Nap Time Rocks!

Somewhere where dreams come true

This is one of Mia’s favorite songs, which she learned first along with her ABCs.

And one day Mia will learn the complete lyrics. For the meantime, hanggang first line muna kami =)

Have you seen Barbara?

She is not a creature of your imagination. She is not just a creepy sighting. She is real.

Barbara is an old fashioned girl and she refuses to update her look. Hairy legs, bushy eyebrows, and all.

Catch her in resplendent sepia glory and take her photo (stolen shots are best) and upload it on this website and you might just win a Macbook Pro.

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Contest mechanics here.

Magaling, magaling [LP]

kung paano ginagawa ang mga icons na ganito, hindi ko alam. they’re good at what they do, or dahil din matagal na nilang ginagawa ito sa kultura ng mga Malay (which is predominantly Islamic pala).

ito so far ang pinakamataas na statue ng isang Hindu god na nakita ko sa Asya, na mukhang mas mahaba ang height kesa sa reclining Buddha ng Thailand (kung patatayuin). it stands at the foot of rock formations with sheer drops. hindi rin masyado kita sa tabi nito ang 270+ na steps paakyat sa cave na ginawang temple. hindi na ako nakapasok dahil hindi siya kasama sa itinerary namin at medyo nagmamadali na rin.

nakarating ka na ba sa Malaysia at nakita mo na rin ba ito?

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Litratong Pinoy theme ngayong linggo: Magaling/Husay

Feb 2010 | right outside of KL, Malaysia | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

Batik [LP]

isa sa mga exhibit sa Sentosa Island sa Singapore.

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Litratong Pinoy theme ngayong linggo: Batik/mantsa (spots)

082009 | Singapore | unprocessed

When stooping to one’s level is a good thing

This is an article for Photo Nuts, found at Litratong Pinoy’s monthly tips and tricks section.

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You might have heard that stooping to one’s level is never advisable. In conflicts, sure. But in photography, doing exactly that may just make all the difference between a normal photo and a good one.

Take for example when taking a picture of a toddler. I noticed that most of the members of Litratong Pinoy are parents. In fact, most of the time our subject are our kids!

So how do you take interesting photos that capture the nature of kids? How do you avoid making your picture look ordinary? I actually have 3 cardinal rules that I try to follow when taking photos, especially of children.

Rule #1: Stoop to their level

No, don’t scream and throw tantrums when they won’t pose for you. Get down on your knees, elbows, or tummy if need be, and then shoot away. You may be pleasantly surprised that a perspective at this level can turn out a good photo.

Take a look at photo #3. I initially took this one:

And then I realized it was really uninteresting, it was too long a shot (meaning it was too zoomed out), and the background (scaffolding) didn’t really work into the picture.

Rule #2: Move it!

Or rather, let them move. If the child is camera-shy, the best way to capture fun (and ‘innocent’) moments would be to let them do their thing. Make sure you’re prepared and then shoot away (sample photo #2). Saka na mag-delete ng pictures, pag na-upload na! You wouldn’t want to miss anything, so kuha lang ng kuha. Thank goodness for digital cameras, huh?

Also, don’t be afraid to run after them. That’s the fun part, isn’t it?

Rule #3: Messy and all

Details, details, details. The hair in the face, the ice cream on the nose, the icky soil and dirt on the hands. Minsan lang tayo maging bata, sabi nga. Zoom in, extreme close up (see sample photo #1). And this way too, you’ll get good depth of field (i.e., blurred background; make sure lang that the background is far enough).

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I’d love to share more, but I think this is getting too long. If you still have questions about this article/tips though, the whole of Team LP will be experts in that field Super thanks team LP for letting me be part of Photo Nuts!

…are mine [LP]

ang karugtong ng aking photo story simula nung isang linggo.

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Litratong Pinoy theme ngayong linggo: Iyo (yours)

122609 Bulacan | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti |

1/80sec | F5.6 | 27mm | ISO 800 | No flash

Photo accessories

… for point and shoot cameras. man i want that tripod! what do you call that anyway?

there’s a lot pretty useful tips in there too, so for those not too keen on sporting DSLRs there are easy-to-do camera tricks to take good photos too for point-and-shoot cameras.

I am yours, and you… [LP]

…ang part 2 next week na

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Litratong Pinoy theme ngayong linggo: Sayo (Yours)
1/640sec | F7.1 | ISO 800 | 50mm | No flash
122509 | Bulacan | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

right here, right now!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Kids are notorious for having the ability to get what they want, whenever they want it. It was a struggle I had with Mia during her (thankfully brief) tantrum episodes. It was especially hard when it would be just the two of us in the car going somewhere.

One time this happened, she was sitting at the back and was probably very tired from all the walking we did at the mall. I knew Mia was already grumpy and wanted to take a nap so I tried distracting her by talking to her about what we just did that day.

Well, it wasn’t working. She saw the Toblerone bar in the front and naturally asked for it. I gave it to her with the condition that we would eat it at home (messy and all that, you know). And yeah, you guessed it right, she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

I tried going the these-are-the-consequences-if-you-don’t-stop-badgering-me-while-i’m-driving route and the mostly bad cop technique. It was wearing my patience down and it didn’t help that the traffic was heavy. A cranky toddler with chocolate plus a cranky mommy? Not a good combination.

