Vrooom!!!

Compared to other guys, I have lesser knowledge about cars. I hope it doesn't make me a lesser man. To explain, let me just say that I spent my teen-age days away from my father so I didn't get the chance to learn about it much. Oh yes, I don't know how to drive well also. Cut me some slack, there wasn't any car to practice on. Anyway, a car show here in the Philippines is an event where I would say 3 groups of people converge for sure. 1.) the car owners who know every little detail about horsepower and stuff like that, 2.) models, (professionals and aspiring) because cars and women just look so right together. With these 2 on the list, we arrive at 3.) photographers (professionals and hobbyists) who are in a trigger happy mode to shoot. If you're still a baby in photography, (I consider myself a grade school) I'd recommend going to one of these because it's like hitting multiple birds with one stone. That's right, not just 2 birds, multiple. You can practice your macro photography by shooting parts of the engine, wheels, interior etc. You can practice still life by shooting those incredible parked machines. Sometimes if you're lucky and there's a race, you can try action photography. Lastly, a handful of models would help you attune your portraiture. So for the last car show I attended, a P20 entrance is certainly not bad.

The event name is Hot Summer Nights 4 and it started with a lateral drifting competition. A big thanks to Wiki for the following definition: Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed. A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle prior to the corner apex, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa), and the driver is controlling these factors. So what's lateral drifting? Beats me, it may simple mean race.

The interior of the Nissan 350z

A Ferrari. Who needs to know the model anyway?

The event showcased a variety of top vehicles. There was a Nissan 350z which could be seen in the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift movie. There was a Ferrari which doesn't need any description, the name itself is already a legend. Undying classics were also there like the '77 Toyota Celica. 4x4 vehicles w/ mad car paints also caught my eyes and a whole lot more. At the end of the day, I just wondered - will I ever hit the jackpot in the lottery?

1977 Toyota Celica's engine

Lancer Evolution 10

Local celebrity Ryan Agoncillo is known to be an avid fan and supporter of motorsports

Oh yes, I didn't forget to take photos of the models. Here are some of them:

Graduation

On a sunny Monday noon, the plane touched down in Lumbia Airport, Cagayan de Oro City. As I stepped out of the plane, I said to myself finally, I'm back to celebrate something: my sister's graduation from college. My last 2 trips home were because of the deaths of my grandfathers from both sides. May Allah (s.w.t.) bless their souls. I took the regular 2 hour drive from Cagayan de Oro to Marawi and when I arrived, I was warmly greeted by my relatives. I don't know if my relatives know this but all of them have these certain smiles which make sorrow and agony untraceable on their faces. It seems like they are always happy and that is why whenever I'm there, I can feel the welcome and comfort even though most of my years were not spent there.

The days that followed were all about the graduation. My father unfortunately couldn't attend due to work matters and of course, international tickets are not a joke. I attended the ceremonies with my mom where I had the opportunity to observe how MSU is doing in today's time. It was pleasant to know that this year had the most number of graduates as I believe that one of the primary reasons why Mindanao is being left out is due to lack of education, especially in the college level. May these graduates find their places in this world and help rebuild the once glorious Mindanao.

With the busy days I had there I didn't get the chance to properly congratulate my sister so I hope this would suffice - Minnie, everyone knows that I'm not much on words and I don't talk much so first of all, please forgive me for my short-comings because I know there's a lot. Please know that as an older brother, I am very proud at what you've accomplished already at such a young age. I'm sure Dad and Mom would have loved to witness how you have developed into what you are now. Countless are the times I have wished that we were all having dinner at the same table, discussing how things went during the day. Life has its reasons. Lastly, chase your dreams but always be grounded in your faith which is Islam. Alhamdulillah and congratulations!

Sharing some shots from the 3 week vacation:

My mom and a cousin who also graduated.

Dimaporo Gymnasium where the graduation was held.

Oval ground of Mindanao State University

I just had to take another shot of Lake Lanao.

16th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

As a kid, I was very much fond of those old photo albums that had hot air balloons on the cover. Their colors and height always amused me. That is why when I learned that another Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (HAB) was coming, I was very ecstatic. The Digital Photographers Philippines (DPP) website had a raffle promo wherein they would make some Photographer Passes available for purchase. Yes, for purchase as nothing seems to be free these days. In fairness to them, it wasn't their event anyway as it was mainly a Caltex/Chevron one. I won't mention the price, but the package was a good deal since the pass included a souvenir shirt and 500php Caltex gas card.

I signed up and luckily, my name was chosen. The event was going to be held in Clark Airfield, Pampanga. The pass which I had won and purchased was for 2/11/11 which was a Friday. However, since I was going alone via public transport I figured that a weekend trip would be better since Fridays are known for ruthless traffic in Manila. I went online in DPP to see if I could trade my pass for either a Saturday or Sunday and bingo, there was one willing to trade his Sunday pass for a Friday one.

