All the Small Things

"The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be." -- Robert Fulghum , It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It

What I love about nature photography is that there is not much left to do but capture the beauty that is presented to you. Nothing ever comes close to what the natural world has to offer; it is spectacular at every level. And speaking of levels, I took it one step closer with my close-focusing Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro lens. It isn’t true macro photography but its close. I’m hoping that I’d have the time, patience and discipline (to wake up early) to shoot more of this kind of shots.

And I promise that I’ll take pictures of butterflies next time.

The Ugly Truth

Street photography is my favorite field in photography; it shows the realities we face every day. I find it also appealing because I get to shoot from the hip and in burst mode. Out on the streets, I don’t worry much about composition or settings; I just shoot what is available because everything happens so fast.

On the day when our beloved city celebrated its 73rd founding anniversary, I was out on the streets shooting the festivities. I never expected that the shots I liked best were the ones that showed not the colors of the parade but the ugly truth about life on the streets. As we celebrated, there were people walking about, sticking their heads, even half of their bodies, inside the garbage bins looking for something to sell to the local junk shops or food. It is sad to think that we were celebrating while they starved. After seeing the half starved kid being carried by her mother, I lost interest in the parade; my interest shifted to the people that were there but not for the parade but fighting for their survival.
I know that it isn’t really pretty to look at, but I’d rather shoot pictures showing the real plight of the people than the glitz and glamour of parades and festivals. This is the ugly truth: there are people out there that are starving and need our help.

I hope we can make a difference.

Under the Blazing Summer Sun : The 73rd Araw ng Dabaw

Well, two weeks has passed since the 73rd Araw ng Dabaw, but its only now that I have time to post some of the pictures I took during the events.

I went out on the streets to shoot the dance competition and the grand parade. I endured the blistering heat of the midday sun just to shoot. It was my first time watching the Araw ng Dabaw in a very long time. I remember the days when I watched the event with my mom and siblings; that was ages ago. Shooting at the event brings back memories of my childhood.

Anyhow, I managed to get a few good shots of the parade and dance competition. Sadly, the event wasn’t as colorful as I was expecting. It’s all for experience sake.

This is my favorite photo from the whole set:

A Walk in the Park

On a bright Saturday afternoon, after visiting my dentist, I decided to take a walk in the nearby People's Park. All I had with me was my camera with its battery nearly empty; but that didn't stop me from taking pictures. I never expected that I'd find a whole lot of people inside because of the heat from the mid-day sun. That day made me wish I had a very long telephoto lens with me so I could sneak up on those who were sitting in the shade. Here's a pair of photos from my expedition inside People's Park.

H-H-W-W! :)


Waiting Patiently...

Creature of the Night

In recent days, I have found a liking to shooting at night. Light streaks in photos really make my day. I don’t know what it is that draws me to the light but it really does fascinate me. And besides, it’s much more convenient for me to shoot at night after work. I just wish that there are more places for me to shoot at night. If you have ideas on places where I can shoot then please do leave comments. Also, I wish that our city has underground power lines rather than those hanging on poles; it sort of ruins the shot when you see dangling wires everywhere. Here are a few of my recent shots in the nightscape genre.

If My Puppies Knew Facebook

Puppies are at their cutest when they are about 2 months old. And these puppies are very playful. I always have fun when they chase me around the garden. But even puppies grow up fast. I took these photos in very awkward positions because puppies have poor attention span. It's a good thing that I got these shots because that night one of the puppies was claimed by its new owner.

And if these puppies had Facebook, they would surely use these photos as profile pictures.