Still Life

The Photography Workshop at the International Student Festival in Ilmenau 2003 (ISFIT) had my Polish roommate Agata and I snapping away all over the sleepy university town.



(L-R) Wishies by the Fence; Self-Portrait in a Store Window, Downtown Ilmenau
These were scanned from film. There were too many participants in the workshop for the darkroom to accommodate, so we weren't able to print all of our shots.



(L-R) Manuel; Sidewalk Flowers and Drain



Margarita
This is one photograph I got to print. Unfortunately, it turned brown with time, as the fixer I used wasn't enough. What you see is from the negative. It's scratched. Tsk, tsk. Margarita is an Italian participant at the student festival. A very charming and affectionate lady.



Manuel's Guitar
It was black and shiny.

The festival's theme was Because the People Matter. Since this was a unique gathering of photographers from all around the world, I would've liked to continue the exchange of images through a website, one wherein we could still share photographs on different subjects, make statements and exchange criticism. Unfortunately, it never fell through.

Early Shots

These are some of the first shots I took while studying Photography under Eli Africa at UPCFA (SY 2000-2001).



(L-R): Classroom doorway at the UP College of Fine Arts; Bathroom at an ancestral house in Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Sir Eli's method of teaching didn't dwell on the technical. He basically taught us how to use our cameras. Armed with the basic knowledge of the interplay of lighting, film rating, aperture and shutterspeed, he released us, with the one assignment of submitting 40 prints at the end of the semester. I never learned to use my Canon A-1's light meter until after that year. These shots were taken with gut feel on lighting. According to my dear professor, technical skills are secondary. What is important is the concept, the eye. Photography forces you to take notice of things people normally don't pay attention to.



(L-R) Potter's wheel at the Burnayan in Ilocos Sur; Stairs at the Light House in Ilocos Norte
These shots were taken summer of 2001. I still didn't rely on my light meter then. Angles and objects and ordinary things...



(L-R) Day Care Kids, Boy with what appears to be endangered cotton candy at the Holy Cross Memorial Park
I learned I like capturing moments rather than rehearsed shoots. I used only natural light then, mainly because I didn't have a flash. And even if I did have one, I didn't even know how to use a light meter...



Portrait, ancestral house in Ilocos Sur, summer 2001
Every photographer likes doing this, admit it. This was on a field trip for my Humanities class under Roselle Pineda. My classmates liked being included in almost every frame.



Lonely Mangrove, Ilocos Sur, summer 2001
Stormy weather makes for interesting shots.



Slaughterhouse, Ilocos Sur, 2000
Some images are better seen in black and white. This shot I developed and printed.



Sunrise Cat, 2001
The pet cat of my apartment floor. My apartment building then was named Sunrise (Hills Homes).



Pangarap at Hinaing, 2000
This was taken during one of the demonstrations leading to the EDSA uprising of 2001, at the Liwasang Bonifacio facing the Post Office in Manila.



Pray for Us Here Below, 2000
A view from below. This is the my parish church, St. James the Great. Film used is a special type, processed with color chemicals, but comes out in black and white/sepia.



Dawn from the Roof
The multicolored sky at the beginning of the day.