Manila, Easter Sunday Photowalk (part 2)

 The siblings



Bananas in the crowd

A man peddles boiled bananas in the middle of the crowd under the soft morning sun.




Go ate, do the walk!



Bikes can carry more

Bikes can carry more than people and things, smiles too.




Family Day

Sunday is family day




Stroller strolling down the street

A baby taken out for a Sunday morning walk



                      Boy
                      
The boy looks for food in old ice cream containers his family brought to store food.




                      Can't walk well, so he bikes
                      
Disability is not hindrance to move.




                      Not a money for food
                      
A scavenger opens up a plastic bag of thrown food, hoping to find scraps for breakfast.




                      Morning bathers
                      
Rest after a refreshing swim.




                      Morning bathers II
                      


                     Divine shelter
                     
Father and daughter seeks shelter for the night under a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Manila, Easter Sunday Photowalk (part 1)

                                       Balloon Man
                                       


                                      Balloon Man and the Flower Woman
                                      


                                     The boy and the morning sun
                                    
A young boy selling balloons on a Sunday morning. I pray to God that one day he will be living a better life. Just dream boy, just dream and go for them.


Fishing for lunch

A man, waiting for a bite. His catch will be his lunch or if he's lucky, will last for the whole day.


The busy Sunday bathers

Southern part of Manila's Baywalk, filled with weekend swimmers.


The busy Sunday bathers II

The northern view of baywalk, filled with weekend swimmers.


Out with friends



Sunrise smiles

A mom and her friend, smiling at the morning Sunday sun.


Space-retro bikes



Family Day II



The lady at the house of God

An old lady at the church. I was watching her for a while. She's not really begging for money, but just stands there. She has a very beautiful face, one can even tell how beautiful she was when she was younger. Her tattooed eyebrows and sharp nose, tells something about her past and her ancestry. I kept on wondering what happened to her, what made her to what she is and what is she doing there. I can tell she's not like that in the past, but what happened?


When everyone went home

Manila's Red Light district, early in the morning, when everyone was either taken home or went home.


Oh my morning

Near the front of a famous gay club. All that's left after a night of merry drinking and dancing, are the scandalous stories of love and lust on the street where many hearts find refuge and cravings indulged.


Susi?

Susi or sushi?


Morning Sun

A peaceful scene on an Easter Sunday morning. A piece of a little peace, in the middle of Manila's clubbing district.

Binondo - Intramuros (Solo) Photowalk (part 2)

Here is the second part of my Binondo -Intramuros photowalk. I started at 2 PM, walked around Binondo, got lost, found my way, and then walked to Intramuros until I exited near Manila City Hall. I was done with my photowalk around past 7 PM. My legs and feet were so tired that night. I ate dinner in SM Manila, watched a movie (I forgot what movie that was, it was an action movie), then went to see a friend afterwards. When I got home at around midnight, I was so tired I slept on the floor.

Fort Gate


Sigaw ng Bayani


Kawala


Black Sky


Sky Blue


Street Walkers


The Spanish House


Night Walker


White on Black


Manila City Hall

Binondo - Intramuros (Solo) Photowalk (part 1 of 2)

Exploring places one has never been to is fun and exciting. The thrills of getting lost and finding one's way back to familiar places is thrilling enough to keep the mind wandering and adrenaline pumping. When I was doing this photowalk of mine, it was my first time to go to Binondo alone. I arrived at Lawton at 2 PM, then walked to Escolta.

Tindera


Art Deco


Escolta Sidewalk


Eskinita sa Binondo


Jeepney


Buhay Kalesa


Pedicab


Prutas


Chinatown


Fort Santiago

Street Photography - EDSA (a prelude)

I asked P if I can do a photowalk later along EDSA, he agreed with a worrying "yes". Street photography is dangerous, challenging, fun, and raw. Dangerous, because one is exposing himself to the dangers of all the street "dwellers" with a very expensive and attention grabbing equipment with him. Challenging , because it allows the photographer or requires him to view the subjects in the most radical angles he could think of. In the past, my shots are always taken on a horizontal or vertical viewpoint, tomorrow, I'll try to see things in different perspectives and will try to shoot in different angles. Street photography is fun, because you will never know what you will see along the way. Street photography is raw, because one must capture the action or the story at it happens, there are no second shoots, no practice shots, no light adjustments, and no take twos.

I will start in Tiendesitas as I drop off P to work, then off to Ortigas and will walk my way up to Estrella. I am longing to have a night shot of speeding lights, this will require me to use a tripod and a remote trigger, which I already have. The only thing is, having a tripod on my camera bag will be very heavy, given that my bag itself is already heavy with all the paddings inside of it.

Safety is a major concern in street photography. So my tip to all you guys out there who wants to have a try at street photography...

1.) Don't look like a photographer. I usually wear shorts, an old t-shirt, and worn out converse sneakers when doing photowalks.
2.) Be extra aware of your surroundings, if you feel that there are handful of snatchers or criminal minds wandering around the spot where you are. Don't risk taking your camera out.
3.) Wear very comfortable shoes.
5.) Grip your camera tightly. What I do is I wrap around the strap of the camera to my hand and wrists, then grip the camera. This will make it look like the camera is virtually tied to your hand. This will give you a very tight grip, but less control on the other settings you need to adjust. However, you will still be able to click the shutter release button this way.
6.) Presence of mind. Be aware of your subject and your own personal safety.

I remember the first time doing street photography, it was in Cubao, full 7 hours spent just walking around Cubao. Had a few nice shots, all in black in white. The header of this blog is one of the shots I took in Cubao during that time. Second was in Binondo-Intramuros. Tomorrow will be challenging because I will be shooting in slow shutter speed when the night awakens. As of this writing, I am already thinking of what time it is best to do a slow-shutter-speed-shooting in EDSA. The overpass in Estrella is a great spot, however, heavy traffic will be a hindrance because the lights from vehicles will not be traveling fast enough for it to produce streaks for the camera to capture. Hmmm...

Anyway, I am excited for my photowalk later, that is after waiting in long lines in Pag-Ibig Fund-Makati to pay my loan payment for my condo (sigh). I'll see what I can shoot tomorrow, street photography after all is all about telling a story in whatever there is to see in random.

I'll post my shoots right away when I get home tonight, then off to sleep.

None Sense

There is really nothing much to write right now. My mind is blank but I really want to write something... As I think of something to write I am listening to Zooey Deschanel's songs, her voice just makes me feel all cozy and warm. Good music and a good wine makes the mood all nice. Add a few sticks of cigarettes and a pack of nips. All that is missing is a soft downpour of rain.

I switched to Depapepe a few minutes after. I'm on my second glass of wine.

Switched to Luna Sea on my third glass of wine and after two bars of cloud nine, still, not much to write.

4th stick of cigarette, Maaya Sakamoto songs are now playing in my iTunes. Thinking of what to buy for my hobby. I thought that I really want the Lensbaby composer lens with the double glass optic. That would be really nice for urban street shots. I haven't done any street shooting for a while. I miss walking long distances and getting lost while at it. I remember the first time I went for a photowalk in Binondo. I was alone and it was a sunny Sunday afternoon (or was it a Monday?). I walked all the way from the Manila post office to Binondo to Quiapo, and to whereever, back to Binondo, then onwards to Intramuros, that was a very grueling photowalk. I started at 2pm and was finished at 8pm, 6 hours of walking. I got lost in dark alley ways, almost got hit by a kalesa and greeted by the shop attendants in Chinatown, and greeted by the homeless people who live in somewhere in that place full of abandoned buildings along the Pasig river. It was quite an adventure.

Now staring at that last piece of cloud 9 bar after consuming a pack of Nips. I suddenly thought about my weight. I haven't lost any pounds yet. I'm getting frustrated. The shirts I bought last year wouldn't fit me anymore! I don't want to buy new shirts. I want to dress up this halloween as Ikkaku Madarame, that bald guy in the anime Bleach. Bleach, I hate that anime, but I like that Ikkaku guy, just because he is bald and thin. I used to be thin, and I want to model nude for my friend Gardo.

Ayumi Hamasaki, singing Seasons in Youtube. I love this song. It has been more than a decade since I got this fascination and addiction to anything Japanese.

At this point of writing I searched and played a song of the Japanese duo I Wish. I first heard of them years back, when I was still living in Marikina. We have Skycable there, so there's Animax. Back to fascination for anything Japanese... Yes it has been more than a decade. It started with Sailormoon (so gay, right?), then with Rayearth, I was hooked, then came Utada Hikaru... I'm so addicted.

(1 hour later)Eating peanut butter sandwich while watching live-action Sailormoon in Youtube.

That's all from me with this nonsense post.

I leave you guys for now with the theme song from Magic Knight Rayearth, one of my most favorite anime from back then.