Workshop Review – Winsam Photography Workshop

I decided to mix things up by trying out some photography workshops that were out of my comfort zone. I was looking for something that wouldn’t take so much of my time and money, nor having to do any photo walks under this god forsaken heat. So I thought of shooting me some sexy models at Winston’s photography workshop.

Though I’m no stranger to Winston Baltasar’s outdoor studio workshops, I never did get the hang off adding strobe lights to my repertoire of mad photography skillz, nor did I have the resource to get good shooting them sexy ladies. Besides, these are one of those workshops I really don’t mind taking again.

The Instructor

Winston is a technical maestro when it comes to strobe lighting and portraiture with having 30 years of photography experience under his belt. He conducts his workshops during the weekends, costing around Php 1k – 1.8k ($24 – $44), and even less for students who are taking the course the second time around. A very good deal if you consider all the resources needed to make this sort of shoots happen.

Getting there…

The studio is located along Kamagong Street, Baragngay San Antonio, along Makati. If you’re commuting from the south like me, you’d want to take the LRT Ayala bus and get off “Mayapis” and have a tricycle drop you off the place where there is a huge mural of swimming dolphins.

The Workshop

The last time I took this course there was a morning “primer” to get the beginners acquainted with their gear. I’m assuming that the recent batch of students I was with weren’t beginners, so the morning was swiped aside and we went straight with the afternoon shoot.

The Shoot

The shoot would be consisted of 3 layouts, with the usual 15 minutes of rabid shooting time given to students per layout. They involve the model in casual attire, lingerie in a makeshift outdoor bed, and in a bikini during Winston’s signature water splash set up, (edit: which I was informed took longer than 15 mins) … yup, water splashes, alongside electronic equipment and lighting… let that sink in for a moment.

Oh my gulay… O_O

I can safely say that in most cases, I do not have a problem shooting people. I can go walk around shooting, and sometimes connecting with random strangers on the street without even batting an eyelid, but boy did my confidence level dropped when the crazy Disney otaku model Katie Anne walked in…

Damnit Amiel… Focus. Now’s not the time to go through puberty all over again.

And after a few minutes of experiencing a “blood loss” induced stupor, did I realize that she was with her photography extraordinaire buddy, Allan Muhlach.

The Setup

Now, this was my qualm in regards to photo workshops set up like this. There were around 10 -12 photographers at the workshop. We were divided by 2, with each group having 15 minutes each to get their shots within 3 shoot layouts. Now, each of these students has a couple of strobe lights assigned to them. Do the math and you’ll see that there are way too many lights (and light stands) getting in the way. Even though I’m a complete n00b in regards to strobe… I have art directed enough photo-shoots to know that not only does setting up one light would take around 2-5 minutes, add to the fact that I do not know what I’m doing which would probably take even more time. So, screw it, I said to myself… I’m shooting ambient.

My short lived tryout with a strobe. I think I used Beauty Dish on this one… or a small Soft Box, I forgot.

Katie Anne

With my little qualm aside, Katie turned out to be one awesome professional model. She brings so much character and energy to the table, that my inexperienced shots seemed like a winner. She even gave some tips on how to connect with the models I’m shooting, which I, the “shy” wallflower that I am, obviously lack.

“Sir” Allan the Awesome

If Katie Anne was this sweet, sexy, gorgeous icing on the cake. Allan would be the meaty cake bits. With the tips that I got from this guy, that Php1.8k ($44) that I paid for this workshop felt like stealing. This guy knows his stuff; from building report with the models he shoots, to the same “simplifying photography” philosophy we both share. This was accentuated by him presenting some really good portfolio work done with a kit lens and an on-board flash. This just shows that the guy gives more precedence connecting with the subjects, rather than hiding his face behind a big expensive camera system, which is evident from all the crazy gorgeous shots he has produced.

The Challenge

There is a transition that I had to cross between what I’m used to shooting and this workshop. From an “invisible” photographer that takes pot-shots off his subjects in a glass bowl, into someone who has to assert himself, commanding a connection with the model on top of the other photographers clamouring for the same attention. It was not an easy challenge for me to overcome, I don’t even know if my pictures exuded some of that supposed confidence (but they sure look pretty enough to me though), but having Katie as a model with Winston and Allan as instructors, sure made the steps a little easier.

