drivebyshooter.net

New Year & New Sites

DBS — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:59:36 +0000

I mentioned it this morning and I’m saying it again - drivebyshooter.net is going to sleep.

After today, you can find me blogging over at LightChasers Photography, my studio’s new site, and the Dark Corner, my own little escape from work.

You want to follow me? Chase light with me, sit with me in my corner, or do both.

See you on the other side.

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

365 Days

DBS — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:01:54 +0000

A year ago today, drivebyshooter.net first went online - that’s 365 days, 182 posts (plus this one) and god-knows-how-many comments ago.

Today, drivebyshooter.net is going to sleep. It’ll stay online, but I won’t be updating it anymore.

Instead, I’ll be blogging at the Dark Corner - that’ll be my personal site where I’ll write about anything I want - anything, that is, except photography.

If you want posts on photography, check out LightChasers Photography - that’s the site for my new studio. You can find my portfolio there too.

It’s been a great year - thank you all for riding with me. If you still want more of my images and photography tips, follow me as I chase light. If you just want to keep track of me and what little personal information I choose to share, look for me in my dark little corner.

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

River Maya Bagong Liwanag

DBS — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 05:40:04 +0000

I had the chance to shoot at the finals of the search for Rivermaya’s next singer and I think I left with quite a few good shots. I’m not posting theme here though. Instead, I’ve posted a pair somewhere in my new portfolio over at LightChasers Photography.

Aside from that, I’m posting one of my favorite shots of the night. It’s not edited - I only resized it for the web. Yeah, there’s a distracting element, but I barely noticed it. Besides, that can be removed in Photoshop.

I didn’t take this - Bear did. I may have set up my own studio, but what does it say about me if my girlfriend gets the money shot? I’m not too sure, but I guess I’ll just have to hire her for all my shoots.

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

I want two 20″ LG USB Monitors from DisplayLink!

DBS — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:52:11 +0000

Have you heard? ProBlogger is having a birthday bash, and you’re all invited.

You know what’s even better? There are $54,000 worth of giveaways waiting for you. That’s a lot of loot courtesy of these sponsors.

One item on that long list caught my eye though - a pair of 20″ LG USB monitors. Yup, you read that right - a pair; a deuce, a couple, in other words two (that’s 2) 20″ LG USB monitors are being given away, thanks to the generous folk over at DisplayLink. I’m hoping I get them.

You can get them too - find out how at ProBlogger and cross your fingers. I know mine are - and it isn’t easy to type like this.

Tags: ProBlogger, 20″ LG USB Monitor, DisplayLink

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Stop Spamming Me!!!

DBS — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:36:09 +0000

Almost a month ago, I ranted about some SPAM comments. I was only mildly irritated then, but irritated enough to know that I would probably use some bad language if I wrote about it. I opted to limit my words and let Rico do the talking on the BBN.

I could have let the issue go then - after all, I didn’t expect to receive any more SPAM comments on the topic. Damn! I was wrong. Just this morning, I found another comment - no, I found the same comment in my inbox.

Yup, the commenter, a certain Pian Sarmiento, writing from the IP address 122.53.136.228, had the gall to leave a comment on my birthday post endorsing a political candidate.

Again, expletives are flying through my mind, but I’ll try to avoid them. Instead, I’m just going to pick apart your comment.

TO ALL
I know this to be out of place. Please bear with me. I just want to create awareness by choosing the busy forum or the latest.

So you admit it - you do know how inappropriate your little piece of propaganda is. My question is this: do you even bother reading what we blog authors are writing about?

Do you realize that you endorsed your candidate on a post about my birthday? In a face to face conversation, you probably would have received a lot of blank stares, or even worse, been told to shut up and take your unwanted opinions elsewhere. I guess you’ve gotten tired of that.

Do consider Dr. Martin Bautista for the next elections obviously (a senatorial candidate of ‘Ang Kapatiran’ together with Adrian Sison and Zosimo Paredes). He’s a 45-year-old gastroenterologist in the US who came home after 17 years. You can see from his background that he truly means service. For those who find him to be a hypocrite for working abroad, do understand he’s a family man who needs to sustain his family, that he will be able to keep his independence by not relying on public funds to support his family. He helps his countrymen in his capacity but it’s just not enough for there are millions of Filipinos. It’s a good start in Philippine Politics to have him and his party around.

