Capturing Moments: The Art of Living in the Present

As photographers, we are in the unique position of being both observers and creators of moments. From the tender embrace of a loved one to the vibrant hues of a sunset, our lenses capture fragments of time, preserving them for eternity. Yet, amidst the whirlwind of life, it's easy to overlook the profound lesson that photography teaches us: the art of living in the present.

From the very first moment I picked up a camera, I found myself drawn into a world where time seemed to stand still. Whether I was using a digital or film camera, each click of the shutter served as a gentle reminder to be fully present in the moment. In a world constantly bustling with distractions, photography encouraged me to slow down, to breathe, and to truly see the beauty that surrounded me.

One technique that particularly emphasizes this notion is long exposure photography. By extending the duration of a single exposure, we capture the passage of time in a tangible form. Watching as the world blurs into streaks of light or water transforms into a silky veil, we are reminded of the transient nature of existence. Just as each second leaves its mark on the photograph, so too does it leave its imprint on our lives.

But beyond the technical aspects of photography lies a deeper truth: the importance of cherishing fleeting moments. Just as we carefully compose a shot to capture a particular scene, we must approach life with the same intentionality. Every smile shared, every sunset witnessed, every quiet moment of solitude is a precious gift that deserves our full attention.

In a world constantly racing towards the next big thing, photography teaches us to slow down and savor the present. It encourages us to immerse ourselves fully in the richness of each moment, to find beauty in the ordinary, and to cherish the memories we create along the way. So the next time you pick up your camera, remember that you're not just capturing images – you're capturing moments, and in doing so, you're embracing the art of living in the present.

Colon Steet, Cebu Philippines

7 Things that I learned from doing Street Photography

Let me say this again, these are the seven thing I learned in doing street photography, and not tips in doing street photography.

1. Being more Thankful

We encounter a vast array of people, those with the dilemma of figuring out how to pay for the next meal and those who can afford to leave more than half of what they ate in a plate. We meet people that holds the door for us when our hands are too full to do them, we learn to be thankful for others who are there to point us to the right direction whenever we are lost in a new place, we learn to be thankful when a stranger engages in a friendly conversation and make the day a bit brighter.

2. Being more Connected

These days, people are most likely glued to the screens of  their smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers rather than being truly connected. It's seldom you see a group of people talking to each other and basically interacting at a primal level. Some people often mistake being connected to the internet and "in touch" with their friends as being truly connected, rather it's that being too connected that we become blind of what is already in front of us. The simplest conversation between strangers may often, if not always, be fruitful in cultivating a relationship.

3. Being more Humble

As photographers, we encounter different people, different places with different cultures from walks of life. We learn that there are many other people who don't enjoy the luxury of having a camera and taking a snapshot of life. We share the moment and become story tellers of their lives and their happiness, joys, sorrows and struggles, that someway somehow they are heard and accepted.

4. Being more Careful

Being careful doesn't necessarily connect with theft, but also from the choice of subject matter. Not all places we go to are safe,  and photographer-friendly, it is our responsibility to keep ourselves safe and away from harm. It is also our responsibility to capture and choose the subject matter that does not degrade humanity. 

5. Being more Prepared

Weather is unpredictable, and so are some people. In an environment with a lot of uncontrollable variables and elements you need to be prepared for the unknown and uncertain. Weather is easy, you already know what you need when it comes to rain, dust, and all other elements; People are different, we just need to be more cautious, vigilant and aware of our surroundings. 

6. Being more contented

We learn to accept to do with what we have, what we can, and with what we don't have. We tell a story with what we have, with the lens and the body, or simply with the system that we have, it is not about having the best gear, it is about being at the moment and capturing it. Life deals us with the cards that we need to play. 

7. Being Happier

This is the aftereffect of being thankful and being contented. In a perfect world, we all can be happy, but this is not a perfect world, we have to learn to accept that not all things are in our control.

We always meet people in all walks of life, there are times that you feel you have the world's burden on your shoulder, but failing to realize that there are others who are doing much worst.

 

 

Le Mini

The Le Mini size as compared to an iPod nano and MacBook

The first camera I ever owned was a teal and yellow-colored body, with hot air balloons prints design called Le Mini by Le Clic. The camera comes in a yellow hard casing and a pink neck strap, perfect color combination to spot a small camera.

"Fits perfectly in the small, dainty hands of a young wide-eyed boy." as my best friend simply puts it.

Oh yeah thats the younger version of me, with the yellow hard case for my camera.

