The City Center: San Pedro Photowalk

I had the chance to join the Fujifilm-sponsored Walk, Shoot & Print photowalk recently. The walk happened in Davao City's version of Manila's Recto - San Pedro Street. This was my first time to shoot downtown (I really need to shoot more) and was surprised that for such a bustling place, it can be pretty calm on a Saturday.

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Worldwide Photowalk: Davao's Baywalk

This is the second time I was able to participate in Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk.  The first time was last year in Manila and this year, I joined the walk at Davao's Baywalk.

A photowalk is an event where photography enthusiasts meet and take pictures together.  I consider it a great experience since I can meet people to talk to about my passion and learn from their experiences.

Davao's Baywalk is built on reclaimed land near the famous (or is it infamous?) Queensland Motel. The original developers may have planned to set up a trendy seaside attraction with restaurants and bars but never finished.  You have replicas of Michelangelo's David and the Little Mermaid statue in Denmark.  You also have unfinished shops and paths that provide a contrast.  Right now, the Baywalk serves as an exercise and fishing spot for residents early in the morning.

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Nature Tripping: Eden Nature Park and Philippine Eagle Center

It has been a long time since my last post.  I guess having a child really eats up ones personal time.  Plus the fact that we just relocated to Davao City.

When we celebrated my kid's 1st birthday, relatives from Manila visited us and we showed them around Davao City.  Eden Nature Park and the Philippine Eagle Center are staples for a Davao City tour.  It was a great day for me to bring out the camera from a long hiatus and rediscover my passion.

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Night & Day

It has been a long time since my last post and I was itching to post something.  Rehashing old photos did not appeal to me.

I got this idea to take multiple exposures from the top of the building I live in taken at different times of the day.  I did a quick search of the 'Net to look for similar photos to get me started and found this.  With these inspirations, I set out to create my own version.

I really liked the way I got some landmarks in there - the old DLSU building, a new one under construction, and the Vito Cruz LRT station.  Next time, I'll definitely look for a more recognizable landmark.  How about the Ayala Triangle? ; )

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The Best of 2011

I think this is a good time to look back at the past year and remember the moments and captures associated with those moments.

These photos may not be the most artistic but when I look at these captures, they bring back the emotions and experiences when they were taken.

Enjoy.

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Capturing Light: The Manila Ocean Park

With friends coming over to see the sights at Manila, we accompanied them to their trip to the Manila Ocean Park.  Fresh from my trip to the Zoo Negara Malaysia, I was a bit tired of shooting fishes swimming around in aquariums and was looking for something new.

Since my last trip here, the aquarium had new attractions.  One ticket will give you access to the aquarium, the jellyfish room and a ride on a glass-bottomed boat.  The glass-bottomed boat ride was too short to satisfy us.  The sight of the resident tiger shark's fin slicing through the water toward the boat was the highlight of the ride.  The jellyfish room is a great place to get really nice pictures.  Just remember to deactivate your camera's flash.  I am sharing with you my shots of the jellyfish and some really close-up shots of fishes.  Enjoy.

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On a Mission: My Bukit Bintang Street Shoot

Ever since I started sharing my photos in this blog, I was hoping I would get to share photos from places outside the Philippines. Well, I got my chance when the company sent me to Kuala Lumpur on official company business for 4 weeks. Now, 1 week into this trip, I finally have something to share. 

It was during my last trip to Bohol that I found out that I lost the quick release plate for my el-cheapo ballhead for my CD-R King tripod. I have been planning to get a better replacement and was planning to buy one in KL. Since I will be living near the city center, I knew I can easily get to Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang. Low Yat is a gadget-head's paradise and I was hoping I could find some nice ballheads there. Being new to the city, I decided to walk to Low Yat to better familiarize myself with the area.

After walking three hot and humid kilometers, I finally got to Low Yat. The long walk was disappointing since the place had a limited choice of ballheads. The trip would not be in vain, however. The area had lots of interesting people and interesting sights. So, the next day, I brought my camera with me to take pictures of the place.

Being a bit wiser this time, I took a taxi. I walked around Sungei Wang to see if they had good camera shops there.  There were some good shops but still, no ballheads.  Compared to Manila, the mall was not packed - even on a Sunday and some shops were still closed at 11 AM.

One of the empty "pasilyos" at Sungei Wang

After browsing, I decided to find a good spot to take street photos.  I went out to Jalan Bukit Bintang and found some seats near the sidewalk.  I picked the location because it was near a crossing with lots of people. I ordered a crepe from the nearby shop and took some shots.

After about an hour, I decided to head back home. This time, on foot which would take me through the Pavilion, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the KLCC park, and finally, home. The walk took longer than usual since I had to stop and take some shots. The shots from this walk are in the gallery below. The one with the taxi driver really made my day.



The trip ended back to where I started - Ampang Park.

The end of the walk - Ampang Park station

I am sharing the route I took so if ever you find your way to KL, you can take the same route and have your own experience.

View Bukit Bintang - Ampang Park in a larger map

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Enchanted Kingdom: The BW Experiment

I have been to Enchanted Kingdom a few times in the past but this was the first time I brought a camera with me.  There were a few changes since I went there a few years ago.  The Condor has been replaced by the EKStreme (yes, the name is kinda cheezy), a free-fall tower. A haunted house also has been added but I wasn't interested.

I started taking pictures of the rides and scenery but after a few shots, I wasn't satisfied with what I got.  In between rides I got this idea of taking pictures of people having fun.  I mean, the entire idea of a theme park is for people to have fun, right?  I took positions near the Rio Grande Rapids and the Flying Fiesta hoping to get nice shots of people enjoying the rides.  Then, I camped out near the Space Shuttle hoping to get shots of people gawking at it.

All in all, I enjoyed taking pictures and hanging out with friends more than trying out the rides.  The games were a money pit and without new ones, the rides get old after a few hours.

Back home, I had this idea to post them all in black and white.  I hope I made the right choice.

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