Film Photography. Classic

Water color in my Photos

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:52:00 +0000

I shot these at around 6-7 pm, when I went to Anilao, Batangas. I wanted to see how slide film will handle long exposures. I was surprised with what I got. I did not have a tripod and had to put my camera on top of a flat surface. I still managed to shake a bit. Surprisingly, it turned out better than what I expected.

30 secs @ f/4.5

2 mins @ f/4.5

Check out this set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157624140811218/

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

Beaches through the lens

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:03:00 +0000

WELCOME TO SUMMER VACATION

For the past two weekends, I've been going out of town. Two weeks ago, I went to Anilao, Batangas with some friends. We stayed in this wonderful resort, which, apart from not having a white sand beachfront, was perfect. It was very peaceful and the breeze was refreshing. Inhaling the sea breeze with my eyes closed reminded me that I was far from the hustle and bustle of city life, from the stress of work and social relationships. I was with the people who I wanted to be with.

We went snorkeling, and saw many many long things. lol. I also got a lot of scratches from the corals around. I forgot to say that Anilao is famous worldwide for its diving spots. There were some foreigners in the resort - some were relaxing, some were on boats, ready to dive.

Anyway, here are a few photos from my two day one night trip. :) Thanks friends for inviting me, and thanks Gela for the big ass kubo. :) I was using my 35mm film camera and a fuji slide film, c/o my girlfriend. :)

Check out this set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157624140811218/

Last week, I went to Bataan with my family and some family friends. We also stayed in a resort. The only difference was this was on top of a mountain. We had to go down the mountain to go to the beach. At first glance, the beach was flawless. It was really a cove to dream about. The water seemed serene and peaceful that you would wish to just float aimlessly on it and let your natural buoyancy take over. Up close, the sand was white although there were a lot of small stingy jelly fishes, which discouraged me from swimming longer. I got stung a few times but it was ok. The water was warm, with a cool underwater current where our feet floated.

Here are a few photos of my trip to Bataan. I was using my Mamiya RB 67 Pro SD and a colored 120 fuji film.

There might be a chance that I will be going to some where in Batangas in the following weeks so watch out. :)

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

War Photography - Pain through the Glass

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:19:00 +0000

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are

my testimony. The events I have recorded should

not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

-James Nachtwey-

Okay, so right now, I have started watching War Photographer the Documentary which features James Nachtwey. There has always been a question that would always run on my mind when every war photography would come up. "How do they keep themselves sane?" With all the death, blood, and pain, how can they?

My friend Hannah Reyes, who's currently an intern in European Press Photo Agency, a photography/photo journalist company here in the Philippines, told me that her talks with various war photographers have yielded a very unexpected answer.

They dance to ringtones, and do silly things to keep focused and remove the shock that they get on the spot. I can't remember the exact words but it was something on the lines of what I said.

One dream, I'm not sure if you can even call it a dream, is to be a war photographer, to drop everything and risk life and limb to be able to put in film what most of us can only see on tv, or hear from stories.

It's putting your life on the line to show the truth behind the gruesome event in our world called war.

Although I'm scared that I might not be able to handle the scene that's happening right infront of my eyes.

Anyway, I haven't finished watching it yet. I will add to this later, or tomorrow.

For now, I wanna say that James Nachtwey is indeed a mystery.

***Update 5/26/2010
Okay, I was able to watch until the 60th minute. I can't write that much now so I'll just sum it up. I realized that for one to be a successful War Photographer, one must really sacrifice a lot... his social life, his 'sanity', his life, in order to be able to take that one photo which can tell the world what is really happening, and hopefully, open their eyes.

One guy there said, there are two kinds of people who die during assignments, the ones on their first assignment, and the ones who've been in the business for so long that they think they are bullet proof. He continued by saying that James was already part of the second category.. Hopefully he doesn't cross over any time soon.

Watch out for the next update.

Check out Hannah Reyes' Tumblr for more photos, or click her name up top.
Check out James Nachtwey's photos in his website - http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

Two models are sometimes better than one!

