been converted to a National Park by Republic Act of 6964 that placed it under the administration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in coordination with the Department of Tourism and the provincial government of Rizal, and has been proclaimed as a “Protected Landscape” on November 17, 2007.

It is one of the famous tourist attractions of Antipolo City where many residents and tourists had memories to rekindle about this waterfall. Despite its deteriorating condition, many people still con-tinue to visit and see the sad reality of Hinulugan Taktak National Park or HTNP. While the lyrics of folk song “Tayo na sa Antipolo, at doon maligo tayo…” invites visitors to swim in the falls, the “Swim-ming Prohibited” sign will awaken us to the reality of the dirty, garbage strewn water.

We should never resign and accept nature’s gift to simply be reminisced in old photos, confined in archives of history books, or reduced to a mere description in the lyrics of a popular folksong. The rehabilitation, restoration, and conservation of Hinulugan Taktak are a necessary undertaking. We as photographers/artists through our photographs can help promote awareness to save and preserve HTNP.

Through our photographs, we aim to deliver a strong and heartfelt message to help promote environmental awareness; inspire and mobilize more concerned citizens to act and help the government to save the once picturesque beauty of our Hinulugan Taktak. We intend to conduct a series of photo exhibit in different public and private establishments, schools and churches until Earth Day 2013. Our first photo exhibit was held on May 12 to 18 at SM Masinag. Immediately followed by the second leg of photo exhibit at Victory Park & Shop Mall on May 26 to June 9. The third leg was during “Tatakbo Fun Run” organized by Clinika Antipolo on Dec 8 and was displayed until Dec. 22. We are currently working to coor-dinate with the Antipolo’s Association of Barangay Captains to let our images be displayed in their respective barangay halls.

Free Photography Workshop

Held every first Saturday of the month, the workshop aims to develop the skills and talents of photography enthusiasts and en-courage them to use these talents and skills as a medium to create

FEATURES>

PITIK MULATADVOCACY PHOTOGRAPHY

Text and photos by Betty Lalana

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T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F

H E R I T A G EI consider myself indeed a lucky photographer. I was one of the

first graduates of the FPPF Basic Photography workshops way back when they were being held at Nayon Pilipino. Soon after, I was tapped by my boss to document company projects and activities.

A philanthropist and history buff, my boss, Atty. Rafael Ortigas, Jr. organized the Ortigas Foundation a few years later. The foundation was created to promote and preserve Philippine history and culture.

The foundation then embarked on a project to document in photog-raphy all the still existing Spanish-era churches in the Philippines since these structures were in danger - exposed to typhoons and earthquakes as well as the wear and tear of time. And that is why I call myself lucky. The job was given to me and for years Lino Arboleda, my fellow photographer and I, both FPPF graduates, and fellow employee travelled all over the Philippines to do this, from Batanes to Mindanao, all expenses paid. I still had a desk job and the best time to shoot is summer of course, and so the project ran for over a decade. We eventually photographed over 300 churches, cemeteries, ruins and the like. We never dreamed that so many churches built during this era still existed even in the farthest parts of our country. We were awed by the extensive missionary work here. These missionaries traveled to distant places and islands at a time when there were hardly any roads and when most travel was done by water. They were exposed for the first time to the tropical heat and diseases; and these journeys exacted a high death toll.

And yet many persevered to establish towns in distant places to spread Christianity and create these monuments of faith on which most of our cultural traditions are based - our fiestas all honor the town’s patron saint and processions are much awaited yearly events. Religious images are carried at the forefront of all street dancing activities.

At the time of shooting, we were not bound by parameters, and so another reason why we were lucky was that we were shooting a little more on the creative side rather than only in a documentary or journalistic fashion, although we were requested not to use any lenses or filters that would create a different perspec-tive like super wide angle lenses, fisheye etc. We simply had to choose the best angles and positions. We started the project using film and eventually moved on to digital.

Surprisingly, churches have their good side and bad side too! So if you’re interested in shooting heritage structures, make sure to check all angles. We also had to research on whether the churches were facing the morning or afternoon sun. To have a better depth of field we were using smaller openings than the standard.

The foundation then put up a mobile photo exhibit and brought it to schools, churches and other organizations for free.From Metro Manila, the exhibit travelled to Laguna, Batangas, Ilocos, Cebu and Bohol.

In 2010, the foundation published a coffee table book with thephotos we took titled: LA CASADE DIOS, The Legacy of Filipino-Hispanic Churches in the Philippines. Gratefully, the book was very well received and in fact was a finalist at the 30th National Book Awards given by the National Book De-velopment Board. Perhaps precisely be-cause we were not shooting for a book, the photos gave the book a different look from similar publications. Books were purchased and brought to Filipino-communities abroad; you can find them in various Philippine Embassies in the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. And recently, the Harvard University pur-chased a copy from us. Ecstatic doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling.

Sadly, the purpose and importance of this documentation became more pronounced after the recent earthquake in Bohol and Cebu on October 15, 2013 which totally destroyed or damaged many of

our churches and heritage structures. Not even a month later, on November 8, typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan) destroyed even more heritage structures in Leyte and Samar. Doc-umenting the destruction and rubble literally brought tears to our eyes. And the realization that the photos I took are now quite literally history is daunting.

And so, all you photographers out there should document all kinds of our heritage structures wherever you may be. We are also historians and the photos you take today will speak vol-umes tomorrow.

