Flash on, Flash off

#004 The Afterglow

A Sampler (II)

Nowadays, due to the prevalence of digital cameras, pictures have become ‘expendable’. People take a large number of photos and upload them onto their preferred social networking site to share with family and friends. There’s a large amount of activity about the images for a few days, and then it ultimately peters out.

After a while, cards get formatted, new pictures are taken and old image files are erased. And if one didn’t archive the pictures properly on separate storage media, then all that’s left are the compressed (often poorly) versions of the pictures that have been uploaded to the web. It’s a shame if these distorted and pixelated images are all that remain of your prized memories.

I would like to make a case for a more deliberate attempt at preserving a select moment in your life, so you can have something tangible and enduring to remind you of that very time. Moreover, there should be no need for an ‘occasion’ to make pictures because life is a string of occasions, and I believe each one should be celebrated.

Allow me to elaborate with a few examples:

Let’s say you just finished working on your thesis and you would like a ‘parting shot’ of the hole lab you’ve been living in for the last few months. And let’s say we tweak the ambience a bit, so it doesn’t quite remind you of the place where you nearly lost your marbles repeating the same set of experiments over and over.

There are more examples after the jump.

A Sampler (I)

In a few days, the contest that I am sponsoring will come to an end. But, what excites and scares me at the same time is that by its end, I would be embarking on something that I have long pursued — to finally put my photographic talent and skill out there, hoping for someone to commission me to shoot pictures.

Anyone with a camera can take pictures, so how do I differentiate myself from the glut of photographers out there?

If I can be so bold as to identify some of my strengths: I have honed my skill at shooting portraits. I work best with a small group of people to help create memorable and revelatory pictures of a person at a specific time in their lives. I’ve also been known to employ a hot shoe flash (or two) to augment ambient light and create drama in the shot. And most importantly, as a teacher, I realize the significance of continuing to learn even though I think I may have a certain bit of knowledge down pat. But, I consider all this to be secondary to the very essence of the portrait, its subject.

The pictures that follow are a sampling of the work that I have done and could do for you if you choose to avail of my services. :-)#

There are more pictures after the jump.

Watching the World Go By

The Art of Doing Nothing

In this day and age, it has become increasingly difficult to purposely do nothing. And I am not just talking about nothing in the productive (especially at work or at school) sense. I am talking about allowing-the-world-to-fill-you-as-you-sit-in-stillness sort of nothing.

The constant motion can discombobulate even the most steadfast of souls  (Have we ever asked ourselves what would happen if we stopped moving all of a sudden?) . Often it is this motion that grants us the illusion of being alive, of being relevant, and of having made a significant contribution to the world. We get too caught up in this illusion that we readily pursue the mirage in the horizon over the reality that lies at our feet.

Your life, its relevance and significance, came into being upon its inception. The point is not to prove it, but rather to live it.

__________

Congratulations to all those who braved the Chemist Licensure Examination. If I could offer one piece of advice before you ponder on what to do next, always find time to do nothing.

First Steps

September is nearing its end. I look back on the pictures that I made for my personal portrait project, DPP 0811. And I can say that I am quite happy with the work that I was able to produce. I, honestly, had more favorites from the previous project that I shot; but across the board, I found that the current batch of images are better thought out, a quality that I was able to consistently maintain. I got more comfortable with the use of multiple lights; but more importantly, found my way in talking to and working with people as well. In retrospect, I wished that I either had more time (August was a hectic month at the university) or for schedules with prospective subjects to simply sync up.

So, what’s next for me?

As some of you already know, I am glacially slowly working my way towards becoming a portrait (for the most part, but I’ll shoot anything at least once) photographer and hopefully quit my day job (which consumes most of my nights as well). To take my first tentative step into pursuing that dream and as a thank-you to all those who gave their time to make pictures with me, I am going to sponsor a contest.

Read on to know more about the mechanics.

Flash on, Flash off

I started my semi-serious study of photography about five years ago (right about the time I was gifted with my first DSLR). The first few months were a blur. I would shoot anyone and anything; but then for the months after that, I would find my camera staying in its bag for weeks at a time. After that, I became an occasion-al shooter because I would only make pictures during occasions. Two years in, I was seriously considering selling my camera and the assorted related knick knacks I accumulated over that time.

I then stumbled onto the lighting resource nirvana that is Strobist, and it was both a literal and figurative light bulb moment, so to speak. I finally broke free from the creative doldrums that had stalled me for years and the winds from the goddess of inspiration caught my sails and I have not looked back since.

As I have asserted in various posts on this blog, a secondary light source (aside from the ambient) allows one not only to make the most ordinary setting look remarkable, but it offers one additional control over how the final image will come out. And I am admittedly a disciple of the old(er) school of photographers who strive to do most of the work in camera and not have to achieve the look in post.

