The Fourth Is Now With Us

October 8, Saturday

Ateneo Campus,  Loyola Heights

Fireworks and Friendly Faces

{The Beauty [and challenge] of Manual Photography and Using Available Light }

- Pictures are RANDOMLY arranged -

As a journalist I never alter my photos.
[ I don't even have Adobe installed in my computers]

I do tweak [enhance] them - contrast, hue, midtones, cropping -
[but that's about it] using only Windows Picture Manager [comes with Office].

No filters nor flash here, just technique [diskarte].

 

 --- The Fourth Is Now With Us ---
Gotta See It To Believe It.

--- A Kiss is a Kiss is a Kiss ---
Sam YG gets one from Jaz.

I heard Nike sponsored the whole set up [ lights, audio and all] for the night.

--- Payong Kaibigan ---

--- Angelica, Sandra , and Momo [Monique] ---

--- Death First ---

Did I get that right ?  Congrats  to the Badminton Team !

--- Rookie of the Year ---

--- The Big Fella ---

--- The First and Second placers on Wet T-Shirt contest ---
Yup, there were only two contestants.

--- Take Three ---

This is the third photo of these two High Schoolers in my blog.

These girls have their posse photo [taken at the Araneta]

[they were a fivesome]  posted on my Finals Game 1 blog entry.

 --- The Man of Few Words, Emman Monfort, utters a final few ---

 I remember, as clear as though it was just yesterday, Kirk's first two field goal attempts as a rookie [It was vs DLS, Season 70, July, 2007] which were

air balls.  I also remember how the DLS gallery mockingly jeered those misses.

 It has been a Long 5 years Kirk -- You've persevered and performed, probably way beyond your potential -- And you did get the Biggest Laugh in the last four where you won the Gold for the Blue and White.

Team Ateneo had Faith in you from the very start --

As the whole Ateneo Community did, and still do, now that you're moving on.

 The Finals MVP, Nico Salva, makes a BOLD Promise.

Slaughter Man Greg, for Salva's promise to come true you need suit up again next Season 75 !!

_____

That October evening, I managed to find a spot on the platform where the audio and lighting people were set up.  'Twas just too damn crowded everywhere else.  Even nearly fell.  On the platform, there was barely enough space too, [as expected] since there were a couple of kids and two photogs, Arvin Lim and a lady photog.  The drizzle was a real bummer, umbrellas were cropping up everywhere, obstructing the view of the stage. Managable enough, I thought, at least I brought my telephoto lens.

Then, I thought -- two kids crowding my front -- why not ask them to turn and face me ? -- got my wide angle lens -- 2 Clicks -- Presto ! -- My first two real good photos of the night ! 

Thing is,  absolutely LOVE crafting images like this. What might seem as a lucky, even random shot is really a smartly executed ad-hoc portrait of two 3rd Graders.  Their names are Lucas and [damn, forgot his nickname !]. 

Absolutely no flash here - Tent lighting bright enough [fortunately],

backlighting spilling from the stage area even brighter [great !!].

Yup, the Force [Meralco] was definitely with me that night.

Then I turned and photographed the other kids

behind me. Maybe not as cool as the

Lucas and friend photo -  but good enough for me.

--- Nathan ---

Nathan may not grow as tall as Greg Slaughter but

if if learns to play as well as Kiefer Ravena, [and enroll at Ateneo]

he just might end up being cheered as a champion on the

 Bigger Stage someday.

Who knows.


--- Now, come the bigger kids ---

---Two exceptions to my rule ---
Photo above and below were taken with flash

I absolutely HATE having to use flash, BUT certain situations warrant it.

On my way to the Ateneo Grade School Grounds, this is the first group of Ateneans I photographed.  They were hanging out [drinking up] some distance from the parking lot where most people were.

Below are Rick Olivares and Ryan Buenafe [last Season 73's Finals MVP] 

with some friends. Buenafe is not as overweight as some people 

have obviously exaggerated.  He looks very trim.

Are you eyeing a Five-Peat, Ryan ?

--- And now, back to regular available light photography ---

--- Benjo ---

--- Ang Sarap Maging Atenista ---

Ateneo de Manila Director for Alumni Relations, Romy Dalandan

with colleague Marko Caluag.

On my way out with Rick, bumped into
Gwynn, Von, Tonito, Bacod, and BJ and took my last photo .
Good Times !!!

I want to cap this entry with a wholesome
image of these two 3rd Graders.

Future Blue Eagle Champions ?
Why Not ?

brosi gonzales

P.S.

There are no repeated postings of the same photo in this blog entry, as what might appear to be, at first glance.  When shooting some of the group photos,  my camera was on motor drive.

All JPEGs in this entry, as in ALL my entries, are compressed files.  My raw JPEGs go as high as 

8.50 MB in size, which are impractical to post.

I used a low-end Nikon and a high-end Canon digital SLR that evening.