junsjazz-pinoykodakeros

I Believe

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:55:00 PDT

I believe in the miracle of life. I believe in the eternity of the soul. I believe in the wondrous gifts of nature, the solemn grace of a setting sun, the calm of a morning sea, the scent of pure breeze, the warmth of a sunny day, the picturesque scene of solitude, the sway and motion of heavenly clouds, the lines, shapes and contours of a wonderful vision - bright, lucid and clear. I believe in the cacophony of aural experiences, music of the spirit, the ambient sound of sweet whispers, the surreal echo of distant dreams, the ripples and flutter of movement in the air. I believe in the visual explosion of colors, the subtle tints of dawn, the harsh light of noon and the muted tones and shadows of early evening. I believe in so much reality there is barely room for pretensions and lies. Because I believe in what I see and sense, grasp and comprehend, it is truth that beholds my being. I am what I am because I believe.

Sky Chasers

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:13:00 PDT

One single photographic subject that is so dynamic and ever changing that no two picture can ever be the same is the sky. Depending on the time of day, it can be a noontime cloudless blue, a burst of yellow sunrise or a dramatic orange-red sunset. And those varied clouds of course provide a mood, a feeling, a face and backdrop to an otherwise dull expanse of sky. There is a group at Flickr that I joined months ago and its called Sky Chasers, and the name says it all. Posted are pictures of the sky in all its supreme glory - stratus-filled, horizontal layered, clouds that stretch out like a blanket across the sky; puffy, cumulus heaps like large cotton balls; or curly, wispy, feathery looking cirrus clouds that fill the sky. The pictures are awe-inspiring sights and, like fingerprints, each sky pic is unique, in form and feature, shape and color, texture and depth. The feelings evoked when looking at the wondrous sky is also different and quite touching - you look at the world of creation, at an ever-changing phase of the earth, at a scene so fragile yet so powerful that you know the sky which changes from light to darkness in a continuing 24 hours, sustains the miracle of life.

The Child In Us

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:14:00 PDT

We sometimes remember the child in us - fun, playful, uncaring, lively, unmindful, spirited. It was a world of smiles and laughter, of cries and shrieks, of bratful 'I want' and 'I don't want'. It was a most basic routine of hunger, thirst, play and sleep. It was a time of ABCs, 1-2-3s, zoos, Legos, Voltes V, and a TV with a sliding wooden front cover. My dad's radio had a dial knob for which to find a station to tune in, and once "tuned in" it had the most awful hiss and crackle, you would hear more of the noise than the music. Dialing the phone then would break your pointer finger. Oh, it was the era of tight-fitting shirts with six-inch collars, bell-bottom pants that covered half-foot high elevator shoes. In such outfit, I wondered how they could dance to "The Hustle" or "Le Freak". But there we were, warm and comfy in our mother's arms as the "Let's Make Love Not War' movement passed by. Suckling those tiny thumbs, our little eyelids fluttered to fairyland as mom sang here sweetest lullabye. Childhood was being oblivious, selfish and indifferent. But then that is not the natural progression of life. We can't stay in the dooldrums of innocence, or remain in the perpetual pleasure of youth. Eventually we open our eyes to the reality of what is around us, that what happens in the world matters, and that whatever happened to us in that chapter of childhood, one way or another, did matter to the world.

For Free

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sat, 16 May 2009 06:09:00 PDT

Just look at the world around you. Not the everyday metropolitan jungle of glass skyscrapers, the maze of concrete highways and the bustling traffic of people. Find and view the natural world. A quiet horizon, a silent tree-lined countryside scene, a scenic sunset, a postcard-like panorama of mountains, hills, streams, forests. The best that nature can offer. Find time for that perfect getaway. Alone. By yourself. With only God's creations. Then take them all in. Open up and observe with the senses. Then wonder at the beauty and serenity. Be awed by the vividness and vibrance of colors, of cascading hues, pastel tints here and there, the depth of shadows and silhouettes, subtle light reflections peering through. It is overwhelming. Words are inadequate to describe the view. Even the senses are insufficient and are enveloped by the atmosphere of calm and complexity, silence and simplicity. My gratitude to the Creator for coloring this world and making it available for all of us...for free.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who found time to visit this blog, especially those who dropped a line at the Message Box. Your comments are deeply appreciated. Sorry if I missed to mention some of you but anyway special thanks to Mavik, Lawstude, Dodong, Randy, Sidney, Akinol, Barb, Dailyphotographer, The Ten O'Clock Habit, Eds, Mark Austria, APFC, Nicholas, Jade, William, Sammy, Yolanda, Barbara, Patricia, Andrew, Lucy, Gerald, Ami, Olivia,Natalie, Laagan, Tommy and Jolin. God bless all of you in this journey we call Life.