Recommendations

If you have a dream of one day shooting sexy models for a men’s magazine, or if you just want to post something on Facebook that shows how much of a “like” whore you are, I would recommend that you try out Winston’s workshop. It is setup in such a way that there is a good chance, under the tutelage of Sir Winston, you would get yourself some really good shots even if you are beginner in photography. I would suggest though that you get a primer on how to utilize those strobe lights beforehand because you’d want to spend the limited time that you have building a rapport with your model rather than figuring out how to get those lights to work, let alone making them look natural on the spot.

Ratings

Fun – ****

Besides having some douchbag suddenly pop in front of your lens as you frame that awesome shot, or waiting for Sir Winston to finish his moment with the model, I would say that this workshop is an awesome way to spend your weekends.

Learning – *****

Having received their inputs and encouragements, I got pretty lucky for having Kate and Allen on board. Though I considered this genre of photography not my cup of tea, having to work with those guys inspired me to give this another look.

Technical – **

There were a lot of modifiers and strobe lights around and not much explaining on how they work. Did you know that it’s the aperture that you need to mess around to change exposures when using strobes?  Really? Well, I didn’t at that time.

Thriftiness – *****

Php1.8k ($44) (discounted) for a shoot with a crazy sexy stateside professional model, along with an afternoon picking the brains of a master. I felt that I cheated Winston on this one.

Overall.

4 out of 5 thrifty awesomeness! I highly recommended this workshop for the experience.

Trying the patented Winston Workshop “splashing some water near equipment” shot… someday, I’ma get this right… someday.

NakaBuhi

It’s the holy week season once again. The Catholic version of Ramadan, when instead of not eating things, we as a nation go on a spiritual journey to our own personal Meccas.

And for my personal Mecca, I visit my home province of Buhi, Camarines Sur.

Welcome to NakaBuhi!

Buhi, which is a few light-years south of manila (a slight exaggeration, but felt that way as my wife and I traversed 12 hours by land), is a town province of Camarines Sur. The quaint farm town began as a small settlement for refugees fleeing the outrage of Mount Mayon. This great exodus is known in their vernacular as “naka-buhi” or escape.  Asked by the Spaniards to “what” the name of their town was, it was misinterpreted to “how” their town began, hence: NakaBuhi.

Getting there

There’s a whole bunch of terminals in manila to choose from to get to Buhi, costing you around 400 to 800 pesos ($10 – $20). There’s even an option for  reclining lazy boy seats, but since it was the great Lenten Season exodus rush, we were lucky just to even purchase the tickets we had.

For the more adventurous type, there is also an option to take the train. You would want to take the Manila-Ligao City route, riding the train at the Tutuban Manila station which passes by your drop off point at Iriga City. From there Buhi is just a jeep ride away.

Those were the days

Back when I was a kid, Buhi was this mysterious and faraway place where time stood completely still. Sure, I crave every bit of that stillness now, but back then it was torment.  I was an indoor Manila boy, whose life revolves around the awesome “technologies” and “modern” conveniences the ‘80s had to offer. Back then, the idea of traveling that same 12 hour journey to a place devoid of my trinkets and doodads was upsetting, especially to my ADHD.

Another thing that bothered me back then was that holy-week during the pre-cable TV era means there was NOTHING good on TV.  It was just the usual touched by an Angel (before 7^th heaven) marathons and the same faceless Christ TV series made in the ‘70s that are shown way before the R- rated, anti-sematic, blood fest, Mel Gibson version of today. And who could forget our beloved comedy variety show hosts trying to expand their acting prowess by diving into these contrived afternoon “Lenten Specials”?

…

Fast forward to 2013 and I find myself in front of the TV, sitting through a priest’s sermon about the evils of secularism, controlling life, health, and population. In an apparent yearning for us to go back to as an Islamabad-type church state, overpopulated with people with all sort of dark age blight and illnesses which are easily cured by today’s medicine and reason.

That’s when I decided that I really should get myself out and shoot me some pretty pictures.

The Farm

If I wanted to capture the uneasy stillness I felt when I was a kid going to Buhi, the farm would be an awesome subject of choice. Referred by the locals as “Malayee”, it is a vast field of rice that connects the hills of Buhi to its town center. There are neither power-lines nor streetlamps, so people usually cross its narrow stretch of walkways during the day, and that’s why I decided to shoot it at dusk.

This is me having one of those “having my own farm would be awesome moments.”

Ducks! ducks everywhere!

And this is why I opted to shoot at dusk.

