A Crowbar and some Bruises

Before the summer ended I went back to the abandoned building at Betty-Go Belmonte station to do another fashion shoot. Better watch out for the crowbar or get hit. 

Graffiti & Demonstrations

I'm having a great week and hopefully it will end that way. Last Sunday we did a shoot at an abandoned building in Betty Go Belmonte and just this evening I took some photos during the Labor Day demonstrations at Mendiola.

Long Overdue: Stef & Carol's Portraits

After a gazillion years of getting stuck I finally managed to get these photos done. Yes!

Moriones in Mindoro

For this year's Holy Week (or People-Trying-To-Be-Holy-For-A-Few-Days as I call it) the family has decided to ditch the usual 5-day staycation and do something that we haven't done for quite some time. We visited Mindoro, dad's hometown and half of my origins.

Sunday Skate Shoot at UP Diliman

Just did a quick shoot last Sunday with the awesome Momma Nikka at UP Diliman. I kind of realize that I suck as a sports photographer and would probably practice that in my later years (or never at all) but for now I'm all for lifestyle, editorial, documentary and street photography.

My 2012 in Images

2012 has been both a good and a bad year for me in terms of photography work. Good because I believe that I have improved at least, acquired new gear, got heaps of books and learned new things. Bad because I wasn't able to shoot that much unlike 2011. 

Now that 2012 is coming to a close I would like to commemorate this one hell of a year by recollecting some of my favorite images that I have taken and the stories behind it.

Kath's Birthday Gig

I recently took photographs of my cousin Kath's birthday gig party at Headstock Bar in Marikina and I came across into one of the most biggest dilemmas a photographer has to face. Shooting the same exact thing again. For this shoot to be a bit different what I did is I went in close so that I could photograph half of the musician's body along with whatever there is.

And these are the resulting images:

Of Posts and Plays

Last Sunday I headed out to join a tour around at some of the beautiful but forgotten places here in Manila. The itinerary was pretty long (we are supposed to go to Arroceros Park, Aduana and many more) but because of the inclement weather we just trimmed down the tour into two places. First was the Philippine Post Office or PhilPost and the other one was the Manila Metropolitan Theater both are situated in the Lawton area.

For this shoot I challenged myself not to use my trusty wide angle lens and explore the capabilities of my nifty-fifty. At first it was tough because I am accustomed to shooting the whole scene first rather than focusing on the intimate details specially when it comes to architectural details.

The Weekend Gig-Away

While most people I know either spent their 3 day weekend at home pampering themselves or on a trip out of town to escape the chaotic streets of Manila, I on the other hand went to see unsigned bands playing their hearts out offering the restless youth a music that speaks to them. It's awesome to see such dedicated people doing amazing things for music, most specially if you are living here in the Philippines were the mainstream music is mostly comprised of overly covered songs which are not even remotely good and neither it did justice to the original song.

Anyway, time to stop this drama and get this shit down.

Friday: Black Kath Productions' 1st Anniversary at Headstock Bar - My favorite production just celebrated it's first birthday and I wouldn't miss it out specially all the fun and good memories I had every time I attend a Black Kath gig.

Maybe Thursday

Of Lights and Sounds

Sorry for the late upload! I haven't been able to shoot that much since my last post because I have been focusing all my energies at work. 

Sounds

So last October 20, I head out to Autonomy Music Bar for Black Kath Prod gig. I really missed shooting gigs like this one. I was doubtful if I will be able to get great shots since it was my first time in Autonomy Bar, I have no idea how the lights work, space and above all I haven't shot a thing prior to this gig.

Cinemalaya 2012: Thoughts

Its that time of the month again here in the Philippines where the Cultural Center of the Philippines is flocked by students, creative heads, art aficionados, movie buffs and people who just loves a good movie. The 8th Cinemalaya is on full swing on its 6th day and the crowds of moviegoers from first timers to the faithful attendees (I've been a regular since 08) are still thick that some screenings are sold-out even before its screening day.

This year I have been lucky to be able to watch films that kept me glued to my seat, awake and happy for my well spent money (at least). I never really do reviews for movies but I'd like to share some of my thoughts and opinions about the films I've watched.