(Betty Lalana is the Administrative and Operations Officer of the Ortigas Foundation, Inc. and is a member of the Nayon Photographers’ Club)

FEATURES> VOLUME 6, 2013, ISSUE 1THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PH OGRAPHERS FOUNDATION, INC.THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE PH OGRAPHERS FOUNDATION, INC.OT

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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, or simply Lightroom, is the best software out there right now

for the photographer and it is very easy to use; and before this sounds like a commercial, I’ll tell you right away what Lightroom’s problem is.

Lightroom, at its very inception, used a new metaphor, a new way of doing things. For example, you won’t readily see “File > Save as” when you’re done editing your photos. Instead, it tells you to “Export” your edited image. This is of course after you “Import” your photos into Lightroom. So, why is it engaged in the “import-export” business?

There is another behavior peculiar to Lightroom: when you select several photos all at once, the first one you clicked will be “more selected” than the rest of the photos and its selection indicator is whiter than the others. For Lightroom, this is the “most selected” picture. If you want to change which one is “most selected”, you click inside its thumb-nail; clicking outside the thumbnail and inside its frame will deselect everything else and will just select the photo you just clicked. This “most selected” feature is for use in batch processing. The most selected picture is the source of edits or metadata changes. Edit just one photo and you can apply the edits to the rest of the selections.

There are other LR peculiarities. While Lightroom is really easy to use in its most important function – image enhance-ment in the Develop module – this application behaves dif-ferently from other applications in certain areas, differently enough to get the user confused. This confusion gives the first time user a horrible experience.

Why does Lightroom behave this way? Is this necessary? Are all these confusion worth it?

As it turns out, Lightroom behaves a little differently from most computer applications we’ve been used to because it deals with images differently. It deals with photos different-ly for reasons of efficiency. As computer application, it does

not rely on the Folder that we’ve been used to; instead, it relies on the photo’s metadata. This is a key concept in Lightroom: metadata.

What does it mean “rely on the metadata” and how can it ignore the Folder structure that we’ve come to be so famil-iar with?

History

A little background then: when Adobe released the software in 2007 from the “Shadowland” project, Lightroom Version 1.0 offered the photographer a whole new application that will take care of his total workflow in organizing, enhanc-ing, and outputting his photos. The application was built from the ground up “by photographers, for photographers”, as Adobe would say. This was true because, in designing Lightroom, Adobe asked a lot of photographers – both well known and lesser-known photographers – what they want-ed in an application specifically for the photographer.

The consensus then was 1) it had to be efficient in orga-nizing photos, 2) it should enhance photos like Photoshop could but should be very easy to use, and 3) it should provide a way for the photographer to output his photos easily for print, slideshow, and the Web. And yes, all these functions should constitute one continuous workflow with-out need of another application.

From these requirements, Adobe’s solution was to use a database as the core of the new application, the better for it to efficiently manage digital photos. So, at its very core, Lightroom is a database – it can store lots of data about lots of photos, tons of photos. On top of this database Adobe ported Photoshop functions that photographers could use to enhance photographs, but they did something very important here: Lightroom can enhance photos just like Photoshop but it hid its complexity by using sliders instead of having to deal with Layers, Blend Modes, Filters, etc. as in Photoshop.

Thus, Lightroom was born. LR Version 1 had 5 modules – Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web – but you can really look at it as only 3 modules, as originally intended: Library for organizing, Develop for image editing, and the others as Output, for sharing photographs. Today’s LR 5.3 has 7 Modules: Library, Develop, Map, Book, Slideshow, Print, and Web.

Database Replaces the Shoebox

Now, it is much more efficient to organize and archive our photos by way of digital assets management, and Light-room does this very well because it is a database. When before, film photographers would use cabinets, drawers, and shoeboxes to store their rolls of film, slides, and prints, we do it now in the computer.

In Lightroom, the first step is to “Import” our photographs. Importing means you are making Lightroom aware of the existence of your photographs. Even if you have download-ed your photos to your hard drive, if you have not imported them into Lightroom, the application will not be aware of them and you cannot edit your photos. You are actually bringing in your photos into the Catalog, and this is another key concept in Lightroom.

The Catalog manifests itself in 3 ways: 1) the Lightroom in-terface you’re using is the Catalog, yes, that one you see on your monitor when you’re using Lightroom – that’s the Cat-alog (Fig 1), 2) the list that you see at upper left of Library (Fig 2), and 3) the LRCAT file you see inside your Lightroom installation (Fig 3). Confused? Don’t be. They’re one and the same. Each is just a different view of the Catalog.

Catalog is Lightroom’s way of organizing your photos. This is how Lightroom keeps track of your photos. The Catalog remembers all information about each photo.

What’s in a catalog?

The Catalog is a database that keeps a record for all photos. Everything you do to a photo is stored here. This record contains three key pieces of information about each photo: 1) a reference to where the photo is on your system, 2) instructions for how you want to process the photo, and 3) metadata, such as ratings and keywords that you apply to photos to help you find or organize them. The Catalog contains preview information, file location, metadata, devel-op settings, ratings, keywords, and collections.When you import photos into Lightroom, you create a link between the photo itself and the record of the photo in the catalog. Then, any work you perform on the photo —

such as adding keywords, changing exposure, cropping, or removing red eye — is stored in the photo’s record in the catalog as additional metadata.

