I’m at lost for words whenever people make claims about what photography is for them.

Whilst others are the annoying fanb01s and fangur1s eager to play with their new toys and basically taking the same people-over-mountain/di-op ni yaya scene with different mediums and wondering why their pictures are too dark, too blurry, too burnt out, or just too … (insert other crappy adjective here).

Let’s talk about the revolution of the PP(post-processing) fanb01s and the persuasive purists. While one insists the dire need to crop/resize/redo/dodge/burn/brighten/contrast/hued/dave hill/saturate their photos, others claim that it should be done with the camera’s immediate settings (plus all those polarizer thingies) and post processing should be sought to a bare minimum.

To the people who think point-and-shoots aren’t real cameras. And the people who gave up on their little digital wonders and replace them with high-end bodies because they cannot capture a perfect nightshot with it. (tripod and long exposure is the answer) and they end up using the DSLR like a point and shoot and then… (see 2nd paragraph again).

The whole indian-pana*/pana-indian/indian-indian/pana-pana syndrome? Please give it a rest. The thing with that is both ends matter. The indian wants a pana. Pana will not work without the Indian. If the Indian wants to shoot safari or action, get a better plugins for the pana, if the Indian is happy with his pana, screw what everybody says… if it still works the way it should why get a better medium to prance around with? Just so you aren’t behind the times? geezus, I know someone who shoots with a 4 year old camera, and he has beautiful, beautiful, pictures :)

*pana means arrow in English

And don’t even get me started on the “lomography” business. Some live and die to be lomographers and not photographers. Their accidental-happy shots, the i couldn’t care less about the aperture/iso/shutterspeed/other stuff here. As long as the camera is cute and I get to xpro, everything is fine and dandy as a vivid, saturated blue sky day.

These and probably six thousand four hundred and fifty seven other ideas clashing about this whole hype of using a boxed object with a lens (and sometimes with a built in flash). Everybody is jumping into the bandwagon and buying/trading/ebaying the latest/oldest/greatest piece of gadget/toy to take pretty pictures with.

But in the end, what is the picture for anyway?

Now if anybody can answer the question without a doubt, with sureness in his heart and mind, is enough.

Be it the purists or the post-processors, lomographers, n00bs or experts, boy or girl, man or woman, gay or straight. If they know what they want to pursue in this field and not for the sake of bandwagoning into the next big thing, then that is how I see it as well.

Who cares if you post-process? What if you really like it that way? What if that’s your personal sense of style? Manny Librodo, Mango Red and Dave Hill all post process their photos to the point of being extreme and it’s fucking fantastic. So what also if you don’t like post-processing? If your aim is to capture purely the actual soul and essence of the subject, why bother mediating the reality?

For me, each picture I take should have some sort of meaning or story. I like stories in pictures. A visual should be an aid for something you want to say. Be it a trip or an event a portrait or a stolen moment that just feels right.

And who cares about the medium it could be the crudest of matchbox pin hole camera or a Hasselblad worth millions. If you got what you want then the photo is worth more than anything.

This is why I ramble too much about my photos sometimes (sometimes, really?) because I like stories. I like telling them. I blabber too much for my own good.

This is why I have no real field, I wish I did, maybe soon, but for now Photography for me is a beautiful way to capture even rawer emotions that I cannot truly write or say.

I thank thee *bow

Bai recently got a batch of Expired Konika Chrome 200s and of course, I had first dibs on the food. This was the official film of the 2008 NSP Beach Party as it fed a happy Canon AE-1P, Vivitar UW&S, Snapsights Underwater Cam and his Nikon FM2N.

The characteristic is somewhat odd in all slide films I have used. Unlike the elitecolor and velvia which promises instant gratification and prettifying because of the odd green-yellow/red tones. The Konika Chrome does not give such.

*gasp*!

The behavior of this film sides more closely to the actual E-6 processed look. Colors are saturated and contrast-y but if I am correct, the expiration gives it an extra amount of grain from scanning. Still don’t know if it’s the scanner’s fault but both my vivitar uw&s and canon ae-1p negs turned out very grainy.