I wished right then and there I had a portable LCD/DVD player like my cousin does (which she uses on Iya, my niece, who’s the same age as Mia. Rhymes, I know, haha). And that it would have a whole gazillion of movies in them (half of which would be Dora, The Backyardigans, and Word World), ready to play (and distract!).

Great no? That’s actually possible with Charter Digital, which has 6,000 movies and shows to watch, anytime you want them (learn more at charter.net/ondemand and get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page). How great would that be if we had that here?

So, to make the long story short, I ended up opening the Toblerone and a tear-streaked, chocolate-messy Mia.

More experiments [LP]

a new year sunset in Morong | 1/40sec | F4 | ISO 400 | no flash | unprocessed

i’ve decided. Facebook stifles my creativity! hehe. mashado kasing nagugugol sa harap ng laptop imbis na sa hobby.

kailangan pag punta ko sa KL sa February, makakuha ako ng maraming litrato gamit ang mga tips na nababasa ko sa mga photography groups/digest. kailangan may mai-produce akong kakaiba, labas sa usual kong kinukuha.

kailangan may photo project na ako ngayong taon.

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Litratong Pinoy this week: Balak

01012010 | Morong, Bataan | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

mia, good. doctors, good?

NIGHT. INT. Bedroom

Mia: (rehashing what she just learned previously) tita det’s a doctor?

me: yup, she’s a doctor.

Mia: no, she’s not a doctor, she’s good na.

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i really regret bringing mia to World Citi to be confined (about 2 years ago). all her hands and feet got ‘experimented’ on because they couldn’t get the IV inserted right. i know it’s a challenge to do that to a crying baby but doctors at St. Luke’s weren’t as unsuccessful. at WC it was the nurse who did the insertion, and though i don’t want to discriminate, you get the picture.

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me: but doctors are good too!

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hay, trauma. she even remembers the ‘tusok’ (puncture) whenever we pass by the WC building which is near our house. she recounts, with matching facial expression, how she got injected on and all that.

the mini project

i’ve already promised to start a photo project this year. and inspired by the Lego man and Ickle & Lardee (go look up the sidebar for must sees), i must use whatever’s available.

like for example the unfinished miniature house my cousins and i made, one boring long break, that was supposed to be a gift to Mia. i say unfinished because with her ripping skills the cute little chairs that once stood are now all over the living room. the large LCD flat screen tv too, has been knocked off its base.

i really don’t mind since arts and crafts have always been my favorite subject. not that we had one in school. or did we?

anyway.

the view from not-above | used a 50mm prime lens

do let me know if you have ideas for this one.

roasted love [LP]

naging tradisyon na namin ng kapatid kong lalaki na maging assigned sa pagluluto tuwing bisperas ng pasko. isa sa mga deadly ingredients namin? secret.

it’s been the tradition of my brother and i to cook on Christmas eve. one of our deadly ingredients? that’s a secret.

don’t you just love the taste of roasted marshmallows? =)

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Litratong Pinoy theme this week: Magustuhan o maibigan… (to like or to love)

Dec 2009 | QC | Photoscape

Movie checklist 2010

i’ve started my movie year right, so far.

• Avatar (IMAX; James Cameron)

- rockin way to kick off 2010 movies. this movie absolutely falls under my hall of famers. the editing was great, the CGIs seamless, the storyline, well a bit predictable but i didn’t mind, and not boring.

• Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie)

- Jude Law = adorable (but that’s just me), the perfect englishman who kicks arse (say it with an accent now). RDJ = brilliant. their partnership = perfect. it’s one of those movies that did great because of its cast (and no horrible accents).

• Clash of the Titans (Louis Leterrier) opening March 26

- the trailer made it look really interesting. CGIs keep getting better don’t they?

• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Chris Columbus) opening February 12

- i don’t know about you, but movie titles with colons (”:”) on them have a way of being spectacular series. well, so far.

• Eclipse (David Slade)  June 2010

- oh yes, the 3rd Twilight installment. most intriguing how they will pull off a rather predictable and uncomfortably cheesy love story. it’s just my opinion but i think the latter Twilight books have been trying too hard to be adult-like.

• The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson) January 2010

- i haven’t read the book yet, so i’ll let the movie convince me, what with Peter Jackson (of The Lord of the Rings fame) directing it.

• Legion (Scott Stewart) Jan 22

- aren’t we all tired of vampires yet?

• Tooth Fairy (Micheal Lembeck)  Jan 22

- i will definitely need a break from all that.

• Valentine’s Day (Gary Marshall) Feb 12
  

- it’s like Love Actually all over again!

• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Terry Gilliam) January 2009

- it’s the last (albeit unfinished) film of Heath Ledger. it’s with a circus setting. it’s magically realist. it has all of colin farrell, johnny depp, and heath ledger. all of my requirements met

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how about you, which movies made it in your 2010 movie checklist?

Ito naman, manipis [LP]

ito naman, i’m sure alam mo na kung ano

katulad nung isang linggo, hindi yung subject ang gumalaw para lumabas ang ganitong effect. so, sure ka nang alam mo kung ano to?

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Canon EOS400D Rebel Xti | 010110 | Bataan