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sun, 09 May 2010 05:14:00 +0000

Last Saturday, my girlfriend traveled to my home town in Bulacan. We watched a movie, ate food and basically hung out. Although by 5 PM, I was taking her photo near the basketball court and the front lawn of my grand parents' house. My sister also put down her books to join us for an impromptu shoot.

For this shoot, all I used were my canon slr, my mamiya rb67 pro sd, 1 BnW 35mm film, 8/36 Kodak Ultima35mm film, and a Fuji Pro 400h 120 film, and of course, Mr. Sunlight.

Here are some of the photos from the shoot.

One lesson I learned from using my RB67 with shutter speeds of 1/20 and below - Get a tripod. I should've gotten some great shots but for some reason, maybe my hands were shaking, or the mirror inside the cam was too strong, they ended up as somewhat blurry.

Anyway, first two pics were from my mamiya, and the last one was from my canon. BnW photos to follow. My friend is still processing it.

Also, update on the rechargeable batteries all the way from china. I got them already. I hope their life is better than what I'm expecting. More strobist photos next time!

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/
Check out the whole set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157623895803291/

P.S.
Check out my friend's bnw photos here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/buuucs/
He uses range finders, tlrs, etc. and processes his own BnW film.

Sunflower Power

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:27:00 +0000

These sunflowers would always bloom during the Graduation season here in the Philippines, particularly, the one in the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus. This was shot beside the road leading the the UP Oblation.

It's funny how something so beautiful can last only for so long. A couple of weeks or so and they're out, ready for the count. We'll just have to wait for next year again.
----
This photo is dedicated to Vic* and Francine*. Hope next year comes for both of you, may it be together or not.
*Names have been changed to protect their identity and privacy
----
I was only supposed to be an observer. My girlfriend and her friend wanted to shoot the sunflowers and I wanted to come along; but along the way, she let me take a few of her photos. I think they turned out well. Some had really harsh light though. Anyway, enjoy!

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/
Check out this set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157623895787465/

Strobing test #1 and #2(half strobist)

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:24:00 +0000

As promised, here are some of the better test shots from my new strobe set up. I present to you, strobing test #1 and strobing test #2. The first one was shot inside my house, in the proposed makeshift studio room. The second one was shot outside in the greenhouse, and around the area. I had to shift to a reflector-white board set up when the battery of my trigger ran out. It might get too expensive to buy disposable CR2 batteries all the time so I bought 4 rechargeable CR2 batteries and a charger from ebay. Hopefully, it gets here soon so I can experiment more.

IMPORTANT LESSON.. Never open the umbrella with flash and RF receiver when there's a strong consistent wind. I was getting the chair for a possible shot, then boom, down went the umbrella, my 285hv and my stand, aside from the damage minimal damage in the umbrella skeleton, my other gear were still A-Okay.

Anyway, critics are always welcome.

Here are the lessons that I learned, lighting-wise. I shall provide examples.

1. Despite being able to sync at almost all speeds, because of the RF wireless trigger and receiver, I should not abuse the shutter speed, especially when there is only one strobe on site. This will make the photo bright on one half and very dark on the other, much like a gradient.

Vivitar 285hv @ 1/16 or 1/4 power on the left, very high shutter speed (I was taking advantage of the high sync speed)

2. Don't always shoot at 1/16 power, even to conserve power. Sometimes, it is still too weak, especially when there's a diffuser or a shoot through umbrella, or a reflective umbrella. The model pose was really good, in my taste. It was just that my flash was either too far from her, or was emitting very low light.

Vivitar 285hv @ 1/16 or 1/4 power on the right, higher than 1/200 of a second shutter speed.

3. Reflectors are very useful when you run out of battery for the trigger. I was able to use a reflector and a white board for the remainder of the second shoot. Although even with this, the light redirected might be too harsh. It might cause your model to squint or close his/her eyes.

Reflector below-left

4. Just because something might look good as a stand alone subject, it might not necessarily be a good background. I thought the branches looked cool, and I imagined how they would look like if I shot them as a subject. For me, it became too busy, or too messy a background. lol.