Between what you see on your monitor and the actual origi-nal file in your hard drive, there is an intervening Sidecar file, just a text file which lists all you did to a photo, and you can save this sidecar file when you do Metadata > Save Metadata to File in Library, or Photo > Save Metadata to File in the Develop module. In both cases, the keyboard shortcut is CTRL+S. Hey, isn’t that the familiar File > Save As shortcut? Lightroom reserved CTRL+S for saving the sidecar file in metadata.

So, it’s the sidecar file that remembers all the edits and metadata changes you make. Your original file, JPEG, RAW, TIFF, or whatever – they always stay the same. Your original file is never ever touched or changed in Lightroom. This is the concept of non-destructive editing in Lightroom.

Conclusion

To understand Lightroom and use it meaningfully, you need to understand how this Catalog works and why it wants to organize photos in Collections, another key concept. Yes, there are four key concepts now that we have mentioned, and you need to understand these first before you get to the fun part of enhancing your photos in the Develop mod-ule. These concepts are: Metadata, Catalog, Non-Destructive editing via the sidecar file, and Collections.

Collections are placeholders to efficiently organize your photos without the burden of Copy and Paste. Collections allow you to make several versions of one photograph, even have one particular photo exist in several placehold-ers called Collections – not Folders – without bloating your hard drive. This is possible because Lightroom simply refer-ences each photo via its metadata.

Understand the concepts mentioned in this article and you can be on your own, effectively using Lightroom for organiz-ing, editing, and outputting your photos – without the need for a boring teacher telling you stuff about Lightroom. After all, Lightroom was designed to be easy to use.

But if you still feel you need someone to hold your hand and walk you through the nook and crannies of Lightroom, then come to the Lightroom workshops at the FPPF, Feder-ation of Philippine Photographers Foundation. We’ll show you how.

Understanding LightroomBy: Chris Malinao, FPPF

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[Chris Malinao teaches Lightroom as workflow soft-ware to photography students at the FPPF, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, a non-profit that offers year-round workshops in Basic Photogra-phy, Advanced Photography, Wedding Photography, Strobist Lighting, Food Photography,Photoshop & Lightroom, and other specialty photography work-shops. For details of FPPF workshops, please visit www.photoworldmanila.com.]

FIG 1. This is the Catalog, the interface you see on your mon-itor. While Lightroom is indeed easy to use – in the Develop module – people get lost because you first have to understand key concepts in Lightroom before you are able to really use it well. Understand Catalog, Metadata, Collections, and the Side-car file and you are well on your way to enjoying Lightroom.

FIG 2. This is the Catalog, too! The Catalog manifests it-self here, and in two other places, in Fig 1 and Fig 3. Mod-el featured above is Aerin Mangalindan with sister Jam M. Ramos, and professional HMUA Bella Beltran Rodriguez.

FIG 3. The LRCAT file is all of your Catalog in one place. You save this during backup to keep a copy of your cat-alog. For example, after a fresh installation of Light-room, say following a reformat, replace the new LRCAT file with this one and you’ll have your old Catalog back.

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Canon PIXMA Pro Launch last February 21, 2014 at the Cabana Club, Resorts World Manila! Pixma unveiled new products and Pro series designed to suit individual passion. Present at the launching were FPPF contingent. L-R PWA 2014 Chairman Boyet Guevarra, FUNtastic Philippines President Jun Bucao, Caroline Silva, International Photographer Per-Andre Hoffmann, FPPF Chairperson Edi Huang, Ruwen Verdaguer and Helen Verdaguer.

Canon PixmaProLaunch

1. Don’t lend your camera even if the borrower calls you selfish, but you may include him in a selfie shot.

2. Don’t keep cameras in a tightly closed box. Allow them to breathe dry air.

3. Don’t press too many the shutter of a camera that does not seem to respond well. Check its battery or a botton set improperly.

4. Don’t click the shutter without determining first your area of focus or emphasis.

5. Don’t include the sky in your landscape or seascape shots if it is not interesting.

6. Don’t litter or clutter your background because this will take away the focus of the eyes from the center of interest.

7. Don’t place the horizon line in the middle of the picture as to divide the photograph into two equal parts.

8. Don’t ever tilt the horizon line.

9. Don’t set camera lens at big aperture if the intention is to capture deep depth of field, or small aperture if the intention is to capture shallow depth of field. Reverse the setting.

10. Don’t overlook the beautiful effect of the Rule of Thirds in your composition.

11. Don’t forget to use protective covering for your lens par-ticularly the lens cap and the UV filter.

12. Don’t forget to whisper, “Thank you, Lord God,” after cap-turing the themes He created especially for you to enjoy photography.

Here are some recent comments of the participants of the FPPF Basic Photography Workshop.

Dozen Don’tsAgain, here are some negative tips in photography which turn positive when applied:

By CSAngeles

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Masbate RodeoThe rodeo of Masbate is an April event and a very enjoyable side trip. Known as a major source of beef, Masbate showcases the life of a cowboy during the fiesta in April. University students from afar join a number of competitions during the event. As a photographer, the thrills and spills of cowboys with their lassoes are captivating moments to relish.

