Dinadiawan Beach After Storm Surges

October 31, 2016, Dipaculao, Aurora, Quezon.  Storm surges from super typhoon Karen and Lawin created mini island.  During hightide and strong waves, waters pass-through pile of stones and sand, formed a mini lake across the beach.

Smartphone Photography

Make your first step into photography with your smartphones! There are lots of challenges when taking those precious snaps because smartphones are limited when comes to taking pictures. Here are tips to walk-through to your smartphone photography.

Smartphones and other digital cameras have common basics in photography like the lens and aperture, shutter speed that controls light exposure and ISO sensitivity in the camera sensor that records picture.

All images were taken by an iPhone 4s and post-processed with Snapseed.

Lens and Aperture

Just like other cameras, our smartphones has a lens and aperture. Lens are pieces of glasses in the camera and aperture is an opening or hole where light travels in the camera. 

Shutter Speed

Shutter acts like a window behind your lens aperture. It controls light exposure through the sensor by opening  and closing automatically everytime you take a snap. You can control shutter speed in some smartphones and digital cameras. 

Slow Shutter Speed. Shooting indoors might result a slow shutter camera settings. Slowing of the shutter makes blurry photos when subject is in motion. So you would hold still with your smartphones to get a clear shot.

Fast Shutter Speed. In bright scenes like direct sun light, shutter snaps fast, enough to freeze and record motion like walking and running. 

Color Negatives to Black and White Film Photography Workflow on a Budget

There are hundreds of workflows on how to shoot, develop, process and print or share your film photography to the internet.

I am a photographer on a budget, I finding cheap and accessible ways for my photography and get images I wanted. Got back to my storage bins and pulled my Nikon F SLR load a 35mm color negative and start shooting. When I was scanning my negatives with a HP Scanjet G3110 Photo scanner, I was not flattered with the scan output. Until I hit a magic button in Photoshop which is black and white. Now I can do more and play with it.

BASIC WORKFLOW

Settings and process will be different with gears you have.

Shoot click, snap, done!

Develop If you have the gadgets and capabilities developing film that's good. But, those are stuffs I and most people don't have. Try to find a photo shop who do film scanning.

Scanning Now this is the tricky part. You need an access to a film scanner. There are cheap flat bed and film scanner you can buy or you might have a friend that you can borrow. You can also check your local photo shop if they have film scan services to do the job. I use a HP Scanjet G3110 Photo Scanner, a document and film scanner. It's an old scanner, so it is not working as good like the new ones. You might have a better scanner and it's good for you.

Raw scan at 600ppi using a HP Scanjet G3110 Photo Scanner. 

Picture on top: Nana Wolf, lead vocals of Lycantha a goth
band in the Philippines.
Below: Blue Galindez, a hardknock.

Post Process You might have film scratches and minor tweaks in your photographs. You need a photo editing app to take out scratches and spots, color corrections, dodging and burning, black and white conversion and saving your image. Some times I leave the film scratches for a grungy effect.

Print or internet Let's make it cheap. A deskjet printer will do. Use a photo paper of your choice and hit grayscale and photo quality in your printer preferences. Choosing color printing options on not calibrated printers might result to color casts on your black and white images. In grayscale mode, most printer use black ink cartridge only.

Grayscale printing on a Kodak inkjet photo paper using an Epson ME OFFICE 1100 desktop printer.

National Bicycle Day

The world bike community celebrates the National Bicycle Day. Bike advocates promote to use bicycle to lessen power emission and air pollution led ny motor vehicles and to have a healthy lifestyle. 

DIY Pop Up Flash Diffuser

Say goodbye to harsh shadows when using your pop-up flash!  

Install in seconds and it'll cost you a piece of paper and tape!

This DIY photo equipment is inspired by Gary Fong's Puffer.  I simply cut two pieces of white bond paper exactly the size of an ATM card and attached it on my pop-up flash.  Quick and easy!

Here are some camera settings to get you started!  These cam settings are ideal for film and digital cameras that have automatic and manual features.  Although, you can try the DIY pop-up diffuser or other flash diffusing tricks in this tutorial regardless of the limitations of your gear.  Sizes of the DIY diffuser may vary on the size of your pop-up flash.  The DIY flash diffuser you see in the picture above fits for DSLR pop-up flash or alike.

Point and Shoot
For people who don't know about the ins and out of the camera.  Just simply attach the DIY pop-up flash diffuser weather you have a DSLR or a Point and shoot camera, you are ready to go!

GEEK TWEAKS
Fine tune your DIY pop-up flash diffuser by learning some camera tweaks!  Let us make experiments to define what camera settings to use in different scenes.

Toknene

Toknene soaked in custom made vinegar with minced lettuce and onion. 

Numerador

Each numerador have eight digit numbers from zero to nine.