Here we go.

Mga Dayo (Resident Aliens) by Julius Sotomayor Cena
The film is story of 3 Pinays living in Guam. One is Ella who is a supervisor struggling to make ends meet so that her mother can come to Guam and live with them. There's Alex whose going to be married so that she can be a citizen of Guam and there's Miriam a former editor-in-chief and whose married to a American.

Pros: It is fresh because indie films are usually associated with poverty here in the Philippines where people are living in the slum areas, trying hard to make ends meet and for the past few years people have coined the term "poverty porn" to describe such films. The film is not just a reflection to the lives of our countrymen living abroad but it is the hard truth that some had swallowed for greener pastures.

Cons: The one thing that somehow made me disinterested with the film is that I find some scenes deemed unnecessary. Sure, Guam is a beautiful scenic place many of us dreamed of but I'd rather focus more on the characters and how they develop into the film.

Overall the film has a nice heart warming touch about the lives and the struggles of people living in Guam but there are those scenes that it gets monotonous that it puts you off.

Oros (Death is a treasure) by Paul Sta. Ana
Oros is your typical indie film about life in poverty. It is about Makoy the kasero (money manager) and his brother Abet. Makoy buys and manages unclaimed bodies in a local funeral parlor to use as a front so that people can gamble and earn money. While Makoy is best at what he does in managing a saklaan (a betting game of Spanish cards), Abet never really liked the idea of making money from the dead.

Pros: Yes, it is your typical poverty porn film but believe me this is one is on a whole new level. The cast did such a stellar job that they felt like the real deal. What I also loved in this film is that it was never boring everything was well in place.

Cons: Cinematography wise it is okay but it could have done more like during the chase scene where the camera is just following Abet and some guy who is chasing him.

The concept is not new but I highly suggest you go out and watch this one. Paul Sta. Ana clearly has the makings of being a huge and successful director.

Posas (Shackled) by Lawrence Fajardo
Imagine Robin Hood but this time he has no team, no bow and arrow and above all he fails. Posas is a film about Jess Biag who's been victimizing Quiapo, stealing his way so that his family can afford to eat. There he steals Grace's phone but is eventually caught by crooked policemen who gives him the longest day of his life.

Pros: Despite the political tone of the film Posas is easy to watch. The humor is well placed but when it gets serious then better be prepared. What I love in this film is that it has the all kinds of wrong in our society from Jess to Grace and most specially to the cops. No one is right in this film, everyone has dirt in their shoes no one is naive (well except for John Lapus' character) and perfect. Maybe this is why the film is easy to watch because everyone has dirt in them whether it is a well kept secret or as clear as crystal water.

Cons: To be honest I love this film so much that I find it hard to point out something the film lacked but maybe, just maybe if they gave Susan Africa (Jess' on screen mother) more a wee bit more screen time just to show how much their family is suffering maybe that would validate Jess' reason but then again that would be way to cliche.

Another must watch! You will realize (or rather be slapped with the idea) that corruption in the Philippines and probably in the rest of the world is a full circle and the only way to stop is to stop taking part of it.

REquieme! by Loy Arcenas
Caught in a international murder case, Swanie a barangay chairman and her estranged runaway son "Joanna" are both trying to bury the dead in their own separate worlds and give them a proper closure. Swanie is trying to bring home and bury a distant relative whose a criminal cum celebrity for political gain while Joanna is running in circles and entering mazes trying to bury a good neighbor of hers.

Pros: Funny and heart-warming. I found myself either snickering or laughing out loud with the rest of the audience. This film is a great palette cleanser after watching a disappointing film (for those who are quite unlucky).

Cons: *Spoiler Alert!* I somehow think that the sex scenes are way too long for what its worth that it turned my initial shock into annoyance.

As you can see I have only a few lines to say write about this because I might give it away and that would be a disservice to the crew behind this wonderful film. As I have said this is a great palette cleanser, it has the right vibes that after watching it you'll leave your seat happy and content.