I was 7 when my parents gave it to me. My father was into amateur photography himself thus influencing me and my siblings to also hold a point-and-shoot camera as well.  The "toy" camera uses a type 110 film. Finding the film today is definitely a challenge. Hey I was still a kid then so all i had to do was point and shoot, and when the film ran out, I'd ask help from my dad. Having the film processed also was a breeze thanks to my dad. :-) 

As far as the history of the camera is concerned, I really don't have much since I was a kid when I had it. The Le Mini is a miniature camera that uses a type 110 film, comes with a hard casing and weighs a mere 1.3 ounces. Its as simple as it gets, it is a point-and-shoot mini camera.

Someday, when it would be my time to give my son or daughter a camera (I hope it's still called a camera in the near future), I hope they would enjoy taking photos and capturing memories -- that they would have the same burning passion as I have.

 

Monitor Color Calibration and Relationships

Monitor Color calibration or Color Management is somewhat just like relationships. Have you ever experienced scratching your head looking at your prints and looking at your monitor, figuring out why your prints appear different from what you see on your monitor. Color management makes you more confident with how your print would come out in your printer and your print labs. Monitor Color calibration is essential to all photographers that are keen on details and color accuracy making it more predictable in your prints. What you see on your monitor should also appear the same way with your prints. You and most especially your client wouldn't want a red or a yellowish face.

Relationships should also be the same way. Both should be able to see their goals or direction in the same color and light.

There are two option for calibration, the free and the paid option. The free option is the option online or offline where you need to follow some directions and perform adjustments based on what your eye can see. (E.g.: http://www.displaycalibration.com) The paid option is where you purchase a hardware calibrator, where the unit with the help of a wizard guides you through the process of calibrating and creating a new ICC (International Color Consortium) profile for your monitor or laptop.

I managed to get my hands on the Spyder4Elite by Datacolor, although I was hoping to find the Spyder5, sadly it was not yet available at the time. This will have to do for the mean time.  This is my take on the device, first, installing the software was a breeze, using the device and the software was easy. Datacolor did a good job in keeping the interface clean and simple, making it easy to use and understand. I also like the studio match feature, its very helpful for users with multiple monitors. 

I first noticed the difference when I had my images printed  at the lab. The group picture looked fine on my monitor and the skin tone was fairly accurate, but when I had it printed, the skin tone or the people in the group shot appeared to be close to the color of  Stanley Ipkiss when he became the Mask, and the Grinch. A Monitor Color Calibrating tool is very helpful, the images printed was more color accurate and way much better to look at.

Sadly relationships don't have a device similar to a color calibration where both can accurately see what and how each other should clearly see and both can understand. :)

Color management is as important as keeping your cameras and equipment clean and in top condition.  Having accurate colors both in prints and on your monitor is very important to better make accurate adjustments on your images and video saving you more time from post processing and image editing.  Color perception is subject to ambient light levels, and the ambient white point. Thus ambient light needs to be considered as well in monitor calibration. 

If you are very concerned on the accuracy of your photos and prints then I would strongly suggest that you have a decent monitor color calibrator. It doesn't need to be the most expensive one, best to have one rather than having nothing at all. 

What Monitor Color Calibration do you use? 

 

 

Falling in love in Japan

Destiny works its magic the least we expect it. If it is bound to happen, the universe will conspire to make it happen as one event leads to another, leading you to where you are now. 

Gundam

My recent adventure brought me here to the island of Japan. As kids, we have always talked and dreamed about coming here to see our childhood heroes; Astroboy, known here in Japan as "Tetsuwan Atomu" or Mighty Atom, Gundam or "Gandamu", "Chōdenji Mashīn Borutesu Faibu" (Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes Five) more popularly known as Voltes V. These are among the Japanese superheroes we grew up with, or at least in my lifetime. 

Being outside my home country makes the world seems so huge and filled with so many strangers, but on the other hand making new friends, and acquaintances makes it a bit smaller and with lesser strangers. Although language can be a barrier for traveling tourists, it shouldn't stop you from exploring the country's tourist and local hot spots. Being there, living the moment and making more memories adds color to the experience. A trip to the Land of the Rising Sun would not be complete without getting to taste its food. It was such a gastronomic delight. The flavour and taste is well balanced, a must try for all, especially for first-time visitors. It is an experience to be enjoyed and fondly remembered. Japan has its share of colorful history, rich culture, and the diverse population has made her to who she is now.

Traveling, seeing, and meeting new people can be a great experience because you learn to communicate in a number of ways without having to speak any Japanese. All these made our stay fun and much more interesting.

In my title I said Falling in love in Japan, yes, it’s IN Japan, because what I was really driving at is both "Falling in love with Japan", and "Falling in love in Japan". The people and the culture are very deep rooted, which I find very admirable and humbling.

Spending nearly a week in the country seemed too short to see the sights and sounds and more wonders of Japan. If given the chance to go back, I would go in a heartbeat, where I can immerse myself and experience more of what Japan has to offer.