Interested? Bai is selling these little babies (I do not normally do marketing but its for the loveee lol) if you like what you see below.

Enjoy the pics :) Everything is taken with the Konika Chrome 200s and the AE-1P :)

Oh, the grain :)

the first shot from the first roll of my smena8m

Sorry for the semi-long hiatus. I was busy preparing my final stages of exit from my current work. which sort of halted a lot of my photography .. erhm…study.

Anyhow. It’s been a month since I acquired my new-old toy. It flew all the way from New York to be greeted with open arms (and a roll of film) by me.

You probably know what I’m talking about when you are following my blog and you know the Russian symbols in my title.

I finally got my Smena/Смена 8m from Mikko. I got the slightly used one with a cute little leather pouchie and everything that the Smena has. (see mangled, photo of my smena below).

My Smena/Смена with all the nifty notes
(canon av-1 + kodak color 200)

This is what you can normally see from a smena camera. (not included in the picture is the back which has the film back,film counter, film advancer, and the film back opener.)

Now, I will try and tell you more about this little toy. This is a Lomo Camera not because it creates Vignettes, blurred effects (although you will even if you don’t want to), create those crazy colors (if you’ve been following this blog closely, you’d know its the slides’ fault and the x-processing). But most importantly it is the deadstock camera manufactured in USSR by the Lomo PLC Factory in St. Petersburg (not the repackaged ones by LSI). What makes this different from the usual stream of “Lomo” (which I will refer to any camera now used in “lomography”) Cameras is it’s unique features that behaves like an actual slr camera. I paid a bargain price of Php 1,500 (less than 40 USD). And It promises “punchy colors” and “sharp focusing” as said in the lomography shop.

Here are some of my personal experiences and lessons learned in handling the Smena. I hope that all would-be Smena mom and dads and already-have Smena babies get to learn from my blunders and triumphs. Here we go…

Of course, the day I got it, a Fuji NPS 160 was loaded immediately and we notice that the film counter was absolutely wrong. Which I was able to “correct” by the RTFM method (Read-The-Fucking-Manual).

The Fix :Before loading the film. Set the film Counter to “0″ (this can be done by turning the wheel) and once the film is loaded, and you advance the film using the winder on the back, notice that the “0″ will turn itself towards “1″ and so on (as long as you don’t turn it on your own). Problem solved. :D

The Smena is manual everything. And I will be blunt. This camera is not for people who are used to point and shoot and pray it looks good cameras. If you want to venture into the whole “lomo” and insists that everything should be made by a fortunate, happy accident, then I’m sorry to say, this camera is probably not for you. I believe to be able to use the Smena 8m to it’s highest advantage you have to know something about the following:

• Aperture
• ASA/ISO
• the power of guestimated focusing

Why only those? Because to help the helpess, LSI made shutter speeds into beautiful nifty weather symbols :D (okay, I’m still a bit on *squee* mode because of the cute little drawings). Which means the following :

• Full Bright Sun - 1/250
• Lined Sun - 1/125
• Lined Clouds - 1/60
• Clouds - 1/30
• Raincloud - 1/15 (don’t be an ass and use it in the rain :P)
• B - for bulb. Yummy Long exposures :)

long exposure with the smena :) (bai held the camera, I pressed the shutter)

For indoors/room shots, do remember to use Cloud/Raincloud :)

Focusing is also done with little people symbols (once again *insert squee sounds here*). It has a range of 1m (approx 3.2 feet) to infinity. I will discuss the focusing technique I did by using my 50mm lens in my Canon AV-1 as a basic (which is near Smena’s 40mm) I use the 50mm lens to focus (since you see it ASAP) and checked where the measure lay, and then used the nearest setting to the Smena.

What’s so beautiful about this Camera is when you hit the target dead on, the clarity is amazing. Like Senior Jollibee here.

But if you didn’t really get it, then you really don’t :D
forgetting to set the focus meter to infinity results in a crappy photo like this one.