Mga Mumunting Lihim (Those Little Secrets) by Jose Javier Reyes
Never I was a big fan of Jose Javier Reyes went it comes to commercial films but it is completely different when its Jose Javier Reyes in Cinemalaya. Mga Mumunting Lihim is a story of friendship between Mariel, Carly, Sandra and Olivia. When Mariel died she left something to her best-friend Carly that plunged the friends she left into a roller coaster ride of the past.

Pros: A great watch! Clearly this is a different Jose Javier Reyes. I love how the 4 main characters where developed without overpowering each other. Its a friendship made in heaven (or in hell). You'll be laughing from one scene then sobbing to another.

Cons: If you are the "deep type" who looks for symbolism and metaphors this is not for you. It is a straight forward and has some of the tried and tested formulas in the film industry.

Jose Javier Reyes didn't disappoint me in this one. Instead he flung me in a emotional roller coaster ride and left me wondering will my friends and I stay friends for a long time. I suggest you go and grab your friends to watch this because watching it alone sucks.

Ang Nawawala (What Isn't There) by Marie Jamora
Imagine Wes Anderson's quirky cast of characters married to Pedicab's local, vibrant and colorful music add a dash of Sofia Coppola's melancholia. Ang Nawawala is a hipster's/artsy people movie that begs to differ. It has Cubao X, Saguijo, Collective, beer, live music, vintage cameras, cigarettes, weed, vinyls, urban art, heart break and family issues. It is a story about Gibson a young man who stopped talking when he was 10 because of a tragic accident. When he came back in the Philippines, there he met Enid who turned his life almost upside down.

Pros: Beautiful! It is like a one huge music video (remember Kanye's My Dark Twisted Fantasy and Quark Henares' Rakenrol) it is a bittersweet movie of a young man whose haunting past affected his present. A nostalgic/coming of age/feel good movie that really delivers. I have a soft spot for films like these because it is a reflection of my generation who are confused and sometimes lost in the crowded city of Manila.

Cons: The film falls short in building up the supporting characters while some of them seem to have no relevance at all.

Another must watch because I'm pretty sure everyone who's in the same age as me can definitely relate to this film. Marie Jamora has done a great job in her debut film and I can say that she has a promising future. I must say that Annicka Dolonius who played as Enid had most of the guys in the theater pinning their hopes and dreams for a girl like her, I too have found myself to be in the same pit as they are but hey! A girl who has a great taste for music, quirky, drinks beer and pretty as her who wouldn't be right?

P.S. If you liked this I suggest you go and watch Garden State too.

Bwakaw by Jun Robles Luna
Another lovely film! Eddie Garcia still has the game in him. Bwakaw is a drama comedy, it is about Mang Rene who lives with his dog named Bwakaw (Voracious). Together they venture out in adventures and mishaps. The film also showcases the pangs of growing old alone.

Pros: Seeing Eddie Garcia do a very different character from the ones I grew up with is refreshing. The film is hilarious and poignant. It is a mix of Hachiko, The Savages with a dash of  Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros.

Cons: If this film didn't have a screening after the festival run then that would be a big let down.

If you didn't see yet this there is still time left! Everyone in the cast was perfect, there was never a dull moment not even in the most quiet and saddest part of the film. I am sure that Bwakaw will be one of the most successful films in the festival and it will be a classic.

P.S. For some reason I'm always wondering what would Bwakaw be if it was Dolphy who acted as Mang Rene and Eddie Garcia was Zaldy (Mang Rene's gay best-friend) hmm.

Kamera Obskura by Raymond Red
This is the first time I saw a semi-silent film entry and I must say that it is fresh experience although totally not new. Kamera Obskura is about Mang Juan who lived his life in the dark for 20 years and then one day he sees the outside world through the projection of images from a small hole. This hole lead him to his escape from his prison.

Pros: The film within a film treatment is something new (in a way) here in the Philippines and this one didn't disappoint me. The film presented a lot of topics that should be talked about like corruption, the white knight syndrome and the burden of a big responsibility.

Cons: *Spoiler Alert!* I seriously don't get why a naked woman was there. To symbolize the "naked" truth? I don't know maybe the director intentionally made it so that the audience would ponder on something.

I like how Raymond Red mirrored our society in his film and in my opinion he showed that the media is misused by both parties left or right for their own advantage. I must say that this is a daring and a really different movie experience.