Dr. Martin Bautista may very well be the best candidate around, but your indiscriminate posting serves to associate his name with something negative. I liken this comment to graffiti - an image of the words “Dr. Martin Bautista for Senator” spray-painted on a wall comes to mind. If you don’t like that analogy, think of the telemarketer who calls you right in the middle of dinner or your favorite TV show.

What you’ve done, at least to me, and I’m sure to some other bloggers, is hurt his image. Instead of making me want to learn about, endorse, and vote for your candidate, you’ve made me irritated at him - and that’s putting it mildly.

I urge you to forward/text/inform all your contacts about them. I believe they only lack exposure that’s why I’m doing this. But I can’t do it alone so I’m appealing to everyone’s help. If all will inform their contacts about them and urge them as well to forward, we might hit a million.

I urge you to stop harassing us! As Rico already mentioned: “Part of a successful online marketing campaign is a focus on relevancy.” You don’t convince me to help you by getting in my face and telling me to do something. At least, I would simply tune you out - that’s what I did last time. Worse, I could tell you to shove off - admittedly, that’s pretty much what I’m doing now.

If you really want to get your point through, talk with people. Get into some real conversations. Again, borrowing Rico’s words: “People would rather communicate with real people than deal with automated messages.”

We cannot afford to be indifferent now if we want meaningful change. Otherwise we only have ourselves to blame. BUT TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

If you want meaningful change, then you have to stop irritating the people who can actually help you spread your message around. Stop getting in our faces. Maybe, just maybe, we might actually be open to what you’re trying to say.

Tags: Dr. Martin Bautista, Pian Sarmiento, Philippines, politics

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

8 lbs. 4 oz.

DBS — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:15:32 +0000

… born to a Fortune and a Miracle…

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Travel writers shot

DBS — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:04:33 +0000

Nikki Dy-Liacco, Sana Sta. Ana, and Nina Yuson, all travel writers, were shot several times in Makati last week. The culprit, a photographer named Luis Cruz. The three travel writers, along with their books, found themselves in the sights of Cruz’s camera and ended up with more photos than they bargained for. See some of the images after the jump.

At this point, you may be wondering what this shoot is for. Let me put it in a nutshell for you - the three writers are launching their books and they asked me to do their publicity shots. You want the rest of the shots? Check my gallery. Want to learn more about the launch? Let me steal a quote from A Day in the Life of a Paperclip:

Travel Books for a Cause is a book launch/sale to raise awareness and funds for ATD communities and projects. Read a previous blogpost on ATD here. Nina will be launching her watercolor sketches from travels around the world. Sana will be launching Passport, her travel journal/scrapbook. So yes, the traveling Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots is in the great company of wonderful books. So friends and countrymen and countrywomen, block off your calendars: Saturday, September 22, 3PM at the Museo Pambata along Roxas Boulevard. Do send your RSVPs to me via yellowpaperclip [at] gmail.com?

If you only have a vague memory of a yellow paperclip with bright purple spots, let me clear that up for you - Nikki Dy-Liacco was at the Blog & Soul launch at Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe. You want a face to go along with the name? Take a look at the second picture in the series above, in my gallery, or this shot from from the Blog & Soul launch at Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe.

Remember her now? Well, you can meet her, Sana, and Nina at their joint book launch this September 22, 3:00 p.m. at the Museo Pambata along Roxas Boulevard.

Tags: Nikki Dy-Liacco, Sana Sta. Ana, Nina Yuson, The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots, Passport, Nina’s Travel Sketches

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

What the?!?

DBS — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:11:25 +0000

A few days ago, I received two comments on my post on the Blog @ Soul launch at Mrs. Fields. Normally, I wouldn’t mind - comments are good. Heck, comments are great.

The thing is, these so called comments had nothing to do with the post. They had no connection at all with The Blog and Soul Movement, Mrs. Fields, or even anything I’ve written about.

I shared my irritation with Rico over email, and he pretty much articulated all my thoughts on the matter over at the BBN.

I don’t think I would be as diplomatic as Rico was, so once again, I’m letting somebody else do the talking for me.

Tags: Bayanihan Blog Network, bayanihanblogs.com, Rico, fool45.com, spam

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

No related posts

Mrs. Fields hosts Blog & Soul

DBS — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:22:55 +0000

The story behind the picture after the jump…

If you blog it, they will come - that’s the tag of Jayvee’s Blog and Soul Movement - and so far, it seems to be holding true. With a tag reminiscent of the Field of Dreams, the Blog & Soul Launch saw 60 bloggers gather in a field of sorts - a Mrs. Fields.

