lost boys studios - blog

Fun Shoot for Gimmet

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:00:00 +0000

My friend Shatz needed photos for a project in fashion design school. So us guys rented a studio and shot her stuff with her friends as models. Got great shots that day!

Fran was great to photograph - lovely cheekbones, great body
and I love the expression she gives with her eyes!

Cre and I playing around with some movement

Shatz has a great face that the camera loves

Mayi knew her poses, angles and was just great at the shoot

Groupshot!

The shoot was pretty long and exhausting, but it was fun playing around, the company was great and very well worthwhile. The photos were used at http://gimmet.multiply.com. Check 'em out!

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

All Walks Of Life

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:32:00 +0000

One thing I love about my 100 Strangers project is that I'm learning to be more open and receptive to human interaction with my camera in hand. I tend to be in a photographer / observer mode when I'm holding a camera, but with the project I've learned to smile more often to total strangers, talk to them if possible and all. With this mindset, I was able to meet some very interesting characters with all sorts of backgrounds from all over the world - France, Spain, Philippines, Italy, Vietnam, Bangkok, USA, Cambodia, Africa, Holland and more.

Here are a few more I met recently, and I'm very proud to have them as my first strangers in my project to be shot in black & white film:

This is Aymerich. He's from Paris, France and is studying pharmacology now. I met him while on the Mekkong River and happened to be very nice company. He spoke very good english and was traveling by himself for a month across Vietnam and Bangkok.

This is Jorge, a very nice fellow from Spain. He was travelling with his girlfriend Marina (below) across Vietnam. I met them while having lunch at the Mekkong River. We were having lunch and we all just smiled and nodded to each other, and eventually struck up a conversation. We exchanged our contact info and ran into them again in Bangkok about a week after we first met! Very very nice guy who spoke good English and happens to be working in the IT industry! (I took up Information Technology in college).

Meet Marina, a beautiful lady from Spain. She was travelling with Jorge and had the nicest smile that I hoped to capture in this photo. She didn't speak much English and always had to ask Jorge to translate, which was amusing. She works in a deli in Madrid, and she says they've got the best stuff and should pass by should I visit Madrid anytime soon.

This is Mulumba! You may have met him already, I posted his photo about a month ago. He is such a cool character, full of energy and adventure. He was born in Congo, grew up in Canada and is now travelling across Asia for work as a writer. I asked him why leave Canada, and he answered saying he wanted to get out there and challenge himself. Awesome. Props to you, Mulumba and I hope things are doing good for you!

This guy is Krishna, an artist from Holland. I met him while having dinner in the streets of Bangkok and I just HAD to ask. He looked really interesting with the whole beard thing and the dim fluorescent lights hit him in a great way. He was such a nice guy and was most accommodating for a photo, I love his expression here.

I hope you enjoyed the photos! Have an awesome week :)

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Economics of Controversy

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:53:00 +0000

I shot my very first magazine covers (two of them!) a few months ago for an impressive local magazine called Monday Magazine. A talented team that gets along with each other great always churns out great stuff and I'm very happy with the outcome! More photos after the jump below:

1st cover with Gwendoline Ruais.
Great energy and company to work with!

2nd cover with Marx Topacio

Chris and I with the Monday Mag crew, hair and makeup by Fred, stylists George and Mikey, our female model Gwen

Big thanks to Monday Magazine for the opportunity! The magazine is a great one, very different and has a lot of interesting stuff in it. Go and check 'em out!

Have an awesome weekend :)

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

What Makes a Great Picture?

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:42:00 +0000

We often think too much about gear and lighting that we forget to ask ourselves, what makes a great photo? What haven't I tried or seen before?

I found this great video online, thought of sharing it to you guys:

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Vietnam Flashbacks - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:49:00 +0000

The last set of my favorite photos from the Vietnam backpacking trip I recently had:

The Lost Boys in a boy band pose!
Quite a challenge shooting a group shot me in it on film!

Met people from all over the world!

The market is the best place to eat like the locals and get the authentic experience.

Taking the train all over Vietnam was a cool experience.
This photo reminds me of the Hogwarts Express, and is probably my favorite photo of the trip.

Brian enjoying the sunset on the train.

Ken playing around with video.

Welcome to Hanoi.

I think that's it! Vietnam was amazing. Just like pretty much everything else in life, it's best experienced by spending TIME and just exploring the place like a 6 year old. Don't try to plan too much and leave room for spontaneity (lots of it).

