Mga Kabayan, Meet Floramie Rose L. Mirasol aka frfefarfearz and Chris (aka Phey) Palma, Our Two Winners For Contest #33

"you!"



moalboal cebu
sept 21 2008
robert rolian

50mm f1.8 II

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Floramie aka FR

I'm Floramie Rose L. Mirasol aka frfefarfearz, but I go by the nickname FR and almost everybody calls me that way. I’m just graduated this March 2008, with a 5-year Bachelor's Degree in Applied Physics, at the University of San Carlos here in Cebu. Inasmuch as I wanted to practice in my field, I’m currently working as a CSR at Eperformax Contact Centers.

I didn’t know exactly how I started in photography. I have always loved taking photos and have always been fascinated by how a camera works. Imagine, it is just a simple box but it can create an image. This is how my high school physics teacher unwrapped the study of light and optics to me, that is, through the beauty of photography.

This inclination developed into a hobby when I met Robert Rolian, who shares the same interest. He became my first shooting buddy. I learned a lot from his passion in the art and from then on, I began to explore more.

I have an Canon EOS 400D and a Nikon Coolpix. Currently, I am interested in street, portrait and glamour photography but I am planning on venturing to other fields.

Five years from now, I still see myself as a photographer who's still learning. Photojournalism is both a passion and a dream, and if I wouldn’t be successful, I still would keep this hobby. Besides, I am planning to have a masters degree in optics. Now, that would be fulfilling.

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something to be proud of...the three photos of my choice.

#1 break free


This photo was taken using a friend's olympus 4 mp cam at Medellin cebu. Sunsets are viewed best on the north side.

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#2 hoody girls



The glamour pics started when i had my 2 good friends who were very willing to be photographed. They are so easy to work with. Taken using my dad's canon powerwshot a570is at Taoist temple!

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#3 Sundial Post



Street photography extended to the streets of dumaguete city. Taken using robert's canon powershot a630.


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Pinoyphotog note:
"When I received Phey's reply to the questionnaire I sent him,
some of the answers seemed familiar. No wonder. He's won
before (with his "Jamaican Twist" entry to our "Smoke" contest)
and he's answered the same questions before! Haha!
And the mug shot he sent to go with the first interview
was the winner in our latest contest!"

Phey is now our 7th Two-Time Contest Winner!

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"Basagulero"



"This Basagulero shot is mainly influenced by the Movie Fight Club and Joey L / Lara Jade. I placed 1 SB 600 on my side with an Umbrella as diffuser set my cam on timer and on a tripod ( It had a lot of trial and error shots done to get it right)..then everything else is all on CS3."

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Chris (Phey) Palma

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Three of Phey's recent favorite photos are:

1. "D I S T R A C T"



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2. "T E X T U R E D"



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3. "Walk Away"



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Floramie interview article by Farl
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Mga Kabayan, Meet Elmer Borlongan aka fotobumbong, second time winner of "Photographer of the Week"

Hail to the Chief!



About the Winning Photo:

The two frogs in the pond caught my attention when I was about to enter my studio. It was an amusing sight to behold---to find them facing and reaching out to a terracotta frog statue we bought in a garden store in San Marcelino. I took this shot with my Canon 20D with the Sigma 18-200mm to get close to the subject.

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Elmer Borlongan, aka fotobumbong, first won in "Best Black & White"
the 30th "Photographer of the Week" contest, with his "Dreamer" entry.





fotobumbong's recent favorite photos are:



Reel and real life violinists Coke Bolipata and Julian Duque for a promotional shoot for "Boses", an independent film entry for the 2008 Cinemalaya Film Festival.

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A student of Casa San Miguel releasing hundreds of baby Olive Ridley Turtles by the shore of the sea surrounded by the Pundaquit mountains in San Antonio, Zambales.

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A lowly vine in late afternoon backlit by the sun.

Mga Kabayan, Meet Engelbert Balduman, aka enggul, "Photographer of the Week" the second time around!

I'm Singing This Song For You



About The Winning Photo:

"Digging up some old files and I found this one...
I haven't been playing guitar lately and I'd rather sing shout! LOL
As far as I can remember, I was singing "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain
(because of the B-chord) nyaahaahha!!!"

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Engelbert Balduman, aka enggul, first won in "Laughter" the 5th "Photographer of the Week" contest, with his "Girl Friends" entry. (He tied with Ericson Machacon, aka akumach, in that contest). He has recently been experimenting,
and amusing us, with his self-portraits:







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Three of enggul's recent favorite photos are:


I love this one because it shows life's reality... i speak
my mind through my photos.