NUMERADOR, that's how old folks in the printing industry call it.  In letterpress printing, minervista or a platen printing machine operator set numeradors laid-out in rama or a steel frame panel that holds the numeradors.  

In old fashion serial numbering of printing, Minervitas (Minerva is a brand of platen printing machine) use letterpress machine like Brandjen & Kluge letterpress.   They manually feed the gang up layout in the letterpress to imprint serial numbers on receipts, sales invoices, tickets etc.

Numeradors with blue ink.

The minervista is placing the rama with numeradors attached on the letterpress machine.

Aiming For Your Killer Shot

Fishing By The Bay - May 12, 2013, Harbour Square, CCP Complex.  Men fishing set aside the hazards of Manila Bay's dirty water.  Photo taken during a 1 on 1 Digital Photography Tutorials about basic camera operations.

When I was teaching Jeff, a client who wanted to learn how to operate his dslr, he asked me tips about street photography.

"Paano ba kumuha ng street photography? magagamit ko ba yung 55-200 lens ko? kailangan ba candid? Yung hindi ka nakikita ng tao?"

Well, there are lot of styles when capturing images in the streets: camera on waist level, shooting with a long or short lens, sneak a pic or try to get invisible.  Invisible?  Okay, okay.  When someone ask me how to be invisible on the streets I say, stay long enough in the scene until you get comfortable and people around you will get use to you, the person with the camera.  Then start shooting.

On Location Study

Jeff check out his shots.

I've been to Harbour Square in CCP Complex many times.  It is one most photographed place in the Philippines  where you can see Manila de Bay, Manila Yacht Club and Manila skyline.

Study your location.  See where is your main light,  the sun in this case.  When we was hanging around Harbour Square, it a was cloudy 3PM.  Fortunately the sun make through the clouds at around 4PM until sunset.  It is the best time for the bay area, where there are possible sunset  and silhouette shots.

Sample test shot for preferred exposure and enough shutter speed set
to freeze the action.

Set you camera.  Get ready to take the shot.  Set your camera to different scenes or action.  It is important to keep in mind what camera settings to use; aperture, shutter speed, focus mode, composition etc.  Take sample shots of every scene you want to photograph.  Now it is more easy to anticipate the shot when you are all set, all you have to do is to press the shutter when the action comes.

Shot list.  Now you've planned ahead, create shot list in your mind.  What are possible shots you can create?  For this photo walk, here are some basic shots we had in mind:

Sunset, silhouettes, portraits, the Manila skyline, fishermen in action, candid shots, behind the scenes, long exposures.

You can also include small and big detail images in your shot list.

All You Need is a Little Patience

Every thing is now ready; the scene, camera settings, shot list, now we need is a little patience.  Most of the time a lot of patience.  Photography is time concept.  Everything should set at the perfect moment, light, action, and time of the day.

Take several shots of the scene and wait for actions of people, animals, or eventualities. Stay at least five to ten minutes in one scene and see what happens.

One out of 15 images taken for comparison of composition.

  

The Killer Shot!

How do you determine your killer shot for the day?  Your killer shot is one of the photo who stands up among your images is the photo with the complete story.  

  

Parade on Sea

May 4, 2013, San Narciso, Zambales - During the town feast, San Narciso local catholics parade religious icons on fishing boats.

Rizal Park Switched Off Non-Essential Lights During Earth Hour 2013

Rizal Park, minutes before Earth Hour 2013.

March 23, 2013 - Rizal Park, Iconic landmark of the Philippines, supported Earth Hour 2013 by switching off some of its park light posts and left solar powered lights on for security purposes.  The Philippines is expecting to be the hero country for Earth Hour 2013.

Rizal Park at 8:30 PM leaving 25 % of light post on including solar powered lights for security purposes.

A family huddled under a solar powered light post during Earth Hour 2013 lights off.

Slow Shutter, Fast Cars

Jon Sarmiento of Blanche Racing speed up and took sets the front wheel best time.

Last March 17, 2013 at Robinson's Novaliches parking lot, Shell Helix once again burned tires for its slalom event.  I brought some friends for a PhotoWalk PhotoTalk about how to create panning shots.  Here let me share some camera settings we used.

First Time Pan - Photo: John Aquino

Get Ready, Get Set!

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon so we had the chance to set ISO to 100, 50mm prime at f 16 and shutter speeds from 1/30, 1/40 and 1/50.  I used a manual lens, but for my friend John Aquino who used auto focus, he set focus mode to AF-C for his Pentax.

Better late than never, Dan Panesa arrived the venue at 6PM.  On a higher vantage point Dan set camera for a low light panning shot: ISO 1600, aperture to f2.8 and shutter speed to 1/30 sec.  Focus point is moved to the upper left corner of the screen and focus mode to AF-C for continuous focusing.