And so as far as I could remember, since that watershed in my brief history in photography I have always travelled with one or more lights in my bag. If I can light it, I will. If I have to use a flash on-camera, then I strive to do so … responsibly. For a while there, I tried to light every scene that my viewfinder came upon. I have long learned the folly of that conviction.

Over the next three years, I would find myself in moments where I would decide to leave the flash in the bag or to simply switch it off. Because as I had learned, the time it takes me to think about how to light the scene took twice as long for the moment to pass (and only to realize later that it was perfect as it had existed in that ephemeral pocket of time). The pictures that follow are a testament of my recovery from … err, NLSA (non-ambient light source addiction).

*The above photo was shot by J. Pahang

Watching the World By

The Dark Side

DPP 0811, Day 29 – Megs

Beneath that handsome exterior lies a quiet confidence, which allows Megs to both blend into a crowd and stand out at the same time.

In this shot, I didn’t want to downplay his looks, but also didn’t want it to be the only quality of his that I wanted to feature. I wanted to evoke his contemplative side, but also wanted to hint at the playful nature beneath it. The strong lines in the chosen setting were used to elicit a sense of masculinity because I wanted the ‘handsome meter’ to point towards rugged and as far away from K-pop-boy-band pretty as possible.

A simple one-light portrait, which is currently my favorite from the ones that I’ve shot for this project so far.

Watching the World Go By

Galaxies

DPP 0811, Day 28 – Khristian

In the Philippines, the macho culture is still very much prevalent (thanks in part to beer and liquor commercials). ‘Real’ men do not cry, dance, or know that mauve is actually a shade of purple (and not the same color). I have been in earshot of too many machismo-fueled conversations between male students walking the halls of the university to know that things will not change soon. But, I have faith that the future will be different.

I dream that one day men can both be strong and vulnerable, powerful and graceful, and decisive and intuitive. And from what I know of Khristian, there’s hope for men yet.

DPP 0811, Day 27 – Mjane

Lately, I’ve been debating with myself over whether to stay true to a working style that I had developed or to trade it in for other trendier alternatives. It took me a while to end the debate (it was with myself after all), but at its conclusion I decided to continue to abide by the process that I had nurtured over the years —

At it’s very core, a portrait should primarily be about its subject. The location, composition and lighting come in second.

I hope that it will not only earn me some form of commercial success (enough to quit my day job), but that it will allow me to draw inspiration and fulfillment from it for the years to come.

The Return of the Outtakes

I have never been one to do extensive editing (especially retouching) in post. Sure, I process all my pictures as I shoot in a RAW format; but I realized that if I retouched most of the pictures (especially portraits) on top of my usual workflow, then I’d be stuck in front of the computer for days at a time. And I have always stood by my personal tenet to  never retouch a person’s portrait to the point where even her own mother wouldn’t be able to recognize her.

My rule has always been simple —

If the picture presents the person in the best possible way that they could be in real life (ex. a little less acne, a little more blush) and provided that any changes I make will only enhance the picture, then why not.

Well I didn’t really have a LOT of time on my hands, but I wanted to exercise my post-processing skills a bit lest they atrophy.

Keep On Shooting

From USC PE Festival 2011

These three words that call for perseverance and practice seem to come up a lot in my recent conversations about photography. However, I've also come to realize that they can also be a call to focus amidst the chaos and the demands of every day. A message that I believe should reverberate throughout our lives.

__________

*I may have mentioned in a previous post that the pictures that I shoot during events will be hosted on my Picasa page (hence the watermark). The link on the lower right corner of the above image can be clicked to view the pictures in the album.

Watching the World Go By

Beeline

DPP 0811, Day 26 – Chat

I try not to put too much stock in first impressions. I only got to know some of the most fascinating people in my life upon closer inspection. Being introverted, I could’ve easily shied away from a tornado of vivacity like Chat. And yet working with her on a number of occasions has allowed me to see other facets of her person; I especially admire the grace with which she handles her duties. Where it takes perseverance to make it through a long (and bad) day at work, it requires a rare optimism to make it to the end of the day with a smile on one’s face.

Watching the World Go By

They Only Come Out at Night

DPP 0811, Day 25 – Leif

In my experience in shooting people, no matter how practiced or (on the other end of the spectrum) unskilled the subject is at posing in front of the camera, at some point they’ll ask you the question —

What do you want me to do?

In Leif’s case, he was assisting me while I shot Aying (in the previous post), so the answer ‘Light yourself!’ was not only as good as any, but quite apt for that particular moment in time.