Last night, 60 or so bloggers gathered at a soon-to-open branch of Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe - and I was one of them. As usual, I hid behind a camera and kept clicking away.

The thing is, last night wasn’t all about the movement - it was also about our venue - the Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe. Let me repeat that - the Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe.

Yup, Mrs. Fields is rebranding, and they’re going beyond just cookies and brownies - they’re going for the whole cafe experience. I’m not going to explain it here, but I will quote some facts shared by Our Awesome Planet’s Anton:

The first cookie cafe branch was opened in Trinoma and the second one will open soon in Manila Pavilion (sept. 1)

Mrs. Fields is now 30 years old when it was first opened in Palo Alto by Debbi Fields on August 13, 1977. In the Philippines, Mrs. Fields arrived 12 years ago.

They are relaunching the brand in the Philippines to attract the coffee crowd and the blogging crowd with wi-fi access (yes!)

It is a romanticized kitchen store concept which is a unique combination of home and kitchen in a modern cafe setting.

The brand was revitalized by the husband-and-wife team of Gerwyn and Sheryl See of Ababa corporation who bought the master franchise last year.

My words? I’ve already linked to them. See my 4200 words worth in my gallery.

Other posts about the event:
“See” is for Cookie @ blogandsoul.net
Mrs.Fields Cafe Bloggers Meet @ ourawesomeplanet.com
Two launches @ dine.racoma.com.ph
A Cookie. A Movement. And a Paperclip. @ mypaperclip.blogspot.com
Whee! The way the cookie crumbles. @ magikel.blogspot.com
Sommelier Selection, Wikipilipinas, and cookies @ aboutmyrecovery.com
If you blog it, they will come @ baratillo.net
Oh sweetness! @ annalyn.net
More blogging news @ alleba.com
Mrs. Field’s Cookie Cafe @ jengkiejourneys.i.ph
What I learned from the Mrs. Field’s brand relaunch @ bayanihanblogs.com
Ang sarap ng cookies!!! @ pinoyfood.nimrodel.net
the second coming of mrs. fields @ evilmartian.org
Of blogs and cookies @ justwandering.org
Havin’ a Mrs. Fields day @ arpeelazaro.blogspot.com
Look! Mrs. Fields baked the best cookies for me! @ byahilo.com
Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe and the Blog and Soul Movement Launch @ southbound.ph

Tags: Blog & Soul Movement, blogandsoul.net, Mrs. Fields, Field of Dreams, Anton Diaz, Our Awesome Planet, ourawesomeplanet.com

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Gifts for photographers under $20

DBS — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:43:30 +0000

Ask most photographers what they want for their birthday and they probably would mention a lens, some lights, or some other expensive piece of equipment. No, they probably aren’t asking you to buy those things for them, but face it - that’s what they want. Wait, let me correct that - that’s what we want.

Unfortunately, a lot of the items we want are just too damn expensive to give away. Fortunately, there are still lots of little trinkets that we will always find useful and are still damn cheap.

I’ve got 10 gift ideas for photographers under $20. Some items are meant for more advanced photographers, but all of them are very affordable. Do you want to know what they are? Read on…

Foldable Light Reflector - $19.95: One of the keys to getting good photos is lighting - that’s why we will use whatever tools we have on hand to play with light. A reflector is one of those tools.
Bubble Level - $18.95: It’s not always easy to get the horizon level in a photo, but having a bubble level on your camera helps. Just slip it into your hot shoe (you do have a hot shoe, right) and adjust. A dual axis level like PopPhoto Flash recommends would be nice, but falls outside of our $20 budget.
Camera Straps - $15 and up: We carry our cameras around a lot - and the straps that come standard with our cameras don’t usually have a lot of padding. Good thing there are several third party straps available. Aside from the padding, this strap from LowePro features quick release buckles and a memory card wallet.
Radio Flash Triggers - $12 and up: They’re no Pocket Wizards, but they still get the job done. You can also get extra receivers or kits with two receivers. For Philippine shoppers, you don’t have to go online - just head on over to the photographers’ haven called Hidalgo.
Card Reader - $11 and up: Connecting a camera to the computer wastes time, not to mention batteries. You can’t use your camera while transferring photos, and to make matters worse, you have to use up some juice while doing so. Good thing card readers come cheap. Sadly, portable storage isn’t quite as affordable.
Memory Cards - $10 and up: A photographer can never have too much memory. power or too much memory. CF cards (SD for some) are a must for DSLR users.
Rechargeable Batteries - $8 and up: Like memory, a photographer can never have too much power. AA cells are a requirement for anybody with an external flash, and with the proper adapters, can power some cameras. Throw in a quick charger and you’ve got virtually unlimited juice.
Air Blower - $8 and up: Cameras and dust don’t mix well - that’s why we try to do everything to keep our gear clean. An air blower is just one of the tools we need. One of the best, at $14.95, is the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster with Tiltable Air Nozzle.
Lens Pen - $7 and up: Yet another tool in the battle against dust and something so compact there’s no excuse not to have it in your camera bag.
Microfiber Cloth - $2 and up: Even cheaper than a lens pen, microfiber cloth is one of the best materials to use for cleaning lenses - that’s why you’ll always find assorted pieces in a photographer’s bag. This cloth in particular, though out of budget at $22.99, is pretty cool. It comes in its own bag so it stays clean, and is a neutral 18% gray - making it great for setting white balance.