Keeping the Passion Burning

"What is passion?" you ask, the dictionary defines it as "an intense desire or enthusiasm for something." A passion for cooking, a passion for traveling, a passion for being in love...A Passion for Photography.

Being in love and keeping the fire of love burning, is just like photography and keeping the passion for the craft burning. On very rare occasions we have this transcendent moments when we finally understand why we are doing, what we are doing despite the existence of many reasons that may keep us from loving and continue making great images.

"What got you into photography in the first place?", "Why did you choose photography as a hobby?",  Why spend your time, effort, dedication, commitment, and yes.. a lot of your moolah on this? The answer would ultimately boil down to because we simply love photography, the simplest feeling of gratitude and content of capturing and being in those rare moments, breath-taking landscapes, marvelous cityscapes, wonderful portraits, captivating fashion, and special "once in a lifetime" occasions. 

So how do we keep the passion burning?... In my opinion, well it's just like in any relationship, we have to never stop learning, understanding each other's limitations, (by each other I mean you and the camera), capitalizing on its strengths, trying different techniques. The key ingredients here are acceptance and understanding. If you are easily discouraged by what photography challenges you then, photography may not be for you. I would rather encourage you to try another medium than convince you to stay on photography and later have poorly composed photographs. You really have to love what you are doing to get great photographs. Being a photographer is also being a story teller. We tell our stories through the images we take and the moments we capture.

The challenge is to capture a photograph that would capture the heart of each moment and eventually captivate the eyes and heart of the people looking at your photos.

Knowing that other people appreciates your passion keeps me pushing myself forward. Seeing them relive the moments of an event or even the simplest of Sundays melts your heart and hearing the stories behind each image.

 

Memories are memories no matter what its resolution

 

We have always wanted to get the best photos, capture the best moments, with the best camera; but that's not always the case. The best moments happen the least you expect it, and with what camera you have in hand. Memories are rare and precious as diamonds, capturing the moment as it unfolds, and fires up our feelings as we relive the moment.  

It is not important what expensive gear a photographer has, one of the most important thing is the capability to maximize its use and push its limits. It's every street photographers challenge to do with what he/she has in the bag, which is equally inspiring to visualize the moment before it happens, so when it does, "click", the money shot.

Every day is a new day, every day is a new chance to learn, to make things right, to make things better, to make great memories. Whether it's with family, loved ones, close friends and even new ones, we always want to cherish each moment and immortalize it in a photograph. Whenever we have the chance, we often take the time to capture the very details of the event, the food, the place, the little things we seldom notice, and the heart of each event, each moment so that later on, when we relive and reminisce, we can share endless stories behind it. No matter what camera used to capture precious moments, whether a camera phone, point-and-shoot, or a DSLR, the memory remains the same and vibrant in our minds and in our hearts. 

"The best camera is the one that's with you." – Chase Jarvis

Finding the right camera is like finding "The One" in a relationship

The never ending search for the right partner in photography has always been every photographers' dilemma, just as every person searches for a lifetime partner. We always find ourselves looking at a lot of available "The One" in the market. In a relationship, we always want it to be our last, we do our best to make it work, we invest emotions, energy, and most importantly, time.  The camera is an extension of an artist's eye, it is a tool that helps us express ourselves.  

For some, new doesn't always mean it's better, for the rest, the newest is always better. Each one of us has our preferences and yes..budget. :) Knowing the difference between "what you want" and "what you need" plays a vital role in making the decision. 

In choosing the right camera for yourself, you need to examine and take into serious consideration more than a handful of factors. 

Characteristics. This is among the most important things one needs to consider. Yes..character has its share of flaws, and strengths; it is up to us whether we can accept it, and live with it or not. This usually mirrors and complement our own personality and disposition. We need to take time to examine the camera's capabilities and limitations, weigh out everything that matter most to us. A well-balanced character makes it easier to accept and more comfortable to be with.

Reasonability. By this, I mean living with the cost of maintaining the relationship and actually being bounded by how deep our pockets are. One may afford the top of the line camera, but it doesn't necessarily mean that one is happy, and one may only have an inexpensive, pre-loved, entry level camera and be ecstatic at the same time. Well, this is all about being contented and knowing your monetary limits.

Aesthetics. Being comfortable with your partner, whether in photography or in life, is equally important with acceptance of its concealed characteristics. Just like how a pair of shoes or jeans fit, we need to actually feel the way it fits on our hands. This also plays hand in hand with ergonomics and how functionality meets beauty.

Value. Do not confuse value with price and worth. Value in this sense is not a number, but rather it is the usefulness of something. For one person, the value of a camera may be different from another. It is how much we value something that makes keeping them worthwhile.