Almost regretted my decision after realizing how dark being in the middle of a farm could get.

 

Abandoned Resort

From what I remember, this was supposed to be a park of sorts for the people of Buhi that didn’t quite click. Abandoned and disregarded, it was left to be battered by the consistent torrential storms that cross our country.

The Procession

There is this ritual among the devotees, where they place illustrations and other nick-nacks all around town portraying Christ’s time from palm Sunday up-to the resurrection. What they do is go “tag” themselves along these shrines in sequence until they complete the journey…like a very, very slow version of “The Amazing Race”.  Now, these processions up the ante by turning said illustrations and nick-nacks into huge floats. They then parade all over town just like marde-gras, but with the fun expunged and replaced with feet shuffling and somberness.  And these parades can get crazy long too! It took me more than an hour just to get at the back of the thing.

The Blackouts

Boy, does this town have a problem with their power. But it too can be a boon if you just look up.

The Great Big Easter Surprise

This is the part where I give a big shout out to Cebu Pacific, thanking them for the 3 hours flight delay back to Manila.  I enjoyed every minute of that Easter day patiently waiting for more than 4 hours (because it was you guys who advised that we should be early for checking in to avoid the apparent hassle of being late for a flight). I did enjoy flying your non-air-conditioned craft during mid noon in this crazy heat, afterwards reshuffling my schedule that day to accommodate your fine service. I sure would like to do that again!

But with the Cebu Pacific guffaw aside, my short stay in Buhi reminded me of why I keep coming back. I have but explored a small part of this wonderful place due to time constraints. Something to look forward to when the time comes once again to pack my bags and carry on with my proud ancestral tradition of running away and doing my own “naka-buhi”.

Anawim

Anawim (Hebrew), “the poor who depend on the Lord for deliverance.” 

So I’m working on this pet project for Anawim,  a community for the abandoned elderly which was established by the Light of Jesus Community, headed by Bo Sanchez.  The idea for the project came to me a few months ago while on a trip to Dos Palmas, where I got to meet the preacher in blue jeans himself. I figured sharing my “mad photography skillz” to raise awareness of some sort for the community. I guess this was my little way of “giving back” for the awesomeness I’ve experienced during the previous year.

Ah 5:00 am, you cursed ungodly hour, we meet again.

The pilgrimage to Anawim took a good 3 solid hour commute. Dozing off along the way, I didn’t really get much detail on the trip itself. But, I did remember waking up to the sight of a cheap crematorium along the road, which services adults for php 7500 ($180) and children for php 4500 ($110). Not only did the kiosk style establishment fail to exude customer confidence in me, but the unsightly shirtless man guarding the front door didn’t do much to help with it either.

Are we there yet?

After a few more minutes of butt numbing commute and dozing on and off, we got to pass by Payatas. A low income housing project which, I’m not sure, is spearheaded by either the local government, Habitat for Humanity, or Gawad Kalinga. The history of Payatas (Payat sa Taas) is quite gloomy, being that it’s a community living off the garbage of the metropolis. But I’m seeing some pretty decent housing units which is good progress.  I should do a photo documentary of the place someday.

…and then there is Anawim.

The place was the size of a Resort Villa with the ambiance. It has an administration building alongside a clinic, a gazebo chapel, nippa huts, where I assumed are where the orderlies are staying, and the rows of good, solidly constructed houses for the elderlies which are much better to the ones in Payatas.

After a brief orientation we were divided into smaller groups for a more intimate tour of the place. Where, to no one’s surprise, I got separated from my group and got lost… AGAIN. Which was ok because I really didn’t need the pressure of having to catch up with my group as I took a look around and met with the elderlies by myself.

Now I don’t really want to give away too much of this little work in progress project of mine, but here’s a little sneak peak of what I have so far:

Of Family

It is strange that a culture such as ours which gives precedence to family can have a problem with the abandoned elderly. We live in a culture of extended families living under one roof. So it is very unnerving to delve in these elderlies stories of how they were simply forgotten.  It is a boon to them that there are people like Bo, and the volunteers of The Light of Jesus who are there to offer a helping hand.

First Photo Trek of 2013 – Wawa Dam

I have procrastinated long enough.

I know it’s a little late for those “new year” blogs, but the year went off to a very busy start for me. So, better late than never, I guess.