We literally got lost a number of times on the trip, once on an island along Central Vietnam on our bikes wandering around the rice fields. Just be prepared, have good company with you and keep an open mind, and I promise you that getting lost just might be the best thing you've done in ages :)

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Vietnam Flashbacks - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:21:00 +0000

Here is the second batch of favorite photos I took on a recent backpacking trip to Vietnam:

Vietnam has amazing war museums. A must-see.

A glimpse of the beautiful Vietnamese road mayhem.

Skinless frogs, anyone?

A must-try for food lovers. Lau Chua at Can Tho.

Mekong River at 530AM. I wish I had color film then.

Our awesome boatman "Yo"

The city of Can Tho at night.

Lots of interesting activity at the floating market.

This is how the market boats indicate what they're selling.

You even have food and drink stalls at the floating market!

Rice paper

I hope you liked them! I love that last photo, I took it when we visited a rice paper factory. Beautiful light that time.

I'll be uploading the last batch of photos soon, there's one particular photo there that I'm really happy with :)

Diego

www.lostboys.ph

Vietnam Flashbacks - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:34:00 +0000

Us Lost Boys went on a backpacking trip across Vietnam about 2 months ago. Great experience, living off a backpack and waking up everyday for an adventure. We were a group of 6 but split into 2 groups of 3 for most of the trip. Our group - Brian/Fonta, Ken and I - started off in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) a.k.a. Saigon.

Child and Adult walking to the castle-like structure in the city.

HCMC was amazing, full of energy and LOADS of great food on the streets. We had one rule - if we felt like doing anything, speak up and let's do it. "Let's try that food cart. Okay! Let's head east. Sure! Let's try renting a bike. Alright!" Our conversations while exploring Vietnam was like that. We'd literally wander around and occasionally get lost. Great feeling.

Loaded with nothing but my little Pentax Film SLR and rolls of film, I took a good number of photos. Took me a while to have them developed, scanned and processed them. So here are a few of my favorite photos of the trip!

I was going down the stairs of a noodle house and spotted this scene.
Right before I clicked, the girl looked up. It totally made the photo.

Vietnam is full of female ninjas. They cover up pretty much everything to stay white.

The market is one of the best places to eat!

I LOVE coconut/buko juice and Vietnam's all about motorbikes. Combine the two and voila!

I love the Vietnamese hats. I got one myself and used it a lot. Keeps my dry from the rain (at least chest-up) and keeps me nice and cool from the heat.

A gentleman relaxing around one of the town's large and busy roundabouts.

The marketplace is bustling with stalls like this in the evening.

Brian and Ken enjoying the awesome noodles on the street stalls and carts.

Vietnam is rich with spices. I sure wish I had some colored film for this shot.

I absolutely love noodles and Pho is amazing here. It's everywhere, cheap and very delicious. Very healthy too!

I'll be posting more soon, a lot of better ones I believe!

Diego

www.lostboys.ph

Pannzian

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:23:00 +0000

We recently shot for the food at a favorite hidden spot of ours (WAAAY up north from the city). It's an amazing place, very nature-oriented, spacious and private. Great place to relax, unwind, bond with friends, do some soul-searching, and read your latest book on the beach hammocks. So the place is great, and the food is AWESOME. They've been improving their menu and boy everything was just delicious.

Photos came out great and here are some of my favorites:

The classic Vigan Longganisa breakfast!

French Apple Toast with Maple and Peanut Butter Sauce

Crab Paella.
A twist on the classic Paella, large hermit crabs used.
Rare, exotic and very delicious!

Pansit Sisig.
Absolutely delicious and healthier than it sounds!

Ensaymada con Sago with Hot Cacao.
Perfect light merienda!

Fresh buko juice!
Perfect healthy and delicious refreshment.

Overall, I'm happy with the shots. The food is as good as they (hopefully) look, trust me. Posting this just made me real hungry, I'm gonna raid the fridge :)

Pannzian Beach Resort
Website

Contact Info

Keep your eyes peeled for their upcoming website update!

Diego

www.lostboys.ph

Published in the US!

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:22:00 +0000

Would like to share: A photo we took a few months ago was published by a US-based magazine called Baby Couture! It's a really good magazine, where it's all Hollywood stars and high-profile people in it with their children. I'm really happy, this is a first for us to be published outside of the Philippines :)

Thank you Baby Couture! :)

Baby Couture Magazine

Web - http://www.ibabycouture.com/

Blog - http://www.ibabycouture.com/blog/

Diego

www.lostboys.ph

UPDATE - My 100 Strangers Project

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:39:00 +0000

It's been a while since I updated my 100 Strangers project. Getting caught up with work and I've become REALLY picky in adding photos to the project. It'll take me a while to finish this but I'm confident it will be well worth it.

