Pix n' Toys ++

My HDR Entry was selected as one of the Runners Up by the Circle of Amateur Photographers

2012-03-05T09:36:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy to have been selected by the Circle of Amateur Photographers as one of the Runners Up for last week's HDR theme! And when I shared my entry on facebook, one of the Nikon Pros, Ricky Ladia, liked it! I felt honored! Thanks Sir Ricky! :) Check out the other Runners Up here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.282503108487760.65449.135599359844803&

WALL•E longs for EVE

2012-03-03T17:34:00.001+08:00

Just taking a shot of my favorite Disney/Pixar character, WALL•E: WALL·E longs for EVE, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

My Nikon D40x is Back, Alright!

2012-03-02T14:28:00.004+08:00

It was almost a year ago when I encountered an error with my Nikon D40x. I was using it when an error popped on the back display -- "Error. Press shutter release button again". I did press it several times to no avail. I was so distraught that I even posted about it here in my blog. Who would've thought? :) Fast forward to February 2012. After countless procrastinations (plus the

My first attempt at HDR

2012-02-28T13:33:00.001+08:00

I recently joined facebook page called Circle of Amateur Photographers. They feature a weekly theme and everyone are encouraged to send their entries. Last week's theme was Bokeh and I submitted a picture. Sadly, my entry did not make it as one of the finalists. This week's theme is HDR. I know about HDR but I haven't tried it yet. Since I no longer have time to do an actual HDR shot, I tried to

Baguio Adventure Day 4 - At Wright Park

2012-02-27T15:04:00.001+08:00

I hereby present the last batch of pictures from our Baguio trip. I caught sight of these daisies as Lei & I walked through the length of the Pool of Pines. Beautiful flowers never fail to catch my attention, and these are no exception. Daisies, a photo by israelv on Flickr. Upon reaching a gateway of some sort, we turned and looked back at the Pool of Pines which now seemed to stretch up to

Baguio Adventure Day 4 - At the Mansion and Wright Park

2012-02-08T17:01:00.002+08:00

Lei and I finally reached our last stop on our fourth day in Baguio. These are the gates of The Mansion. The Mansion was built in 1908 to serve as the official summer residence of U.S. Governor-Generals at the instance of Governor-General William Cameron Forbes. It now serves as the holiday home and working office for each President of the Philippines during his or her visits to Baguio. (From

Baguio Adventure Day 4 - At Cordillera World

2012-02-08T16:09:00.000+08:00

Lei and I were on our way to the jeepney terminal when we remembered the sign we saw earlier about the Cordillera World. So we made a detour there and it was sure worth it! The Cordillera World was a mini museum of all things Cordillera. There were wooden statues of Igorot warriors in various poses, wooden statues of animals, assorted wooden figures, a life-sized Igorot male and female statues,

Baguio Adventure Day 4 - At Mines View Park

2012-02-08T15:29:00.002+08:00

Again, Lei and I planned to wake up early since we would be going to Mines View Park today. But alas, the cool Baguio weather and our comfy bed made that impossible. BTW, here is a picture of our very nice and zen-like accomodation. Everything Zen!, a photo by israelv on Flickr. After having lunch at Retro Diner, we had a long walk to the jeepney terminal that would lead us to Mines View Park

Baguio Adventure Day 3 - At Strawberry Farms and Back to Burnham Park

2012-02-03T18:04:00.001+08:00

My wife, Lei, was so excited on our third day. Finally, we would now go to the Strawberry Farms which we had not visited during our Baguio trip almost three years ago. For the price of P250/kilo, Lei was able to pick red, luscious strawberries at the farm. Luscious, Red Strawberries, a photo by israelv on Flickr. Before leaving, I took one last shot of the Strawberry Farms... Strawberry

Baguio Adventure Day 2 - At Burnham Park

2012-02-03T17:36:00.001+08:00

Waking up refreshed and energized, we were then treated to a sumptuous breakfast by our gracious host. But we got so stuffed after breakfast that we fell asleep again. At least I think I did :) Lunchtime came. Lei and I only had a thought in mind. We had to go back to Point and Grill at SM City Baguio. So we did. This time around, we were more adventurous as we ordered a set of fried quails

Baguio Adventure Day 1 - At SM City Baguio

2012-02-03T17:09:00.003+08:00

As my wife, Lei, and I sat on our comfy seats at Starbucks, SM City Baguio, hours before we take the 12:10 AM Victory Liner trip, I began to contemplate the past few days of our wonderful vacation in Baguio. It was an enjoyable and at the same time a very memorable experience. It all began the morning of January 24th. My wife and I hurriedly rushed to the Victory Liner Terminal at Cubao.