PhotoWalk PhotoTalk Shell Helix Slalom

About two weeks ago when I'm on my way to the grocery I heard sports car engines and squealing tires.  Luckily, I always have my camera with me.  Unfortunately it was already dark but I still tried to shoot.

This coming Sunday, March 17, 2013, Shell Helix is going back to Robinson's Novaliches for some slalom action.  I am organizing a photo walk for this event.  If you want to join come and sneak some photos with me and the rest of the gang.  Text me for 09274685324 or join the online discussion on PhotoWalk PhotoTalk Facebook page.

Low Light Digital Photography Tuts!

Have you ever heard about Earth Hour?  Earth Hour is the single, largest, symbolic mass participation event in the world.  Earth Hour inspires a global community of millions of people to switch lights off for an hour as a massive show of concern for the environment.

Since Earth Hour 2011 I started following and covering Earth Hour events in the Philippines.  This 2013, I like to share my experience taking pictures of Earth Hour.  And actually, PhotoWalk PhotoTalk is going to Earth Hour on March 23, 2013.  Earth Hour Philippines have not announced the actual venue for the event, but eventually we'll know.

Before the main event, on the 10th day of March 2013, 5pm, lets meet in Quezon Memorial Circle for a PhotoWalk PhotoTalk discussing how to take images in low lit situations.  We'll talk about camera settings to use in the field.  We are going to have actual candle light portraits.  Participants is encourage to bring a white candle for props.  If you wish to join, SMS me: 09274685324 only those who confirmed by a text message is allowed to join.

I hope to see you this March 10, 2013, 5pm.

Cheers!

Wait.  I forgot to tell you that this tutorial is FREE!

Chinese New Year PhotoWalk PhotoTalk 2013

Firecrackers Attack - A spectator protect ears as firecrackers surround the street. Photo: Dennis Rodriguez

Last February 10, 2013, PhotoWalk PhotoTalk held a free photo walk during the celebration of Chinese lunar new year 2013.  Amateur photographers who took the 1 on 1 Digital Photography Tutorials captured action in the streets of Binondo, Metro Manila.

Next stop is Earth Hour 2013 Photo walk. But before that, we are going to have FREE Low Light Photography Tutorials in preparation for Earth Hour.  And that's on March 10, 2013 in Quezon Memorial Circle. Stay tune for updates.

Lugaw Meal - Street food lugaw for an empty stomach. Photo: Dan Panesa

Mirror - Reflection of a dragon mascot on a glass door. Photo: Japeth Dulay

Dragon Dance - Photo: Dan Panesa

Japeth Dulay and Dan Panesa

Photo op with Mr. Ube - On extreme left: Japeth Dulay, Mr. Chua, Ronaldo Santiago, Dennis Rodriguez and son.  

Shell Helix Slalom 2013

March 3, 2013 - On my way to the grocery,  I heard cars engine roared and squealing tires.  I followed the sound and revealed the Shell Helix slalom event in Robinson's Novaliches parking area.  I tried to sneak and took some photographs of speeding rides.

Chinese New Year 2013 at Manila Chinatown

February 10, 2013, Manila Chinatown.  The Filipino Chinese community together with foreign and local tourists celebrated the first day of the year of the water snake.

It's Like Deja Vu

September 14, 2012.  An old woman was getting ready to get off a passenger jeep.

When I'm on my way to work, I always get my mobile phone ready to capture interesting scenes of the streets.

Last September 14, 2012, I took a photo of an old lady getting ready to get off a passenger jeep.  Five months later,  February 1, 2013, I once again saw the same elder sitting on the same spot, wearing the same jacket and holding the same bag.

It is like deja vu.

Mobile Photography EXIFs on Flickr.com

Once you've click on a photo in flickr.com, you can see a three circle icon on the lower right side of your computer screen.  Click on the icon and and choose View Exif info and it will bring you to the Exif page.

Flickr.com completely changed its website design making the interface, buttons, icons layout and features having the new look.  Last time I blogged about Flickr's EXIF data, specially when viewing your smartphone's EXIFs.  I wondered what camera settings my Samsung GT-S3353 using every time I take a picture. Unlike other smartphones, you can view apertures and shutter speeds  settings using an app.  I uploaded an image to Flickr.com after editing in Photoshop.  It was unexpected, but the EXIF data appeared.  

If you signed up or view an image on Flickr, you can see the Exif data by default.  Some photographers chose not to share their Exifs, so sorry, you can't see it.  To see the Exif data click on the link of camera, mobile phone or scanner used to capture an image.

Once you are in the Exif page, you can see basic camera settings like aperture and shutter speed.  The image above is converted to black and white using Photoshop which also appear under Exif data / Software.

iPhone Exif data.

Shot is taken using an iPhone and edited by a camera360 app.

This shot is taken using a BlackBerry Smartphone, imported and edited in Abobe Lightroom.

Give it a try! Sign up to Flickr and upload your mobile photography.