Last weekend, me and a couple of photography buddies decided to trek WAWA DAM in Montalban Rizal. For those who are not familiar with the place. Wawa dam, also known as Montalban dam, is a gravity dam constructed over the Marikina River. Apparently it was built around 1909 during the American Colonial era, and was the only source of water for Manila until they build the Angat Dam. It would take about three to four hours commute from Manila to get there. That’s Manila going to Marikina, and Marikina to Montalban, Rizal.

It’s really not that far, but feels that way when you notice the rural-ness of the surroundings, from the peaks resembling the sacred mountains of China (it was a foggy day), to the rickety bamboo bridges, and the tranquility emanating all throughout…

…until the karaoke version of gangnam style started blaring,  which pretty much ruined the moment.

There is a small village built above the dam which is easily accessible by trekking a flat surface trail…

…BUT getting to the dam itself is ANOTHER story.

I’ve researched some pictures of the dam on Google to know what to expect, but part of its beauty is its facets CHANGES over time. Gone are the bamboo bridges which are a boon to those like me who’ve never climbed rocks amidst raging dam water while lugging around my water allergic camera gears.

Yep, you read that right, ROCK CLIMBING amidst RAGING dam water. But with the pictures I got off it, it was dam worth it.

Here’s to an awesome 2013.

 

Canon Photomarathon 2012

There are a few things in life that would get me up at 4 in the morning, one was my own wedding, another is travel photography, and then there’s the annual Canon Photomarathon. 

I prepared my gear the night before, thinking that a photo marathon would entail a lot of walking. I decided to pack the essential street photography stuff I’m used to, so no tripod, no filters, no ultra wide angle lens, just my walk-around 28-135 with a CPL, and my ever so reliable 50mm.

Intramuros

Intramuros, the old Spanish walled fort was once again the venue for this year’s event. I came around the designated time of registry at 6:30 in the morning. After registration, we were given some cumbersome goodie bags filled with the usual knick-knacks such at caps, marketing paraphernalia, and the official canon red shirt that we were supposed to wear during the event. Now, there is a reason why you’d only want to wear freshly bought shirts during emergencies, and that’s because they stink much faster. And since this is a marathon composed of 2600 participants under the sweltering heat crammed inside a walled fort, you’d be getting yourself a sweat induced stink fest.

It’s a sea of red,  stinky, stinky red.

Equipment that if sold, could probably finance a small country.

Nobody knew at what time the event was going to start so I warmed up by going around, taking a few pot shots thinking that I might shoot myself lucky using the nice morning light. And since it was shot “on the day”, I wasn’t breaking any rules. “How brilliant of you”, I told myself, with all the enthusiasm and naiveté of a first time participant could exude.

And here we…GO.

Two Themes, 3 1/2 hours to complete. My plan of getting a pre-start lucky shot fell flat on its face when it was announced that we would need to change the date and time on our cameras to an obscure period in the future (2014), which means, all previously shot images before the change were not valid.

Demmit!

Alright, that’s not so bad. I had been doing some research prior to the event, learning as much as I can in regards to themes, pre-planning my locations efficiently, given that there is a time constraint. I was prepared for themes such as “love”, “circle”, and the unusually popular “national pride” that I have the pictures pre-composed inside my head. In other words, I did my homework.

And there was the first theme:

Enter the seven gates of Feudal Lords

The Stream of Imagination and 400 years unfolds,

Fortified from Strength

Of Distinguished and ever loyal subject

Is vibrant urban fabric of life.

Where colonial past reflect.

Uh.. So when did the photomarathon started being like the  Da Vinci Code?

After a few moments of pondering, I began to strategize. The obvious path is to go along with the rest of the 2600 participants and just shoot around Intramuros, which fits the theme in a cliché way. Given the look of some of the equipment they brought, from the assortment of lenses, tripods, and multiple bodies, packed around them like some army ranger on a trek, the cumbersome weight of their gears would probably prevent them from going far. And the staggering value of what they are carrying would probably deter them from going out to “scum town” like Binondo, Quiapo, and the unwashed district roads flowing throughout Manila.

It’s settled then, to the “ghetto” we go.

Shooting around Intramuros

I met this nice lady at the post office near Lawton on my way to Quapo. She’s quite friendly, showing us around her makeshift home at the post office itself.

A sad picture of people losing hope.

Another character I met in Binondo. Who gladly posed for a picture while enjoying his instant ramen.