Fun Photoshoot

2011-12-27T17:44:00.000+08:00

After several months have passed since I joined a Fun Photoshoot with our fellow Nikonians, I've finally found the time to post-process two of the pictures that I've shot during that event. My schedule had been hectic so I really took advantage of my vacation time to finally do this. So here they are, my newbie attempts at post-processing. Thanks to our mentor, Abog Mola Cruz, for teaching us

The Dark Knight will Rise

2011-12-23T13:18:00.001+08:00

Finally, after waiting for a long time, my weeklong vacation has arrived! What better way to start than to post a picture of one of my Batman action figures. Actually I've taken this picture months ago but it was only today that I had time to do some post-processing. Hopefully I could take advantage of this vacation to take pictures of my other Batman and Revoltech collections. The Dark

At The Philippine Blog Awards 2011 - Photobooths & Memories

2011-12-13T02:15:00.000+08:00

Finally, after endless busy days, I was able to sit down and blog about The Philippine Blog Awards night. Initially I had my reservations about attending the event but my wife Lei convinced me that we should go. Later I was also contacted by my friend, and fellow Finalist, Ry if we were attending and that sealed the deal. So after Lei and I attended a wedding early in the morning, we just rested

At The Philippine Blog Awards 2011 - Teaser

2011-12-04T01:04:00.001+08:00

The Philippine Blog Awards, a photo by israelv on Flickr. Just got home after attending The Philippine Blog Awards with my wife Lei and my blogger friend Ry (RyRamos.com), who was also a Finalist for the Travel category. It was a tiring day after also attending two weddings but it was a great day nonetheless. I'm so sleepy now but I would just like to share my reactions to the Awards night.

Lightbox for Android: Over the Bridge

2011-12-03T16:21:00.000+08:00

After the wedding, we explored The Oasis and I found this cute little bridge which was just begging to have its picture taken. Over the Bridge, a photo by israelv on Flickr. Sources: http://lightbox.com/nvB1Vuv, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Lightbox for Android: Lights from above

2011-12-03T11:39:00.000+08:00

My wife and I attended the wedding of their cousin at The Oasis and this centerpiece attracted my attention. From that point onwards, we made sure that all our pictures have that as part of the background. Lights from above, a photo by israelv on Flickr. Sources: http://lightbox.com/m4ftgFL, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Lightbox for Android: The light at the end of the tunnel...

2011-12-01T17:48:00.000+08:00

It was raining and the LRT was slow as usual. So out of boredom I took this picture: The light at the end of the tunnel..., a photo by israelv on Flickr. Sources: http://lightbox.com/ecG6eEB, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Pix n' Toys is a Finalist for Photoblog Category in The Philippine Blog Awards

2011-12-01T00:33:00.001+08:00

Imagine my surprise when I receive the following message in my e-mail: Congratulations! Your blog http://www.pixntoys.blogspot.com/ is a finalist for the Photo Blog Category at the 2011 (Luzon) Philippine Blog Awards. We would like to invite you to the awards ceremony on the 3rd of December 2011, 6 pm at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, RCBC Plaza, Ayala corner Buendia Makati City. As a finalist,

I placed 12th in the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month for November 2011

2011-11-29T15:02:00.001+08:00

I could not believe that the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month photo contest had concluded and a friend of ours had already made it as the Photographer of the Year (Congrats Annidy!). I can still remember last February like it was yesterday as I nervously sent my first three entries to the photo contest. During that time I was happy just to be able to participate since it was my first

Lightbox for Android: As the day ends...

2011-11-25T18:38:00.000+08:00

I took this picture as I went home for the weekend. Happy weekend to everyone! As the day ends..., a photo by israelv on Flickr. Sources: http://lightbox.com/cDBy6yr, http://israelv.lightbox.com

My Entries to 11 Eleven Project

2011-11-23T15:27:00.001+08:00

Last night was the deadline for the submission of entries for the 11 Eleven Project. So even though my right arm is still aching from playing bowling, I still processed the pictures that I took last 11/11/11, uploaded them to flickr then finally submitted the form at http://11elevenproject.com I entitled my series of pictures as Happy Weekend and I described them as pictures I took as I left

Lightbox for Android: Team Bowling!

2011-11-23T15:11:00.001+08:00

Here's my first Lightbox shot. We had a team bowling tournament yesterday so I took a shot of the bowling lanes. BTW, our team won! :) Sources: http://lightbox.com/xYOK0Q3, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Lightbox for Android

2011-11-23T14:11:00.001+08:00

I love Instagram for my iPod touch but I can't stand the hassle of taking pictures using my Android phone then transferring them to my iPod touch via Dropbox. So I searched for an Instagram alternative on Android. Until I discovered the free Lightbox for Android app (Download via Android Market here). After checking its features, I found it to my liking so I signed up right away. I'll post

Scott Kelby's Fourth Annual Worldwide Photowalk - Intramuros, Manila (Picture Set #3)

2011-11-21T10:49:00.001+08:00

Walking along, we stumbled upon the cobblestones of Real Street which really brings you back to Spanish times. You could just imagine hearing the old horse carriages with their Spanish passengers as they noisily trod along this street way back three centuries ago. For a history buff like me, this is bliss! :) Silent Street, a photo by israelv on Flickr. My wife suddenly caught sight of