The Animals by Gino M. Santos
Before I say something about this film let me cuss first. *long and loud cussing*. There. The Animals is a story of high school students living in a upper-middle class subdivision living the life of a "normal high school student", or so they say.

Pros: A bold masterpiece! This film is like taking off a band-aid from a nasty wound to expose its gross nature. While watching you will either savor or cringe in your seat while remembering on of your old wild party days.

Cons: This film is not for the faint of heart and for the photosensitive.

This is a cautionary tale both for parents and to their kids told in a posh modern setting filled with booze, brazen acts and cigarette smoke. I highly recommend this film for all of you to see because in one way or another we have done something stupid and luckily most of us got out of it unscathed.

--

Before I end this entry I would like to congratulate each and everyone from the directors to the crew of all the films who entered their pieces for this year's Cinemalaya. We are so lucky to have such talented artists in our country and hopefully they get to produce more films like the ones they showcased. Because let's be honest, the commercial movie scene here in the Philippines is going to the dumps someday from all the crap that goes out and the only cure is to even out the odds and educate the masses.

One last thing! I urge you to go and watch to support our local artists who shed blood, sweat and tears of come up with pieces for our viewing pleasure.

To view the schedule of the screenings hit the jump.


Happy watching!

Winston Baltazar Photography Workshop

I was very lucky to be invited by Sir Winston to attend in one of his photography workshops last Sunday held at his studio in Makati. I arrived in his studio a bit late but I was welcomed by the attendees, we did some exercise before we got started. The workshop is divided into two classes. The first is the morning class which is attended by the newbies who are learning the first ropes of photography  which is the relationship of aperture, shutter and ISO and getting creative, the latter was the "oldies" basically they are done with the basics and learning more about lighting setups while working on their communication skills with the model.

The workshop's topic was shooting a prenuptial shoot and I was very lucky since Sir Winston invited Janice and Michael, a real lovely couple to be the subjects for the shoot. The lights was setup in a particular manner where it will vary depending on the trigger that the person is using while the others can shoot using available light. We took turns on the triggers and it gave us different lighting combinations giving us the opportunity to be creative.

Sir Winston let me try out his 70-200 L lens and I'm really captivated by it!
Now I know what lens I must have in the near future. :)

The whole shoot was comprised of 3 sets in different locations and styling. The last set was the bride wearing a beautiful white wedding gown. Sir Winston added 2 of his continuous lights to the setup adding another equation for the participants to take advantage of.

Keeper shot!

Credits:

HMUA: Maffi San Miguel

Models: Janice and Michael

Location: WinSam Studio Makati

We wrapped up the workshop around 6pm and everyone was happy and judging by their smiles it looks like everyone got the shot that they wanted. I would like to thank Sir Winston again for having me as their guest, I sure did had a lot of fun and learn new stuff that I'll be applying in my future shoots.


Interested in attending one of Sir Winston's workshops? Check this out.

Godox EX600: First Dibs

Hey there! First off I want to apologize for not being able to post some new material for quite some time. I have been a busy bee these past few weeks. Anyway I'd like you guys to know that I finally got myself a monolight that I bought from Photozuela. I have tested it out and so far I'm happy with it since it runs on batteries (and it is somewhat heavy which is perfect for an additional weight to the light stand) so I can take it on-location wherever and whenever.

So, first off let's start with the stuff inside the case which by the way also comes along when you buy the monolight! (Isn't that awesome?)

Well the obvious ones are the charger, flash head cover, trigger and receiver
(its there somewhere), cables, car charger and a carry bag for the battery pack

Battery pack & 600ws flash head

The flash head without the reflector

Big ass battery

Everything seems to be in order, built quality is not that stellar since the mount in the flash head is plastic so if you are planning to attach a 7-8ft softbox then you guys better think twice or better yet get a flash bracket and mount the flash head there. For umbrellas its a different story, the flash head has a built-in umbrella holder there I tried my 55" parabolic umbrella and surprisingly it can handle it nicely but I have to see it outdoors if it can manage the umbrella with some winds.