And for the punchy colors? I guess this is what it meant :D

So everything relies on the icons, why bother with aperture… Well, to sum it quickly, aperture is the opening of the lens. bigger aperture (smaller number) equals to a bigger hole which equals to more light streaming in, a smaller aperture (a bigger number) equals to a smaller hole.

You might get the shutter speed and focus right, but a wrong aperture would result in this sort of disaster.

Here is me, in Paseo de Santa Rosa, taking a picture of the arcade wall. I set the focus to 1.5(or 2). and to the Cloud symbol (1/30) This is a picture of the wall taken with a f/16 aperture.

Even with a slower shutter speed (meaning more light comes in) it wasn’t enough.

I only realized my mistake when I checked the Aperture ring in front and noticed that the marker is pointed at from 16. So after setting it to a 4. Here’s the shot

This is what I am emphasizing that learning the aperture is important. You could forget the Aperture and just set the ASA to the speed of the film and screw Aperture altogether…but you wouldn’t want that (and this is me going into lecture mode again…:P)

So to make sure you actually shot something decent from the Smena You have to remember these easy steps.

1. Film Loaded Right ? Check!
2. Aperture/ISO/ASA set?
3. Shutter Speed in Correct “weather”
4. Focused Correctly Guestimated?
5. Shutter cocked ? (What the? Yes. you need to cock the shutter to be able to press the release button, this is my most often mistake)
6. Press the Shutter!
7. Don’t forget to rewind (or do forget to if you’re aiming for multiple exposure (just repeat steps 3,4, and 6), I keep advancing the film automatically, force of habit from the Vivitar UW&S.)

So there we have it. Another n00b-like explanation from the level 5(? not sure if I leveled up already) n00b. Here are some of my pictures from the Smena 8m. Hope you enjoyed another lengthy post by yours truly :)

I noticed that I’m a sucker for reflective surfaces the same as my photographer manager friend. Although I seem to have a very close relationship with puddles.

If you remember this post, it was a wet morning and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to create beautiful mirror scenes of nature.

Canon AV-1 + DNP Centuria 200

you can create such odd and curious looking photos like this one. It was the usual Hardware Committee meeting and I had my camera around. All I did was took pictures. My notebook and pen was left behind. I remember it was the first few times I carried my film camera, everybody was still in awe. Now, it’s an old hat.

Anyway, back to the reflective surfaces. I had my Vivitar UW&S in Greenbelt and I took some reflective photos from their nifty water holders. Here’s how they turned out.

Vivitar UW&S + Kodak Profoto 100

You can look at one structure in so many different ways. This is the New World Hotel in perspective #1.

Vivitar UW&S + Kodak Profoto 100

and here’s perspective # 2. All the shapes and angles made this photo look different from the first. Even if they’re just the same subject.

And here’s the last of my reflective series from the roll. I was lucky since this particular water pond has fountains every so and so seconds…one wrong timing and I would have ripples.

VIvitar UW&S + Kodak Profoto 100

Anyway, I was pretty lucky :)

Enjoy the series!

So Bai and I are attending my company’s beach party this Saturday and the dilemma right now is what camera to bring.

Well I’m the only one in a dilemma. Bai has already decided to bring his Fm2n + 80-200 f/2.8 + fisheye. And me…Decisions decisions!

It used to be an easy task. Renault is the first in the bag, so is my Vivitar and AV-1. But now, with my whole camera film family, I have to do some narrowing down.

Sure enough, Renault will be going. And the Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim so is AE-1P + 50mm f/1.4 (vivitar will do well for wide) since they were the ones who got left behind when I brought AV-1 and the cmena to Tagaytay. So it’s fair. Of course the underwater cam.

And then after much deliberation, bargaining and pity looks from my cameras (Yes, they were doing that when I looked at them from the table) Here’s the almost final list. (Also with film.

So that’s 5 cameras (1 digital p&s, 1 film slr, 3 toy cams) and uhm, 8 rolls of film (omg overkill? 4 color negatives, 3 slides, 1 b&w).

