Through My Lens

Amiel and Amia - 10.27.2011

2011-10-27T20:43:00.000+08:00

Some photos from today's fun time with my niece and nephew. We watched a movie and did some art.

Painting with Light

2011-10-26T16:53:00.001+08:00

I am back from hiatus. Shook off dusts from the camera and rediscovered the joys of painting with light.

This sunset shot was taken from the beautiful island of Boracay in Aklan, Philippines, last October 24, 2011. Ahh, Boracay. White, powdery sands. Clear, blue waters. Clororful marine life and the friendliest people. Need I say more?

Rekindling My Love Affair with Photography

2010-08-06T07:18:00.006+08:00

I recently joined our company's camera club. It's in it's early stages but I am excited at how big this can be! On our Facebook page, we were asked to write about our love story with photography. So here goes mine:

My love affair with photography started in the height of our wedding preparations. Seeing a lot of the wedding photographers' work left me in awe of how a captured image can speak volumes and how a single photo can tell you a story.

After our wedding, my husband and I bought a point and shoot camera that we brought along everywhere we went. I wasn't really satisfied with the features so we replaced it with the Canon S3is. It was using the S3is that I learned the basics. I scoured the web reading article after article about photography and taught myself how to use the manual mode instead of automatic. I got excited! This was when I first encountered terms like "aperture", "f-stop", etc. The pictures turned out a bit better and I got very eager to learn more.

After about a year, we sold the S3is and bought our very first dSLR, the Canon EOS400D or what I fondly call "My Rebel." I was literally jumping with excitement while walking along Hidalgo Street in Quiapo! Eager beaver that I was, I plunged ahead and tried learning the ropes. This was the high point of my love affair with photography.

We've been through ups and downs, photography and I. There are moments when I am raring to go out of the house and take pictures to my heart's content. But more often than not, I get frustrated with the results that I lose my mojo. I felt like I didn't have it in me to take great pictures. Or in photography lingo, I felt I didn't have that 'eye' for photography. It was at this time, I can say, that our relationship was an "off and on" thing. What I didn't see was that, like any hobby, it takes practice and patience. When I look back, I also realized I focused too much on the technical side of photography and didn't really understand what it was all about. I was so bent on learning how to use the correct settings, the proper lighting, and while these are important, I forgot that photography is an art. I forgot to look at the soul of the craft. We still have a long way to go but we got reacquainted today and "My Rebel" is newly cleaned, ready for me to rekindle the flame of our love affair. This time, I told myself and "My Rebel" that things will be different. Capturing an image, telling my story through photos will take precedence over the technicalities. In time, I will learn the how's. What's important right now is to see the "why's".

National Geographic's Earth Day Run 2010

2010-03-24T08:29:00.007+08:00

Erratum: I signed up for Earth Run 2010. It's different from NatGeo's Earth Day Run 2010. It is so confusing. Why do these events organizers allow both events to have almost the same name and happen on the same day? Adevents, feels like you copied the name of NatGeo's event!

I got my Earth Day Run 2010 Pack today along with the husbo's. We're both running 5k with friends. I guess we're all set and ready to go.

For those interested, National Geographic's Earth Day Run 2010 will happen on Sunday, April 18, 2010. (The ad on their site says it's at The Mall of Asia but our packet says it's going to be held at The Fort, Taguig). Registration is from March 8, 2010 to April 4, 2010. You may register online at www.natgeorun.com (Major credit cards are accepted) or you can proceed to the Nike Outlet at Bonifacio High Street or TIMEX Outlets SM North Edsa and SM Mall of Asia. Proceeds of the run will benefit Design Against the Elements.

See you there!

King of the Jungle

2010-03-22T11:07:00.004+08:00

Got this furry friend from having dinner with the DJ Team last night. It comes along with the iced tea you order. It actually has an elephant companion but I found the lion more photogenic than the elephant lol! I don't have any pictures of the dinner to share though. Stupid me brought the camera along but forgot to bring the CF Card *slaps forehead*. :(

But Thanks DJ team for the sumptuous dinner. My tummy's happy until now. :)

I'm signing off now. I need to hit the gym to get all the dinner off my tummy.

Lesson Learned: Always Bring Your Camera.

2010-03-19T17:41:00.005+08:00

Still sleepy. *yawns* I attended the boss's birthday celebration after shift this morning. I had fun but my eyes still close on their own accord. Think Garfield eyes.

One thing I learned though, always bring your camera. I've read about it and heard about it so many times but the lazy me didn't want to lug around my bulky baby. Too bad I decided against bringing the rebel last night, should have trusted my instincts. I missed taking unforgettable pictures from the party. *sighs*

Oh and the cheerleader outfit above? No, I am not about to do the "save the cheerleader, save the world" bit. It's for my dog. My friend Summer gave it to me last night. Ain't it cute? :) Just in time for the summer season.

Ah, summer! The scorching sun and trips to the beach. I just love it! The husbo and I have several plans and all of them has "beach" written all over!

How about you? What are your summer plans?

Start of the Day

2010-03-18T18:10:00.004+08:00

I woke up too early today. About 5 to 6 hours before my alarm was supposed to go off. I don't know if it was the humid weather or if it's my sub conscious mind over flowing with thoughts. Whatever the reason, I am now up and about, mind on overdrive, looking for something to do.

I couldn't think of anything else to pass my time, so I got me some coffee to keep me awake (until my shift ends tomorrow morning) and sent an SMS to the husbo telling him I missed him. Then, I got the Rebel out of it's hiding place and took a shot to document how my day started.