Passing Shotsby Lito Beltran

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Suroy Suroy Sugbo May 7, 2014Camotes Islands is the venue for this year’s Suroy Suroy Sugbo. Cebu organizes the suroy suroy sugbu every quar-ter. The event brings tourists, balikbayans and residents to different towns to enjoy the scenes and culture of the place. Camotes Islands with its four towns namely, Pilar, San Francisco, Poro and Tudela is the venue of the second quarter Suroy, Suroy. Participants were brought to all the towns except Pilar town which was badly hit by the typhoon. Each town led by the town officials proudly entertained a group of over a hundred participants with dance, music and food. It was a good opportunity to showcase the town culture to a group which otherwise would not be possible without the event organized by the provincial tourism officials. The group had an enjoy-able experience including a two-night stay at world-class resorts in San Francisco. Suroy Suroy Sugbu was initiated by then Governor Gwen Garcia in 2010. Cebu province officials led by Gov. Hilario Davide III and Vice Governor Grace Mapela and all tourism officials are working hard to support the project.

Holy Week in Maragondon, CaviteMaragondon is in history books because it is the place where Andres and Procopio Bonifacio were sentenced to death and executed by the revolutionary government established by Emilio Aguinaldo. A Bonifacio shrine is in Mt. Nagpatong where the Bonifacio brothers were shot to death.

Holy Week is a tradition that dates back to centuries and people cele-brate the Lenten season with processions and Easter Sunday festivities. Early Easter is the salubong marked with an early sunrise procession and the dance called bati. On the churchyard, three young ladies in colorful ternos holding small flags dance to the live music of the town band. The Sunday mass follows.

I took some images of the shrine, Good Friday procession, Easter Sunday rites and some scenes. Two brothers made images of the Last Supper on the rocks by the road. They were interviewed by TV chan-nels. Traditionally Maragondon has many visitors during the Holy Week.

Zamboanga WorkshopThe Camera Club of Zamboanga organized a workshop called More Than Basic Photography Workshop, April 25-27, 2014. Jun Kwan, head of the camera club invited FPPF mentors, Ador Pa-mintuan and Amir Alba to conduct the workshop. I went with the mentors to observe. The club thought that the workshop would be attended by 20-30 participants. When the workshop opened, there were more than 70 eager learners inside the ABC Restau-rant where the seminar was held.

The syllabus was a compressed module compared to the 40-hour basic workshops being offered in Intramuros. The day started with Ador explaining the technical side of the module while Amir demonstrated the proper way of taking portraits. On the last day, the participants had a small photo contest on both human activity and portraiture. Prizes were donated by camera stores from Manila. Ms. Mary June Bugante, regional head of the Department of Tourism, awarded the prizes and asked the participants to post the positive images of Zamboanga City. Amir and I went to Sta. Maria Island before we flew back to Manila.So far, in the history of the FPPF photo seminars the Zamboanga workshop is the biggest group the FPPF has ever handled.

A windy atmosphere in a fine day of April plus the scorch-ing heat of the sun simply heralded the 2014 summer. The weather condition suited exactly the physical requirement of the recent Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival at Lubao, Pampanga some thirty-three kilometers from Clark Air Base. Annually, people everywhere who are avid supporters of this exciting event come to this place to experience once again the thrill of watching and much more. . . riding on the hot air balloon. Thirty hot air balloons piloted by foreigners partici-pated in the event which also included kite flying, paraglide, street dancing, concert, food and souvenir bazaars. The Pampanga government organized this annual event. Being among the spectators, I was indeed stunned and mesmerized by what I saw, how much more if I were riding on one of these hot air balloons. When I was a child, the ordinary baIloon tied and flying from my hand made me very excited already, how much more excited I would be if I were up, up in the air . . . . flying above the buildings, the trees, the rivers, the hills, the mountains !!!! Simply watching these hot air balloons fly over the land of the Kapangpangans towards the direction of Bataan was a virtual excitement already, how much more exciting it would be if I were in one of these colorful hot balloons. A fellow watcher told me that a 15 feet high air balloon ride would cost P500.00. A more adventurous ride of a life time would cost P6,000.00. I didn’t have that much cash in my pocket that particular day, yet I enjoyed the event simply by watching and shooting the colorful huge balloons with my camera, as they graced the blue sky with their forms and colors.

Up, Up and AwayText and Photos by Chloe de Guzman

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© Sara Naomi Lewkowicz, USA, L’Iris d’Or, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

FEATURES>

WPO is delighted to announce American photographer Sara Naomi Lewkowicz as 2014’s L’Iris d’Or/Sony World Photography Awards Pho-tographer of the Year. Selected from 140,000 from 166 countries, the photographer’s story is inescapable; horrific and tender, fierce and unfathomable, and luridly coloured.We’re delighted to reveal all 14 Professional Competition winners, along-side the Open, Youth and Student Focus Photographers of the Year.

Winning and shortlisted images were presented at Somerset House, London from 1-18 May as part of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition. The overall Professional, Open, Youth and Student winners will be revealed at the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Gala Ceremony on 30 April in London.

About the Awards:The Sony World Photography Awards is widely recognised as the leading global photographic awards programme in existence today. Launched in 2008, the awards are dedicated to supporting and cultivating photographic culture. Through a range of annual competitions, we hope to discover new talent in the world of photography and moving image. Whether you are just starting out or a full-fledged professional you can enter whichever competition you believe suits your level and experience.

The annual awards gala and ceremony takes place in London, welcoming an international attendance of industry leaders to celebrate the recognition of the best in contemporary photog-raphy and each year also pays tribute to one of our masters with the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award. Supporting the celebration, is a month-long exhi-bition of the winners and finalists, comprising of hundreds of photographs expertly curated inside the historic London landmark, Somerset House.

