The University of the Philippines at 100

My alma mater the University of the Philippines (or UP in Diliman, Quezon City) celebrates 100 years of liberal education this year. It just saddens me that I couldn't attend the colorful Lantern Parade last December 17 with my College of Fine Arts (CFA) as the perpetual Hall of Fame finale of the said parade. It was in the hallowed halls of the UPCFA that inspired all my photographic vision and aspirations. Congratulations and thank you to my beloved alma mater! May your light of knowlege and wisdom shine brightly in our land forever.

GEAR TALK: Film Fever with Nikon FA

Shooting with the Nikon FA SLR camera gave me that feeling of nostalgic romance with photography all over again! Somewhere along digital "robbed" me of that a bit. Hmmm. Here is my Nikon FA (photo above) with a MD-15 dedicated motor drive. The FA was revolutionary in 1983 as the first manual SLR camera to incorporate the "Matrix" ("Evaluative" in Canon) meter-the defacto technology for superior exposures. The FA is perfect for color and B&W negatives as it tends to over-expose in contrasty situations. Eventually, newer SLRs refined the first-gen Matrix. Grabbing this tank gives me that feeling of professionalism and machoism. Will post some images taken with the FA soon...

Fashion at the Nayon Pilipino Park

It's possible to light-up your fashion photography shoots with just Nikon Speedlite units. For my MOD magazine fashion photography at the Ngayon Pilipino in Subic, Pampanga, I just used two Nikon flash units! Unlike some famous, well-off magazine photogs I had to cut-down drastically on gears and personel without sacrificing on image quality and be economically viable at the same time. The TriStar radio trigger tripped the Nikon Speedlites wirelessly within 50 feet-indoors or out. Any wider than that would mean that I need to procure the expensive Pocket Wizard flash trigger. Posted above are my prefered shots. Buy the December issue of MOD for only Php 100 to see more. Happy Holidays!

GEAR TALK: Nikkor 55-200mm VR Lens

I used to own a heavy and pro Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D lens. Now my new Nikkor 55-200 VR lens is a joy to use because it’s lightweight, cheaper yet as sharp as my old Nikkor, even when used wide open at f/4. But it’s made of plastic and has a “slow” f/4-5.6 aperature. Good thing modern DSLRs have better sensor and vibration reduction (VR) technologies to augmenting for my new yet “slow” optics. Have a look at the raw, unedited photographs I took of the beautiful Ms. Jodi Sta. Maria-Lacson with my new glass. Weak, continuous, mix lighting was used for that low-key effect.

Master Photographer: Bug Nieva

November is the birthday month of my mentor in Mr. Bug Nieva (the gentleman in red shirt above). He owns BVW Inc., a successful advertising photo studio in Makati city. Bug’s low-key presona belies the big-time ad agencies he services and the high-tech gears he uses in imaging. BVW’s website is under going restructuring and I will announce it here when it’s finally published. I took a peak at their updated portfolio and I was blown away (as usual). Till then, happy birthday boss!

300 Graduating Nurses at the AUP

Wow! Doing 300 graduating students of the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) is torture: the marathon procession (longest-ever personally!), capping, pinning, candle lighting ceremonies, speeches, family pictorials, candids, two photo booths, etcetera...I’m glad the contracting photog Jeruel Ibanez employed four more photographers, so that’s six photogs in all-if memory serves me right. Everything was taxed to the max! But thank you, Jeruel for the rewarding job and the valuable lessons we all learned from this project. The next graduation photo project will find us better and “badder” sir.

Josel and Marion Pre-Nupt in U.P. Diliman

T'was a drizzly pre-nupt shoot at the University of the Philippines' gardens for Josel and Marion. Three photogs (including moi) captured this couple and it was quite a spectacle to see three photogs doing a pre-nupt with their "strobist" equipment (off-camera flash with a lighting assistant or light stand). We thank Prof. Joey Tanedo of the College of Fine Arts for being our official chaperon (against suspecious university guards) within the sprawling university. Josel is an alumni who graduated as an economist. He proposed to the lovely Marion (Ateneo alumni nearby) very near the Oblation statue. By the way, aside form possessing beauty and brains, Marion is a famous tv personality-lucky guy! We are looking forward to cover your wedding in December, folks!

International Wellness And Sports Summit

Department of Tourism Undersecretary Cynthia Carrion is very determined to put the Philippines on the map of international wellness tourism-to compete with Thailand, Indonesia, et al. She hosted a historic international Wellness and Sports Summit at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel on October 22-25. VIPs, guests, and entertainers graced this prestigious event. I thank Pablo Beltran for selecting moi as one of the five photographer team to cover this hectic event that saw me darting around the Sofitel grounds, opulent spas, Ang Pangulo dinner cruise, and the PAGCOR power dinner with the Undersecretary. Whew! We even had on-demand prints for guests to have. What a super summit!