There you have it - cheap gifts for photographers. In case you’re wondering what inspired this post, it’s my birthday - it’s just over a month away. Can you guess what I want?

Tags: gifts for photographers, foldable light reflector, bubble level, camera strap, radio flash trigger, card reader, memory cards, Compact Flash, CF, Secure Digital, SD, rechargeable batteries, air blower, lens pen, microfiber cloth

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Ten Tiny Things

DBS — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:11:12 +0000

I’m fascinated with shooting tiny things - I guess that might explain my penchant for shooting objects & trinkets that I can put on my desktop. I would love to shoot even smaller items, but unfortunately, I don’t have a macro lens.

It’s a good good thing then that Brian Larter wrote a little post recently on reverse lens photography. What in the world is that? In a nutshell, it involves mounting a lens backward on your camera (or on another lens) to get a makeshift macro lens.

He discusses methods of mounting a lens backward, magnification levels, and other things, but the one topic I was really thankful he tackled was controlling the aperture on your lens. No, this isn’t a problem if you’ve got a lens with manual aperture control on it - but it is when you’re dealing with EF or EF-S lenses. If you’re reading this Brian, you’re a lifesaver.

After reading this, it took me all of two seconds to whip out my camera and try this out. One of my first shots was this abstract piece. Can you tell what it is?

I moved on to other items, and soon decided to play with my makeshift macro lens in my makeshift studio. Several hours and even more shots later, I ended up with the shots of tiny things in my gallery.

So, what do you think?

Tags: macro photography, reverse lens photography, tiny things, DIY, Brian Larter, brianlarter.com

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Shoot Recap: Street Fighter’s Ryu

DBS — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:44:07 +0000

You’ve seen the shots. You know they were all shot with one light. The question is - have you figured out exactly how they were shot?

Yes, I’ve actually learned some things from Strobist - and I’m sharing some of those things with you…

In case you haven’t seen the shots, here they are again:

Ryu on Black
As you can see, we have the main light on camera left. That silver and black thing you see on the flash is a reflector, making the flash a much bigger light source than it actually is. It also acts as a gobo - keeping light away from the lens and preventing flare.

What’s that fancy reflector I’ve got on the right? It’s a (used) piece of bond paper that gives me just a little fill. This keeps Ryu’s arm and leg from getting lost in the shadows.

Ryu on White
This setup is a bit more complicated than our low key shot. If you haven’t guessed already, the camera position for the shot is just off the bottom of the frame. Yes, this is a top view shot.

Anyway, we have three reflectors working for us here, and that doesn’t even include the background. Off at the top-left corner is a reflector for the background. If this wasn’t there, the background would be dark gray instead of light.

The reflector doesn’t completely block the light from the flash though - this gives our subject a little bit of rim light. This still keeps most of the figure in shadow though - and that’s where the two reflector at the bottom come in. These two bounce light back at our subject - giving us fairly even lighting up front.

Right Hook
Yes, the image is a bit dark. Yes, it’s another bird’s eye view shot. Yes, that’s the flash off to the right.

To control the spill from the flash, I snooted it with a bit of foil and black duct tape. That’s part of the reason the background stayed practically black.

Near the top-left corner is a small mirror held up by some adhesive clay. This gives us a cross-lighting setup - defining the edges on the left side of the frame.

Tags: Strobist, Canon Speedlite 430EX, Ryu, Street Fighter

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Street Fighter

DBS — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:43:01 +0000

Can anybody guess how I shot Ryu?

