Portraits

Portraits are powerful representations of ourselves. I am trying to create powerful portraits from ordinary photographs. Below is a portrait of my uncle, my father's brother. The one in color is the original take. The one in black and white is my post-process work.




















I would like to hear your mind. Please post your comments also. Thank you all...

Wedding with storm Caloy

May 2006...

So what do you do if a big storm is up and signal #2 is raised? Hmmn, why not get married? Not a bad idea after all...

Ooops! Green?

Finally, the kiss!

Well, Joji and I enjoyed the job as well. We got wet and tired but it was fun. God bless this couple...

Kite flying lessons

• Achieve flight and have no fear. Master the heights and go for success.

• The higher you go, the more chances you will be alone. Prepare then to be strong and independent.

• To soar high, the wind must be right.

• And after all the heights and successes, the string must be held firmly by the Master to keep you balanced and aloft. Do not desire to be free and out of His hand.
  

kite fying in Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Ordinary beauty

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1Th 5:18


Sometimes, beauty can easily be ignored when everything is clearly visible. The ordinary always escapes us. Maybe we just do not have enough time to care. This is probably why we neglect the people around us, taking them for granted. We only enjoy our toys for a very brief period of time. We cannot appreciate the sunshine if it is a hot day. We hate the rain as well! We cannot appreciate the air we breathe. We do not respond to a relative in need but we can always give something when he dies. The list can go on. A little creativity is sometimes needed just to make things a little more attractive for us.



Would it be possible then that we train ourselves to see the beauty that is so ordinarily around us everyday? Will the world be a better place if we can give thanks to God for the ordinary things in life, appreciating them for all the worth they really are of.



I like the photograph at the left. But this serves as a reminder that it is still the same ordinary, ignored, taken for granted, glass of juice photographed above. 

Mount Pinatubo from above

Going back to the Philippines from Hong Kong is a pleasant two-hour trip. It is mostly uneventful and sleep is sometimes the best way to relax. However, this sight of Mount Pinatubo is something to behold. There is already a beautiful lake where the active crater once was. But mind the traveller, the water is full of harsh elements and is very dangerous to the human body. Looking at the photos I took, you still can see the white lahar area. It is beautiful from above but some time ago, it was a monster volcano spewing out tons and tons of debris from inside the earth! An example of earth vomit.



Sometimes, situations put us in positions where we cannot see beauty but difficulty. It may take a while, and a different angle of view, to see beauty out of the situations we are in. Remember Pinatubo, the previous roaring volcano now seen as a serene and beautiful lake.