On February 13, 2011, I got up around 2:00am and took a cold shower, packed my stuff and headed out to the Victory Bus terminal in Pasay City. Finally, the Wayfarer's first mini-adventure for 2011. I left Manila bound for Dau Terminal at around 3:30am. Based upon my calculation, it was enough for me to get there on-time to capture the first light of the day. I arrived at Dau Terminal at around 4:45 which wasn't bad. It was a cold morning a the wind was a bit too strong for my taste. From there I took a van going to Clark Airfield along with other tourists. After getting off the van, the wind was still strong and I got worried that weather would not cooperate. When I reached the entrance for the photographers, the sky became a bit visible and to my dismay, I could already tell that it was going to be an overcast morning.

At the distance, you could already see the sunlight peaking between the clouds. I was not blessed with the clear sky as I was hoping for but what can I do? Sometimes as a photographer, you just have to deal with what's there in front of you. As soon as the guards let us in, I rushed to the field and snapped my camera like a mad man. A mistake to some extent because I had so little time to fix my composition. I guess I was really worried for the little sunlight available to me that I sacrificed the composition and timing of the shots I made. Light is important in photography but composition is not be left out. So, here are some the photos I took and I do hope that you enjoy them.

As a final note, I would like to say that experiencing something like this becomes more beautiful when shared. I was there looking at the spectacular colors with absolutely no one to talk to. I do like the thought of being a lone adventurer but when you're there at that perfect moment, sometimes the magic just fades away easily when you're all by yourself. Thanks DPP and Caltex/Chevron. Cheers everyone!

Coron, Palawan

I was very much looking forward to my Coron trip with my high school friends. First, it was going to be a time to relax with some of the closest people in my life. Second, the destination was going to be a new discovery. Lastly, it was an opportunity to shoot. I enjoy taking photos of the sea and its wonders as I've been inlove with it since I was a little boy. I hope that these photos give justice to Coron's beauty. The first highlight of the trip was Kayangan Lake. I could say that this would be my favorite of all the places Coron has to offer. After docking on the island, we followed a mountain trail that leads to the actual lake. At the midpoint of the climb, it offered a perfect vantage point for a perfect scenery. I have seen this type of photo before but I just had to have one that I can call my own.




After that, we continued with the descent and finally reached the lake. The blue lake is surrounded by limestone cliffs and it was breathtaking. We swam our hearts out and had photos underwater. Thanks 2ts for bringing your camera by the way. This is also where we had our lunch. The next part of the trip was the Twin Lagoon. The reason behind the name is that it's like 2 separate salt-water lakes which is separated by a cliff that has a narrow opening. We also enjoyed this part but this was also very tiring. Life vest is a must because the boat would anchor on one side and you would have to swim through the narrow opening to get to the other side. I know it's easier to swim without a life vest but considering the distance that you would have to cover, it's better to be safe.





Our next stop was Banol Beach. This time, we simply had fun by the shore and enjoyed the crystal clear water. This also where we had our merienda. Suman (rice cake) with coke baby.


Banana Beach was our next stop and this is where we spent our 2nd night. It was about an hour and a half boat ride from Banol Beach. If you're tired from the busy and stressful life that Manila brings everyday, I would recommend you spend some time in Banana Beach. It doesn't have the amenities of a 5-star hotel, but it's a quiet place where you can really relax and just listen to sound of the waves. On daytime, you can simply chill on a hammock and kill time. Electricity is not always available but the cottages are equipped with solar panels so that you can charge your iPods or cellphones. Yes, Globe and Smart signal is available on the island and the people are very friendly. On nightime, I would also suggest that you bring mosquito repellent lotions as the rooms are not air conditioned. The residents on the island were very friendly as well.








The following day, we were scheduled to go back to the main town of Coron. Before that, we stopped by at Malcapuya Island which is about a 15 minute boat ride from Banana Beach. I wasn't able to take any photos here as we had to stop away from the the shore due to shallow waters. I hope a panoramic view of the island will do.


Upon arriving in the main town, we went straight to the hotel to leave our baggages. We then proceeded the viewing deck of Mt. Tapyas. To reach the peak, you would have to conquer a total of (I hope my memory serves me right) 724 steps. Kayangan Lake was easy. This was a serious challenge and I am happy to say I did survive. People have different opinions about Mt. Tapyas. Some will say the climb is worth it and some would disagree. I could say it was worth the experience as the view of Coron was stunning. It's just too bad that we arrived late and I only managed to take a couple of shots.

The Magic Is Here

My cousins came here to Manila to have some little vacation. A day that was supposedly to be spent in the mall ended up in Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. EK, as it is fondly called, was opened in 1996 if my memory serves me right and it is the closest thing we have to Disneyland. I've been to EK countless times and the magic is still there. That is why for this time around, my goal in EK was not to experience the magic again, but to share it. To find the child in all of us again perhaps? Here are some photos I took. As what the wizard says before each ride starts: "Thank you and enjoy the ride."

Flying Fiesta
Patuyo ride. I usually ride this after getting soaked and wet in Rio Grande.

Jungle Log Jam

A quick and wet ride.

Space Shuttle
It has been featured in the news several times due to malfunctioning wherein the train would get stuck in the middle of the ride. Regardless, people still line up for it. Adrenaline rush baby.