Palmer + Pawel, 2012 Sport Award Winners © Robert Leslie

The competitions are judged each year by new juries selected from the World Photographic Academy and wider global industry.

The Competitions: Professional Competition - for serious photographers.Open Competition - for amateurs and enthusiasts.Student Focus - for those studying photography.Youth Award - for anyone aged 19 and under.


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Ybiosa Wins Internatonal Photo Contest

Very proud indeed is FPPF workshop participant Jophel Botero Ybiosa for winning this year three local and inter-

national photography contests. Aside from the precious titles, trophies and plaques, he also received cash prizes which made his pockets swell and material gifts which he personally enjoyed.

Highly Commended was marked on his entry titled In Pursuit of Hope which he submitted to the photo contest organized by the Photographic Angle in London, United Kingdom last January, 2014. Another entry titled Faith and Freedom was declared Finalist by Freedom House Third Annual International Photo Contest whose theme was Images of Repression and Freedom. This was exhibited at the Hillyer Art Space, Washington DC, April 10, 2014.

Jophel Ybiosa likewise won a consolation prize in the Fes-tival of Photos, Reportage and Documentary Film in ASEAN Community contest organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam and held at the Hanoi Opera House

His winning entry which won a consolation prize was titled Hope Amidst Climate Change. His prizes included plaque of appreciation, 250 USD, round trip airfare to Vietnam, accom-modation and tour to Hanoi, the Nguyen City and Halong Bay.

SonyWorld Photography OrganizationNATIONAL Winners

1st Place Joel Forte

2nd Place Mon Corpus 3rd Place Carlo Zamora

by CSAngeles

Together with Emman Foronda , Alexis dela Vega and Angelique David, Jophel Ybiosa also won in the CCP Pasinaya Festival Photography Competition. He received a certificate of recognition, some CCP merchandise and tickets to musical concerts. (CSAngeles)

Cultural Center of the Philippines Pasinaya FestivalPho t o g r a p h y C ompe t i t i o n


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The sky comes alive every February! For six consecutive Satur-days, a dazzling spectacle of lights and sounds was presented

by the Philippine International Pyromusical competition at SM Mall of Asia.

Marvelous images of fireworks were posted all over social media, showcasing different interpretation of shapes and colors. What does it take to capture these beautiful light paintings? Generally, a photographer will need the right tools such as camera with lens, tripod, release cable and black cardboard to do the job. A solid foundation in photography is also needed to know how to use these invaluable tools creatively.

Be prepared to capture the amazing lights in SM Mall of Asia next year! FPPF will offer seminars in Creative Fireworks Photog-raphy one week before the Pyromusical event. Basic Photography is a pre-requisite for this seminar. We will also share to you some tips and tricks to inspire you to capture your own unique perspective in night and fireworks photography.

For inquires, call FPPF or login at http://www.photoworldmanila.com/

FUNtastic Philippines (FPFG) celebrates its second year anniversary. In just two years, the group achieved a phe-nomenal growth – with more than 170,000 active members from all over the world. Armed with their cameras and unique photographic vision, its members traveled all over the country’s scenic spots. FPFG is clearly successful in fulfilling its goal of helping our country’s tourism industry.

This year’s celebration (March 08) was held in the rest house( aka. Hacienda GML) of Gerry De Leon, one of the pioneer members, in Santa Maria, Bulacan.

FPFG (https://www.facebook.com/groups/FUNtastic.Phil-ippines.FUNgroup/) was proud to highlight the different activities of the group in support of its advocacy to boost Philippine tourism. Among these are:

1. Twenty-seven (27) FUNmeets covering 18 cities and provinces and nine (9) festivals around the country with an average attendance of close to 100 members each FUNmeet.

2. Five (5) photo exhibits at SSS Gallery, Abreeza Mall in Davao (Kadayawan), Trinoma Mall in Quezon City, FEU Diliman and Porta Vaga Mall in Baguio (Panagbenga).

3. Assistance provided to victims of the Olongapo flood-ing, Project Walang Iwanan of Gawad Kalinga for Typhoon Yolanda victims and various build projects of Gawad Kalinga-Quezon City.

The special day was participated in by more than 200 members and celebrated with fun-filled activities like OTS, Best Hat competition, Best Photojournalism Photo dubbed as BoypLakwatsa challenge, among others. Canon Explorer of Lights, Ernie Sarmiento talked about Photojournalism while Wesley Villarica on Fashion Photography and actual model demo shot. Mr John K Chua talked about Photogra-phy with a Difference (PWD) and demo of Aerial Photogra-phy using Drone. Canon (Marketing) Philippines and Lito “BoyP” Pangilinan were among the major sponsors of the event!

Creative FireworksPhotography

Turns

Text and photos by Ruwen Verdaguer by Ruwen Verdaguer

Fireworks like a basket of flowers. With emphasis on the fireworks only!

This is another photo journalist style of photographing fireworks!

Group photo taken by Canon Ambassador John K Chua at Hacienda GML, venue for the 2nd Anniversary celebration using his famous Drone RC.

Admin officers of FUNtastic Philippines celebrate the day with FPPF Chairperson Edi Huang, DOT Director Cynthia Lazo, FPPF President Pablo Beltran and FPPF Instructor and Photoworld 2015 Chairman Amir Alva. Photo by Froilan Daco Sr.