So here are the new additions to my 100 Strangers project, and these are taken in film. It's a whole new experience for me. For more info on the project and its nature check out www.100strangers.com. You can see my whole set so far by clicking here - 100 Strangers.

This is Le Tao, I hope I spelled his name right. He is a farmer on the field I approached while biking around the rice fields of central Vietnam.

This is Khao. She is a lovely woman I saw while biking at one of the remote islands along central Vietnam. She was doing something with the rice on the pavement. Beautiful eyes and a great smile.

This is Misa, a lady I met along Cua Dai Beach in Vietnam. She had the nicest smile and she spoke very good English. She also happened to sell some souvenirs and I got myself a nice bookmark that I use today.

Will be posting more soon!

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Ca Phe Sua Da

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 03:50:00 +0000

I'm on the road now to a shoot that's a long drive from the city, and it's hot out there. Pit stop at a Starbucks and I'm sipping on my Caramel Macchiato while taking care of some work stuff, and I just remembered the fantastic iced coffee we'd always have in our recent trip to Vietnam. cà phê sữa đá is what they call it. A simple concoction of Vietnamese Coffee + ice + sweet condensed milk.

Perfect on a hot day, cheap (about a US dollar on the streets) and quite addicting. Heck they even have it on the Mekkong River! The photo above is a guy that has a little boat that's set up like a mini-bar with coffee and other drinks. You'll find other boats like his roaming around the floating markets along the river.

I want my cà phê sữa đá.

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Meet Mulumba

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 09:53:00 +0000

Meet Mulumba. He's a writer and painter I met at Bangkok last month. We were eating at this eatery on the street with the best curry I've ever had. Apparently he was born at the Rupublic of Congo, grew up at Canada and decided to move to Asia to challenge himself and see what's out there. We overheard him speaking French over his cellphone, which was cool. He's a really friendly, interesting and inspiring guy full of character, I just HAD to take his photo. I think he's a wonderful addition to my 100 Strangers project.

He's got a website and blog at mulumbatshikuka.wordpress.com. If you get to read this post, Mulumba, I do wish you the very best of luck in Asia and I hope we cross paths again!

I took this photo with my little Pentax SLR with a roll of Fuji B&W film loaded. I was really nervous about not having it in digital, no way of knowing if I got the shot or not. It's been a few weeks now since we got back from our backpacking trip across Vietnam and I finally got myself a film scanner. I picked up the Canon 9000F yesterday and the photo of Mulumba is my first stab at scanning film.

Apparently, like what I've heard a number of times, scanning film is a whole craft of its own. Loading the film and making sure to avoid scratches and dust is really difficult. Then there are too many options in scanning software. After some tweaks and a little photoshop to remove some dust etc, I'm quite happy with the result. There's so much to learn but I'm looking forward to really delve into this film experience.

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Where To?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Yuhico) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:30:00 +0000

Back in Bangkok, I chanced upon a streetside hawker selling flag patches from various countries. I suppose various would be an understatement because he had practically the whole United Nations stable in his little caboodle. Even Hong Kong, which technically is not a country, was well represented in the pile.

Four days and a 60% price reduction later, I wind up helping myself to 6 flags - Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan – all of which represented the different countries that have had the dubious honor to call me guest. Missing from the team was the USA (I actually forgot to buy it) and South Korea (I was only there for 3 hours so I was not exactly sure if it counted).

By no means is this a list for any traveler to be proud of - most backpackers do that many countries or more in one trip alone. It did however, start me thinking about where exactly in the world I’ve been aiming my feet at. The first obvious item on the list would be to finish up Southeast Asia. Third-world cost of living aside, Southeast Asia is probably the only area in the world I can visit without a pre-procured visa. On this list, the only unchecked boxes are Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Of course, I'm taking a little detour and passing by Brazil. How can you be there and not go to Brazil?

Another adventure I've always wanted to have was a modified Che Guevara route. That basically entails going from the southernmost tip of Argentina all the way up to Mexico, preferably on a motorcycle, while trying to avoid all the small squabbles between countries and drug shootouts. I’d probably have an easier time too with the locals than what I’ve experienced so far as Spanish is a lot less foreign to me than say, Thai.