Reality Bites

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sun, 10 May 2009 07:44:00 PDT

We all like to be lazy. After working 24/7 in the office and at home, we all wish for the time where all we have to do is sleep, eat , lay around and be cozy, you know - be on Garfield-mode. What the naughty cartoon cat might be wishing also is settle on that open hut, put those feet high up on a bamboo railing, watch the sun dip over the sea-lined horizon, take in and enjoy the warm, tropical setting, and just daydream, until heavy eyelids close to welcome the eventful, consequential, wonderful snore. Bliss. But this is asking too much of heaven on earth. Reality bites dictate that we work to survive. Yet in this life of hard labor and mandatory sacrifices, scattered pieces of momentous moments, token triumphs and droplets of blessings abound. Like that late afternoon of a setting sun draping the lower skies with a golden tone, as the dark tinge of night overhead rushes to envelope the day. It is no fun to be lazy. We are afforded mere minutes to enjoy the sights and sceneries. The challenge of life is when you wake up the next day and rush headlong to the cyclical hours of work, decisions, and survival.

Inspired by Nature

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:20:00 PST

Nature is such an inspiration. I find in it both solace and strength. Trees, flowers, islands, seas, skies, clouds and all other elements are such powerful stimulants. They overwhelm the senses. They are dreams, passions, fantasies and wishes rolled into one. They provide visual and spiritual overload, knowing that one Creator made them all. Wonder at the soft murmurs of waves splashing on the shore, the soft soothing silence of a wondrous sunrise, the miraculous sight of the last rays of light as the sun ebbs in the horizon, the soft pastel clouds of a gloomy day, dewdrops on delicate leaves in early morn, the soft spongy feel of grass, birds chirping musical melodies as they fly by, the eerie might of primeval forests, majestic mountains and fairy hills. The sight, sound and feel of nature, untouched and pure, sanctified by the Hands that created them, is evidence of a wonderful world that we must care for, preserve, protect and respect. Ours is a life dependent on the natural world around us. We are nothing without it.

The Beauty Around Us

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:13:00 PDT

You just have to look around to see that beauty engulfs you. The miracle of creation and nature is just about everywhere. It is in that brown leaf lying in the soft green moss, in flowers which shelter the night's dew, in mountains and cliffs that is home to all sorts of life, in the emerald sea that nourish, in trees which sway to beat of a rhythmic wind, in clouds that scatter shade and sunshine, in the smiles of people, the eyes of children, the glow of faces young and old. When you are out there, in the field or forest or shore, stare at the horizon , take in the vastness of the scenery. Peer at it not only with your visual sense, but open your heart, and also take in a mental stock of what you see. You will have a better appreciation of what is before you. The time we learn to perceive with the heart and mind is the time we understand nothing was ever meant to be unattractive, displeasing or unsightly.

The Journey Home

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:14:00 PDT

Each of us choose the road we take, the path to thread, the direction to chart. Call it your destiny or fate, but life leads you to your own choosing. Ten million Filipinos do not live in their country as they have chosen to find their fortune in some other lands not their own. The force of circumstance and the dream of a better personal life and for those they have left behind, are compelling. The diaspora is constant and continuing. The labor and loneliness that awaits my countrymen in other countries is part of the sacrifice. It is a burden co-terminus with the employment contract. They must earn a living that could not be provided with enough jobs in their homeland, and the virtue of patience and hard work comes to fore to those who choose to work abroad. Until the day they come home. The culmination of months or even years of working away from one's family is actually anti-climactic. The longing has been lessened by the technology of global communication - cellphones, e-mails, cyberchat. Still, nothing can take the place of hugs and kisses of loved ones. The journey home is a family milestone for many. It is a celebration of a reunion, a festival of a return. It is a display of the indomitable human spirit, that whatever road we take or path we thread, life is good, it will take us back to where we came from.

