night talk @ south shooters grand EB

Yep, that's me giving a short introduction to night urbanscape photography in Metro Manila to some 200 photographers who attended the grand south shooters EB. A very successful event organized by Aly Reyes and Co. Lots of support from sponsors and friends. I was quite nervous, knowing a lot of eyebrows will be arched high, hahaha. That the legend John Chua was in the audience added to my stage fright.

Sad thought that the white screen was blinded by strong daylight streaming from the venue's large windows. My photos, which were supposed to do most of the talking for me, were lost in a haze of low-contrast light! Boo.

The food, the meeting with friends, both old and new, and the priveledge to present my craft were all worth the experience. :-) yey!

Thank you, Joel Garcia, for the photograph!

Michael Kenna

One of night photography's pre-eminent masters. His minimalist, monochrome nightscapes are the epitome of timelessness. Visit his website and be awed by his impressive collection of black and white, large-format photographs.

Michael's website also has links to his various interviews with several photography magazines. I think therein lies a great wealth of insight about night photography. Do check them out.

i miss climbing

I cant wait to be in high-altitude again...the crisp morning breeze...chilling to the lips...the majestic rolling clouds, as carpet shrouding the lowlands...the sun lighting up the heavens in gold...high lenticular clouds fiery above us all...the silence of nature's grandeur...engulfed by the spirit of life all around.

I miss sweat trickling down my face...the slow uphill trudge to the summit...the cramping muscles...and the sweetness of reaching the summit and the breath of fresh montane air. I am a mountaineer and I can wait to be back in my element.

no traces night photography

Nighthouse © notraces

One of my earliest influences in night photography. His magnificent long exposures of streaking clouds over calm seas have driven me to take up night photography almost a year ago.

Bob is a true craftsman of the night. Take a look at his night photography set in flickr.

the TimeCatchers

www.timecatcher.com

Temple of the Clouds © Marc Adamus


Sundowners © Adam Burton


Ocean's Fury © March Adamus


IMO, the gold standard in digital landscape photography. I have always been awed by the composition and post-processing prowess of these guys.

The TimeCatcher guys:
Patrick Di Fruscia
Adam Burton
Ian Cameron
Jay Patel
Kenneth Kwan
Marck Adamus

obfuscation

Taken from Potipot Island, Zambales with a Tamron 28-200mm zoom. The clouds make for a dramatic set piece.

buildings @ the fort

A "covert" shot, done in a relatively sneaky manner. Had one chance to do this. Really lucky to pull it off on my first try. Had to flee after I saw the security coming towards me with their dobermans....

A new favorite night shot...

imposition

Thanks to the angle finder and the borrowed UWA, was able to finally come up with a composition that satisfied me. Have been standing at this spot and trying to photograph this scene many times before, but have always been dissatisfied with the results. Until this. Converging verticals make for a powerful visual design.

The bend was a slight "miscorrecting" effect created via the lens correction filter in CS2.

follow the sun

an evocative landscape - if there ever was one for me. somehow, i felt happy with my capabilities as a landscaper after this trip to potipot island in zambales.

shot with the kit lens and used the spherize filter to simulate an ultrawide lens.

fill-flash

HDR using 5 images. One of my favorite cityscapes. This was taken from the roof deck of Petron Megaplaza. This is the corporate heart of the Philippines, Makati's Central Business District.

early evening tranquility

133 seconds @ f/11 iso 100 using a Sigma 10-20.

A nice find during a rainy day afternoon drive with friend, Tok Paler. I hope to return here on a full moon.