Vivitar 285hv @ 1/16 or 1/4 power on the left, around 1/200 of a second shutter speed.

5. Write down the settings used for each shot. Evident in how unsure I am about the apertures and shutter speeds used.

Here are the better ones from the two shoots. Enjoy :)

First strobe test

Details:

First photo - At around 3pm, ambient light to the back left, Vivitar 285hv @ 1/16 or 1/4 power on the upper-left with reflective umbrella.

Second Photo - Same setup as the first one.

Third photo - Ambient light, kinda diffused to the left, Vivitar 285hv @ 1/16 or 1/4 power on the mid/upper-right with reflective umbrella.

I shot using 1.8,8,11 apertures.

Second strobe test

Details:
First photo - At around 12pm, Reflector lower left, white board lower right (I did not have an assistant to hold it).

Second Photo - Same setup as the first one.

Third photo - Under the sun, Vivitar 285hv @ 1/16 or 1/4 power on the upper-right, around 1/200 shutter speed if I remember correctly.

I shot using 1.8,8,11 apertures.

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

For more photos of the first and second shoot - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157623909750514/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157623785271329/ respectively

Korea Shots

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:27:00 +0000

Ok, here are some of my better shots when I was in Korea. There were supposed to be 5 rolls for the trip, but when the scans came back, there was a note that said that one of the films were unexposed.. so I only received 4. Too bad.. I forgot what was in that roll. Oh well. I'll post in a few days my test shots for my makeshift studio + a very important lesson I learned. LOL.

Enjoy! :)

This photo was shot with expired film. I had this film lying around. All I know is that it was subjected to above average heat. So maybe the aging process hastened. Anyway, hope you enjoy this set :)

One extra tidbit. I was able to find Neopan Acros 120 films at last. So expect new Mamiya photos soon. Damn Lucky 120 films are a waste of money and time. Don't even bother. Two rolls, both defective. tsk.

Anyway!

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/
For the Korea set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/sets/72157623888549594/

Korea and a special Birthday Project

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Ok, so, I just came home from a week-long visit to Korea. All I can say is that Korea=COLD. Anyway. I had fun taking photos there, which will be posted soon btw. Also, I learned that Korea is not a shopping country. lol. There was one street there which had the same stuff being sold for almost all the stores. We stayed in the COOP Residence in Jung-Gu in Seoul. The room was kinda small but it was able to provide me a comfortable living environment for the week. Among the places we visited were Nami Island, Seoul Tower, the Palace, and many more.

I especially liked walking in the streets. They were very clean and organized, not like what you would probably see here in Manila. Also, motorcycles were abundant, and not just the scooter types and the underbones, but real sportsbikes and cruisers, which appealed to me a lot because I intend to get a 200cc-400cc bike soon. Anyway. Photos will be up in a few days.. gotta fix my finances as I have been spending a lot for my new project...

Which i will discuss now.

I am planning on converting our drums/guitar/ex-piano(before it got destroyed by the flood) room into my very own studio. I have already gotten a Vivitar 285HV flash, YongNuo RF602 flash/shutter triggers, a flash stand + detachable umbrella set, and batteries. All I need to do now is to get a sufficient background and to cover the entrance with black cloth. Tada, my very own basic studio.

There will be two sources of ambient light, a drum set(as i dont know where to put it), and the strobist equipments there.

I'm pretty excited to try it out.. which I will probably do tomorrow.. And again, test pictures will be up in a few days.. depending on how much money I will have left. . . I used almost 200$ for the everything.. I know it's quite big for a student on a budget.. but hey, my birthday's coming up.. This is what my friend and I call "justified GAS". Lol. after this, all my photography spending will be on films. :) I am happy.

I will post a before and after pic of the room too.

On top is a photo of a sign above some fruits in a street vendor's stand taken using my sister's digital camera.

Down here is a photo of what my set up will look like. Image from http://www.Tayhua.com. That's where I bought my triggers and umbrella set.. all for Php3700.

If you want to see some of my photos..