Another photo of fireworks with emphasis both the fireworks and the water reflection.

This is a romantic scene were lovers become a perfect foreground of the fireworks!

FUNtasticPHILIPPINES2


Kerala“God’s Own Country”

The state of Kerala (meaning land of coconuts) stretches along the south west tip of the vast Indian subcontinent. When Marco Polo reached it from China, he wrote with astonishment, “Everything is different from what it is with us and excels both in size and beauty.” Kerala’s landscape is a lush blend of palm-lined beaches, thick rain forests, plantation-covered hills, and crisscrossing rivers and lakes.

Kerala continues to astonish in present times, for which it has been dubbed, “God’s Own Country”. Photographers are captivated by scenic beaches of Kochi, Kovalam or Vizhinjam and the picture of house boats cruising through the backwaters in Alapuzha, Kuttanadu or Kumarakom.

From Thiruvanthapuram, we flew to the port city of Kochi, where this rich and harmonious co-existence is also apparent. On the way to Kochi are numerous churches of all denominations: one we visited in Kothamangalam was St Mary’s Cathedral. On an early morning stroll in Kochi we saw convent-school students offer prayers at Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica on their way to classes next door.

Tourists discover the age-old tradition of Ayurveda and its healing oils and massages, and enjoy colorful dance performances of Kathakali and demonstrations of an ancient form of martial arts, Kalarippavattu.

As you travel north, there are stunning hills, forests, birds and wildlife for example at Thekkady, Thettakad, or Vayanad.

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Text by Leila Nepomuceno Thomas and photos by Vinod Thomas

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Apart from its natural wonders and mesmerizing cultural experiences, Kerala is impressive in its human develop-ment. Far and away, it has the highest life expectancy in India, as well as rate of literacy. As in the Philippines, most people speak some English, though Malayalam is the native language. In this era of hand-held media devices, ordinary shopkeepers reading the newspapers between customer-tending is a common sight. Girls have an equal presence to boys in schools, a tradition for over a centu-ry. More than half of Kerala’s population of 33 million (a third of the Philippines) is Hindu, while fully one-fourth is Christian and one-fifth Muslim—the high Christian presence in contrast to the two percent in all of India. In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama opened a trade route to India through Kerala, and the Dutch, French, and English followed, along with them Christian missionaries. Ahead of these newcomers, however, was St. Thomas, the disciple of Christ, who reached Kerala in the first century A.D.Kerala has accommodated these pervasive influences while preserving its roots. On our most recent annual visit to the capital city of Thiruvanthapuram, we marveled at a landmark, Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu and run by a trust from the Royal Family, it is home to priceless treasures in its underground vaults. (Symbolic of religious harmony, St Joseph’s Cathedral stands next to Masjid-I Jahan-Numa Mosque and Sree Sakthi Vinayaka Temple, a shrine to Saraswati, goddess of knowledge. Near our home is the temple of Yakshi Amma Althara, a deity manifestation of Parvati, the Goddess of Power.A wide banyan tree gives shade and arresting backdrop to the popular shrine, where one evening, we watched quick homage.

A Master at Ten

Ten years old. A fourth grader at the Mother Shep-herd Academy in Valenzuela City. She paints in oil on

canvas. She also shoots whenever she holds her dad’s camera. I was amazed at her abstract painting which she has given as a gift to a gondola singer at Macau and her Facebook friend. For the first time they met recently at the FPPF office in InIntramuros . . . . Darlyn Shane A. Buenaventura, the child artist and Maggie Pertubal Badilla, the singer. Shane’s abstract oil painting can be exhibited along side with the masterpieces of Picasso, Kadinsky, Mondrian and other abstract painters of the world. Her composition can melt a viewer’s feelings. Her colors, clean and intense, do not show even a trace of muddy mixtures. They blend with the adjacent geometric block. The colors harmonize together even if the painting displays all the colors of the spectrum in various tonal values.

Math is an exact science. Colors are not exact. Artists mix them and observe harmonies to create the artist’s personal choice. At ten years old has Darlyn Shane studied the processes involved in painting especially color mixing? It takes four years to get a certificate in the painting course. And abstract painting is the last lesson in this course. Students start painting in realism. How can she create an abstract masterpiece like what she has just done? Amaz-ing indeed! Her father, Marlon Buenaventura, a photographer who was once a participant in the photography workshop at FPPF, said that at three years old Darlyn started her art by trac-ing his hand with pencil and copying forms on the wall. She noticed particularly the irregularities on old painted walls and identified them in baby language as flowers or animals. Mama Manilyn is just as excited as Papa Marlon for having Darlyn, their only child, as a prolific artist who started her art by painting on any ground especially walls. This activity delighted her no end, so she sketched any-where and everywhere especially on the convenient walls of the house. Now, she paints on paper and canvas using bristle brushes and palette knife. She even tried cutting an okra lengthwise, dipped it in paint and created another abstract pattern masterpiece. Normally, an upcoming artist starts drawing in realism. As he gets acquainted with the materials, techniques and themes in painting, his style becomes impressionistic, then expressionistic. Soon his lines and forms turn oblique and distorted creating images puzzling to decipher.

Thus . . . abstract happens to be. It is supposed to be the last attempt in visual art.