Err, yeah, that sounds about right…I think….

a personal blog of a high school girl on the wings of being in college. Mostly about friendship, family, her problems and basically how she walks through her life. What she feels and thinks will be freely written in her journal of sorts.

Read more about her colorful life here at my online diary (technically meaning “her” online diary” :P

That is the corniest line that I’ve come up with since Freon (which was around last week). I wanted to stop being such a shopaholic and to focus more on my goal on decreasing my debts and to get myself liquid before 2009. Same way I tried to lose weight last 2007.

I had been meaning to do that since but this is the only time that I got pretty darned serious.

And I do mean serious.

I took a pair of scissors and cut one of my credit cards in half. Just to prove a point.

And what does photography have to do with this? Well, It is Shallow DOF right? My Debt of Field? Hahaha… I’m sorry. Corniness meter up way high.

Enjoy the semi photography post. :)

My mother always told me, that I have more opinions than people ask for, sometimes too much for my own good and I mostly get into trouble. So I mostly write. I like writing about anything remotely interesting in my part, or anything that grabs my attention (think nice and sparkly things to write about).

I mostly write for fun. Just because it seems like a natural thing to do. Almost effortless and almost at a regular basis, and it’s free.

And then here comes photography. Another growing and budding hobby. It’s almost as fun as graphic design, but even more expensive. I just shelled out almost USD 80 for a new ae-1p, which had a shutter problem and I had to shell another USD 20 for repairs. Making me very happy, and very, very poor. And I won’t even get myself started on films. Photography is a very expensive hobby.

So I had to put up my creativity into good use. I was going around the making-money-online-that-is-not-a-scam-thing and I stumbled across payperpost, a companies that I was able to search/clicked through some ads while I was surfing.

So what do they offer? Basically by signing up, submitting your blog and upon approval, you are given a list of opportunities available and there you give your unabashed but wanted opinions on a certain product, feature or service and the companies pay you for it. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

Not only does bloggers benefit from payperpost, advertisers can sign up their products and use it to be marketed all across the globe into different areas into different people from different walks of life. As long as they blog about it, people will hear about it.

I was always on a lookout for more money making opportunities and I decided to sign up and give it a try. Not only that it was fun writing about it, the making money part gives it a nice kick. It’s like a second pat on the back. I am saving enough funds to clear my debt and to buy myself more film. Especially fresh slides. And maybe help me pay for Bai and my new pad. :)

So if you want to make some money with your big mouth (and I do mean that in a good way), do sign up at payperpost. And money might just come knocking at your door (or in your Paypal account for that matter :D)

Welcome back to the ever informative and really basic introduction about films by a not-so-n00b, for not-so-n00bs. Actually, If you remember my previous post regarding color negatives, I hope you had fun wiping your nosebleed about the different colored films and how they’re all different from each other.

Next up, I would like you take you into the bright contrast, beautiful saturation and deep vivid colors of slides. I will also dive into cross processes later on with nifty examples (since I haven’t done an E-6 process of my slide film).

E-6s: Slides, Transparencies and Reversals

If you’ve seen your pictures in the fully glory of slides, you may never want to go back to color negatives. But you eventually will when the price is burning a hole in your pocket (unless you can spare around Php300-500/roll then it won’t be a problem for you :)).

E-6s, also known as Slide Films, Transparency and Reversal Films are used for increasing color saturation and contrast to your everyday photographs. E-6s are actually called positives, since the film developed would be in correct color. Only examples I recall are movies/tv shows showing colored projectors of family trips and those little cameras that has scenic pictures when you hold them up in the light. So, If you joke around regarding positives in the film industry, these are the positives :).

Currently, the only lab I know around Metro Manila who processes Slides as E-6 is Studio 58, and Island Photo (but still, they brings the rolls over to Studio 58 for processing).

I shall stop information regarding Slide film as E-6 from here. As this is the boundary of my knowledge and I will not be all-knowing and claim I know any further. If by any chance I was able to develop slides as E-6, I’ll make sure to do the necessary updates.