Of course, I’d be hard pressed to leave the European experience out of this listing. The big history geek that I am, the call to personally visit the lands of the world empires I grew up studying is just to great to resist. To stand where Cicero stood in the Temple of Jupiter Stator, giving the first of the famous Catiline Orations, to stroll purposefully down the coastline of Thermopylae remembering Leonidas, to pass through the Arc de Triomphe with the Marcia Trionfale resounding firmly in my head, for a chance to experience these moments I would gladly give my left kidney.

Many other pipe dream destinations are still swimming in the back of my head, Batanes, Gen San Tuna Boat Fishing and hunting with the Cagayan Valley locals among others. Many more flags are destined to adorn my walls, many more ambitions borne out of childhood reading to be realized. Only God knows where I shall turn up next. The world is amazing, and I am determined to see as much of it as I can before I leave.

Chris
www.lostboys.ph

In Case You Haven't Met

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:20:00 +0000

In case you haven't met Ken, he's the latest addition to the Lost Boys. He's got amazing talent, is great company and has the enthusiasm of a twelve-year old.

Christmas Lights from 30 Stop on Vimeo.

Keep your eyes peeled for more of his work :)

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Vietnamese Cravings

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 05:32:00 +0000

We got back from an 18-day trip across Vietnam last week and I took nothing but a small backpack of clothes, my trusty ol' Pentax film SLR and 10 rolls of B&W film. I used up 7 rolls and got the contact sheets today. I was nervous but am relieved to see they came out great!

What I was disappointed to see though was the food shots came out bleh. I didn't take many because I knew I had B&W film loaded. I couldn't capture the fantastic food full of color. The red peppers, fresh veggies etc wouldn't register. So I dug up some photos I took for a local Vietnamese restaurant I shot for. I really liked those photos and it's the closest thing to my eating experience I can share.

Pho. It's everywhere and it's delicious, and it costs about a US dollar or less. I happen to LOVE noodles so this was heaven to me. People have it for breakfast and it's best in the morning because everything's fresh from the market. Didn't stop me from buying some for midnight snacks. They're loaded with veggies, much more than the photo. I loved it, the combo of the different veggies and spices with perfect noodles and different slices of beef. I tried the chicken and was amused to see the chicken wasn't sliced and in whole parts, proved to be a challenge to eat with chopsticks and a spoon.

Ca Phe Sua Da - Vietnamese Iced Coffee. They're sold everywhere, on the streets in carts, in restaurants, cafes, and even on little boats at the floating markets along the great Mekong River. Great for cooling off during a hot day, and absolutely delicious.

The fresh vegetables and spices are everywhere. I don't have the usual problem of finishing my veggies, in fact I think I'm one of the few who would rejoice in seeing a whole pyrex of broccoli on the dinner table. I love loading my pho and banh mi with veggies and spices.

Spring rolls! Theirs had more shrimp and more veggies. They're cheap too! You can buy them per piece at the market eateries for about $0.25 or 5,000 Dong. We had different kinds of spring rolls too, with different meats and spices. Perfect merienda.

Sad to say, I don't have a photo of Banh Mi. Do a quick google search and you'll see something very similar to this:

Basically it's a french baguette loaded with veggies, spices, different sauces, cheese, liver paté and 3 different kinds of meat. They slice meat that look like local versions of salami. Under their cart you'll usually find a hot clay pot heating the bread. They cost less than a dollar and we'd have them everyday. They're on the streets and they're everywhere, and they're absolutely delicious. Load them up with hot sauce and you're set!

If you happen to be in Manila, do yourself a favor and try out the Vietnamese restaurant I took these photos for. It's called Ba Noi's and is along Perea street in Makati. Order a bowl of Beef Pho, Spring rolls, and Bo Luc Lac. Have some Ca Phe Sua Da as well. After your meal, walk down the street for some nice desserts at Mom & Tina's. You won't regret it :)

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Two Overhead

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Yuhico) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:08:00 +0000

Alas, sleep beckons when I am most inspired. The past two days since I returned from my travels have been spent in front of the laptop, processing and processing. Souvenirs have gone yet untouched, clothes still tightly packed in the bag in which they traveled a thousand miles.

Before I depart for the Land of Nod, however, I leave with two shots that particularly caught my attention - one colored and one black & white. I normally do not have the opportunity to do overhead shots as much as eye-level shots or a perspective slightly below/above the subject, so these interest me.

