White On White

One of my favorite colors --- White

My ONLY favorite lighting technique -- Using Available light ---> God's Light 

  [also the title of my FIRST blog entry]

Combining my favorite things together - I Like.   This portrait is a result of such a combination.

Used color negative film here, had a print done, had that print scanned 
- ergo - this JPEG.

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Unrequited Love ??

UAAP Fighting Maroon Mike Silungan LOVES basketball.  That's a no-brainer.  He's one of UP's best too.  Last year, his team did not win a single game.  "Heartbroken" cannot even begin describe what the Maroons felt after every single game.  I watched all their matches.

The first time I noticed Silungan's tattoo I immediately tried to capture it in a photo.  A close up pic would have been more interesting, but this one was OK for me, the pic showing Silungan and Woody Co, with head bowed, after another defeat.

Only when I had viewed it on my desktop had I been able to read the text in the tattoo,  "For The Love Of The Game" - It read.  If the "Game" was his girlfriend, then he would be the most Loving, Loyal, Faithful, Romantic partner one could ask for - even proclaiming his devotion in the form of a tattoo.

To say Mike Silungan loved basketball, but basketball did not love him back 

[as in unrequited love] would be silly, uncalled for, and even cruel. There's no such thing as a "game loving or not loving a person".  The Fighting Maroons just need to keep the faith, recruit a couple of more guys of Silungan's calibre, make the necessary adjustments, up the ante -- and it'll be just a matter of time before they rid themselves of the ghosts of Season 73. 

And that time is fast approaching. 

UAAP Season '74 Kicks of on July 10.

[and take note, in the pic, Silungan's head is unbowed]

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Seeing Green and Feeling the Pain

Father and Daughter

That is the title of this entry [one of several] [on-line category] to the last UAAP Photo Contest, concluded last March.  What eventually happened was a case where an athlete's misfortune turned into cash, for me, a photographer.  The said entry won Third Place.

The JPEG shows Raoul Recto carrying his daughter, Robbie, away from the diamond after she took a bad fall during the UE-La Salle UAAP softball match at U.P. Diliman, early 2011. This supportive young dad watches all of Robbie's games.  [I'm glad to have met him along the way].  Those were painfully excrutiating moments for Robbie, and anxious ones for Raoul.  Father and team mates promptly attended to the injury while I tried to get photos of Robbie, in pain - even took a few of her injured ankle.  But before that, I ASKED Raoul FIRST, if it was OK to do so. He said yes.  A week or so later, I E-mailed Raoul ALL the pics I took of that incident.  [Fortunately, Robbie's injury was managed].

It is never my intention to take undue advantage of other people's misfortunes per se.  Yes, the unexpected happens in sports.  I photojournalise it - before, during, and after matches, on and of the courts, fields, and dug outs - whenever, wherever.  I'm certainly NOT perfect, and have made bad judgements - but I always try to exercise tact and discretion, among other things, when I shoot.

P.S.

A friend of mine quipped, the DAY AFTER I encashed the check I won.  "Pre, Sana binigyan mo ng BALATO si Mr. Recto o si Robbie, maski papaano.  Ano ba'ng ginawa mo sa prize money ??" 

I answered "Galing sa bangko, dumiretso ako sa Park Square at bumili ako ng isang Nike Dri-Fit,

isang Adidas Clima-Cool, yoong  "Call of Duty - Black Ops", kasi nawala ko ang kopya ko, at yoong "Mortal Combat" para sa PS ko.  Tamamg-tama, kakarelease lang kahapon."

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