Mastering The Craft

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:30:00 PDT

You feel it in your guts, you sense it in your soul. You are keenly aware of your surroundings - green shrubbery, emerald sea, blue sky, sepia rocks, curves and shapes, details and highlights. You were trained for this, maybe not formally, but experience has thought you well. You know what is picturesque, appealing, inspiring and moving. You know that gradations, tonalities and contrasts provide depth. That color can be captured in its dynamic range. That composition can spell the difference between a snapshot and an image of photographic quality. You are ready when you are at ease with your environment and you know what to do. You are ready when you can capture with confidence, and be self-assured of the outcome. Yours is the world around you when you can feel it, sense it and be one with it like body and soul, intertwined and inseparable. When your camera becomes the extension of your physique and you wield it like a brush on canvass, then yours is the art of craftsmanship and capture, the master whose every subject bows willingly at every command.

A Rocky Life

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:35:00 PDT

I came upon this beach in the province of my wife in Batangas, and I have never seen such sight with so much rocks and stones. I always imagined shorelines to be smooth with sand and crushed corals, but this one was littered with stones of all sizes. It provided a nice contrast to the generally calm morning sea where small waves were scattered by the rocks before they splashed to shore. This got me thinking, no human life is smooth sailing either. Before the heart ceases after beating more than eight billion times in a lifetime, the life it sustained underwent all the rocky bumps and terrains it could ever go through. And I'm not only talking of the physical abuse our bodies undergo; our emotions also get a beating. Body, mind and soul is tested to the extreme. But like the dynamic, adaptable waves that disperse and regroup again as it hit land, such is the flexibility of the character and spirit in us. We can rebound from adversity, recover from sacrifice, learn from our mistakes. Though the mortal body, on the other, has no recourse but to degenerate, before doing so it has gone through its apex of conditioning, stamina and strength. This life that God has given us was never meant to be perfect, yet after passing all the rocky trials and tribulations, we come out significantly a better person. Live on...

The Traveler

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:27:00 PDT

For most creatures, to travel is a natural instinct. Migration or movement is dictated by primal reasons - food, mating and general preservation of the specie. For humans, the reasons are varied - the search for food, the need to explore and discover, to pursue leisure, peace and happiness. The distance we go through is also varied, it may just be a neighborhood alley we haven't passed yet, a provincial tourist spot we read in travel magazines, or a distant country. Given the opportunity and the means, we hunger for travel. We are meant to move, and our consciousness urges us to seek places we haven't been to. We are destination-seekers, trekkers, journeymen, sightseers, wanderers. We long for adventure, vacation and exploration. It is an unquenchable thirst. Why? Our need for knowledge is deep. When we travel, we take in information about culture, people, traits, norms, locales, nature, sights. We amass understanding, widen our perceptions, and put meaning in our lives. We are life travelers, after all.

Earth Day

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:12:00 PDT

What does Earth Day mean to me? As a photography hobbyist who love taking pictures of nature, at least in my side of the world, this global celebration means a lot. I may not have joined conservation or lobby groups, but I have a deep appreciation of the need to protect Mother Earth. I watched last night the National Geographic special titled Earth Report and that gave me a wider understanding of what has been happening to our world - degradation and abuse mainly caused by humans. Figures on carbon emission are staggering; prospects in the next decades are frightening. Which is why a deep-rooted awareness of everyone through celebrations like Earth Day, and the resolve of people and countries to stem activities that contribute to global warming, are welcome developments. Though violent and largely unpredictable, ours is a fragile earth and, unfortunately, the only home we've got. Protect, conserve, respect Mother Earth, and we save ourselves. (Above photo shows the Taal Lake and Volcano, a popular weekend destination, as taken from Tagaytay City, province of Cavite)

Rise Early

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:22:00 PDT

I have touched often on waking up early especially when outdoors. Lots of photographic moments happen during early morning, and these include the mood of the surroundings, the stillness of things, the almost monotone color, elemental shadows and forms, and the slight tinge of light in the horizon preparing for day to break out. The unholy early hours always beckon. It is such an enigmatic power that pulls you at the core, touching your consciousness, pricking your heart, hugging your persona. Such is the feeling maybe because all your senses take it in - cool breeze caress your skin, the scent of salty sea overpower your nostrils, the shrill cries of birds passing overhead echo in your ears, and the soft watercolored views delight the eyes. You get your camera and snap on, hoping to capture what you feel, hoping to freeze the sensual bliss. A picture may not only speak a thousand words, it also convey emotions accumulated during the moment.