Check them out in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

Shooting Series #1

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:12:00 +0000

Ok, I'm sorry for being out for so long. I come bearing photos though! Last thursday was my very first photoshoot with no other than my girlfriend as my model. Here are some of the shots! All I had was my camera, my tripod, a borrowed reflector, 5 mins of sun for shooting, and a beautiful model.

Enjoy!

Photographer: Me
Model: My girlfriend
Location: Tierra Bella Park

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

The 4th UP Touch Rugby Invitational Games

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:39:00 +0000

Ok, so last January 23, 2010, I had the opportunity to shoot a touch rugby invitational tournament in the U.P. Diliman Sunken Garden. I had a really great time because the sun provided me with very high shutterspeeds, even at 100-300mm. I was able to borrow my friend's telephoto lens, which I used for most of my shots.

My gear that day was my usual Canon EOS 300, a 50mm f1.8 and a 75-300mm f/4-5.6 and 4 rolls of 200ISO film.

Check out Touch Football Pilipinas' official flickr site for more of my photos of this event.

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

My Mamiya RB67 Pro SD

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:12:00 +0000

Finally, I got my very own Mamiya RB67 Pro SD. I got it from Hidalgo for around 10,000 pesos. It came with a 645 back and a 180mm f/4.5 K/L lens. The seller, bossing Allan, said that it was around 80mm in the 35mm format. Anyway, I bought one Fuji Neopan Acros 100 film to use for a test roll. We went to Manila bay to take some shots. It was really an experience.

Thanks to Nat(pangantot) and Edward for coming along to Hidalgo. MF Day woohoo!

Here are a few shots. Click to see the image in its original size.

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

With Age comes Wisdom..

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:04:00 +0000

Many a times, he has given me useful advice. Well, most of the time, it's about preparing one's self so that I would not get mugged or robbed at night. But still, this man of 84 years is still alive, drinking kicking, and oozing out with invaluable know-how that can only come from years and years of life experiences. Peace Lo. :)

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

Best Christmas gift this year

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:49:00 +0000

photo fromhttp://www.the-digital-picture.com

Ok. This is what I got from my girlfriend. Haha. She really knows me. I loved using this lens, whenever I could borrow, even way back before Christmas. Thanks babe!

P.S. Thanks bucs, haha for reminding her what this lens was called. Guys, you can check out his photo blog at http://pangantot.blogspot.com/

The Meaning of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:50:00 +0000

I took this last friday, in UP diliman's lantern parade. Maybe this is what Christmas is all about -isolating the important things and letting go of the not so important things. Maybe?

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

Christmas photography

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Today was the first time I really got the chance to shoot models, specifically my parents. They were going to an alumni ball in Manila and I asked if I could shoot them. This'll probably be my gift to them for Christmas!

** Next day.

Ok. I got the shots already and I must say, I am surprised at some of the photos that came out. I ended up having to ask the technician guy to convert a pic to bnw, as I had used colored film, to liven up the mood in the picture. On top are some of the shots I got from this shoot.

Mamiya RB67 and the Soup Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:44:00 +0000

photo from http://shooterslab.com

Ok. It's been too long since I've posted here. Honestly, school's been hell. There's always a lot to do and this limits my shooting trips and sessions. So anyway. I've decided. I will not venture into the digital photography scene. I have decided on getting myself a Mamiya RB67, from ebay or hidalgo quiapo, and go into the medium format biz.

I've been torn whether to get a dslr, for practicality, or a mamiya, which I feel more strongly about. "Digital pics don't strike me as much as film does." That's what exactly came into my mind. That's the reason why I'm getting a Mamiya rb67 soon, hopefully. I'll have to search for a good 2nd hand one. It'll probably cost me around 12,000 to 15,000 pesos, so yeah. I might get a body, with wtf and probably a basic lens for now. possibly 90mm or something.

I also feel that I'll eventually get bored with shooting digital (coz almost anyone can do that). I like the challenge of carefully taking my time in composing a shot. Anyway here are some of the soup kitchen pictures and some other random photos that I took.

By the way, my friend developed my Ilford negs (which are looooong over due). I'll just have to get them scanned and I'll post soon!

