On the Way to the Tarlac Monastery

Here are more photographs that I took during our trip to the Tarlac Monastery. Only the brightness, contrast and colors have been edited.

DSPC Entries: Photojournalism Contest

I joined the DSPC (Division Schools Press Conference) Photojournalism contest in English this October 8 - 9 of 2009. As photojournalists, we were tasked to shoot photographs which is related to human interest. In photojournalism, the photographs shouldn't be snapshots or orchestrated photographs, but photographs depicting stories of people. In photojournalism, captions must support the photographs and mustn't be the obvious but the deeper meaning of the photograph.

In photojournalism, I learned a lot about the lives of different people. Because while shooting, we get to interview the people. I also encounter different kinds of personalities that's why I realized that I should always prepare myself for whatever I would encounter.

Fortunately, I bagged the first place for photojournalism in english and I would proceed to the Regional Schools Press Conference, wish me luck!

ALL HER LIFE. An 80-year old woman gets a living from the busy streets of Angeles City for twenty years.

CHILDHOOD? Two little boys spend their childhood strolling the streets of Angeles City to beg for alms.

SURVIVING. A woman sits empty-handed on the bridge but still asks for alms to sustain her needs.

Artworks: Soft Pastel

So here are some of my "soft pastel" drawings. I am still practicing using this kind of medium. These are some of my first drawings using this medium - soft pastel, hard variety.

This is my first drawing using soft pastels. "Voyage"

"Crepusular Light"

"Ocean's Whisper"

A Visit in the Tarlac Monastery

Below is a photograph of the Jesus Christ in the Tarlac Monastery. It is located at the very peak of the mountain. A peaceful and serene atmosphere surrounds the place. Masses are held 10:30 am everyday, except for Thursday, and a 3:00 mass on Sunday.

After a very long trip going there, it was just so worth it. We plan to go back there soon!

Playing the Flute

First, I was using a bamboo flute in playing. Then I was telling my mom that the real flute (which is the silver one) really looks good and I bet would really sound way better. But still, I kept practicing using the bamboo flute but I wasn't satisfied with the sound it produced. Surprisingly, on my birthday, I came home and saw a black case in the table with a note written from my ninong Gelo. It was a birthday gift for me.

To my surprise, when I opened it, it was the flute I kept wishing I would have! I never knew how to play it or make it sound at first. Because it doesn't require just any simple blowing. The way you blow and the way you shape your lips could change the sound the flute would produce. After few months, I tried playing songs but I still didn't use sheet music or notes. Good thing, I was given a "how to play the flute" book, where notes and exercises were written. And in through Video Sheet Music in Youtube, I get to choose from a variety of songs to play. In that Video Sheet Music, there is a background music and the sheet music is shown in the video.

I just played the flute today and I'm trying to improve my skill and technique everyday. So far, I'm not yet taking flute classes, but if I could, I would really love to.

I've tried playing River Flows in You by Yiruma and You Raise Me Up. But I haven't finished playing a whole song yet. But at least, I could read and follow sheet music right now. I'm only having a hard time with playing the high notes in the flute. So, I need to keep on practicing!

I hope after a few practices, I'll get to play the whole song. I'll keep updating on my improvement :)

My Photography Journey

This is a photo of me in Palawan with my Canon EOS 400D and a Canon Zoom Lens EF 70 - 200 mm 1:4 L IS USM.

I started photography in late 2006. I can still remember that I used my Canon Digital iXus I, point and shoot camera to take photos. I started playing with its settings and photographing still life photos. Those were my first photographs.

Then when my cousin came home, he was bringing his Canon EOS 30D. I gave it a try and said, woah. This is nice.

As my grade 6 graduation gift in March 2007, my dad's gift for me was a Canon EOS 400D. At first, I didn't really know how to use it! I was kinda confused taking photographs looking at the viewfinder because I was used taking photos in a live view, like that of a point and shoot camera. So finally, I had my first shot in that camera. Cool!

I loved taking macro photos during those times. I took a photograph of a small flower then and had it published in the Manila Bulletin, Picture Perfect area of Raffy Paredes. As a first timer, I was totally happy when I saw the photograph in the newspaper.

Then in my thirteenth birthday in December 2007, my friend and I whose birthday is also in December, decided to create a scrapbook with our photos together. I went to their house and brought clothes, and of course, my camera and tripod. We really had fun taking photographs together. And our next photoshoot was in our home. Of course, as a twelve year old, I didn't have my own studio. Therefore, I improvised. I used a black cloth as a background and inserted it in the curtain rod. I used flashlights for the lighting. I took her photos and they turned out good. I submitted it again in Manila Bulletin, Picture Perfect area and received an e-mail from Raffy Paredes that my photographs were posted again.

When I was thirteen, a second year student, I became a photojournalist of the school and I started to join competitions in photojournalism. It really had been tough for me. The first one was the DSPC (Division Schools Press Conference). I bagged the first place for photojournalism and never expected it! So I advanced to the next one which is the RSPC (Regional Schools Press Conference). It was a big event. But during the RSPC, it was where problems came it. First, some of our films were stuck in the camera or wouldn't load at all. Then my next problem was that the film camera that I was using didn't want to work. So thanks to my teacher, he bought a compact film camera. I used that to take photographs. I never discouraged myself seeing others having good, working cameras. But I told myself that, "The outcome of the photograph isn't with the quality of the camera, but it is with the determination of a photographer to make the photograph look good." With what happened, I never expected myself to be in the top 10. I thought everything would be okay after that, but still, no! Haha. When we were layouting our photographs, I didn't receive my photographs. I decided between two things (to not speak up and use the photographs that were given to me; or to speak up and find my photographs). Of course, I decided to speak up and to find my photographs. It went on for hours, until I found that my photos were layouted in another student's work - take note: a grade school student. So how could those photos be mixed even if they had their codes? I guess it was because of the time limit in developing the photos and we were really many that's why these kinds of problems occur. We were questioned with the photos we took in order to find out whose photographs were those. I kept telling myself, does this student know that this isn't her photographs? Or did she have the same photographs as I did? Finally, I was given a time to layout my photos in a limited time.

I was really stressed out. But I was thankful that I experienced these in the contest in order for me to learn a lesson. As my teacher said, "Welcome to the real world." He's right.

The next day was the awarding and my birthday! December 9, 2008. We went to the venue and I looked if I was in the top ten. Even though I didn't arrive first, second or third, surprisingly, with all that had happened, I still arrived as a fifth place. It was overwhelming and I was really thankful for what I had experienced. It was both a challenge and blessing to me. The point I would like to raise in this story is that, we musn't be discouraged whenever things doesn't favor with us, and we must learn how to speak up if we know there is something going wrong. I'm not that kind of person, but, I was able to do it. :)

Moving on with my photography journey, my next and last contest was the UP Aguman. The theme was, A Modern Kapampangan. We were asked to submit an 8x10 photograph, with a title and a caption. And tada! That would be my entry. It was way easier than the previous contests I've joined. It it was less stressful. I took a photograph of a tricycle driver and its background was a kalesa. Thankfully, I arrived first place in the contest.

That year of photography really taught me a lot. It showed me the ups and downs in joining contests and it too, made me stronger.

In that year of April 2009, I took a photography workshop in Manila, which is the FPPF. It lasted for five Sundays. I've met a lot of people, learned a lot of techniques in photography and I was one of the youngest in the group. I got to improve my photography techniques and learned a lot more about my camera's settings.

And this year, I'm not joining any contests yet. I'll keep on updating!