I’m currently drooling over the new NIKON DSLR — The D5000. I was walking around downtown when a friend text me that the rumored entry level SLR had already been released, I was ecstatic and wanted to go home as soon as possible so that I can read more about its specs. When I finally got to see a first glance of the new unit, I was way past the edge of my seat and my fingers were tingling, wanting to be able to hold it in my hands.
The D60 was a bit disappointing since it didn’t introduce a remarkable difference from the D40 but this camera not only has a big leap over the D40 but also differentiates itself from other DSLRs in the market right now. It is probably at a level between the D60 and the D90. Here’s some of the features that really got me excited (listed according to level of excitability), being a D40 user and thinking about upgrading my camera in the short term. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been covering the annual Aliwan Fiesta for two years already but I’ve never got to see it personally because of schedule conflicts when I was still in college. Now that I’m free, I’m finally going to Manila this last week of April to watch the spectacle from the streets of Manila. Thanks for Zest Air for offering a Manila to Ilolo flight for only P488, I can afford the transportation costs … food and other travel expenses will be, as usual, on a minimum budget. I just really want to watch Aliwan. I’ll be arriving in Manila on the 23rd and leaving on the 27th. I’ve read from reviews that Zest Air flights are very comfortable since they are using a brand new custom made A320 and they have unlimited Zest-O products on board, sweet! Hopefully I’ll be able to meet my friends from college and skyscrapercity during the trip. I’m also looking forward to revisit old manila and visit more of newer places in Manila.
Last week a friend invited me to go for a trip to the holy grail of island destinations in Iloilo, Carles, this weekend. We will be staying at Isla de Gigantes Sur for three days and two nights. I’m hoping we can visit most of the tourist spots in the area including the Sicogon Island, the famed Boracay of the 80′s. I’ve been dying to go here since highschool and now that I’ve finally got the chance to visit it, I’m so ecstatic! I can now cross out one item in my list of ultimate adventures in Iloilo. YES! Pictures and a travelogue will definitely be posted here but it might take a while since I’ve got other trips planned for the next two weeks, stay tuned na lang.
Some food shots of three restaurants in The Avenue, Smallville taken recently. The three restaurants include Amalfi (Italian), Mojave (Grill and Steakhouse), and Bauhinia (Filipino). All handheld and used only natural lighting. This set-up works fairly well with food photography. If the lighting is poor or if you’ve got shaky hands, better use a tripod to get crisp photos. The hardest part of the shoot was actually being in front of these delicious looking dishes for hours and not being able to eat them.
Attempting to incorporate humans into my shots. I’m a bit challenged in photgraphing people since I’m instinctively an introvert but I’m hoping I can change that by practicing on more model shoots with my friends. No professional stuff yet, just a bunch of us having fun. Our first project is a shoot in our local cemetery, here’s what we came up with:
Being visible in the internet does have it perks because you get attention from all types of audiences, which opens you up to opportunities you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Time and time again, Explore Iloilo has given me so much in my life and I’m very grateful that many people are able to appreciate me because of what I do. A month ago, the people behind Green Mango (a new restaurant in Iloilo) contacted me and asked if I was available to shoot for their upcoming outlet. Sure enough, I took the job because it’s an opportunity I can never decline.
It was an exhausting job shooting more than 20 food items in their menu and editing after. Me and Vince had to make the most of our equipment to make the best output that we could produce. We even made do-it-yourself light boxes, reflectors, and diffusers to cover up for our lack of professional equipment. It wasn’t the most ideal set-up but we were able to come up with the shots that the client wanted. Here are samples of our Green Mango Photoshoot
To be able to support myself financially, I’ve started to open myself to freelance photography work. Me and Vince (a schoolmate and photo buddy) are nursing graduates and thought it would be interesting to call and ourselves as RN Photography, which makes recall easier because it’s quite an interesting way to brand our services. So far we’ve had a few clients including Espresso Central, a coffee shop located in the 2nd floor of Robinsons Mall (the one with the glass flooring in front of the food court). Read the rest of this entry »
Me and three of my friends took advantage of the Zero Fare Christmas promo of Cebu Pacific (see the latest Cebu Pacific Promo Fare 2010). We had only planned for a 2 day trip, which we later regret, to save on costs and possible schedule conflicts. I have always wanted to visit Cebu again, I’ve been there a few times during my childhood and I’ve always wanted to see what Cebu has transformed into. Indeed Cebu has changed dramatically and is worthy of the title of being the largest urban center in the Southern Philippines. Read the rest of this entry »
Showing off your camera in the streets Quiapo, Binondo, or Intramuros is kind of risky because it would make yourself an easy target for thieves. I had to take pictures of my trip though, so I just took stolen shots instead and planned on putting a lomo effect to compensate for the lack of composititon.
Here’s my Lomo Manila Series (I hope I don’t offend Lomo purists because I’m not very familiar with this style of photography):
I was in Manila for 4 days in January 2009 with Vince, who was also planning to buy his first SLR. During the first day, we headed straight to Quiapo for our primary agenda. And then we set out to tour the walled city of Manila, our tour guides were Eric, Bernie, and Igan, who are friends I met over at Skyscrapercity.
Ambot-ah is a blog about my life as a travel blogger, nurse, and freelance photographer. After my college graduation, I decided to make a living out of blogging and live out my many passions. Join me on my travels around the Philippines and South East Asia. Read my helpful backpacking journals, budget travel trips, do-it-yourself itineraries, blogging pursuits (making money online), and photography tips. 