This was shot inside an art store. The (slightly cute) saleslady had wanted to show me more of her artworks in the store's second-floor warehouse, to which I gladly obliged. The view from the top fascinated me, as well as the caged cat at the bottom. It wasn't until Pau pointed out though that I should take a shot of it that I actually whipped out the camera and took it. Thanks, Pau.

I took this while checking out the open-air atrium of an old preserved tube house in Hanoi. The old man was doing calligraphy pieces and scenic artwork, all by hand, which were then sold for the preservation of the house. Word is, the city has plans to restore a lot of old houses to their...well, old glory. Beautiful stuff. Although, the particular house I visited used to be a rich man's house so I guess I've seen the best of the best already.

Two weeks worth of photos to comb through and process. I wish that sleep were unnecessary. It's really during these lonely hours that I become really productive.

- Chris

The Man With the Violin

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Yuhico) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:41:00 +0000

I write today from the quiet little town of Hoi An. Pau, Patch and I arrived here after a grueling (yet interesting) 22-hour bus ride which involved delays due to the bus’s battery dying on us, two extremely irritable bus drivers/conductors, frequent shouting matches between aforementioned bus drivers/conductors and a certain male passenger, and many more absurdly unique events which continuously poked my consciousness as if to constantly remind me where exactly I was.

It’s been a fast-paced 5 days in Hanoi, which by the way has lived up to my expectations of the city. If you thought that Saigon was crazy and full of motorbikes, Hanoi is about 2 notches above it, both in craziness and number of motorbikes. Sure, back here we see individual motorbikes go up on sidewalks to avoid traffic, but imagine a SEA of them on the sidewalks. I also saw a car up on the sidewalk at one point in a particularly nasty traffic snarl.

Like a Vietnamese version of Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty

Last September 2 marked the 65th Independence day of Vietnam. Apparently, the man responsible for this was Ho Chi Minh, who had an Emilio Aguinaldo-like role but is revered like Jose Rizal. A quick trip to the Ho Chi Minh Museum confirmed this significance. Uncle Ho, as he is so affectionately called much to my amusement, pretty much built modern-day Vietnam, with his roles in the struggles against both the French and the Americans, as well as leading Vietnam into unprecedented economic growth into this day and age.

I was therefore half-expecting a spectacular display of national pride as I woke up that morning. Although I didn’t exactly get what I was looking for (my search would have been more fruitful in say, North Korea), I did discover a few nice touches to Vietnam along the way.

The Man with the Violin
After having breakfast, I went to Pau’s hotel to see if they were already up and about. Upon being informed that they had not yet come down from their room, I decided to get an early start and do a bit of Independence-Day sightseeing. The first choice destination was the city cathedral as it was only a 2-minute walk from the hostel. So sleepily I went, trudging along the backpacker-infested alleyways of Ngo Huyen. What greeted me there upon arrival however, ensured that all sloth left in me was melted away.

Seated on the hard concrete right in front of the cathedral gate was an wizened old man in a cowboy hat with a violin in hand and a crowd in the other. They were all seated around him in a circle, singing what appeared to be an old Vietnamese song about Uncle Ho. As foreign as Vietnamese is to me, I recognize Uncle Ho’s name when I hear it, and I can only assume that the words ‘we,’ ‘love,’ and ‘you’ were there at some point. He’d change songs every so often, stopping to teach the words to those in the group who didn’t know the lyrics, mostly the younger ones.

Ho two, as I had mentally referred to him by that time (he looked like…guess who?) also catered his entertainment to the foreigners passing by, inviting them to sit with him for a spell and promptly proceeding to play their respective national anthem. One woman in particular stood out as she did just that - stand to attention - as Ho two started playing the first few notes of Das Deutschlandlied.

Watching him play so enthusiastically and spurred by national pride (he did not ask for a single cent from anyone during the 45 minutes or so that I was there) made jealousy pull at my heart strings, as I longed to see that same thing in my beloved Philippines, perhaps with Ang Bayan Ko or even seasonal melodies such as Pasko Na, Sinta Ko sweetly wafting through the wisps of air at Luneta, rather than La Bamba at a cheesy restaurant (I used to request that ALL the time as a child. I have no idea why).

I’m sure that these people still exist here, hidden as diamonds in the rough along the streets of Manila. I take it upon myself to find them, maybe just to listen to them play, maybe to sing along a bit, and maybe to give them an affectionate pat on the back and tell them how much that meant to me.

-Chris

What The Philippines Can Learn From Vietnam

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Here I am at some town by the great Mekong River, 12:39AM, in bed and surprised to find some wi-fi. 3 full days into Vietnam and I'm blown away. Some thoughts as to what my home country can learn from Vietnam.