This was taken during my welcome party here in Shizuoka. It
was my first time wearing the jinbei and my winning photo
was taken during this time.


This is a "no pain no gain" photo... :)

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Mga Kabayan, Meet Elmer M. Borlongan aka fotobumbong, our 30th Photographer of the Week!

" Dreamer "



About the winning photo:

I entered our bedroom and saw my nephew, David, sleeping on the couch. I, immediately, took this shot with the wonderful morning light passing through the small window. I later converted the photo from its original color to black and white in Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Camera: Canon Powershot A80
Focal length: 24mm
Shutter Speed: 1/20sec
Aperture: f2.8
ISO: 400

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Elmer M. Borlongan aka fotobumbong

My name is Elmer Borlongan. Friends call me "Emong". I'm a full-time painter living in the Philippines. I grew up in Mandaluyong City. My wife and I decided to move to San Antonio, Zambales to concentrate in our artmaking.

I bought a Nikon FE2 film camera in college. My purpose was to document my paintings and take snapshots for the family album. Fine art photography was not in my mind back then. Eventually, I had to set it aside because it's expensive to buy films and develop prints. Turning digital has rekindled my interest in shooting again.

I have a Canon Powershot A80, Rolleiflex MiniDigi toy camera and a Canon EOS 20D. I replaced the 18-55 kit lens with a Sigma 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 DC lens alternating with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

My source of inspiration are my flickr contacts whose photostreams I often visit. I study their techniques and composition on how they capture different subjects. The Filipino photographers whose works I admire are Sonny Yabao and Nico Sepe.

I shoot portraits, nature and objects. I would love to do documentary photography and maybe focus on photo essays that has to do with the environment.

Photography will always be part of my visual expression. This is a lifelong learning experience for me. I would love to continue sharing my images and help create an appreciation for our heritage and natural resources of our country. I hope to travel and do photo walks in different countries or explore and shoot all the islands of the Philippines.


Three Photographs I like:



While walking in a farm in Zambales, I saw this gardener burning dry leaves under a mango tree. The sun was setting and suddenly light rays came out between the branches. The smoke helped a lot to emphasize the rays. It made an incredible sight and I had to capture it. I was so happy with my dream shot.

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I was standing in a parking area inside Megamall in Mandaluyong when I saw the skylight and driveway produced a beautiful abstract image right before me. The car passing by produced a sense of space and directional lines in the background.

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I asked my five year old nephew Ani to hold an early U2 album in front of his face. Good thing he agreed to do the shoot and was game for it.

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Written by Elmer M. Borlongan aka fotobumbong

Meet Our 4th 2-time Winner: Edward Cabalit aka Light Stalker for the Weekly Contest #29

Mga Kabayan, meet Edward Cabalit aka Light Stalker for the second time!

As he has been previously interviewed, we are featuring his new large-size mug shot
(showing his new toy, too) in lieu of the write-up that should be taking up this space. :P



Edward Cabalit, "Light Stalker!"

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Edward titillated and teased the photo-voyeur in all of us with his
"silip" ("peek" or "peep")
winning entry in the "SEXY!"-themed weekly contest:



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As two-time winners get to feature three more photos that
best describe them, here are Edward's chosen pictures:

El Capitan


Yosemite Valley


Golden Gate Bridge


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Mga Kabayan, Meet Don Evan S. Parrilla aka flickr:donpar, our 28th "Photographer of the Week!"

"Branching Out"



Like a well-lit piece of diamond featured on the front window of a jewelry store that catches one's eyes, this leaf reflected its vibrance to passersby near my place of work. Having my eyes on it for over a week, and with my camera in hand, there was no reason why I had to let it pass. On that day, the cool autumn bluish skies mixed with the slightly warm backlit lighting and brought out a sparkling contrast. The colors of Fall fascinate me.

Camera properties:

Camera: Canon EOS 350D Digital
Exposure: 1/800 sec
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 60mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

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Don Evan S. Parrilla aka flickr:donpar

I'm a hobbyist currently living in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, my haven for creativity, a place with a plethora of photo opportunities for nature lovers. My early years were spent in the small Visayan island of Leyte, two hours away from Cebu island, Philippines by watercraft. I'm "bisdak" in every way. Currently, my career is learning and collaborating with researchers for a cancer research company. Photography is my creative outlet.