As for the power output of the flash, I tried it and I would say that it is freaking powerful! At full power it sort of blinded me even though I am indirectly looking at it. I tried shooting with the monolight at full power to the lowest at f1.8-2.8 without my ND500 filter and it produced overexposed images and this is indoors, just imagine if you are shooting on a 2pm-4pm sunlight on a summer day. Sadly the 9 stop adjustment doesn't have a lot of difference so I have decided to just use 3 power levels which is 9 for full power, 5 for middle and 1 of the lowest.

For the purposes of showing the color consistency problem check out the 1st image (the one where I looked like Wall-e).

A lot of us photographers are iffy about color consistency from the lenses that we use to the labs that print our images and as a photographer it is probably safe to assume that you know the phrase: "you get what you pay for". As it turns out the flash has a color consistency problem but its easily fixable at Photoshop, just a slide with the color balance and you are set. Other problems that I see on the flash is that the modelling light is a bit slower to recharge than the flash tube and the only easy fix is to turn the modelling light off which also helps the longevity of the battery.

So there you guys go! I haven't done a really thorough test with the Godox EX600 but hopefully soon I'll have it tested outdoors in a real shoot. For now I can say that the Godox EX600 is a good step-up from the flash gun if you are looking for more power and portability on the cheap.

The monolight is priced at PHP 17,990 with 3 months of warranty from Photozuela.

Stay tune for a in-depth review of the Godox EX600!

Fete De La Musique 2012: Hip Hop Stage

Last Saturday the city of Makati became a one big venue for music lovers and the like because of the annual Fete dela Musique. Fete dela Musique or World Music Day is a celebration of the beauty and the vastness of music. Makati avenue was closed down to traffic and became the central stage of the festival. Other music genres have their own stages like the Rock stage at Bside and the Hip Hop stage at Kyss.

Naturally I wouldn't let this big event just pass by without me documenting it but seeing that the different music stages are scattered around Makati area. I have decided to stick with the rock stage and hip hop stage plus I have this photography project that I am secretly working on.

I first headed to Bside where I thought my buddy Gerome was but we had a bit of communication mishap. So after realizing he no way near the area I just decided to wing it. Bside was packed and was extremely humid so I have just decided to go straight for the hip hop stage inside but before I leave the area I needed to take a couple of photos. Turns out that it was Nyctinasty's set and upon hearing them play I immediately change my mind into staying there (despite the heat) until they wrapped up their set.

I really like this one for some weird reason.

After Bside I went straight to Kyss for the Hip Hop stage and also because most of my friends who attended Fete are there. The stage had a late start but as soon as the music started pumping everyone was bobbing their heads to the beat. Emcee Anygma shared some snippets of the history of hip hop in the Philippines.

From the gritty streets of Tondo to the high rise buildings in the south, artists from different locations performed their pieces to show that hip hop is just as rich and diverse as the other genres of music.

Tempes from Tondo

Hukbalahap from Tondo

Jazze Manuel

Maria and Jolo of Hifan Records

Target from the South

People's Future

Now, this is the part where the stage totally went nuts because when Picoy and his crew took over the mic everyone was blown away with their sound. I even forgot to take photos because I was having a blast of seeing the real deal of local beat boxing in front of me. 

Picoy Cruz assaulting the audience with his killer beat-boxing skills.

Almost everyone went crazy even the foreign guests who where there. Picoy and his crew are giving the machines a run for its money while launching a barrage of heavy hitting beats at the same time. Things got funky after Picoy's awesome display of his beat-boxing prowess. The Mighty Miscellaneous dropped the mother load in Kyss. Their sound is like having your mom drag you down by the ear without protests to the  times where hip hop was known to be funky.

DJ Umph, Switch, Delphi and D'Tech

From start to finish I was just bobbing my head with their music and clicking the shutter at the same time. If you haven't seen them yet then you should probably check them out since they are launching their album sometime this month.

After the killer set of Miscellaneous, I decided to call it a night since I have loads of stuff to do and I haven't been getting any proper sleep during this past few days. All in all this year's Fete de la Musique was a great  success from what I have witnessed because everyone was really digging it. Hopefully it would be like one big street party again. :)

Next year I'll try and visit all the stages there and probably take portraits of really interesting people. See you to the next Fete! Cheers!