1. Eating healthy is awesome. A lot of our street food is mostly full of cholesterol. Absolutely awesome for tastebuds but not very good for the heart. The food here is mostly boiled, steamed, fresh and loaded with veggies and spices, AND absolutely delicious. Eating the food here is a great way of getting to know the country.

2. Pollution. I have seen thousands of motorbikes, hundreds of cars and buses, and only spotted 1 smoke-belcher. I see dozens of them on a single drive to work in the Philippines.

The cities here are clean. They people even "pollute" properly by throwing their trash on the street by putting them all neatly into a spot for the street cleaners to pick them up. I was walking along the streets of Saigon/Ho Chi Minh in the middle of the night and was astonished to find the streets VERY clean.

3. Traffic. You can have a LOT of vehicles on the roads but have things flow smoothly. It's the jeeps and buses that kill us in Manila. Locking up the streets AND polluting. Here in Vietnam there are a LOT of vehicles on the road but things just flow, and I realized it's because there aren't many buses and ZERO jeeps to clog up the roads. And the buses stop at bus stops and the side of the roads properly. Last week in Manila, a bus made half the lanes of EDSA highway stop because the bus stopped and the conductor was taking a pee on the bus tire. In the friggin' middle of the road. Amazing.

My dad read somewhere that the traffic conditions in a country is a good indicator of how the country is doing. It's really bad in Manila, how people don't follow the simplest of rules ALL THE TIME, how terrible admins are at building roads, signs and enforcing the law, and that a lot of us are afraid of crooked cops who want some money to let you off the hook. The traffic conditions here show how Vietnam is really progressing. I was amazed to see how well the provincial highways are built compared to the ones we have back home.

4. Make the country more tourist-friendly. It's great that Manila is an English-speaking place but the public transportation is so terrible, public utilities like signs (horrible signs in Manila make it hard ti navigate) and lack of maps and tourist kiosks make it not so tourist-friendly. I was amazed to see kiosks with touch-screen maps, very nice public toilets (the ones in Manila are a joke), very well-lit streets, and an AMAZING museum showing the real ugly truth of the Vietnam war (and war itself in general). I think I actually feel safer walking the streets and parks here at 1AM than I would in Manila, and not because there are more cops here or anything (I haven't seen many actually).

I really really love my country but we've got to move forward as sometimes I really thing we've been moving backward in the past years. I hope the new government changes that.

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Film

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:49:00 +0000

It's been almost a month now since the last blog post. Wow. The month has gone by so quickly, and it was a great month. I was able to shoot a lot for Monday Magazine, went out partying with my friends, spent a lot of time with my parents and had a great birthday with my family and the Lost Boys. The 18 year-old bottle of Chivas they gave me was awesome, along with the Cuban cigar. Monday Magazine gave me a fantastic bottle of 18 year-old Glennfiddich single malt too!

Anyway so I've been shooting film for about 2 months now. I haven't touched my personal digital camera in a few months as well. I'm thinking of selling it, but it's really hard to let go of this beautiful simple Pentax setup I've got. Fantastic glass. So I first tried out a few rolls of Tri-X, beautiful stuff. Tried out a roll of Kodak Ultramax and I liked it as well. Great vivid stuff. Bought a few rolls of cheapo Lucky film too. Meh. I'm staying away from the cheap stuff.

Now I'm on a few rolls of Fuji Neopans and can't wait to have them developed. Hopefully tomorrow. I learned that going to a good developer really pays off. I first tried Studio58 at Makati and they came out with great results, but they cost more. Tried out a few rolls of colored film at Wells Photo and they came out okay. Gave them a roll of B&W and it came out like crap. Sigh. I'm sticking to Studio58.

I love shooting with my 'lil Pentax film cam. The humungous viewfinder, the right size and weight, and the beautiful sound of the shutter. Oh and I'm really liking the output too. Now I'm thinking the unthinkable - spending 3 weeks at Vietnam just shooting film. I'm nervous but hella excited. Hmm maybe 8 rolls of Neopans of Tri-X would do? I'll check out the results of the Neopans, I hope they come out great. I can get them much cheaper than Tri-X rolls. Anyone know of a good cheap source of Tri-X?

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Mad Men

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:57:00 +0000

I've become very picky when it comes to TV shows. Same for movies. And videogames. It would take a REALLY good show or company, for me to tune in and glue my eyes on the screen instead of getting out there and living life.