Check out more of my photos in my flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscogmm/

Soup Kitchen and the Kids

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:42:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went to our parish church because SFO (Secular Franciscan Order), from which my parents are part of, had its monthly soup kitchen for the street children here in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. We've been doing this every month but yesterday was the first time I brought my camera. I realized that this would be great to shoot since last time, when I was in the medical mission, I was not able to bring my camera, and I can tell you that there were some amazing shots that could've been taken.

Anyway, when I arrived there to assist, there were no children. Then it dawned on us, they might not be able to go to the soup kitchen because most of them lived in Tabing Ilog, which was submerged when the floods came.

Fortunately, there were at least 20 children who came. It was really a blast and it was worth it to see the faces of the children. I shall post photos once I get them developed.

The Solid Gold 200 Film

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:35:00 +0000

Since it would take a long time before I go back to Hidalgo, to buy Lucky 200s in bulk, I decided to settle for the Solid Gold 200 Asa, which I got in the Mitsubishi photo store in Ali Mall for 60php/24exp. This was the film that I used when I went Batangas, with my girlfriend's family. It produced really good results in daylight and fairly well results indoors.

I'm very pleased with my tripod as it let me take a photo at 1sec. lol.

Anyway here are samples of photos taken using this film.

This one's a bit grainy, but then again, who does not like grain? (Ok, I know I know. There are people who do not like grain. As for me, I love it, just as long as it does not cover the whole photo and takes away the focus from the subject.)

This would've been better, in my opinion, if the shadow in front was not there. Oh well.

But as you can see, the colors look pretty good in daylight, outdoors, compared to the paler ones in the indoor shot.

Wanted: Creative Output

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:29:00 +0000

This weekend was a kind of a torture for my creative side. What I mean is that I've been restless the whole weekend because there's all this creativity, that I know I can channel into photography or skating, that's locked up and I don't have the means to release it. I've been on the psp/laptop, even the snoozetube (my snazzywayofsaying sleeping), the whole weekend - well, whenever I'm at home.

Sucked 'cause I forgot to buy film today and my tripod stayed in my room, contracted, and looking at me. I could almost hear it asking me where my laptop is.

Well, during my "uncreative" period, I managed to think of a 'cool' shot that I wanted to try. Since I have a tripod now, I thought, "it might turn out great if I took a picture of swaying trees in extremely slow shutter speeds. I kinda got that effect in this photo to the right. I shot this with my very first roll of film. If you take a look at the farthest arc of leaves, you will notice that they look like they are blending, like they were painted or something.

Well, that was when I knew how to mix aperture and shutter speed. Now, I wanna try to capture the 'blending' of the leaves in a closer range.

Anyway, I'll stop with this first. This is the only creative thing that I did this week, lol.

Lucky Color 200 135 film and a Medical Mission

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Today, I came from a medical mission, that consisted of various doctors here in Sta. Maria Bulacan, nurses, newly graduated and old, and a group of doctors from UST, that aimed to help those who were hit by the flood caused by Ondoy.

It was about 2pm when I decided to go there to assist in guiding and keeping the order in the tents. The first thing I noticed was that thre were so many people who needed our help. They needed medical, and I think, psychological, help. Everywhere, you could hear people coughing, children crying, because of the hot weather and/or any sicknesses or injuries that they had.

I saw this small kid who had a large gash on his foot. It already had puss coming out and it really alarmed me. How many people must have experienced the same thing?

This was a very touching experience because by merely guiding the people to the vital sign stations, I was able to help them go closer to much needed help.

One thing that I also noticed that amidst all that was happening, I realized how great the photo opps can be. I regretted leaving my camera, and my last film, the delta 3200, in manila. Oh well.

Anyway, I've been scouring the net for a nice film to use. I needed something that as cheap but which produced good results. I did not want to get expired films anymore. Anyway, I came across this cheap film named Lucky Color 200. I'm currently for the lookout for this type of film. I've heard they can go for as low as Php65 (1.sumthing dollars)

Here are a few examples of photos from this film. From merelyok, jamaican_jazzer, and bnoman in flickr.

Photography, I'll be there in a bit!

