JCBulatao Photography.

I 've previously shared with you several instances of my travels around the Philippines. This is the latest in the series, I guess. Hahaha. I t's summer time, and what better place to go than the beach? Because of insistent public demand (well, more like glowing reviews from beach goers from certain forums) , we decided to go to Subic Sweet Water Beach Resort. And I gotta say, this particular place is probably one of the best beaches I've been to lately, if not one of the best beaches I've been to period . D on't let the name fool you though. It might be called a resort, but it's really not (well, technically it really is but...) . I'd say, it's more of a haven actually. I home away from home, away from all the hustle and bustle and stress that the over-commercialized Subic Bay freeport area represents. It's fine and nearly white sand, it's breath-taking vistas, cool and surprisingly not so salty water (my personal estimation compared to some bea...

Just thought about this right now. I blogged about advice Charles Traub gave to aspiring young photographers the other night. Now I'm thinking of going down that list and "doing" them tasks one by one. :) A challenge to myself! I've to be able to do it all within... 3 months? Is 3 months fair? Hmmm. Well, maybe not all. At least 50% of them. Haha. Actually understanding or interpreting the list and putting it into motion will be the bigger challenge I think. We'll see. I'm particularly interested in the one that says "Do fifty of them—you definitely will get a show." Hahahah. Maybe I'll combine that with "Do it big, if you can't, do it in red." Hmmmmmmm. I'm excited!

I n a previous and unrelated post, I mentioned this handy little component of my current digital cameras. I actually considered this a requirement when I went shopping for both my digital cameras in the past. Why? Well, for a couple of reasons really, which really points to the main issue of the need for artificial light in everyday and almost every night photography. Olympus c-5000z hot shoe Olympus c-8080wz hot shoe S o basically, a hot shoe on any camera allows the photographer to use additional artificial light sources because, hey, let's face it, the on-board flash can only do so much. :) Aside from being able to use an actual flash unit directly connected to the flash via the hot shoe, with the right accessories, you can also use other flash units (professional studio or otherwise) that are off the camera as well, giving you a wide range of possibilities lighting-wise. W hile the presence or absence of the hot shoe does not necessarily measure a camera's worth or a camera...

Here are a few more noteworthy photos from Maundy Thursday's trip around Manila. Other shots on my FlickR . :) tamad kasi i- post lahat . Hehehe After visiting most of the churches on the list and saying our prayers, we ended up in the parking lot behind the CCP where we sought shade and relief, and ate lunch (and discovered that the CRV actually has a fold out table in back by default). UST church, probably the squarest church ever... Gothic, yes. Rusty too. view from the back, San Sebastian Church Stained Glass Window a Gothic ceiling The Payong in use I remember coming here... but I never realized that it shared the compound with Adamson. Encountered these folks at two churches. UST and at Nstra Sra. de Guia The statue / image encased in glass is oooooooooooold (and miraculous too). Greenest indoor color cast not attributed to fluorescent lighting ever (I think). I should've taken a picture of the doors to this place... last church we visited that day. A reminder to Parishi...

F ound the following on an egroup I'm part of, and made my way to the original post at this blog . B asically, the following is an abridged version of Charles Traub’s advice for young photographers , a list of “Dos” and Don’ts” taken from a book he co-edited, The Education of a Photographer. Do something old in a new way. Do something new in an old way. Do something new in a new way. Whatever works, works. Do it sharp—if you can’t, call it art. Do fifty of them—you definitely will get a show. Do it big—if you can’t do it big, do it red. If you don’t know what to do, look up, or down—but continue looking. Do celebrities—if you do a lot of them you’ll get a book. Edit it yourself. Design it yourself. Publish it yourself. Read Darwin, Marx, Freud, Einstein, Benjamin, McLuhan, and Barthes. Construct your images from the edges inward. If it’s the “real world,” do it in color. If it can be done digitally, do it. Be self-centered, self-involved, and generally entitled and always push...

It's Holy Week 2008. Maundy Thursday. The day that we engage in our annual tradition, Visita Iglesia. We visited several churches, mostly in the Manila area. Wasn't able to take photos at the Morning Breeze church though as it was closed and we stayed outside for prayer. Here are some photos. 2nd church: Our Lady of Grace a very wide church inside Maia and her tatay a sleeping man. Espiritu Santo, 3rd church the church as viewed from inside... a group of penitent visitors More pictures to follow.

