Archive for May, 2009

« Older Entries

20 year old negatives, looking back at my own photography history

Sunday, May 31st, 2009
20 year old negatives from one film roll that I started to pour over. A trip back to the past as well as a look into my photography roots.

20 year old negatives from one film roll that I started to pour over. A trip back to the past as well as a look into my photography roots.

I got goosebumps as I was scanning and viewing my black and white negatives that I have taken about 20 years ago. Nostalgia of the past came back in a flood of memories, a torrent of faint images that looked surreal, distant but familiar. Already, some frames looked washed out, age making its mark, a far cry when I first dried these after having been developed at our kitchen.

I was into black and white photography during my high school days, probably 3rd or 4th year. Lugging my father’s Canon AE-1 Program camera with reloaded canisters of Kodak Tri-max films purchased from Island Photo in Manalili St. These were a lot cheaper and as a student that time, it was apt for my budget.

Images were taken within the home, environ and within our place while cousins became willing models. Photography was a passion and wanting to know more about the photographic process, I switched to black and white films so that I can learn to develop these myself. Well, with a limited budget, I was only able to develop negatives and left the contact printing to Island Photo.

I still have to go over my negatives from 25 rolls and will be posting some images here. When I will get back to Cebu this month, I will need to find the colored ones.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Mabuhay April 2009 issue

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

Pages 46-47 spread of the issue

Pages 46-47 spread of the issue


Mabuhay April 2009 issue

Mabuhay April 2009 issue

I finally got my copy of PAL’s inflight magazine, Mabuhay April 2009 issue where three of my church photos were included. The article was about the traditional visita iglesia, observed by Catholics all over the world.

I provided the churches of St. Matthias (Tumauini, Isabela), Our Lady of the Abandoned (Sta. Ana, Manila) and the Basilica of San Sebastian (Quiapo, Manila).

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

1st story at Demotix and making it to the widget

Thursday, May 28th, 2009
First photo story that I've uploaded at Demotix

First photo story that I've uploaded at Demotix.com. Click on image to go to the site.

Yesterday, I uploaded my first photo story, The Rags of Bagong Barrio at Demotix.com and this morning, I received an email notification that one of the images made it into the Demotix widget. So what?

Demotix.com’s website says:

…is a citizen-journalism website and photo agency. It takes user-generated content (UGC) and photographs from freelance journalists and amateurs, and markets them to the mainstream media.

Citizen Journalism has been the buzz word in recent years as some major news events were covered by people who, not necessarily professional journalists, were at the right time and at the right place. With the right tools, were able to send images, videos and accounts of an unfolding event. Just check CNN’s I-Report and you see citizen journalism in action. On the other hand, major news publications and media in general get their international news content from the wire agencies. As Demotix noted, don’t have a single staffer in 40 per cent of the world’s countries.

The beauty of Demotix.com is that it provides a platform not only for citizen journalists but, and most important of all, to us freelance photojournalists, who most of the time find it difficult to put out work into mainstream media. Our photo stories and images can now have an opportunity to be marketed and licensed to the growing media buyers comprised of major news publications and broadcasters. What’s more, the photojournalist still keeps the copyright, sales are split 50/50, fees are in the professional range (as against microstock) and payments are simple. In my case, I opted to be paid via paypal. Not bad for an agency that only started late last year.

One of my images made it to the Demotix widget. What a good way to start!

One of my images made it to the Demotix widget. Click photo for larger image.

And what about the Demotix widget? It is an application that showcases the best photos that has just been recently uploaded to provide up-to-date, groundbreaking imagery. Subscribers, usually big media organizations, can show it in their websites as additional online content. It’s also a good opportunity for the photographer to gain exposure of his work.

As one of my images made it into the widget, I already earned £12.50 for it. What a good way to start!

Also view the slideshow of this photo story in this blog.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The Rags of Bagong Barrio

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Bagong Barrio, one of the residential areas in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, was formerly a slum area in the 1980s. During that time, some enterprising individuals started the rag making industry by recovering the excess clothing materials from garment factories. They then made these into the familiar disposable, round rag that are now sold in the streets of the metropolis, shops, big factories and companies. The underground industry employs otherwise skill and education challenged individuals who can’t find regular jobs thus enabling them to earn a living.

Dolores Gripalda, from Catanduanes province, finds employment in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan

Dolores Gripalda, from Catanduanes province, finds employment in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City, Metro Manila as a rug sewer since September of 2008. A widow, it is her only means of earning a living making around 200 pesos per day.

Today, Bagong Barrio is considered the largest supplier of rags. While only a few families are said to have the capability to provide the raw materials, each one has dependent families and individuals who make the rag s and output around two tons of the product per week. Although there is no study as to how many are engaged and benefiting from this industry, or the extent of its distribution, interviews indicate that these are not only sold within Metro Manila but buyers come from near and distant provinces within Luzon, the largest island in the country.

The industrial complexes of Subic get their supply from Bagong Barrio as well as the many factories in the export processing zones of Laguna, Cavite and Batangas provinces. Every Thursday and Monday morning, wholesale buyers from the northern province of Nueva Ecija come to get their stock for distribution in many more areas up north in Cagayan Valley.

Story was done in April 2009.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

I've graduated, what's next?

Monday, May 25th, 2009
Piece of paper or piece of the future?

Piece of paper or piece of the future?

Exactly a week ago, in a brief ceremony not extending around 15 minutes, Batch 4 of the Diploma in Photojournalism at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism – Ateneo de Manila University, 6 of us strutted, stood, smiled at the small crowd, shook hands and stepped down. Out of the 10 original students, three fell through the cracks while another wasn’t able to come as he went back to Australia where he’s based right now. After one year of assignments, online chats, writing papers and shooting projects, it’s finally done.

One question that has been in our mouths and minds and what some of our instructors threw at us was this: What’s next? Most of us Batch 4 are already working professionals and, except for one, all are not working photojournalists whose main bread and butter is chasing news. We have our own professions.

In my case, I want to be a full time documentary photographer but, realistically speaking, it’s a hard thing to do in a country that has lots of stories to tell but as a profession, there is not much support or local opportunities for this kind of work. Unless, I have to find assignments and work for NGOs, foreign publications/media. I think that is the most viable thing but for the meantime, I have to do commercial or non-documentary photography related work.

Of course, I will need to continue with my own personal documentary portfolio that I can later on offer as content both for print and online of which, one major work that I am planning right now is a multimedia piece. Ambitious? It might look like that but in these times of multimedia and the internet, it is a must and any photojournalist who wants to succeed should be able to do it. There’s no choice at all.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

« Older Entries