Why waste my time on the screen, when I can be fine-tuning my photography, or researching on how to properly run the business, or pick minds of my favorite and most-respected photographers with their latest blog posts and photos? I could be out there playing with the dogs (I love our dogs), or be catching up with old friends, or making new ones, or learning the foreign language that attracts me most? I could be resting for an early morning workout, or preparing documents for work, or actually beefing up my reading habit (not much of a reader, but slowly working on that).

Don't take it that I don't like TV. I love watching with my friends and family. Even simple shows like CSI, NCIS, Glee, and Bones.

Up In The Air. Inception. Dexter. Rome. Band of Brothers. Now those are awesome. Okay, I'm guilty, let's add Simpsons as well. I love the humor. I kinda like stupid guy humor movies too.

Now Mad Men. This show is amazing. May not be for everyone, maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because I'm in the arts, or maybe it's just a guy thing. The production, the lighting, the feel, and the amazing characters.

I'm a little late in catching this show. I've heard good things about it for a while. You might want to check it out.

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Rookies

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Yuhico) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:51:00 +0000

Today pretty much wrapped things up over at De La Salle University for the Rookies 2010 shoot. The pace of the day was relatively slow, as we were just hanging out in school handing out contact sheets and contracts to the block presidents.

As a sidenote, I fail to see why blocks elect officers other than the president/vice-president at DLSU. They really don’t have much use for officers on a block level, as the block will start dissolving as early as the second term. Oh well, I guess letting go of high school practices is a bit hard.

I first joined the Lost Boys during the last Rookies Shoot, having come from the world of the corporate slave galleys. It can get a bit nostalgic looking back at the past year, and although since then we’ve taken a path that has led us to other fields of photography as well, schools shall always have a special place in my heart. I shall always want to work with schools, with students. Their (mostly) youthful energy rubs off on you, more and more as you spend time with them, and one would be lucky to have it stay with him until old age. Coincidentally, our desire to forever keep that vigour of youth is also quite in line with our name as the Lost Boys.

A couple of outtakes from the shoot:

Fonta taking Paolo's shades for a spin. Some superhero theme is buzzing around in my head.

Diego with the latest issue of Monday Magazine, a great publication for the yuppie demographic.
He shot the cover as well as the article shown.
Also shown (in the article) is the best hand model EVER (hint: me).

Three of the great people we've met and worked with at DLSU. L-R: Sam, Pao, Mary.
Not in the picture (because I wasn't able to take any of them): Syfu, Tinch, Stefi,

Evil Postcards and Other Beautiful Stories

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:44:00 +0000

A good friend and a photography teacher of mine is having an opening to his exhibit this August 4, 2010 entitled "Evil Postcards and Other Beautiful Stories" at Silverlens Gallery.

I took a class under Johann about two years ago at Silverlens Gallery, and out of all the workshops, classes and seminars I've taken, his was my favorite. It wasn't only about the technical stuff, but I learned to appreciate the art and how to start developing my own vision. I love browsing through his Flickr account every now and then, he's got a neat blog called manilacamerastyle.com/.

Silverlens is a great place to check out every now and then. It's got a gallery (duh) for photos and another one for installation art, a very neat library, and they have artist talks and workshops. It's at 2320 Pasong Tamo Extension, Yupangco Building 2, Makati City. Check out below for details:

Hope to see you there!

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Steps to greatness?

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:34:00 +0000

I think one has to be really obsessed.. crazy mad.. to be great in something. I don't want to be good. I want to be great.

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

Lost Strangers

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Some of you may know I'm doing a set of 100 Strangers. I picked the idea up from Flickr, you can check out www.100strangers.com for more info. Basically you approach strangers and take their info with their permission, and you need to take down some info about them. I've been very picky with my strangers, I want this little project to be a masterpiece of mine. Too picky perhaps, I've only got about 20 strangers so far.

A few months ago I went to Bohol with my family. I took my camera and was able to photograph 2 people for the project. I forgot about the photos and I stumbled upon them a week ago. I couldn't find my little notebook where I wrote down their names and info.

Lost Stranger #1: I met this very interesting character while at Bohol earlier this year. I was at a nice quiet island and I took a walk around and saw this gentleman having a nice relaxing smoke. I talked to him and snapped his photo. He is a driver from Manila and is on vacation to recover from a recent surgery.