My photography started during a trip to the Philippines a while back, when I visited my aunt in Singapore along the way. Those who have visited downtown Singapore probably know that you are mostly greeted by electronics stores and beauty salons everywhere. I always wanted a camera growing up but couldn't afford one. It wasn't in my budget during the trip but something inside of me told me to go for it. So, I purchased my first "real" camera: the Canon Rebel XT (350D), even though I didn't know how to use one. I had enough money left just to keep me through the trip. I was almost broke, but I was the happiest traveler out there just to have my own camera in hand. This was how my photography began, and the results weren't pleasant: I came home after the trip all excited to see my images…90% of the images were underexposed or blurry. My newly prized treasure was set aside and left to collect dust after that .

A year later, my former high school classmates from Visca: Andreu and Tabz, who are also photo enthusiasts, introduced me to flickr - kudos to them. Ever since then, I have grown a lot, photography-wise, but still have a long way to go. The creativity and endless possibilities in photography ignited my passion deep within. It's quite an experience to constantly learn and get inspiration from others…. there's no looking back. I've had no regrets in purchasing my first camera.

A few flickr enthusiasts from my small hometown that also show great work are: Andreu, Tabz, Kudaker, Jeridaking, Bofel, Zenbay, Julius, shearwall, jair. They share group shoots and ideas at the Ormoc Photographic Society. Check it out!


I currently own a Canon 5D with the 24-70mm as my walk-around lens. For my landscapes, I use my 17-40mm lens set steady on a Manfrotto grip action ball head with the Induro tripod tandem.


Inspiration can be found everywhere, through nature, life, established artists and other aspects of visual arts. A few successful names whose works I have come across that have inspired me to become a better photographer, to be more creative and have more fun are: Art Wolfe, Chase Jarvis, legendary Ansel Adams, Filipino painter Fernando Amorsolo, landscape photographers David Ward and David Norton.


Currently, Landscapes and Portraits have caught my interest in photography. But, I enjoy shooting a wide spectrum and a diverse/variety of images like sports, floral, nature, etc. I'm a photography lover. I love watching images that are presented beautifully, no matter the type.


Moving forward, I would love to study more on Portraits and Landscapes, and incorporate both styles. I'm also interested in selling my images in the future and use the money to start and fund a non-for profit organization to help children in poverty get basic education in Southeast Asia. I don't know how but it's a starting thought.

Three images I find amusing:

1. BIRDS NEST – Coastal Photography



The elements were brought together: The land, water and sky. An eagle-formed cloud illuminated the skies as the sun set towards the horizon – a bonus. I didn't notice it until I had a chance to view the images a few days later. A lucky chance capture.

2. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – Animal Photography



The composition and lighting on these horses I like very much. For me, the image tells a story of love…Unconditional Love – Like a mother to her son/daughter.

3. NIGHT LIGHTS – Night Photography



I had to endure the chilly and breezy winter weather to get this shot, moving around the area to get the right angle and perspective. Waiting for the sun to finally set and leaving a great bluish hue in the sky. I left the place with cold hands and feet but with a warm heart.

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Meet our 3rd 2-time winner, Atty Edwin Calica Cacayorin, Jr for the weekly contest #27

Big props to our third 2-time winner in the Kabayan weekly contest. Eagles prove to be a charm to Atty. Edwin Calica Cacayorin, Jr., aka as i_am_bishop as a Philippine Eagle photo from him also garnered the top spot in the previous Eyes contest in the first week of July 2008.

As you can check in his previous profile feature, Edwin is our lawyer photohobbyist. He is shown here with his wife in their first wedding anniversary last December 23.



Again, here is Edwin, in his own words:
THE WINNING PHOTO

The Philippine eagle featured here is “Geotermica”. It is the same photo used by Insular Life used this photo in its Honors Program/Club poster whom I granted permission for publication.

In shooting “Geotermica”, I used a sigma lens 70-300mm APO DG and a tripod. “How did I shoot the photo?” I just clicked the shutter and let loose 190 shots of 10 mbs. “Techniques?” None, but I am presently studying how to do it manually. Manual mode gives the photographer more control in the lighting, composition and artistic style of your shots. If you also want to learn the manual mode, treat Farl’s photostream as your personal library.


THREE PHOTOS I LOVE

To be exceptional, a photo must draw an emotion from the viewer, whether it is a positive or a negative response. I love photography because it makes the viewer react and decide whether a photo is an art or pretending to be art…

“Wandering about…”


As much as I love to post-process my shots (it gives me more artistic control), this photo has not been adjusted except for the cropping. I consider this one as one of my best. It is a deliberate shot aimed to capture a slice of realism and present it in a cold satirical perspective; ironically some people find it amusing and cute…

“Life is not a bed of roses…”


As for chance and creativity, this is my best example. It is neither a breathtaking scenery nor a portrait of some celebrity, but, then again, it is interesting to look at…

“Swell”