Kinabalu National Park

I met with May earlier today at Ayala mall to talk about our planned climb in Mt. Kinabalu. I had already booked Laban Rata and Mesilau last May for supposedly this month’s climb but we had to cancel it as Jeovy still had problems with her lost passport. June was our best chance to climb Kinabalu as the airfare at Air Asia was very cheap at that time. We moved it back to August to give time Jeovy to process her passport. Jeovy has now got her passport but now the problem is that May can’t make it on August as she’s got a scheduled training and can’t file a vacation leave. She’s asking if we can move it back to September or next year.

I checked Air Asia’s website and the fares for September is much expensive compared to July or August flight schedules.

It makes me sad and a li’l depressed thinking that we might not push through with the climb this year. I’m definitely all set to go no matter what it takes. This is one of things I’m really looking forward this year and I really hate getting disappointed.

I don’t mind if I don’t get to buy a new DSLR camera this year as long as I get to climb Mt. Kinabalu this year. I dunno I hope I’ll get to talk to Jeovy soon so we can sort and plan this out again.

I’ve been thinking the past few weeks if I should go to Bacolod City or not. I was supposed to go there last May 20th right after my trip in Dumaguete City but after getting sick I had to return back home and cancel my road trip. Then me, May and Jeovy made plans of climbing Mt. Kanlaon this month. I thought I had a good chance of visiting the place again but then the plan got cancelled as our schedules just didn’t fit.

Last weekend I finally pushed through with my plans. I didn’t mind if I had to go there alone. I could no longer wait another month or week to be there.

I planned to leave as early as 5am last Saturday for Toledo City but then I woke up 5:55am in my watch as I slept late that night while trying to update my photos in Flickr. I was able to leave the house around 7am. I then proceeded to Citilink terminal to take a VHire going to Toledo city. The trip from Cebu City to Toledo City took about 2hrs via Manipis road. I arrived in Toledo City a few minutes past 9am and was just in time for the fastcraft that was leaving for San Carlos City at about 930am.

San Carlos City port

The boat trip took almost 1hr and 30 mins. I arrived in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental around 11am and directly proceeded to the bus terminal to take another Vhire that would take me from San Carlos City to Bacolod City via the scenic Don Salvador Benedicto route.

It takes about 2hrs and 20 mins. of travel to get to Bacolod City via Don Salvador Benedicto route. This is the fastest route compared to the San Carlos-Escalante-Bacolod City route which takes approximately 3.5 hrs.

I arrived in Bacolod City past 1pm. This is the 7th time I’ve been to this city and the most I have visited so far. I checked in at Bascon hotel where I was staying for my very short trip. I decided to stay in Bascon as it was just walking distance from the city plaza, central market, San Sebastian Cathedral and other establishments where I planned to do some photoshoots.

San Sebastian Cathedral

The weather last Saturday was not great however for taking pictures as the sky was overcast. I was only able to take a few shots in the Cathedral and city plaza. Oh well, taking pictures was not the main reason I was there. I was primarily there to visit a friend whom I haven’t seen for almost a year. Photoshoot was only secondary to keep me away from boredom.

What I like about this trip was that I finally got to explore this city. Unlike in the past I had to take a cab when going from one place to another when outside Lacson St and other major roads. This time I forced myself to take the jeepney even if I was not sure where it was going. I realized that their PUJ routes are actually very easy to remember and most of them pass by the Central Market so I have point of reference.

I was not able to take much pictures but I was able to accomplish what I had set out to do in Bacolod. I’m not sure if I should visit this place again anytime soon but who knows I might just change my mind again.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
by Jack Johnson

I was sitting, waiting, wishing
You believed in superstitions
Then maybe you would see the signs
But lord knows that this world is cruel
And I ain’t the lord no I’m just a fool
Learning loving somebody
Don’t make them love you
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you?
Must I always be playing, playing your fool?

I sang your songs I danced your dance
I gave your friends all a chance
But putting up with them
Wasn’t worth never having you
Maybe you’ve been through this before
But it’s my first time so please ignore
The next few lines because they’re directed at you
I can’t always be waiting, waiting on you
I can’t always be playing, playing your fool

I keep playing your part
But it’s not my scene
Want this plot to twist
I’ve had enough mystery
You keep building it up
But then you’re shooting me down
But I’m already down
Just wait a minute
Just sitting, waiting
Just wait a minute
Just sitting, waiting

Well if I was in your position
I’d put down all my ammunition
I’d wonder why it had taken me so long
But lord knows that I’m not you
And if I was I wouldn’t be so cruel
Because waiting on love
Ain’t so easy to do
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you?
Must I always be playing, playing your fool?