Lost Stranger #2: I met this young man while at Bohol Bee Farm while he was conducting a tour around the place explaining the bees and the plants. He was such a nice person to listen to and was quite knowledgeable too. He took up a course related to farming or something and had a very lively personality.

Lesson learned. I gotta upload my photos quicker and I should invest in nicer better notebooks (that aren't too small). I hope that notebook turns up soon!

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

REVIEW: Think Tank's Airport Check In Laptop Bag

noreply@blogger.com (diego) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Okay I'm not one who would really do gear reviews but this bag isn't getting enough praise out there. Meet Think Tank's Airport Check In. This is the best laptop bag I've ever used.

I've always been a backpack kind of guy. I don't like my weight on one side of my body. Not good for the back, and it has the tendency to bump stuff while on the go. I have this lovely orange Timbuk2 backpack that's just fantastic and has held up for a few years. Looks brand new.

When I started doing photography full-time, I was kind of ashamed to use an orange backpack for my laptop when dealing with commercial clients. While I loved the youthful image it gave me, I felt it was a bit too unprofessional. I'm dealing with clients that are thinking of shelling out some big money and I don't want them to think of me as just some college kid that takes photos. I wanted a more professional-looking bag.

I used a slim briefcase type of bag for a while. Very sleek and portable, but didn't carry much. The handle was giving way too. So I needed more space, and one that was built like a tank. I looked no further than Think Tank.

I love Think Tank stuff. I use their rollers, their shoulder bags (yes I know, gasp!) especially their Urban Disguise series, and their accessories. Built very well and very smart. Pricier than the competition but fantastic. A visit to EchoStore (our local Think Tank distro) and I knew the Airport Check In was the bag I needed.

First of all, this bag is built like a tank. Beefy zippers and handle, stitched well everywhere and didn't skimp on little stuff like the metal swivel clasps that are on the strap. Feel the bag and you know it ain't cheap. Little details like the mesh-like bottom of the handle to avoid sweaty hands and the place for putting a business card, make the bag not only built well but also built very SMART.

The bag can fit loads of stuff. It easily fits my 15" Macbook Pro and can swallow the 17" version as well. I'm able to put my Wacom Intuos4 tablet as well. It has a great organizer where I put my extension cables, my 15 ft. USB cable for tethering, monitor calibrator, the bag's rain cover, the shoulder harness, a mouse, plug adapters and more. It keeps it all neat and tidy too! The area where the organizer stays in also houses a magazine or two, and work documents.

The front-most zipper is where I keep all the little stuff like my pens, wallet, phone, keys, business cards, post-its, ipod, earphones, eyedrops (great for keeping my eyes fresh while at work!) and card reader.

Carrying all the weight around is a breeze with the fantastic straps that came with it. There's the beefy shoulder strap that does well in cushioning and staying on your shoulder. First time I saw it I thought the strap was way too big. But after loading up the bag I understood why the strap was designed that way!

Then there's the shoulder harness that came along with it. I use it when traveling long walks and it is just fantastic. I did a week-long shoot at Palawan for a client and the bag was great to haul around with the shoulder harness.

At times where I roll my Airport International roller, I attach the bag onto the roller. The back part of the Check In has a zipper/pouch thingy where you can slide the roller's handle into. Great feature when going through the airport and other long hauls with the roller! When not attached to the roller, I keep a notebook in it.

There are side pockets on the bag, one is a mesh pocket where I usually drop my phone in, and the other is an expandable zipped pocket where I usually keep a thermos of hot coffee. Hot coffee is a must for long shoots!

Lastly, It's got a great rain cover. It's one that's really well-made. I've had bags with cheapo rain-covers that didn't do much but protect from light showers. This one is seam-sealed and it's made of thicker material too. I love how they don't skimp on the quality of materials.

I love the bag. I take it to all my shoots and pretty much almost everywhere else. It wasn't cheap and cost me about Php8,800 (about $150 US SRP) and it's not as light and compact, but I didn't want compact in the first place and I knew quality usually costs more. I needed a professional-looking bag that is well-built and fits all my needs, and I got it. I've been getting a lot of complements on the bag with how well it's built and its neat features.

Great job, Think Tank! I easily give this bag a 10/10. I can't really think of how to improve it. It's that good.

Now I'm eyeing Think Tank's Artificial Intelligence for the times I want to travel light and when I only need the essentials :D

Diego
www.lostboys.ph

*Product shots courtesy of Think Tank Photo
*For more info check out the Think Tank website: www.thinktankphoto.com

*For the local (Philippines) Think Tank availability check out www.echostoreph.com