I f money was no object, barring the option of buying multiple bodies, the Olympus loyalist in me would no doubt splurge on their 4-years-in-the-making, recently announced professional DSLR E-3 system. A nnounced October of 2007, the E-3 shows just how much evolution Olympus' professional system can achieve. A marked improvement (heck, after 4 years, it had better be!) over their initial effort, the E-1, the Olympus E-3 possesses a new sensor. The E-3 carries a 4/3 high speed Live MOS sensor compared to the E-1's old 5MP CCD, making this pro kit the first to have Live-view function. This becomes particularly useful and handy when shooting via the fully articulated LCd display, which opens up and swivels around like those displays found in earlier Canon G point and shoot systems. With certain lenses, the E-3 is claimed to have the fastest autofocus available today, making full use of its all new 11 point auto focus system. It also sports a new and improved viewfinder, giving 100...

W hile most camera owners might busy themselves with their cameras only on certain occasions, like say at a party, or a gathering, or maybe an event, something that merit's documentation, others might use photography as a way to earn a living, often doing much of the same as previously mentioned but being paid to do so. Then there are others who make a living out of taking portraits that families might not ever be able to take on their own. Other people just use it to document their lives as it happens, as they travel or go somewhere new. W hile all of these are quite valid, if you're the occasional shutterbug, you're likely not to explore other applications of your craft. :) So my proposal to others, as well as to myself, is to start some personal photography projects that explore other applications of photography you might currently feel, more or less, alienated from, or at least unfamiliar with. Some personal projects I've seen other people commit themselves to inclu...

I recently wrote an entry about the Oly E-410 and mentioned that it was (and I actually think still is) the world's smallest DSLR. After one year (from the E-410's initial debut, not my entry) Olympus has seen fit to announce an upgrade. Say hello to the E-420. photo from dpreview T echnically, as far as measurement specs go, all the cameras in the 400 line from Olympus fits the bill. They all measure the same, each measuring 130 x 91 x 53 mm (5.1 x 3.6 x 2.1 in) however the E-420 weighs in slightly heavier than its predecessor at 440grams, battery included compared to the 435grams that the E-410 weighs in at. While it might not exactly win the world's smallest title from it's older brother, it does have several points over the 410. photo from dpreview F or starters, the E-420 possesses a bigger LCD which also incorporates hypercrystal II technology, allowing for a greater angle (176 degrees) of view in more lighting conditions than before. As far as early reviews /...

O k. I'm in the market for a DSLR. I mean no offense to my point and shoots, but I'm starting to feel the desire to shoot a little faster, take more pictures with less delay as possible. That's one of the things I'm noticing with more intermediate point and shoot cameras. They may have nearly all the features of a true DSLR, the ability to use a hot shoe flash (hmmm... lets talk about that in a future entry...) but when it comes down to autofocusing and getting the shot, there's a little more lag than I'd like to have. So, within the budget I'm setting for myself (this doesn't mean I actually have said budget at the moment mind you) , I've set my sights on a couple of choices, one of which was blogged in a previous entry, and the other in this one. So lets get to it. I want an Olympus E-410. A nnounced March 5, 2007, the Olympus E-410 was set to be one of the world's firsts. It was one of the world's first consumer DSLRs to carry the live...

W hile it might seem that I'm mouthing off like I'm a master of some high powered DSLR, I have yet to own one (emphasis on yet ). Those of you who've read through past entries know that I have a compact digital (Olympus C-5000z) and large prosumer point-and-shoot (Olympus C-8080wz) as my tools. However, given half the chance, I'd gladly upgrade to almost any DSLR within my budget range. O ne of those cameras I'm currently lusting after is ( or was - by the time of this writing ) one of Olympus' top of the line cameras: The Olympus E-510. Announced last year, March 5, 2007 to be exact, the Olympus E-510 came out as the 10 megapixel replacement for the Olympus E-500 Evolt ( which sports an 8 MP sensor ). It has all the functionalities of its predecessor, as well as some new functions also present in its little brother the E-410, which was announced on the same day. O ne of the main features that the E-510 boasts of is its live-view functionality. In that respect...

W hile most of what I think I might be blogging about in this series of entries will be about how to utilize your DSLR, a lot of what I plan to go on about can also be found in some more prosumer-level point and shoot cameras ( like those I actually own ). T ake Program mode for example ( accessible on SLRs and Prosumers by turning your mode dial to the "P" mode, or by going into menu and changing shooting modes - for some point and shoot compact cameras ). W hile most point and shoot users undoubtedly have used the full auto mode at one point or another, they might not realize that they have options for a greater range of control over their photography experience. W hen one uses full auto in shooting, the photographer gives up all control to the camera's on-board computer, and will just use their camera to basically chronicle what's happening around them without giving a second thought to exposure settings, whether or not to use flash, etc... using the Program mo...