DPP 4th Year Anniversary: UNLEASHED

On July 3, 2010, amateur and professional photographers gathered in Bonifacio High Street (BHS) in Taguig City to celebrate the Digital Photographers Philippines 4th Year Anniversary. The event included different workshops by renowned photographers and a couple of live shoots. It was also in this event where the D60 Krew decided to do our live judging for the 50mm Challenge that we did in Intramuros weeks ago. I arrived at Bonifacio High Street at around 10am because I had work the night before and needed to sleep for at least 2 hours. It was my first time to attend and the long queue was overwhelming. The line started at Fully Booked and snaked its way up to Coffee Bean. There were at least 1,500 photographers that day. I already knew that my chances of getting into a class was small. After about 15-20 min of standing and waiting, a lady with a whiteboard was approached. She raised the board and yelled "All classes are full". Bummer. Oh well, next year I'll be early. The D60 Krew met up after the announcement and we proceeded to the live judging of our 50mm challenge. There were only a total of 5 entries that day because some forgot theirs and some were unable to attend. Tita Bambit Gaerlan invited her mentor Sir Rolly Magpayo to be one of the judges and he brought his fellow photographers Alford Ronduen and Ryan Sigua. One by one they judged the each photo.

Alford Ronduen in stripes, Ryan Sigua on the laptop, and Rolly Magpayo standing at the back. Photo by Bambit Gaerlan

After entering their scores, they gave their comments and insights on each photo. The photos didn't have names to keep the competition impartial and free from biases because according to the Krew members (core group), Sir Rolly already knew how some of the members shoot. Honestly I was reluctant to submit an entry because the 50mm challenge was a real challenge for me. I wasn't comfortable in shooting in a single focal length. But, it was only a fun competition and I would love to hear comments so that I would know where to improve. When they were holding my entry, I was really surprised when they agreed that it was their favorite among the 5 entries. Surely, they were being nice and not really harsh but hey, it's not everyday that skilled and talented photographers would praise my work. In fact, that may never happen again hahaha! I won my first competition and it was fun. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to win. My bets were the photos of Xander Solis and Art Topacio's portrait of Ate Bangs. At then end, I won a Nikon Shirt (courtesy of Rolly Magpayo) and a USB.

My entry: A crippled man selling rosaries. Sir Rolly Magpayo said I could have cropped it a little more because there were still too many space on the left side.

After the competition, we had out lunch at Brothers Burgers. I suddenly felt hungry after I typed that. Anyway, after lunch we changed to our D60 Krew shirts to be in uniform. We went to back to Fully Booked to check out the classes and yes they were all full with people standing at the back. Since it was still hot outside, we decided to rest by the 2nd floor escalator area of Fully Booked. I would look at the people passing by, checking out their gears. Man, some had these huge camera bags.

A snapshot I took while we were resting.

The Krew deciding what to do next.

Photo by Bambit Gaerlan, that's me at the far end.

After around an hour of rest and chit-chat, we decided to go for a merienda which is a very common Filipino practice. What's the best merienda when it's hot? Of course another Filipino favorite, halo-halo! We walked to Market-Market to have a halo-halo at Chowking. At around 4pm, we decided to head back to BHS for the group hug (term for group shot). After the group hug, the live shoot with a model was up next. Photographers rushed to the fountain area of BHS where the live shoot was about to start. It was headed by Pillar Tuason, the editor-in-chief of DPP Magazine and a leading portait photographer in the country. Due to the numbers of photographers, I wasn't able to get a shot at the model. My next stop was the live shoot for sports and action photography. It was headed by Mark Dimalanta, a photographer who recently moved back here in the Philippines. He previously took shots for Surf Magazine in the US. Our subjects were local skateboarders who were kind enough to do some tricks for us.

My attempt at sports photography. Skateboarder doing an "Ollie" over a trash bin.

It was almost 6pm. Amer was to celebrate his birthday that evening. I had to leave early. Others stayed for the live judging and real party. It was a successful event in my opinion. People came there to learn and have fun and people left the event having both. Hopefully, I will be there for next year's party.

D60 Krew Anniversary Walk

D60 Krew - Photo by Bambit Gaerlan

Last June 2009, Nikon D60 users of the Digital Photographer Philippines (DPP) website decided to form a group where they can share their passion for photography. They started doing photo walks in different places in Manila. After a year, some of them had upgraded their cameras, others have specialized in other fields of photography. On June 13, 2010, the krew had their anniversary walk and went back to their roots - street photography. I was fortunate to join them.

Baluarte de San Diego

The location was at the walled city of Intramuros. It was at this place where the Krew had their official photo walk. Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, was built by the Spaniard in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippinses. Its name, in Latin, intramuros, literally "within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.



How do I get to Intramuros?

Light Rail Transit – LRT
If you are coming to Intramuros by LRT, get off at the United Nations Station. From here it is only a 20 to 25 minute stroll to the gates of Intramuros.

Taxi
Taking a taxi is very easy as Intramuros is such a popular destination all taxi drivers know where it is.

Jeepney
Take the jeepney that travels down Bonifacio Drive as this is where you will want to get off.