Travelling Light: Single Strobe Sessions

Timothy

Meet Tim. Air instrument extraordinaire. Air guitar? Watch that solo! Air drums? Groove to that roll! Just the other day, I caught him slapping a funky bass line in the air while walking down the hall. But, to the guy’s credit, he can actually play a number of musical instruments quite skillfully. Tim could very well be a music major who submitted his enrolment form to the wrong department. Hopefully, that is not the chance happening that brought Tim to chemistry.

And before I forget, you can view the lighting details after the jump.

Hey, Tim, drum roll please!

Travelling Light: Single Strobe Sessions

Arlene

In the universe (well, the one we’re in at least), entropy is king. I know the liberties that I’ve taken with that re-statement of the second law of thermodynamics would be enough to make any physical chemist quizzically raise an eyebrow (and I do know one who just might do so). But, entropy, disorder, chaos or clutter is pretty much a part of life as we know it.

I have constantly made futile attempts at keeping clutter from taking over my pictures (and my desk), and yet it has always found a way to creep back in.

Cue internal dialogue:

You know what would push this shot from good to great? A hair light! No, make it two!

Hmmm, maybe we could amp this shot up by having the model dress up in Filipiniana…

Or maybe a full band can be blurred in the background to give it a ballroom-like atmosphere?

In the course of shooting portraits, it is so easy to forget that it should be about your subject (or subjects) first — always.

Thus, armed with a single strobe, I am off to beat the chaos back into the darkness from whence it came.

Musings of an Unquiet Mind: Getting Unstuck

Photo: Queenie Maquilang

It’s been a while. No scratch that. It’s been a really long while. Every so often, I get caught in a state of stasis. It feels like I’m furiously pedaling a bike and life (at least the nastier parts) is smiling as it lifts my rear wheel off the ground.

It’s sad how dreams are left to gather dust when one spends so much time clock-watching. The days move on without you, and you just feel like you’re — well, stuck.

So, how does one get unstuck?

In Profile: The Women of USC Chem

Sharajen

There is something surreal about meeting Jing Jing (as a number of friends call her). She is both smart and beautiful (and the latter doesn’t even begin to give her looks any justice). Yet, how can someone so lovely be so humble? Self-effacing at times, even.

There has to be a catch, right?

In this case, there isn’t one. Jing is one of the few women that I know who is very much aware that she is attractive, but decides not to obsess about it with her every waking moment (or worse, make us mere mortals seem ugly plain by comparison).

I know. Surreal, right?

(more after the jump)

In Profile: The Women of USC Chem

Queenie

Looking at my Pareng (just a term of endearment, not a hint on sexual preference) Queenie, I often wonder if she’s a les why she’s still a card (albeit scuffed and scratched) -carrying member of the NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth) club. She is beautiful, sexy (see above picture for proof), intelligent and insightful.

Who wouldn’t want a woman like that in their life?

And then I think about how most men display a veneer of charm and confidence as a cover for all their insecurities (gaining weight, earning less, losing hair, ‘performance’ issues, etc.) and a refusal to leave Never Never Land. And I suddenly get why she’s still single --

She is beautiful, sexy, intelligent and insightful.

Men will sacrifice their lives to climb perilous mountains, but only a few will ever accompany the women in their life go shoe shopping.

Don’t despair, P’re. There’s hope… (more after the jump)

In Profile: The Women of USC Chem

Maricel

There’s nothing usual about how I met my paparts Ising (as most people call her, without the ‘paparts’ part) and more so for the friendship that has grown throughout the years. And we’ve learned much from each other and continue to do so as each day passes.

She taught me

1. how to load the clunky dot-matrix printer in the department.
2. which jeepneys to ride during my commute from one campus to another.
3. where to buy delicious and inexpensive food.

I taught her (and hopefully she agrees)

1. how to tidy up her locker.
2. how to choose and buy clothes that flatter her shape.
3. which boys are too young for her to crush on.

And before you even ask, I’m not… (more after the jump)

In Profile: The Women of USC Chem

Jinky

Jinky is pretty upbeat for someone who’s been dealt by life with a bad hand. I admire Jinx (as I like to call her) for her perseverance and sheer will to play the hand that’s been dealt to her. She’s blessed to be surrounded by loving family members and real friends (who are honest enough to tell her the truth if need be, like when her zipper is open). As a testament to her will to fight the illness that’s plaguing her we’ve conveniently changed the customary greetings ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Merry Christmas’ to ‘Jinky Derla’ (depending on the season).

Jiiinkyyy Derrrlaaa to… (more after the jump)

In Profile: The Women of USC Chem

Charita

Charita, or Chai as we call her, can tell you where a chemical, material, apparatus or whatever it is you need from the stock room within centimeters of its actual location (No kidding!). Here’s an account of Cha’s highly developed spatial intelligence.

Me: Chai, can I borrow the set of small screwdrivers?

Chai: Take a left when you enter the door, walk 6 paces, open the cabinet on your left, the screwdrivers are in a blue plastic case on the shelf that’s at eye level.

Me: Your eye level or mine?

Chai: [Wry smile]

As you can see, she’s also quite used to handling knuckleheads like me.

But, Chai is by no means a one-trick pony as you’ll find out after the jump.

In Profile: The Women of USC Chem

Ailenn

Ailenn is a co-worker and a friend. She is one of the unfortunate people I blind under the pretense of practicing my photography on a regular basis. She deals with the chaos and the volatility that is the organic laboratory. One can often hear her lovely voice rise above the din of exhaust fans and glassware (also, the wailing of undergrads working on their unknowns) when you pass by the lab.

More facets of the gem that is Ai after the jump --

*Lighting details are added as a footnote at the end of each post (for those who are interested).

Five Tips for Making Better Pictures with the Camera You Already Have

Tip # 5 – Seeing the Big Picture: Shooting the Details

You could have gone on a vacation or attended an event (wedding, birthday, school exhibit, etc.), and you just got home with your memory cards bursting at the… err, seams (for the lack of a better word) with photos. You transfer the images from your card (or camera) to the computer in excited anticipation. You plop down on a comfy chair and start browsing through them only to notice that your images are a little too… banal generic. You could’ve very well gone to the corner sari-sari (the Filipino analog of sorts to a convenience store), snapped a few photos of you and the shopkeeper, and told your office mates you went to an obscure and ‘exotic’ Southeast Asian country.

Sometimes, we get caught up in getting the big picture that we neglect to notice the small details that make the whole.