Poorism

So I have the place, now what will I shoot. What has the “feudal lords” opened through their seven gates, that is around and has stirred our imagination for about 400 years, that has been fortified from strength through time, that requires “distinguished” and loyal subjects, which up to now is embedded deep in our urban fabric of life, still reflecting colonial past.

And I thought, “Religion”.

The nearest Church that was packed with interesting subjects to shoot is at Quiapo. I decided to tag along with members of Daan for safety reasons. But I soon realized that it would be better to just go by myself, which wasn’t that difficult because of my habit of getting lost when shooting with a group.

One of the shots I took while in Quiapo church. Some of the elements required from the theme are there… from the portals, to the loyal subjects. But the picture itself didn’t excite me that much.

My first instinct was to compose around church vicinity, but nothing really floored me in regards to the theme. Sure there were some aspects that could work but overall did not excite me, until I stumbled upon the fortune tellers. After a brief conversation, and fortunes read, I took some shots of our local gypsy while she worked the cards.

The shot I eventually chose for the first theme.

There is something about this layout that excited me, the “feudal horse”, the seven cups,  the imagination, the culture of mysticism that is passed on, “fortified” by each generation of fortunetellers, the colorful beliefs in the paranormal that is etched within our urban culture reflecting colonial past.

I think I have the shot.

After a quick breather, lunch, and refueling with cold Gatorade, the second theme was announced:

A Magical city that will shape our Future

With Nationalism embedded in our Culture

The heroic legacy of dungeons you will see

Gleaming with amber spectrum and Classic Beauty

Alright, same strategy. Shoot as far away as possible and shoot in monochrome, with the assumption that some Canon brand ambassador judges would prefer pictures in black and white.

The theme talks about a future metropolis, a potential utopia of some sort. It talks about nationalism, heroes, sacrifice and legacy which is immortalized in amber ( you know, the substance that fossilized prehistoric insects).

Two places popped in my mind after pondering on the theme. BGC, and Ayala Avenue. Both have monuments of heroic valor superimposed against gleaming works of architecture, both are less than an hour commute from Intramuros, And both are notoriously selfish with people taking pictures within their district, but one is a ghost town during weekends, and one is buzzing with security.

So Ayala it is.

Found this guy while on the hunt for shot number 2.

I was trudging along, dead tired, dehydrated from the heat, that I made my way to Ayala. My initial plan of shooting the Ninoy Monument was disappointing due to poor lighting. “So now what?”, I said to myself. I didn’t have enough time to try BGC, so I guess I’ll just keep moving forward.

And then it rained, which is good, not only because I got to cool down, but the lighting was perfect for the second shot I’ve stumbled upon.

This is the new building I was trying to superimpose Ninoy to but given up due to bad lighting before the rain. Who would’ve known that there was another “heroic” statue of Lapu-Lapu just in front of it? So I knelt, feeling the wet ground on my knee, looked up, and took the shot. And there was entry number 2.

My shot for the second theme.

 The long wait

Under normal circumstances I would have enjoyed the pre-show overtures before they announced the winners. But after spending the whole day running around under the sun wearing a stinky shirt, I really want to get this over and done with. One of the things that kept my spirits up is when they began unloading the prizes, one of which is a brand spankin’ new 5dmark3. The gear queer in me just HAD to stay. I even imagined winning it for myself and then doing some sort of unboxing and video review here, and it would not even violate any self-imposed parameters I gave myself as being the “thrifty photographer” because It’s FREE! How thriftier can you get?

So after the few hour long preambles they finally announced the finalists.

And guess what? I’m going home with NOTHING but an idea for my next blog entry! Huzzah!

Sannova…

I wish I could have been more of a gracious loser like Paquiao in his previous KO fight with Marquez, I really do. But during that time I’m really just too tired to care for the ones who made it in the finals that I left along with the begrudged thousand other participants who walked out before the event ended. Very classy of me, I know.

Looking back, I should have practiced what I preached and simplified my strategy. It was a mistake to attack head on a convoluted theme with a much more highfalutin interpretation. It was a mistake to even go out of Intramuros, because most of the finalist’s shots were captured WITHIN Intramuros. And by looking at their pictures, I don’t even think the theme mattered that much, nor the time the picture was taken. I guess they just wanted some nice looking stock photos to be used as promotional materials, a sort of x deal for using the venue. All speculations from a bitter loser.

Sigh, I guess that’s the universe’s way of telling me that It rather I worked my ass off and PAY for that 5d mark 3…

… and I could always try again next year. 🙂