How about you? How did your day start?

Runaway

2008-12-28T14:48:00.002+08:00

The View

2008-04-07T10:08:00.005+08:00

When I am all stressed out and couldn't really focus, I take in this view from our office window. It relaxes me.

Just Plain Breath Taking

2008-04-07T09:33:00.002+08:00

I am taking a bit of a time off from my own photos to feature my recent favorite photographer Allan Barredo. I found his pictures while organizing my flickr account. His shots are just breathtaking. The pictures are perfect! I admit I am no expert in photography but his shots just took my breath away. My words can't do justice so I suggest you check out his albums and see what I mean.

Visit him here.

The List

2008-03-24T17:21:00.002+08:00

I am off to work again. I have tons on my to do list and I honestly don't know where to start. These post it's are a life saver though as they contain list after list of endless tasks. Something to remind me by.

The wierd thing is, I like being kept busy. It makes time fly faster and whenever I cross out an item on that list, it makes me feel fulfilled. Keeping a list also reminds me to be thankful I have a job! :)

Roxas Boulevard

2008-03-23T10:31:00.002+08:00

Walked along Roxas boulevard with the husbo one Thursday morning. I wanted to shoot more but the husbo was paranoid about getting the camera out. Sigh. Do you sometimes feel frustrated about your shots? I do. Just recently, I feel like not touching the Rebel. I feel like my photos are so blah. Sigh. Must be PMS.

The Husbo is Blogging!

2008-03-10T14:43:00.003+08:00

Not only is the husbo into photography, he is now into blogging too! If you have the time, please do visit his blog. :)

Sinful

2008-03-10T14:34:00.003+08:00

I dreamt I was eating chocolate cake last night. Thanks to Goldilocks Bakeshop, that dream turned to reality. So sinful! Now if only I had the extra cash, Contis would be next. Well, there's always the next payday lol!

Early Morning in UP

2008-03-09T13:39:00.007+08:00

Woke up early today to go to UP with husbo. We wanted to go out of the house to do some shutter practice. We had fun! I am not much of a landscape photographer, it's one category I need to practice on.

Anyway, so we hauled our bums to UP and pressed those shutters. I only liked a few of my shots. I hope you like them too.

My Friday Pleasures

2008-03-08T14:35:00.005+08:00

Whew! It's been one hectic week. Tons of work to do and they're not even done. But what the heck, it was a Friday shift and what better way to cap the week than sipping on a tall hot white chocolate mocha from Starbucks - my absolute favorite.

I am still groggy from lack of sleep, I just wanted to drop by and clear the cobwebs on this blog. I will do my bloghops in a bit.

Gaah! I am craving for another cafeine dose but I'd rather sleep this off. Happy weekend everyone!

The Husbo Finally Gets His Own

2008-03-07T19:13:00.007+08:00

Yes, after a not so long deliberation, dear husbo has finally gotten his very own Rebel. He got a second hand (but still in prime condition!) from a dear friend of ours - Thanks Rache! It came with the kit lens, a Sigma 17-70mm lens, battery grip, extra battery and lens hood. He's saying he got that package because he wanted me to have the lens and the battery gripand that he's okay with using the kit lens for now. Awww, such a sweet husbo! But what the heck, we have the same camera anyway so we can use each other's camera accesory right? lol!

We are having a blast shooting different mundane stuff together and learning photography together. Even taking photos of each other at the same time lol! Are we crazy or what?

So anyway, here's a snapshot of the husband taking a photo of me!

A Day at the Park

2008-03-03T05:07:00.008+08:00

Ok, sorry for not updating sooner. Had my hands full this weekend with the photography class and the little imp's birthday. I had a wonderful coffee session with my dear friend Rache though and we had a nice little chat about life in general and photography. She is getting to be one great photographer! You can visit her multiply site here or her flikr home here.

Anyway, my photo share for today would be of my Godchild, Emman. Well, you will probably see more of him as he is the only willing model I have lol! So here he is. I took him to Parks and Wildlife, a local park here in Manila, Philippines. The park is large and even has several birds to show but it's not really a zoo. It is quite dilapidated though and I really think the government should do something to rehabilitate it, but I guess they have more important things on their minds. So anyway, I had the little imp be the child that he is and he just ran all over the place! He did pose for a shot or too but most of the time I just shoot whatever he was doing lol!

Website Feature: The Digital Photography School

2008-02-25T10:02:00.004+08:00

Since I am fairly new in photography, I read a lot about it and try my best to learn and pactice what I learn. One of the sites that I often go to these days is The Digital Photography School. They have a lot of tips and tricks for beginners like me. From Composition, to exposure, you name it they've got it!

They also have a forum where you can share your thoughts with other photographers and learn in the process. Their weekly assignments seem like fun too although I haven't really tried joining yet. Maybe soon. :-) I have recently subscribed to their mailing list and have gotten up to date news about their website. New challenges, new topics or assignments.

So whether you're a seasoned photographer or a newbie like me, I am sure you will get a lot out of this website.

Welcome!

2008-02-25T08:28:00.004+08:00

Hello and welcome to "Through My Lens."

This blog is a collection of photographs. Images of my life, of people I hold dear, of anything and everything that catches my interest. Images captured by me and my Rebel. This blog will also feature some tips and tricks on photography that I am able to pick up along the way. (Of course proper credits will be given. :) )

I am no professional photographer but I do want to learn the craft. I do not claim to have the "eye" for great images but it is my fervent desire to capture my life in photographs, to tell a story and for my photographs to, in one way or another, touch you.