Love The Sea

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:28:00 PDT

Love the sea, sand, surf, sky. For a country like mine with over 23,000 kilometers of coastline, the sea is a favorite scene, a postcard staple, a weekend getaway, a summer fixture, a representational image of a tropical eden. I took this shot in a resort in the town of San Juan, province of La Union. I was waiting for a wave or for the surf to splash on shore, all the while observing the surrounding colors. There was so much tonal and color contrast in the scene - the brown sand, the white crest, the emerald sea, patches of smoky clouds and the blue sky. It dawned upon me that photography is a successful synthesis of colors. Though the art of black and white photography is deeply moving and inspiring, an image of compositional colors is likewise visually celebrated and felt, probably even more because we see in color, not in monotones. If there is order and organization in black and white, there is balance and harmony in color. Nature consistently set things in agreement and affinity.

Reminiscing The Moments

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:34:00 PST

Time flies by so fast we can only recall so much of what we did in a day. How much more in a month, or a year. But humans have the power to recall, to remember and reminisce, particularly special moments - your first love, first kiss, the time you said "I Do", the shrill cries of your first born, the smell of your new car, your first out of town trip, family reunions, the first time you stood as god-parent in a baptismal or main sponsor in a wedding, the initial steps as you moved through the door of your very own house, the best sunset you ever saw, the most beautiful flower that beheld your eyes, your first cellphone or digicam, the highest mountain you climbed, the most laps you swam, the fastest you have ever driven - these and many more are the memorable entries in your life's journal. Find a quiet place, search a site of solitude, and review the notes you have made in your journey. These are moments that may never return or recur, yet you can relish them again by reminiscing.

Commune With Nature

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:31:00 PST

Find time to commune with nature, and find your inner peace. Though this is a wonderful world, man has abused his blessings and created chaos, degradation and imperiled the fine balance that keeps continuity of life on earth. Each individual can contribute his share in preserving Mother Earth, and the list is long and known, it need not be itemized here. For sure, one thing nature ask of us is respect. Learn to appreciate the seas that provide essential water, the sun that keeps us warm, the trees which help provide the element we breath. There is so much in nature that we must give high regard and understanding and esteem. As we admire nature, we give reverence to the One who created them. Find time to commune with nature, and be one with your God. (Photo taken at Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, Quezon City)

Blue Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:55:00 PST

To one who has been long in city spent,
'Tis very sweet to look into the fair
And open face of heaven, - to breathe a prayer
Full in the smile of the blue firmament.
~John Keats, Sonnet XIV

The World Is Your Canvass

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:43:00 PST

With photography, the world is yours to capture, to portray, to paint. It is your canvass, to put your image, to give your interpretation, to express yourself. While traditional painting may take hours or days, photography takes just an instant to create your art, and the considerations are the same - light, shadows, depth, texture, colors. These are elements which, in the hands of a a dedicated photographer with the mind of a poet and the heart of an artist, can create a personal magnum opus. Continue clicking and pursue your art.

A Life of Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:58:00 PST

There I was standing at the edge of sea, greeted by the last luminous sky, waiting for dusk to arrive and change the horizon from glorious waning light to the emptiness of night. The wind was cool and the water was surging forward, waiting for the moon to pull it upshore. Something crept into my thoughts. Nature has its seasons and its times, and there is always a point of waiting for things to come, for moments to arrive. Such also is life. We wait to be born, to be fed, nourished and to grow. Without us knowing it, we wait for physical changes, for voice to deepen, for muscles to flex, for height to stretch. We wait for feelings to bloom in adolescence, and fall in love, real or imagined, over and over again. Then we wait for that special person to be with us the rest of our lives. And we wait for our own children, our own family, our group of friends. We wait for wisdom and maturity to guide the better of us as we age. Then we go back to the bosoms of a waiting Mother Earth where we all came from. In this lifetime of waiting, we acquire patience and understanding, develop strength and character, learn perseverance and sacrifice. Creatures in the animal kingdom learn to wait to survive. Humans wait, to become human.