My long weekend was fully jampacked. Saturday afternoon we went on another photoshoot together with Estan, el merotti and markiiboi at Cordova. The 4 of us met up again at Bo’s Coffee in IT park (Bo’s is now our official headquarters for Flickr meet) around 430pm. It was Markiiboi’s turn to be late. We left around 5pm for Cordova. Farl and adlaw were already waiting for us when we arrived at Day-as. It was supposed to be a sunset photoshoot but we were already kinda late when we got there as we got stuck in the traffic in Basak. Although the sun was no longer visible the view was still great for photo ops. It was my first time to be there and I have to say the place is beautiful.

My 2 pairs of batteries died out on me and I was only able to take a few shots..yeah, it was a total bummer! It seems like my batteries are leaking as I fully recharged it a couple of days before our photoshoot and this is not first time this happened to me the last 3 or 4 weeks. I spent the rest of the evening watching Estan, Elmer and Mark taking shots as Farl and Adlaw went home ahead of us.

We finished our photoshoot in Cordova at around 8pm and the 4 of us decided to have dinner at Mactan Marina mall. We had some grilled squid and fish at Tsibogs. The food was not exactly great but the company was. It’s great to be with people with the same interests as mine as I get to talk about the things like. I also get to learn from them as well.

As if the photoshoot in Cordova was not enough we proceeded to the 2nd Mactan-Mandaue bridge for another photoshoot after we had our dinner. We were certainly not dissapointed as the shadows and lighting under the bridge were splendid. Estan, Elmer and Markiiboi were able to take great shots under the bridge as they were able to set their cameras with long exposure. I can only wish that time I have a DSLR so I can set my camera in manual mode. Estan and Elmer kept teasing me that I should get DSLR real soon. Well, my urge to buy a DLSR real soon just got stronger I have to say.

Around 1030pm we ended our photoshoot in Mactan and headed back to Bo’s so we could get home and rest. We were shooting again in the morning for another sunrise chase at 5am at the 1st Mactan-Mandaue bridge.

I got home almost midnight and was pretty tired after all the activities that we did that day. I set my alarm to ring at around 4am but I was too tired that night that I didn’t get to hear it. It was a good thing that Markiiboi called me up. It was already 430am when he called. I hurriedly took a bath and rode a taxi going to Bo’s. They were already all waiting for me. We hurriedly set off for Mactan as we didn’t wanna miss the sunrise. Farl also came and another member Clark Jr also showed up. It was fun meeting another new member of the Cebu-sugbo group. We’re definitely growing. Before it just used to be me, Farl, adlaw, 2rokbo2y, Gerald, Benjie, estan, Elmer and Jenny but now new faces are showing up. Markiiboi, kangkong and Clark Jr have now joined the group’s photoshoots.

Too bad Estan has now gone back to Manila. The 4 of us me, Estan, Elmer and Markiiboi were shooting like there’s no tomorrow. In a span of one week we met 4 times for photoshoot and photoshop sessions which was really fun. Hmm, I wonder when we could do this again…

Cordova Sunset
Photo by wantet

Pinamungahan beach
Photo by wantet

Right after our sunrise photoshoot last Sunday in Liloan and Danao I went straight to citilink terminal to meet up with Sherill and left for Toledo City. I don’t know what got into my head that I just agreed to go there despite the fact I know there’s really not much to see in Toledo. I dunno I guess I just needed some sort of a break and I was a bit depressed with the results of my wedding pictures the day before.

Being in Toledo brought back a lot of memories to me. Toledo was my gateway to Bacolod City. Seeing the boat leaving for San Carlos city gave me this urge to buy a ticket and board the boat. Negros was just a boat ride away.

We waited for Maal in the bus terminal to pick us up as she was already in Toledo the day before. We then took our lunch and decided to look for a good beach to hang out and relax. Since we were not so familiar where the beaches in Toledo were, we asked the motorcyle driver to bring us to a nice or decent beach resort. We didn’t know the beach he was bringing us was already in Pinamungahan, the town next to Toledo down south.

Maal in the beach
Photo by wantet

Well there aren’t really good beaches in Toledo nor in Pinamanguhan. The beaches have dark soil and does not really look very appealing like in Bantayan or Moalboal. The only great thing there is that the resorts are not priced highly. We were able to get a decent room for overnight stay for only PhP400. Certainly cheap compared to the other resorts I’ve been to and it’s already for the 3 of us.

I really had no plans of staying overnight as I didn’t brought anything except for my camera, tripod and 1 extra shirt but Maal and Sherill were egging me to stay. It was not really that bad though. I was able to do things which I never had done before. It was an adventure trip with no clear plans whatsoever but it still turned out great.

Flickr – cebu/sugbo meet
Photo by estan

The Cebu-Sugbo Flickr group was celebrating it’s 1st year anniversary and what better way to celebrate but to meet up and shoot sunrise pictures.

The group met up at Bo’s Coffee Club in IT park around 4am last Sunday, June 4. There were 5 of us who showed up in Bo’s. Me, estan, el merotti, benjieordonez, and markiiboi. 2rokbotoy made a last minute decision of not going with us as he had a change of plans.

