JCBulatao Photography.

No literal reflections here. At least none photographed. I'm writing this on the fly, more of a reaction to David Hobby's latest post reflecting about his year on Strobist.com , and to some of his top ten posts of the year, in particular the10th. That particular post talks about Imitation being a path to Innovation, which begins with a reference to Picasso, goes on highlighting the work of one Justin Lanier, who doesn't seem to have his own website yet so you can check his work on on his flicker . It got me thinking... what exactly have I done this year with my personal photography? I have to say, personal photography-wise, it's been a quiet 2011. I didn't get to pursue a lot of my personal projects started way back when,but then again what's new? But now that I think about it... 1) I was able to do an entry for the Motorcycle diaries / monument personal project . 2) I got new gear in the form of the DIY ringflash ... 3) ... which I used in my night-clu

Quick post before rushing off to work. LYTRO is here! By "here" I mean upon us. I came across it last night while going through the headlines of my preferred feeds. I saw the announcement on dpreview. Check it out! It's by no means in any form reminiscent of your regular camera. Then again, it pretty much does nothing like any consumer camera out there anyway.  Since the technology allows you to shoot first and ask questions focus later, the shutter is instant. With a constant aperture of f2 through out the zoom range (35-280mm equivalent), it will rule low light situations too. Interface is simple, with just a power button, shutter button, and zoom  to worry about. Viewing the pictures and focusing is as easy as swipe and point.  The camera has an internal, consumer-non-replaceable battery, and internal storage available in two sizes: 8GB (Graphite and Electric Blue) which allows for 350 11 "megaray" shots and 16 GB (Red-Hot) which gives you 750 pictu

Good day dear readers (are there any of you still out there?). It's been a month since my last post, and I haven't been quite as active, photographically speaking, outside my work as of late. Nothing much to blog about, at least not photography related. I try to reserve this blog just for my photography and anything related to it, but indulge me this random entry. I've been thinking  lot about other options for making a little more cash on the side. We have to face facts. :) As much fun as living life day to day is, and going to clubs and being a lensman there, we're all getting older.  I was wondering about putting together a photobooth. Something I could rent out, for small events and the like. It's been getting pretty popular as of late. All the weddings I've gone to has had them in one form or another. By the way, if anyone has contacts or ideas on how to start one, I'd love to here from you.     So far the little bit of research I've done req

I came across this camera / concept / idea / future-of-memory-in-picture-capturing-as-we-know-it a couple of weeks ago when my brother posted it on his plurk timeline. I've been meaning to write about it for awhile but, as always, life has a way of getting in the way. Ok, for now there is no commercially available camera. But you can reserve  yourself one. Just some sample photos in their gallery, several updates on their blog, and links hyping-up and explaining the science behind the concept, behind Lytro. The site talks about how the camera is able to capture the "light field" which is a record of the amount of light that's bouncing off everything in the picture in every derection, how intense the light is, color etc... and gives you the ability to shoot first and focus later. Imagine that. Truly idiot proof. When this technology will actually be available for the average person is anyone's guess. For now only lucky testers have been given access to the te

Good evening all. Those who've read my previous entries are familiar with the ringflash adapter I recently bought off of DIY lighting kits . I've been able to test it out on a select few of my friends. One would imagine, due to its bulky-yet-flimsy build, and the fact that the DSLR that I currently use as my workhorse isn't quite as capable in the dark, that use of the ringflash might be relegated to home-studio use, or the rare fun with friends portrait shoot. However, the fun-loving risk-taker in me just couldn't be stopped I guess. I decided to test it out on some club-goers. I had to change my set-up a bit though. Instead of using the Olympus E410, I opted to use a Canon G10, which solves my focus-hunting-in-the-dark problem, and whose hotshoe would still allow me to trigger the flash with the use of my PT-04.    I swapped the FL36R with the YN-560, giving me a faster recycle time and more power. However, the bigger 560 wouldn't fit in the hole as it was, so

The notice came in the mail this morning! When I noticed it, my mind went blank. Forget that I have work in an hour. I went straight to the post office on the wave to pick up the parcel, with backpack in tow for transport. The size of the package surprised me ( that's what she said ) though. The stiff flat box, marked "DO NOT BEND" was maybe 2 A3s side by side. Plus I didn't have to pay the regular tax that Philpost usually charges me for may online shopping orders. Sweet! Rode home as quick and carefully as I could to avoid bending the box or damaging it in transit. Opened it up, took a couple of photos for posterity, and left it lying on the bed for me to put together once I got home. Once home, I set to work (after dinner of course) and followed the instructions step by step, lest i mess something up. I wasn't as clean as I thought I'd be though, but what the heck. :) Here it is all put together. Took some time out to decide how to mou