A Prayer of Faith and Trust

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:33:00 PST

For this post, which falls on a Sunday in the Philippines, I present a poem by Barbara Kasey Smith:

Magnify and strengthen my faith and trust...

My wings of strength and faith are under attack,
grant me vigor like a newcomer to Your word.
Draw me nearer to Your tabernacle to mature,
ripen the seeds in my soul for Your word and You.

Instill in me wisdom, knowledge, and understandings,
help me to touch others as You lay a hand on me,
lending me the courage I need to connect with others,
allow those I speak to see You live within my soul.

I'll communicate with You during difficult times,
knowing my requirements will be heard...
You'll supply my necessity as You deem fit,
I'll wait upon You to provide and nurture my heart.

Lord, I love You because I know You first loved me,
giving Your life for me to have an eternal life through You.
You've come to my rescue many times...
lifting me out of the depths of darkness and strife.

I'm only a weakling without You...I can do nothing,
I'd only exist in a canyon of sin and evil,
breathing but not striving to grow and mature in Your word...
lost in a world of immortality and deceptiveness.

Magnify and strengthen my faith and trust,
allow me to see the billiance of Your mighty light
as it showers my soul and body with Your grace and love,
fill my internal being with Your Holy spirit. Amen

I Shall Return

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:07:00 PST

The serene sea in the background belies the fierce battle that occurred here in the town of Palo, province of Leyte in the Philippines from October 22 to 26, 1944. The Battle of Leyte Gulf is generally considered the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history. The numbers prove it. Between the United States and the Imperial Forces of Japan, the following weapons of war were involved: nine large aircraft carriers, 27 small carriers, almost 1,900 aircrafts, 21 battleships, 44 cruisers and 175 destroyers. Also called the Leyte Landing, it was the realization of Supreme Allied Commander of the Pacific Forces General Douglas McArthur's promise of "I Shall Return" to liberate the Philippines from four years of Japanese occupation. The event ushered in the last chapters of WWII, a testament to the ravages of war, and that never again shall it occur. McArthur Park is now a popular tourist site with larger than life statues of key figures who waded to shore with the famous general (second from left).

To Photograph Is To Exclude

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:26:00 PST

To photograph is to exclude, said one of the masters. Much as you would like to include all sceneries in one encompassing, panoramic shot, sometimes you can't. So you have to be selective, find your point of interest and focus on your subject. For the shot above which I took in the town of Libjo, Dinagat Island, I could have moved farther away from the coconut tree and included the palm leaves and blue sky as background. But here a photographic decision had to take place. If I moved back from the tree, I would miss a lot - the root details, the soft shadows made by the leaves, white sand beach, clear waters of the shore, and the gradation of sea colors. I had to crop, frame the subject and exclude all others in the pheriphery. And I liked the outcome. Ultimately, how a subject looks photographed is a decision that is yours to make.

The Gift of Talent

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:12:00 PST

Deprived of sight, this tandem of vocalist and guitarist play beautiful music at the historic Fort San Pedro park in Cebu City. Serenading park visitors with their songs full of spirit, love and hope, I felt a lump in my throat as I listened to them, enforcing once again my belief in the gift of talent and the power of life over disability. My hats off to these virtuosos.

Saturate Your Subject

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:09:00 PST

Oh how I love to saturate my pics! Green must be green! Earth tones must be deep! Colors must be rich, vibrant and vivid. But always be careful. Details can be lost. Shadows can blot. Luster can fade. Endeavor to find that fine line between saturation that enhances hues and highlights, and saturation that "burns" an image.

Magical Morning

noreply@blogger.com (junsjazz) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:30:00 PST

It is magic, when the morning sun seeps through the horizon and envelops the sky in a warm, golden glow, ushering in another glorious day for us mere mortals. What makes the image more tantalizing are the subtle shadows, the delicate ripples, and the feel of peace and solitude. Come to think of it, a picture is more than the subject it represents and the colors it portrays, it is emotion which captures the heart and passion that touches the soul. It is art of the highest order.