By Cecilia S. Angeles

*Please note: Workshops are conducted in English and Tagalog, 9am-5pm. Special arrangements may be made for those who require purely English instructions.

See more at: http://www.photoworldmanila.com

2014 FPPF Workshop ScheduleRegister Online

www.photoworldmanila.com

Basic Photography SATURDAYSFEB 22 MAR 1, 8, 15, 22MAR 8, 15, 22, 29, APR 5MAR 29 APR 5,12- 26, MAY 3APR 12, 26, MAY 3, 10, 17MAY 10, 17, 24, 31, JUN 7MAY 24, 31, JUNE 7, 14, 21JUNE 14, 21, 28 JULY 5, 12JUNE 28, JULY 5, 12, 19, 26Fee: P4,700SUNDAYSFEB 23, MAR 2, 9, 16, 23MAR 9, 16, 23, 30, APR 6MAR 30, APR6,13,27-MAY 4APR 13, 27, MAY 4, 11, 18MAY 11, 18, 25, JUNE 1, 8MAY 25, JUNE 1, 8, 15, 22JUNE 15, 22, 29, JULY 6, 13JUNE 29, JULY 6, 13, 20, 27Fee: P4,700WEEKDAYSJAN 13, 14, 15, 16, 17FEB 17, 18, 19, 20, 21MAR 24, 25, 26, 27, 28APR 28, 29, 30, MAY 1, 2

MAY 26, 27, 28, 29, 30JUNE 23, 24, 25, 26, 27Fee: P5,000AIM Evenings(To Be Announced)Fee: P5,000Kiddie Photography(To Be Announced)Fee: P3,500Advanced Photography(SAT-SUN-SAT)JAN 18, 19, 25FEB 22, 23, MAR. 1MAR 29, 30, APR. 5MAY 3, 4, 10MAY 31, JUNE 1, 7JUNE 28, 29, JULY 5Fee: P4,700Food PhotographyWeekend (One Day):JAN 26MAR 23MAY 18JUNE 15Fee: P1,750Wedding PhotographyMon-Tue-Wed-ThuFEB 24, 25, 26, 27

MAR 31, APR, 1, 2, 3MAY 19, 20, 21, 22JUNE 30, JULY 1, 2, 3Fee: P7,500 Complete Digital DarkroomPhotoshop3 Sundays JUN 29, JUL 6, 13 AUG 17, 24, 31SEP 14, 21, 28 OCT 12, 19, 26NOV 16, 23, 30 DEC 7, 14, 21 Fee: P3,500

LightroomOne SaturdayJUNE 28 JULY 26AUG 23 SEP 27 OCT 18 NOV 22

Fee: P2,500Strobist WorkshopSat-SunMAR 1, 2APR 26, 27MAY 24, 25JUNE 21, 22Fee: P2,500


Muslim school girls in their head scarves walk in live-ly groups to a nearby school; and puja (prayer ritual) conducted by Hindu priests at a Vishnu temple . The sign by the temple gate says, ‘Only Hindus allowed,’ but we are asked to come in and stay for the music-playing and bell-ringing that accompany the short ceremony. Puja is followed by an offering of payasam, a native sweet, on a piece of banana leaf to all present. That delightful morning included us, two unexpected but gra-ciously-welcomed bystanders: a Kerala balikbayan click-ing away with a camera, and his fascinated Filipino wife.

All are invited to God’s Own Country.

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FEATURES>

Having flair for taking pictures since his high school days, the next thing is history. I am talking about Mr. Noli Yamsuan.

You can classify him as a documentary photographer. He has a strong desire to pursue and perfect his passion.

Way back in 1972 he worked for the Philippine Daily Express. In almost all issues of this newspaper his photographs appeared in the front pages. His skills and wit in photojournalism were honed from then on. He got a big break when he was given an assignment in an in-ternational scene, and his works were featured in Time Magazine , Paris Match Magazine and France Asia Week. A well travelled photographer he had been to Russia , China, Rome, Czechoslo-vakia , Abu Dhabi and United States of America. Being part of his advocacy is known as Liturgical Photography. He documents activities of archbishops, cardinals, popes and happenings in and about the Catholic church.

Even if he has become a master of his craft, he still keeps on discovering new innovations and techniques in photojournalism which he unselfishly shares to fellows in his profession. He be-lieves that learning should be continuous to keep the best in this activity. A research about the place or situation before shooting is a big help. Shooting what one does not know will only create confusion. Be spontaneous always and be ready to seize the emo-tions of the moments captured in photographs.

Noli has an open mind to the advancement of modern technolo-gy. Photography is very convenient today, he says, for there is no expensive film to load in the camera, no darkroom to print pos-itives either. Now a handy memory card with large file capacity and a digital camera with good quality megapixel and you are all set to use photography as a tool to share and express the beauty you see in this world. Be spontaneous always and be ready to seize the emotions of the moment.

Noli YamsuanThe Documentary Photographer

By Deborah Chloe’ De Guzman


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Ramon Quisumbing has been fascinated by birds since childhood. In his earlier years,

he was a hunter and then a collector. Some years ago, Ramon was reformed and became an ardent bird and nature conservationist as well as an avid bird photographer. He travels all over the Philippines, including sailing to remote islands on his boat, to capture (with his camera) our rare, endemic and migrant birds.

