Beads n' Lights

As some say... to be a good photographer, one must invest well in equipment as well.

Now I see the difference, between a kit lens and a semi-pro, and having studio lights rather than depending on available light.  My good brother in law lent to me his Nikon D90, which I must say I am really loving right now.  It's so easy to use, even though I used to be a Canon baby.  As for the lights used in the shoot, it's visibly so much better compared to the desk lamps we were using in our home studio shoots, haha :)

The model is Feliz Diestro, her profession is as stylist, (so if you're looking for a personal stylist you can add her up in facebook) :)

All photos here have not undergone editing  :)

I love the bokeh effect in this photo

7 Days

I must admit, I feel bad for not being able to update for a whole week last week.  I don't know which to blame- the drought for ispiration, my laziness or my busyness. To make up for what I hadn't delivered, I took some shots of what I saw during the course of my past week, little things that interested me.  I know I should look harder and be more prepared, just like this morning, while I was having my passport renewed, the best shoe morning occured - I saw lots of amazing shoes stomping around the Department of Foreign Affairs! I hadn't expected so I didn't bring along my camera...too bad.   

This wasn't candid...who wears boots during the summer in this country?? And who said it's easy to ride a bike in heels? :)

Cheers

Bald Head

This last frame, I found interesting because she had used a necklace as her hair accessory. Something we could try next time perhaps? :)

10 Frames of Randomness

As part of our assignment in the photo workshop I've joined, we were required to take 10 random photos of our week, everyday scenarios, taken in manual mode and with manually adjusted white balances...sooo...here are my ten shots.

 

 

Katharine Jett

One good thing about having a lot of sisters is....you get to borrow clothes.  Or sometimes, when they no longer want it, they'd give it to you.   I'm totally digging the flowy fabric of this Katharine Jett dress, which by the way, I'm surprised fits me perfectly. :)

 

Dark Drama

I took this awesome black and gold blazer from my mom's closet, I'm sure she won't notice it missing  ;)

Photograph by my fab brother.

Through the Lens Again

Just recently, my brother and I joined a photography workshop by Imagine Nation.  We held our first class last Saturday, and the class will go on to fill up the next six Saturdays of my summer.  Hopefully, this class would help me remember all and even learn more about drawing with light. In particular, I'm quite excited towards the studio and indoor part of the program.  :)

I took a couple of photos from the studio... 

The founder, John Ong, looking a bit like a certain funny comedian

I'm quite fascinated with my brother pairing a colorful shirt with white jeans

We later had dinner at one of our faves in the North area, Angel's Kitchen.

It looks empty because we came in at 6, by 7 the house was already brimming with people.  We even got the last seats available because all the tables had already been reserved!

Have a great Wednesday today! I hope you've all voted wisely in the elections! :)

...Inspiration

I came across this quote from a book the other day...

My brother was so lucky, he got this book while he had classes under the great photographer, Raymund Isaac.

It's a very inspiring book, which includes some of the best shots that he has taken over the 20+ years of his practice as a fashion photographer.

It's such an amazing book, I love looking at all the pretty pictures he has taken.  My brother also told me stories that he heard from Raymund himself, about how he does his shoots, and it makes me feel so inspired.  Do get your hands on a copy if you can, it's a beautiful piece...unfortunately, I don't think it's being sold.  It was made in partnership with the Facial Care Center to celebrate beauty, so the prints are quite limited. 

If you know a photobook with inspiring photos as well, do let me know, because I'm currently collecting them. :) You can check out more of the photographer's works by clicking-> Raymund Isaac

House of National Art

During the Labor Day weekend, my sister and I decided to visit a place that I, in my twenty years in this country, had never entered...the halls of the building that houses some of the country's remaining national art.

As you might expect, I would gush over the Spolarium, but no, I was even more awed by the small display on the side of the painting...Juan Luna's coat.

This is not Juan Luna's coat, it just looks similar, with it's long tail and short front.

photo from barringtonayre

Since cameras were not allowed inside the museum, I was not able to take snapshots of the masterpiece.  A closer look would show you how delicate and frail the coat was, perhaps a slight grasp might even leave the coat to crumbles, with its brittle signs of ironing mishaps on the insides of the coat. (Which might have happened in the handling of the article.) 

I am wondering why our national museum does not have a costume institute.  It holds paintings and skeletons of different animals, but no room is designated specifically for antique clothes. It would be really interesting if we would be able to see some of our country's designs showcased in exhibits.  Might even be helpful in giving us a background of our fashion culture.