Gerald Yuvallos woke up late so we picked him in his house and then set off to the north to chase the sunrise. It was already 5am when we started our sunrise chase. The sun was slowly creeping in. Benjie concentrated in driving so we can get to Lilo-an in time for the sunrise. As soon as we arrived in Lilo-an we looked for a good spot to shoot, parked the car, setup the tripods and began shooting.

Liloan Sunrise
Photo by wantet

The sky was overcast which was quite disadvantageous for me as my camera is very dependent on the sun and light. Anyhow I was able to take a few shots. Gerald lent me his Canon SLR camera so I grabbed the chance and used up all the 24 shots on the film.

From Liloan we headed to Danao to shoot in the market. We had so many willing subjects in Danao. There were kids swimming in the pier and they were definitely not camera shy. They posed for us and gave us their smiles willingly.

I always look forward to photoshoots as I get to learn many things and tips from the more experienced photographers. It was certainly worth it waking up early in the morning.

Till the next photoshoot..

The June Bride and Groom
Photo by wantet.

When my very close friend, Charlotte, asked me last month if I can take pictures of her sister’s wedding I was very excited as I’ve never tried doing this before. Although they have hired an official photographer for the wedding they wanted me to take pictures still so these can be compiled and shown as a slideshow during the wedding reception. Well, they know I love taking pictures.

Shooting pictures in a wedding is certainly not easy. My first experience at it last Saturday was disastrous! The wedding was held in Redemptorist Church. The wedding mass started at around 9am. I arrived at the Church around 815 am as I did not want to be late and miss the wedding procession.

As soon as I entered the Church and saw the bridesmaids, groomsmen and some of the Major sponsors of the wedding I became quite nervous. I was hesistant to open my backpack and get my camera to start taking pictures. I only got a cheap Canon Powershot A400 camera which is a point and shoot camera with 3.2 Megapixels of resolution. Certainly not a DLSR or a high end camera with great features. I told myself that if only I had a nicer camera I would not be ashamed to display it.

I tried searching for my friend in the Church and when I saw her I was a bit relieved. I took out my camera and tried doing some test shots with her and her little cousins just to get a feel of it. Then little by little I started taking pictures of the people around while waiting for the bridal procession to start.

The June Bride
Photo by wantet

I positioned myself in the middle aisle of the Church so I can take pictures of the bridal entourage. It was then I realized that it was not easy to shoot as you do not have enough time to compose. Some walk down aisle pretty fast that before I could find a good angle to shoot they have already walked past by me. Although I have set my camera to continuous mode shooting it was loading really slow. I had to wait until it could finish processing before I can take another shot. As a result I was not able to take a shot of everybody in the entourage. Aside from this, lighting was a major problem for me as well. As I checked the histogram of the pictures I took they were a bit dark.

During the mass I felt awkward taking pictures or going near the altar to take pictures of the bride and groom as I did not want to catch any attention. For most part I just tried taking sidelight pictures. Right after the ceremonial mass ended then came the traditional wedding pictorials. It was a good thing that the official Photographer they took, Alex Atillo, was someone I knew from Flickr. I stood beside him so I can take advantage of the strobe lighting. I was able to take a few decent shots that time.

We then went straight to City Sports Club for the reception. Since the venue was really dark I took out my tripod from my backpack to avoid getting blurry pictures as my hands are not that steady. It was then I realized that it was useless as I left the screws at home. I could not mount the camera on the tripod as I forgot the screws. I could only sigh in disbelief and disgust that I left it behind.

I became worried. Charlotte’s mom asked me to take pictures of their guests in the “hall of fame” poster. I took their pictures but I was not happy with the results. The pictures were a bit blurry if not really blurred. I tried not minding it and just kept shooting.

After the reception was officially over Charlotte’s mom and aunts asked me to take some family pictures as Alex already left. It was some sort of a reunion for their family as some of them are no longer living here in Cebu. I was not confident taking their pictures as there was not enough lights inside the venue and my tripod was useless but I went on and just tried to hope my pictures were going come out fine.

The Maids of Honor
Photo by wantet

I went home eager to see the results of my photos only to get disappointed with the results after I transferred it to my PC. A number of my pictures were out focus, blurry and too dark. I was really disappointed with myself. I felt that I let my friend down. I was the only one who was able to take picture of their family after the reception so those pictures were very important to them.

There were some pictures that came out okay but I don’t how to break it to my friend that the family pictures I took after the reception are no good at all. It made me depressed thinking about that night.

Wedding pictures are hard to take because it’s unpredictable. There’s not much time to set up and compose. You just have to keep on shooting. One of the lessons I learned after this shoot was that to check your gear and equipment to ensure you have not left anything behind. It is also important to check if all the camera settings are correct. I forgot to change the White Balance Setting in my camera from Fluorescent to AWB and paid highly for it as the colors really came out bad. Argghhh!!! My bad!!

I’m not sure if I’ll shoot wedding pictures again but if ever I do I should learn from my mistakes if I want to improve. It also helps to have the right camera and equipment.