Of course, you’ll now prod me over this infamous “Cross-processing” technique for slide film. Millions have said it, and I will share what it really does.

Cross(X)-process is basically developing your E-6s to C-41. (Remember C-41s from my previous post?)You have nothing to do but bring your slides to a film store that supports x-process and let the developing do the magic. Digiprint has been catering to my x-processing needs since I started lomography last October 2007.

What to expect in an x-processed roll? The possibilities are endless. Each slide film has their own unique qualities when x-processed. You never really know what you’re gonna get with it. So here below which is what everybody is waiting for. The examples.

Kodak Elitechrome 100/400

(PHP300-500 for a roll of 36 exp Php150 for expired)

This is my first ever slide film. Elitechromes have a color behavior of making greens even more greener, the sky bluer and the skin tone a really harsh yellow if it was me.

this is my first ever shot from the kodak elitechrome

but to show an even clearer example of the powers of elitechrome…here’s a picture of a particular afternoon sunset.

Even my digital camera cannot come up with such exotic colors like that.

Just to make it even clearer. Here’s a digital/x-pro showdown. I took the same shot in a vivitar uw&s + kodak elitechrome and my renault (canon ixy 910 is)

film, x-proed

digital counterpart

Now don’t tell me the colors aren’t crazy :P

I don’t normally place pictures of my face but this is a prime example in the extreme color shift. If you check my skin tone, I’m an amazing mustard color. I maybe from the yellow race, but this is ridiculous :P

Fujichrome Velvia 100F

(Php150 for expired)

Bai and I scored a pack of velvias from Koya Daniel Perfekt Go Horizon and naturally I had first dibs on the film. From the word Velvia, it brings to thought a red as dark and as deep as blood. Aim it straight at the sun and get fiery reds to crimson oranges and to deep violets. Aim it at the trees and it becomes a lush field of greens. Like I said, with x-pro, you only have an idea how it’ll turn out. The results maybe near or far from your expectations, and can even be better or far worse.

I aimed this at the sun and got a violet, bluish tone

I aimed this on the direction that was facing the sun.

are you guys noticing the pattern? :D

shot at the direction facing the sun.

towards the sun. Red. Red. red.

Towards the trees, a field of green.

Indoor, portrait

Aim at the sunset for an unpredictable color crimson.

or maybe something bluish purple…

I will never get it. But that’s the beauty of it.

Since these are the only two slide films I have tried. I will stop here.

Enjoy and do wait for part 3.

My family has always been a fan of surprise outings. During the holy week I was told we were going to Manila Ocean Park.

There was a roll of Kodak Max Versatility 400 in my AV-1. Where 22 of the 24 exposures were already exposed.

I was rummaging my film stash. I only have the 2002 fuji superia 200 film and was panicking. I only have one roll for Ocean Park?

While I was panicking to Bai, he just told me to make it a challenge.

Shoot Ocean Park in 36 shots (or less)

So I was put to the challenge and I went in ocean park very doubtful. Carrying my 50mm f/1.4 (for the darker scenes) and my 28mm f/2.8 (for the scenic daylight shots)

In no time, the Versa 400 roll was used up and I got in the Aquarium with my Superia 200. I felt pretty unconfident already, weak sunlight poured from the open ceiling (since it rained a bit). And the aquariums were all located in a dark area where the only light source was from the tanks itself.

So I shot a couple of views, a couple of fish, and the bay. I went home wondering how those would look.

I never did use all 36 shots. The pictures came Friday morning. And the best photo from the whole set is probably this one…

canon av-1 + fuji superia 200 expired + 50mm f/1.4 + 1/30

The clownfishes were shot in a dark room with light from the tank. I was standing a good 5 minutes traveling my lens with the fish. It was tiring and very frustrating, but patience is what made this photo. And what made the 20 shots from the park much worth it.

Here are the other pictures from the trip. All shot with the Fuji Superia 200 and the Canon AV-1 (28mm/50mm f/2.8/f/1.4) Most of the tank fishes in the dark room where the max shutter speed I get is a 1/30…
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