The answer has to do with lighting, and here’s a clue: all three of these shots were taken with one small light.

Yes, I’m brushing up on my Strobist skills. No, I’m not quite following the Lighting 102 series, but I’m still playing with small strobes. I used a single Canon 430EX for these shots, but what I’d like to know is this - can you tell how I played with the light from my flash?

On another note, I know the figure on the right (the one Ryu is punching) is a Street Fighter character. Can anybody identify him?

Tags: Strobist, Lighting 102, Canon Speedlite 430EX, Street Fighter, Ryu

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

We’re back!

DBS — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:42:57 +0000

Something tragic happened yesterday - drivebyshooter.net reached its bandwidth limit and had to turn everybody away. Good thing it was the end of the month - everything went back online this morning.

Does this mean I have to upgrade my hosting account?

image: No entry stencil by hugovk

Tags: 509, error, bandwidth, no entry, hugovk, flickr

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Timbuk2 Blogger Bag Launch

DBS — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:11:34 +0000

I don’t own one, but I’m a fan of Timbuk2’s line of bags. I toyed with the idea of building my own Timbuk2 bag a few years ago when I got my laptop, but I ended up with something I could get locally.

Like I said though, I’m still a fan, so when I received an invitation to the launch of their Blogger Bag, I braved the Friday night Makati traffic and trooped over to Outback in Glorietta 4.

Did I finally get a Timbuk2 bag? Not really - I took home a goodie bag, but that doesn’t count. I could have won the one they raffled off, but nope - that bag went to Anton.

So what did I get from the launch? Read on…

First off, I got a fresh batch of photos. Yes, I’ve got a new album up in my gallery - shots from the Blogger Bag Launch. I can’t take credit for all of them though - Jayvee and Brian (or is it Bryan?) both took turns snapping away with my camera. One thing I forgot though, was to take actual shots of the bag. Aside from the corduroy lining and the swirl logo you see above, I don’t really have any shots of the product. Oh well…

Like I mentioned earlier, I got a goodie bag. The goodies? A mug, an ID necklace, a shirt, a BratPack discount card, an iPod case, and of course, some press materials from Timbuk2.

Since we were in Outback, I also got a full belly. The waiters just kept putting plates on the table - leaving us wondering what dish we’d dig into next.

I also got to meet mother and daughter bloggers Noemi and Lauren, the Jayvee bug, misteryosa Shari, proudly gay AJ, guitar chick Riz, the awesome Anton, and the patriots Rick and Karla. A. There were some other people there, but as usual, I hid behind my camera.

Since this was a product launch, I also got an idea of just how good Timbuk2 bags are. I was attracted to them for their styling, but now I have another reason to like them - these little babies are tough. Travel writer Toby Martin (did I get his name right?) talked about how his 10-year old Timbuk2 bag, despite heavy use, is still very much alive. If I guessed correctly, that would make his bag older than his son (photo here).

The best (or worst) thing I got is an itching for a new bag. No, I don’t need one now, but damn, I want a new bag. That’ll have to wait though. I think I should prioritize getting a new laptop.

Other posts I’ve noticed on the Blogger Bag:

Tags: Timbuk2, Blogger Bag, Geiser Maclang, Outback, Glorietta 4, AJ, Anton, Jayvee, Karla, Lauren, Noemi, Rick, Riz, Shari, baklaako.com, anton.blogs.com, abuggedlife.com, pinoycentric.com, laurganism.com, aboutmyrecovery.com, projectmanila.com, guitarchic.net, misteryosa.com

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Can you guess whose birthday it is today?

DBS — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 16:01:21 +0000

original image by TwistedHalo

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net:

Saturday the 14th

DBS — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 04:31:01 +0000

I know yesterday was Friday the 13th, but unlike last time when I defined the word paraskevidekatriaphobic, I didn’t write a post about it. I guess I couldn’t really care less about the date - that, or I was just too busy to even think about it. It’s a good thing the five-minute blogging fool and apples-pie (it’s her birthday, by the way!) were more mindful of the date.

More significant than the date, however, is the fact that I haven’t written anything in 10 days. Heck, I don’t even have anything scheduled. This is not good.

This is also why I’m writing now - not really about anything in particular, but really more to remind you that I’m still alive. I might as well direct you to my gallery too - I’ve got quite a few new shots up there.

Tags: paraskevidekatriaphobic, Friday the 13th, fool45.com, apples-pie.com

---
Related Articles at drivebyshooter.net: