Why I don't hear mass

One day me and Angel went to hear mass in our neighborhood. In that church, most worshippers were either celebrities or members of Metro Manila's business elite. Parking spaces outside the church are as cramped as Greenhills on a Holiday sale, and you can feast your eyes with the best cars money can buy. Along the long sermon of the priest, he uttered words like... "it is unacceptable to the eyes of God to be wealthy because one forgets praising God. Blessed are the poor because they constantly pray and needs God". Does he know what he's saying? Does he see and know the social classes of those who goes to his church? Does the priest realize that the wealthy gives huge and significant amounts of money to his church? The wealthy are the ones who support the maintenance of his house of God. I get his point, but he should have said it in a unoffending way. The statement was very discriminating. 

This way back, on my way to see a friend, I went to light a few candles on the "candle praying" part of the church . There was a mass going on, and I silently lit a candle and said my prayers. All of a sudden, the priest just made a momentary comment on how catholics must not support a certain politician because that person is corrupt and and if ever that person is running again for a seat in the local politics, nobody should vote for that person. "That" politician won a seat in the past election. Isn't judging a person bad? We can accuse any politician as corrupt, but like any criminal, they are innocent until proven guilty. That priest just judged a person.

While I was waiting for a ride home, I was in front of a popular church. I heard the priest say "we are not to support the RH bill because it promotes sin! It is against the words of God, humayo kayo at magparami!" ...It was a Sunday. The church was already overflowing with mass goers, multiply that crowd three to five times, and there can a huge number of heads to feed. I made a comment in silence... "who is going to feed the children of those families, multiply, can you multiply their income?"

It has been a long time since I went to hear mass, because I chose not to. I respect the catholic church and their teachings, but I hope that the priests can be sensitive enough to what they preach and how they say it in a not so offensive way. I know how powerful and influential the catholic church is, but aren't they the ones who should promote spirituality, love, and equality? Aren't they the ones who should be responsible enough to promote awareness of certain social problems, like population growth? I do hope some priests do practice what they preach. 

Summer's End

Nothing but beautiful colors to welcome the embracing night.

My First Client Project

"I am just a hobbyist" that is what I tell my friends and other people I met when they ask me if I shoot professionally or if I am invited to shoot for an event of some sort or if someone ask me to shoot a portrait of them or someone they know. One line I usually say is "I am not skilled enough". My eyes were opened and a little boost of self esteem was awakened when a client (yes my first client), liked the photographs I shot for their group.

Sometime last week, someone sent me an email inviting me to be one of the photographers for their first ever outdoor group photo session for their organization. Because of the nature of their group and their cause, I immediately said yes, I was nervous. I was never asked to shoot anything by anyone specially a stranger to shoot anything outside my office spaces. This one, was what I consider my first client. I was excited.  The email was sent to me a few days before the group activity.

A day before the shoot, I met the client in a mall in Quezon city, giving me the heads up of proper decorum and setting proper expectations. We agreed and I left for work. The next day which was just a few hours afterwards, I left our office and tagged a friend along. We walked to Ayala Triangle and had a few sticks of cigarettes with both of us sipping hot chocolate while watching the light drizzle of rain along Ayala avenue outside McDonalds. I was already tinkering my camera, making sure I had the right settings in place for the weather condition. The client finally arrived and picked us up. A few minutes after, the drizzling stopped and the event proceeded. There were four photographers, me and a friend were two of them, the two were professionals, and one videographer.

I was armed with my trusty Canon 500D and my favorite 50mm F1.8 II lens. My lens was cheap, the cheapest among Canon's lineup of lenses, but it was my favorite (well, I only had two). The other three photographers had Nikon D90s and a D3000, one had a full frame Nikon DSLR, I forgot the model name but I think it was full frame with an 50mm F1.4 lens attached to it. I was blown away with the armory of lenses and SLR bodies as well as lights the other photographers have. The videographer was shooting video using a NIkon D90.

I did my shots with the usual style that I do, shooting close to the subject, getting into the action and looking at the geometry produced by human movements and their group formations. I wanted to capture the rawness of their movements and the subtleness of their emotions. I did not use any flash and my ISO was at a constant 100. I was switching between the AV and Manual modes of my camera, AV does the work, but light changes so fast due to the moving sky, so I quickly change to manual so I can further control the image that I wanted to produce. The weather was very cloudy with the occasional sunlight seeping through the clouds, it was that moment where the magic glow happens. When that little bit of soft sunlight touches the subject's skin giving them that truly amazing glow was a pleasure to shoot. My camera's aperture was at a constant 1.8 so I can isolate the subject very easily from the background, although I had difficulty selecting the focus that I want and my lens hunts quite a bit for the focus points due to erratic lighting changes, I had the results I wanted.

While shooting, I think I already tried a lot of shooting positions. I lied on the ground, knelt, ran because my lens doesn't have any zoom in or zoom out capabilities (disadvantage of using a prime lens) so I zoom on foot, I stood, and a whole lot of other positions. The left thigh of my jeans got torn because of kneeling and I was sweating like hell. In the end, everything was worth it, because I believe in this group's cause and purpose.  After all, this is what I wanted to do in the first place. Sharing my talent and vision with other people and using it to promote an advocacy I believe in.

For post processing I used Lightroom 1. Yes, the first version of the legendary software is all my Mac can use because of its low RAM requirement. My Mac is ancient, so I use softwares light enough to run on its old but very reliable hardware. Good thing I already spent a lot of hours during my previous rest days learning how to post-process photographs. I was not a believer of post-processing before, primarily because I don't own a software yet. Now that I have one, I greatly believe in the importance of post-processing.  It greatly enhances the photograph, but take note, that a great deal of essence and soul of a photograph is still from the composition.

I was very nervous and excited to submit the photographs to my client. When I finally gave the copies, I was anxiously waiting for my client's feedback of the photographs. Later on, a judgement was made. Two words struck me... "mind-blowing" and "awesome. Words which made me sport a smile, the whole day at the office. I can't wait until their next activity and until they invite me again to work for them. This was my first advocacy related work and I am looking forward for more advocacy projects in the future.

I'm very happy that my client is happy. I guess I've somewhat grown from being just a simple hobbyist,  I still like the term, and I will keep that way. A few more projects and more happy clients then I can consider myself a photographer, a Humanitarian Photographer. I am Canonista, corporate slave, hobbyist, advocate, blogger, humanitarian photographer.  

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...
I wanted to believe in all the words that I was speaking
As we moved together in the dark
And all the friends that I was telling
And all the playful misspellings
And every bite I gave you left a mark

As tiny vessels oozed into your neck
And formed the bruises
That you said you didn't want to fade
But they did and so did I that day

All I see are dark gray clouds
In the distance, moving closer with every hour
So when you'd ask, "Is something wrong?"
I'd think, "You're damn right there is
But we can't talk about it now
No, we can't talk about it now"

So one last touch and then you'll go
And we'll pretend that it meant something so much more
But it was vile, and it was cheap
...

A Quick Guide to Canon's camera line-up

I have been a Canon user since my first digicam. My very first camera was a point and shoot Minolta film camera. My point and shoots were all Canon, so therefore, my DSLR body is also a Canon. I am already quite familiar with Canon's camera lineup due to a lot of research done when I was selecting my camera body. I have nothing against Nikon, but my choice of camera body simply depends on what I have used and learned to use ion the past. I learned more about photography using Canon cameras, therefore I choose Canon cameras. It's as simple as that.

NOTE: X = number

XXXXD - 1000D/1100D
These cameras are the sub-entry level or entry level type of cameras, they are cheap and have the most basic functions of a DSLR. Canon just recently launched the 1100D that comes with HD video recording capabilities and they come in several colors! Oh by the way, I learned that the 1100D bodies has built in remote trigger functions for external flash units, no need to buy radio remotes!

XXXD - 350D/450D/500D/550D/600D
This is the entry level line of Canon. It has high definition video recording and a jack for an external mic(550D). The fps is a bit faster than XXXXD series, built-in noise reduction feature is useful, and feels more solid than the lower models.

XXD - 30D/40D/50D/60D
Semi-pro models start in this line. Predecessors of the 60D has a magnesium alloy body, which makes it more durable but heavier. 60D is the first XXD model to have a plastic body, but sports a multi swivel LCD, it has video recording too. XXD line of cameras has significant weather sealing and the 60D has built in filters as well as a built in remote flash trigger function.

XD - 7D/5D/1D
Professional line starts here, all bodies are made of solid magnesium alloy bodies and all are bulky and heavy, all are weather sealed and can take a beating in all shooting situations, specially the ID.

I read somewhere that the nature photographer cleans his Canon 1D using a water spray bottle to rinse out the dirt.

The fps are fast, video recording is outstanding, they have more focus points. The 7D has a built in level meter which is useful when hand holding your camera and knowing whether you are holding it straight enough. Full Frame sensors start at the 5D, and the 1D does not have a flash but has a built in battery grip. 6 digit price range starts at the 5D as well.

Rising numbers; population and unemployment

World oil prices also rely on political stability of the countries where it is harvested or the stability of the countries surrounding its source. Transportation of barrels of oil relies on some of the said factors, and we cannot do a lot on those aren't we? One thing most of us has control, is the country's population growth.

In the local scene, the RH bill raised(and still raising) a lot of controversy across all walks of life and across all beliefs. Personally, I am pro RH Bill. I have been ranting on the country's fast population growth ever since my mind was opened on what poverty means. I saw first hand how the masses multiply by bearing one baby after another and yet, the head of the household earns barely enough to feed all the hungry mouths of the household. In time, those hungry babies and kids will become teenagers and adults, they will either be a useful part of the country's workforce or of the growing number of the unemployed. Poverty is indeed one root of unemployment, because of lack of skill or education for those who cannot afford to; they are having a hard time getting hired.

I do believe that population control is one major key to pull our country from its third world status. We share a common factor with other third worlds, an ever rising population. We do have a lot of openings in many industries, but the lack of skill of the existing workforce makes it more challenging for companies to hire qualified personnel. However, realistically speaking, there are not enough jobs in the country for everyone, that's why many seek opportunities abroad, thus, high population finds its way in the niche of the problem.

Regarding population control, the clash between the so called "conservative" part of society and those who are sane enough to promote what is practical and realistic, are such amusement and annoyance; can't we all just pass the bill (RH bill) and get on with our lives? I am not writing to promote that said bill (yes, I want that bill to be passed), but to rant my feelings about how ignorant or close minded some people and sectors of society can be on the consequences of improper family planning, unsafe sex, and the ballooning population of our country. 

Audio-Technica ATH SJ11 (review)

I am a big fan of beautiful headphones. Although I have owned quite a number of different earphones ranging from the native Apple iPod earphones to Sony's to Sennheiser's. My first great pair of headphones was Sennheiser's, it lasted more than two years before it finally retire when the right cup was not playing a sound anymore, then the left cup followed.

I bought this baby a couple of hours ago in SM Fairview's Podworx. It was the replacement of a pair of Skullcandy in-ear earphones I bought last December, lasted less than 3 months. Not durable at all in it's price range.  It has a warranty, but unfortunately no model has been shipped for the past couple of weeks. So they gave me a discount on any brand of headphones or earphones I want.

I have a limited budget of P2,000; although I do intend to charge it using my credit card, I will not buy a pair beyond the budget I had in mind. So I scanned the rack for any pair that I want and set my eyes to the Audio-Technica section. The models on display are blacks, and whites with pink bands. The picky me wanted a white pair, pure white. So I scanned other models that I later found to be beyond the P2,000 mark. I went back to the AHT-SJ11 rack and browsed each pair that was on display looking for any pure white pairs. Gladly, at the very end of the stacks of headphones and behind all the hanging plastic cases, hangs a pristine white pair. The one and only pure white pair. I quickly stashed all the hanging headphones aside and grabbed the white set. These pair are so pristine and clean.

Aesthetics
The headphones are so white that I'm afraid I'll be having challenges keeping it that way. I don't have a car and I have a long commute to and from work. Pollution and dirty sweat might ruin its whiteness. The cups are padded with smooth and soft white synthetic leather. The headphones' body are made of matte finished plastic and the cups are topped with a glossy center on the outer part. The cord is of standard quality and texture as compared to most Sennheiser's models, it is pure white all the way to the plug.



Built
This pair is super light, it's so light it feels cheap. Actually it does feel cheap, but it does not look like one. When I first picked up the pair out from it's meticulously sealed plastic encasement (one sign a high end product), I asked myself, "what am I paying for this pair"?  I never owned a pair so light! My last headphones were such a heavy bulk to carry and wear. For P1,999 and just P1 below my budget limit, I sure wanted to know what I paid for.



Audio
Hear we go... This is where I realized what I paid for. This is the clearest pair of portable audio listening device I have ever owned! Ever! I was drowned in beautiful music streaming from my Samsung Corby Qwerty. While I was walking away from the Mac store and along the mall aisles, I listened to different genres of music I have and using different listening modes of my phone's audio player. From the rock setting, to dynamic, to surround, to everything else. It delivered exceptionally clear sound. The best setting that I now prefer is the "normal" setting.

When I say clear, I mean sound clarity. Unlike the previous pairs I owned, that has powerful bass sounds; this one has too, however, it does not overpower the other instruments specially the vocals.  The bass is there, but only when there is actually bass and it does not concentrate on delivering just that.

I listened to different music genres I have in my phone to check just how well this baby will deliver clarity of sounds. 

Post-Hardcore
When I played Underoath's  Reinventing Your Exit, I can hear all the instruments and can tell them apart; the drums, the cymbals, the lead guitar, the bass guitar, and the keyboards, and the rest of the electronic effects. I also have a new level of appreciation to the growls in this particular song. Even if the singer growls so loud, it does not overpower the other instruments in the song, I can even understand the growl. Even at extremely high volume, the sound is exceptionally clear.

Pop
Switching to pop... I played Utada Hikaru's Heart Station, goosebumps swelled up on my arms. The sound is just so clear! I can actually hear all instruments, a good bass, the smooth keyboards, and the rest of the instruments are all in harmony. I can hear them all! The vocals are clear too! It was such a very beautiful listening experience.

R&B
I don't have r&b tracks in my phone, closest is the Jpop group M-Flo with their track L.O.T. that sounds R&B-ish, but not quite. It has a lot of bass 'though. Listening to this track, the strong bass really showed in this track, it was strong; but not overwhelmingly strong that it drowns the other instruments.

Alternative
I played Fall Out Boy's Sugar We're Going Down. As expected, it delivered clear music. I can tell the difference between the lead guitar and the secondary guitar and all the other instruments. Playing Radiohead's High and Dry drove me nuts(in a good way).

I suddenly remembered I have a 5 year old iPod in my closet, so I quickly stood up, and charged it! Now I can listen to all the genres of music I have in my extensive and ever expanding music library. In my iPod are all the R&B tracks I have as well as the Jazz and Bossa Nova songs I collected through the years as well as the gay songs that most you already might have an idea of who the artists are. 

R&B part 2
Playing Usher's Confessions, I don't only hear the bass, I can actually feel it! The power of the headphone's bass delivery is greatly shown playing bass heavy R&B tracks such as the one mentioned... 4 Minutes by Avant,  and the bass laden tracks of Maxwell. The song Fortunate by Maxwell is heavy on bass, and I can almost feel bass speakers inside my head through this magnificent baby.  Mariah Carey's squeals sounds delightful; Erykah Badu's Bag Lady has  a lot of percussion instruments sounding clearly and distinct.

Jazz
Leif garret's When I think of You, the saxophone just sounded so sexy; then I quickly played Lee Ritenour's Dreamwalkin'... jazz never sounded so good.

Lounge/Chillout
Bach To The Future by BNM Corp sounded amazingly clear, high on bass and smooth keyboards and electronics. Breathe by Telepopmusik is wonderful.

Playing Coldplay songs(the song In My Place in particular) with this new pair was an ecstatic experience, my hairs stand on their ends! 


Comfort
As of this writing, the headphones have been on my ears for a solid 4 hours, and my ears are not sweating at all. The Sennheiser HD 201 (my previous headphone) made my ears sweat during several hours of use, mainly because it is that tight on the ears to prevent sound leakage and to cancel the noise from outside sources. The soft interior of the earcups are very comfortable for hours of music playing. The lightness of the headphones' body is a great plus when doing a music marathon. The headband is not too tight that it stresses the earlobes, but tight enough not to leak the sound as well as to solidly deliver the music directly into the listener's ears.



Portability
The headphones can be folded for portability and the cups fold out when resting on your collarbone, making it easy to move around and to turn your head left and right without any obstructions from the resting earcups.



Recommendation
This pair is just so easy to recommend. If you are looking for a not so expensive pair of headphones that delivers exceptional clarity, simple zen-like aesthetics (applicable only to the pure white models), ultra light body, comfortable cups, and portability... The Audio-Technica SJ11 is the model to get. Perfect for the audiophile on a budget.

You can also check-out myAKG K518LE (review) Here.