In 2010, Ramon discovered the pristine beauty of Bangkong Kahoy Valley in Mt. Banahaw, Quezon, and joined the owner Dion Pullan in preserving the forests of BK Valley and Mt. Banahaw and in establishing BK Valley as a bird preserve. In 2012, Ramon started his novel Nest Reporting and Stewardship Program in Mt. Banahaw, where he successfully recruited and motivated the locals to report and guard bird nests until the nestlings fledged. As a result, Ramon was the first to document and photograph nests of uncommon montane birds,

such as the Besra, Chestnut-Faced Babbler, Citrine Canary-Flycatcher, Lemon-Throated Leaf-Warbler, and White-Browed Shortwing.

In 2012, Ramon fell in love with Capayas Creek in Coron, Busuanga, Palawan, which has an amazing number and variety of beautiful Pala-wan birds living in proximity with a community of locals. Ramon purchased several forested creekside properties and fenced them off, in order to protect the resident and visiting birds, and creating the new Capayas Creek Bird Preserve. He had numerous flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs planted in the Preserve to feed the birds. Ramon was able to document and photograph for the first time a nest of the uncommon Ruddy Kingfisher, as well as nests of the Blue Paradise-Flycatcher and the Hooded Pitta. Under the watchful eye of local birdguide Erwin Edonga who lives next door, the Capayas Creek Bird Preserve is now a permanent bird haven.

Birding By Ramon Quisumbing

(About the Author)

– Trustee, Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines– Member, Philippine Bird Photography Forum– Member, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines– Graduate, University of South Florida (B.S) 1976– Graduate, Gerogetown University (J.D) 1979– Managing Partner of Quisimbing Torres Law Firm

38 39


I called the day off in my dental clinic, March 4, 2014, due to a scheduled brown out and drove straight to Alfredo’s Aviary

Resort here in San Fernando, Pampanga some 20 kilometers away. Birds welcomed me with friendly tweets. I was over-whelmed by their seemingly kind reaction. They hopped here and there, and flew overhead in various directions. So . . . I myself got confused with what ISO, aperture, shutter speed to use to capture perfectly these beautiful birds.

I have just taken a lecture about Composition under Mrs. Cecilia Angeles on my second day of the FPPF Photography Work-shop at Fort Santiago, Intramuros. And these birds are perfect subject for my assignment in Composition, but birds do not stay put where they are. They move. They turn around. They fly. They hop on branches, twigs, or simply stay suspended in the air. It was very hard to capture them in a still pose. Then I remembered what Mrs. Angeles told us, “Pray as you view your subject in the viewfinder. Pray, pray and pray and a miracle will happen.”

While I was shooting these particular unique birds, I prayed sol-emnly in my native tongue,”Lord, dinam mo ko pong masanting a shot. Saupan Mo ko. (Lord, give me a perfect shot and help me.) And the miracle happened when I took the first shot. I sensed a different intense feeling shooting the two birds. God has guided my eyes, hands and mind, as I clicked the shutter. Some dramatic compositions simply appeared in my viewer. Beautiful lines and forms emerged from the symmetry of the birds in black and white. I felt blessed. I murmured, “Thank you, Lord.”

That afternoon filled my sd card with beautiful bird photos all captured in full faith. To my fellow photographers who seem to feel frustrated sometimes with their photography, I advise you to rekindle your faith and belief in God Who really intercedes in our work as photographer. Pray, pray and pray and a miracle will happen.

There is a course in college called Interior Design. It is a major field in the Department of Fine Arts which includes

Sketching, Painting, Visual Arts, Fashion Design, Photography, Sculpture, Print Making and others. Aside from lectures some segments of the lessons are actual applications or projects of students. In painting students create images on canvas or other grounds. In photography students shoot and submit their shots which the professor evaluates and gives the corre-sponding grades. My students in Photography, for example, commonly shoot flowers, pets, landscapes or classmates. So. . . unless specified, they do not shoot rooms or interior arrangement. Maybe the theme does not tickle their senses, or maybe they simply do not happen to capture the attractive highlights of interior. Why is interior not a popular subject in photography? Well, perhaps the photographer cannot see what attractive subjects are there in interior areas.

To me, lines coming from the architectural design, furniture, windows, doors, posts or walls prominent in the room must be given prime attention. How awkward are these lines if they are captured with distortion, or overlapping unnecessarily one another. So, instead of presenting a room in a pleasant atmo-sphere. . . . . elements there become eyesores. The camera needs to be supported by a tripod to avoid shake that may blur important sections of the picture. Lucky is the photographer who has light facilities, for he can capture the entire room including details of dark shadows. Also, the pho-tographer needs to be aware of his white balance and aperture settings which are very important in capturing natural colors and sharpness of elements in the composition.

If photographers get thrilled photographing common or unusu-al subjects, interior of homes and buildings offer equally excit-ing segments to photograph. Or maybe these photographers had some interior shots which did not appeal to their sights because they are not familiar with the techniques in interior photography. Famous architectural buildings are exciting to shoot, so are their interior parts. On this spread are interior shots taken by a former student of the FPPF Basic Photography Workshop. Let me know what you can say.

Photographyand Faith

Shooting Interior

By Dr. Czar Adonis V. Lingad

By Cecilia S. AngelesPhotos by Maggie P. Badilla

FEATURES>

frameone vol 8 issue 2 2014

Documents

photography workshop

otthe official publication

ramos quisimbing38 photography

photo competition winners2

czar adonis

world war

contributorslito beltran

vinod thomasmaggie