Good morning all. While waiting for the ringflash I ordered from DIY photography to arrive, might as well write about more of the things this blog was meant for, i.e. my experience of life with photography. First, I was asked by one of my closest friends to cover the recital of a couple of summer workshops she and her friends from Make Believe have been holding, one at the Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, and the others (as they are 3 workshops presented in one venue) at Maria Montessori in Merville park. While I believe I'm a professional photographer, I really feel like I have a ways to go when it comes to covering events. I know I could've done better, light-wise, in both instances, certain situational constraints (available light sources - both mine and at venue, technical difficulties etc.) couldn't be helped. All in all though I think I did pretty good. I'd post some photos on the blog but I don't have model releases of the kids. Straying back to th

Nearly a month after I posted an entry on a very work-intensive ring light , David Hobby (of strobist ) comes out with another article featuring a more budget-minded-willing-to-spend-slacker-friendly DIY Ring Flash kit. And man does it look sharp (pun intended)! For 25$ plus 8$ shipping, you can get your hands on this effective-looking device made out of  vinyl (and whatever reflective material that seems to be), bend, fold, snap and tape it together and have a clearly usable ring flash. For an additional 7.95$ (plus 0.50$ shipping), you can order the flash bracket, that attaches via a slot on the ring flash assembly and mounts the flash via rubber bands. How you trigger the flash is up to you. While I imagine that PT-04s would be enough, I think I'd spring for a TTL cable this time. It's by no means as professional looking as the one I previously blogged about nor is it as pricey as the Orbis ring flash , but it sure looks nice and is cheap to boot. Upon reading the entry

Haven't been blogging here as of late. And I haven't exactly been putting out anything of my own photography (un-work-related anyway) either. However I stumbled upon something interesting on Strobist , one of my regular reads (which I recommend to anyone and everyone). I've seen a couple of different DIY ring lights / beauty dishes, and I've tried making at least one, but this seems to be the best looking (and possibly most work intensive) one yet.  The Strobist entry is here: DIY Ring Flash Tutorial .  If you've already seen it, you understand why I feel like I HAVE to make one, versus shelling out a pretty penny buying something like the Orbis Ring Flash . If I wanted to be extremely cheap, I could possibly make a paper ringflash  (via diyphotography.net), but I'm not sure how long that would last.  Hmmm. I don't have access to those exact tools so I wonder how I'd make one for myself, but time will tell (if I ever get started on it that is).  That

Ok. That was a long title for a post. But basically you get the gist. After going there one night to jog and taking lo-fi photos using my phone, I decided to try and visit on my day off, to continue my Tuesday Motorcycle Diary plus Parks / Monuments / Significant public places personal project. I didn't go there early enough to take a tour and take photos using the afternoon light, but I've seen enough to know that I'm pretty sure I'm going back there again for a part two / 3. Arrived at roughly 5pm. Paid the entrance / parking fee (5 pesos for motorcycle). Took a slow tour around the park's inner road using the wave, and found out that there's this huge playground called The Circle of Joy, and amusement park (which seemed, sadly, closed). Also found where you could rent bikes like they used to do. They actually have some sort of a garage for them. Photos next time though. Decided to park and grab an icecream at this establishment... I got the Queso Queso

Its been ages since i'd last been to the memorial circle. Inspired by my cardio trainer app, and bored with just walking up and down our street for exercise, i decided to go visit one of the of the most prominent parks in the city. I took a few photos too but with my phone so i won't promise quality. Hmmmm. Using bloggerdroid for this entry so i'm not sure how i'm gonna add the photos. Oh well. One of my past entries talked about starting your own personal photography projects. One of those for me was visiting and documenting our country's parks. I didn't take enough photos or do much in the way of planning or prep so this is going to just be a preview of what is to come. I'm pretty sure i'm gonna make this a weekly thing. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6 UPDATE: added photos. Wasn't able to figure out blogger droid before pressing send. Hehe. Also posting what I had for dinner after the jog. :) Started out healthy enough. OH WELL. :D l