Philippine Photographer

I am a freelance photographer based in Iloilo City, Philippines but I travel more than usual to other places in the country. I am very available for commissions, contact me if you’re interested in hiring me for your photography needs. In the meantime, feel free to browse my photography portfolio. Here at Ambot-ah! I also love to post about how aspiring photographers and enthusiasts can improve their photography.


Browsing the archives for the Photography category

Palawan in Black and White Photo Series

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Here’s a little something I wanted to do during my trip to Palawan. I felt during the previous months that I haven’t growing as much as I’d like as a photographer, probably because I’ve shifted my focus on so many distractions. I need to inspire myself again and not succumb to the vacuous feeling I’ve been having lately whenever I get in front of the mirror, click the camera’s shutter, or take that first step out the door before a trip. For my Palawan Photo Series, I’ve stripped down my photos to black and white, back to basics … raw and natural:

4723237947 8c69626f4a o Palawan in Black and White Photo Series

Getting there is part of the adventure

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Cambodia in Photos – April 2010

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Here’s a gallery of photos I took during my recent trip to Cambodia. Most of them were taken in Siem Reap, where the famed Angkor Temples can be found. Due to the nature of my visit, covering a corporate event, I was able to visit a few high-end hotels and see some sights the usual tourist might not be able to experience like this picture below of an Australian string trio performing for a gala dinner with the Angkor Wat, illuminated by gigawatts of lights, as its backdrop.

4600279339 6b5dd1f8ac Cambodia in Photos – April 2010

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Hidalgo St., Quiapo – the place to buy cheap cameras in the Philippines

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If you’re wondering where you can buy dSLR cameras and other photographic equipment in the Philippines for the cheapest/lowest prices, then it’s in Hidalgo St., Quiapo. I know the place in general is notorious as one of Manila’s shabby and crime infested areas (full of  pirated CDs/DVDs, counterfeit electronics, snatchers, garbage). I was surprised myself after finding out that it’s highly recommended by other photographers in the Philippines as a place to find a wider range of photographic/videographic equipment at a cheaper price than in malls. I bought my first camera, a Canon Powershot A700, in Hidalgo when I was in college and a Nikon D40 last year. I have nothing to complain about the quality of my purchases there.

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My Photos in iTravel Mag Bacolod Feature

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Two of my pictures taken during recent visits to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental were published in the iTravel Philippines Magazine’s Bacolod City feature  by Mr. Bombette G. Marin. The pictures were of the Lacson Mansion Ruins in Talisay City and the San Sebastian Church in Bacolod City. I’m very happy that my photos are circulating outside my blogs with permission and proper credits this time.

4206074428 57d289e9e8 My Photos in iTravel Mag Bacolod Feature Read the rest of this entry »

A Photoshoot on Prison Inmates

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Well, they aren’t real inmates but we did manage to have a photo shoot in an actual prison … or rather ex-prison. The provincial rehabilitation center (jail) was transferred to a town 40 minutes from the city, which left us with an abandoned (heritage) building just ripe for a photo opportunity. The setting was really great! old junk, steel bars, empty hallways, rooms, and corridors, dirty walls, and a haunted ambiance left by a century of history. No professional work, just a bunch of friends having fun.

4102746762 a017f96f16 o A Photoshoot on Prison Inmates

Disfuntional Family

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Easy-to-do and Cheap Paperclip Magnet DIY Photo Wall

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Photographers always have this feeling of exhibiting their photos either for other people or even for their own viewing pleasure. For me sharing my photos is a way of getting my perspective out, and letting other people know more about my life and my perspective. I’ve already done spreading my photos all over the internet and on some print media, and this time, I was thinking of doing something a bit more personal. So I decided to make this cheap and easy-to-do photo wall for my room.

3967816138 58bc9ccb23 Easy to do and Cheap Paperclip Magnet DIY Photo Wall

Photo Wall Ideas

While searching online, I came across two interesting ideas, which included magnets and metals as the core materials. The first one, included painting the wall with a metallic paint and then laying over magnet/s on top of the photos to suspend them. The second used several pieces of colored metallic strings draped across the wall instead of the metallic paint. I scrapped the metallic paint idea since it is quite expensive and labrious to cover a whole wall of metallic paint.

I’m not sure if there are colored strings available in our local hardware/craft stores but the first thing that popped into my head when I started thinking about improvising, is using paper clips. Perfect! because they are cheap and easy to find.

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Art Exhibit for Independent Photographers in Iloilo – My first time experience

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An art exhibit is currently ongoing at Red Steakhouse and Gallery in Smallville, Iloilo City (along Diversion Road, Mandurriao District). The exhibit is called “Spectrum: Iloilo,” there are no themes, groups, or subjects just a bunch of independent photographers in Iloilo wanting to showcase their passion for their craft.

3576183441 1ff2e5b954 Art Exhibit for Independent Photographers in Iloilo   My first time experience

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Adobe Lightroom – Improve your photographs with the touch of a button

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Lightroom is one of my most used tools in my arsenal photo-editing softwares. I’m not the most technical kind of photographer when it comes to taking photos (in-camera), so most of the time, I have to edit the photos I take before uploading them in the internet. At certain times, I have hundreds of photos that I want to upload in a short span of time. Lightroom to saves me a hell of a lot of time and effort unlike editing the photos one by one in photoshop.

Lightroom screenshot Adobe Lightroom   Improve your photographs with the touch of a button Read the rest of this entry »

My pictures on Amalfi Restaurant appeared in Philippine Star

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My food shots of Amalfi Restaurant in The Avenue, Iloilo City has just appeared on a national daily, the Philippine Star, on May 28, 2009. Here’s a snapshot of the feature on Amalfi Cucina Italia:

3576182717 8862b6c891 My pictures on Amalfi Restaurant appeared in Philippine Star

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Pawikan Cave (Isla Gigantes Sur, Carles) Photoshoot

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Pawikan Cave in Isla Gigantes Sur is one of the places that we visited during our recent trip to Carles. The atriums inside the spacious caverns created such beautiful lighting that we couldn’t resist doing a quick photoshoot. The natural spotlight and mysterious feel of the cave made such a strong effect to the pictures.

3462530053 51a966726f Pawikan Cave (Isla Gigantes Sur, Carles) Photoshoot
Renel in his Druid-like poses

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