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:57:00 +0000

It's been too long since I have touched my camera. It's been too long since I've fiddled with the settings, since I've loaded up a fresh roll of film. I've been really busy with school and I really needed to catch up on some things before resuming my hobbies. It sucks but it's how things are. Hopefully, in a few days, or in a week, I'll be up and running again.

In the meanwhile, here are pictures from the most recent roll of films. I haven't updated my flickr yet so these are the only photos that you guys can check out. I'll upload everything soon, so just sit tight.

Oh yeah, If you have any thoughts about my photos, drop me a comment! :)

** Lastly, I'm happy to say that I now have a tripod. My mom found her old tripod when we were cleaning the house, from the flood that occupied our house for a day. It was the Ondoy storm that sent the flood water rushing into our home.

Before I post the pics. I'd like to give a short intro. Basically, the photos came from rolls that I shot during the Makati Photo Trip, The UP Diliman trip where I used the Kodak Bw400cn. The rest are random pictures, with me taking a shot at portraiture. I used some pics of my niece for here birthday gift. The fujicolor 400 ASA films, which I thought were not expired, turned out to be expired so yeah. All the colored photos were shot with the fujicolor film. I was also able to borrow a 50mm 1.8 prime lens for some shots. Anyway here it goes.

Debutant Modelling

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:26:00 +0000

I'm excited for my cousin's debut. Why? That's because she will be having a photoshoot for her debut this november. I asked if I could tag along her photo shoot and take some photos of her in traditional black and white. I'm thinking if I should load up on C-41 bnw, like xp2 or bw400cn, or do it old fashion and use ilford hp5s or kodak tmaxs. To any readers out there, can you suggest to me what to use as this would be my first real photo shoot. Thanks!

Flickr

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Check out my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/people/franciscogmm/

I have posted there most of my photos. I will be uploading their soon! Watch out!

Long times.

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:21:00 +0000

It has been a week or so since I have carried my camera and shot pictures. With the increasing amount of school work and stress from university and organization obligations, I have found little time to photograph. For the time being, I have settled with looking through black and white groups in flickr, and by looking at the photos that my uncle has been sending me.

Also, I found this blog, www.branconopreto.com, that really captured my interest. The photographer and I have the same taste based on what type of photos we like. This blog, showcases, mostly black and white photos. If you know me, you should know that I love black and white. That's why I told myself that for black and white pictures, I will stick to film.

Anyway, I shall try to find time for my hobby. Don't worry, I'm not letting my camera collect dust. lol

Band Photography - First shot!

noreply@blogger.com (FGM) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:52:00 +0000

image from http://www.betterphoto.com/

I just got home from an event sponspored by my friend's home org. It was pretty near my place so I decided to go and check the scene out. Anyway, I heard, from another friend (let's call him A), that the band he was managing was playing in the event, so I decided to take the opportunity to use one of my rolls of Ilford Deta 3200 black and white film to do some band photography.

Since I have been to other gigs, and have played in a couple myself, I knew that the lighting would not be kind to photographers. I knew that the place would be kinda dark with lots of lights flashing around. With this in mind, I asked some of my friends if they had an available Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens that they can lend me. Luckily, one of my friends had his niftyfifty on hand and let me borrow it.

The lens was amazing. It was my first time to use one. It was very fast and it helped me capture some shots at around 1/125 seconds shutterspeed. That pretty much solved the dilemma of the band moving too much. The very high ISO of one of the fastest films out there also helped.

In fact, it was so great that I did not change back to my 28-90mm lens for the remainder of the night.

I really had so much fun because I was able to catch the expressions in their faces that exhibited their passion for the music.

In the end, I still had six more shots left. I'll probably take photos of my girlfriend or some other subject, in low light.

I shall post pics after I get them developed. All in all, I was able to take around 15 shots of Gracenote and 9 shots of Tonight We Sleep.

If you guys are fans of these bands, follow the links; or better yet, buy their EP to show your support!

P.S.

I'm really sorry that the developing is taking too long. I want to finish my last C-41 film before I send them for bulk processing. It saves me a lot of money. lol