Capture the Moment

As photographers, we are given the task to "Capture the Moment". But what is a moment? It has nothing to do with time. It is about being in the present. When you are fully absorbed in that "Now".

"Eternity isn’t some later time. Eternity isn’t even a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is that dimension of here and now that all thinking in temporal terms cuts off. " - Joseph Campbell

Peer into the viewfinder of your camera, it is dark in there, save for that little box which is your window to the world outside. Inside your viewfinder there are focus points and whichever focus point you pick and aim towards an object you will see that the object nearest that focus point will be clear and sharp, hence the term "in focus". While the rest of the picture will fade away in the background. Again breathe, focus, click the shutter and time will stop and that moment will be captured forever.

As in the cacophony of our daily lives we too can be in focus, stop time and live in the moment. Without dwelling on the past and worry about the mysterious future.

Stand on a corner of a busy street and watch as cars pass by, honking their horns. Observe the people rushing on to the street, talking, shouting. There is a certain chaos. Breathe deeply and slowly and focus on one point on the street, be it a person or a red fire hydrant, focus on it while being aware of your breathing. In a brief moment your mind will be calm, time will stop and the world will be in focus. Blink! You have just captured the moment.

By having your mind free of thoughts your photos will flow with life itself.

"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free Stay centered by accepting
whatever you are doing, This is the ultimate" -- Zen Saying

Tip: Pick your focus points carefully, study your subjects whether it is a person, a rock or a flower. The correct focus point can make or break a picture and will even affect exposure. When taking portraits, a good rule of thumb is to focus on the eyes. The eyes are the window into the soul and thus will let your images speak for themselves.

Paraiso

I have been fortunate last night, to have been able to take intimate photographs of the concert of a great Filipino composer and all around musical genius, Maestro Ryan Cayabyab. It was always one of my dreams to be able to shoot concerts or musicals up close, last night was the first step and I loved every bit of it.

It was a really great experience. The new singing group of Maestro Ryan after his previous hit group the Smokey Mountain was amazing. They are dubbed the RCS (Ryan Cayabyab Singers). Classics from the maestro, new compositions, "Kundiman", Christmas and some "APO" songs have been sung as well.


Stephanie Reese stunned the crowd with her soprano voice and dynamic performance. She starred in Miss Saigon in Germany, played Esmeralda in Disney's World premiere of "The hunchback of Notre dame" she also played the Princess Tuptim in "The King and I" in London among others.

Her journey from the spotlight of the stage, to a powerful voice for the slums of the Philippines, warms the heart.

The most important thing of course last night are the plight of my countrymen who have found new homes and rebuilt their lives through the generosity of a group called Gawad Kalinga . It is a touching tribute knowing that the private sector has more impact than the government in building homes for the poor. There is still work to be done and the best part is... we could help.

I will let Maestro Ryan's lyrics tell us the story of the plight of the homeless in the Philippines and all over the world.

Excerpt from the song Paraiso, sung by Smokey Mountain, lyrics by Ryan Cayabyab


I live in this land called paraiso,
In a house made of cardboard floors and walls.
I learned to be free in paraiso,
Free to claim anything I see.
Matching rags for my clothes,Plastic bags for the cold.
And if empty cans were all I have, what a joy.
I never fight to take someone else's coins
and live with fear like the rest of the boys.

Paraiso, help me make a stand.
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
That if I could see a single bird, what a joy.
This tired and hungry land could expect
Some truth and hope and respect
From the rest of the world.






























Proud to be Pinoy!

Additional pictures on my site, sorry if there is no direct link.

go to www.sachivillareal.net
enter the wedding site
navigate to the: featured gallery tab

Photo Tip: In low light situations such as concerts, you will need a fast lens and a camera capable of producing clean images at a high ISO. So I took out my trusty 5D and my fast telephoto lens Canon's venerable 135 F2 to get the shots. I needed the fast lens and high ISO to get my shutter speed to the point that I can stop the motion of the performing artists and also to prevent camera shake from my long telephoto.

Setting: Camera set on manual f2.0 at 160/Sec ISO 1600

Spirit of Place

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom - Greek Proverb

For an artist, the world is his palette, and adventure his brush. We all yearn for a little adventure in our lives, the sense of something new excites us. We are all born to a life of adventure. The moment we got out of our mothers womb, we are introduced to the sights, sounds, smells and touch of the world. Everything is new, everything is exciting.

But when we grow older this excitement takes a backseat, we engulf ourselves in the monotonous currents of our lives and the simple joys become mundane. We want something bigger, we strive for something better and we work very hard for it, then we get tired of working, then it is back to square one. Our sense of wonder does not go away, it is just under there somewhere tucked under the covers.

Let's get away, pick a favorite place you have always dreamed of going, take your camera and capture life.

How do we capture the Spirit of a Place? By taking a pause, breathe and Feel the gentle breeze of the ocean. Listen to the music played on the street, Smell the wonderful aroma from that little french kitchen, Gaze upon the giant monoliths of the Swiss alps and Laugh with the people who live in there. This is the spirit of the place, by being one with your environment. After you absorb all that, then and only then can you take the picture.

With all your senses heightened and your sense of wonder back in you, you will unleash your creative self and with the camera stop time and capture life's essence. It is with deep passion can our photographs be alive. Like our mothers cooking made with patient preparation, the right ingredients and gentle care can the food be so memorable.

Try taking a picture of a mountain at sunrise, wake up early, prepare your gear, visualize your shot and find your spot. Once there listen to sounds of the birds and the smell of the morning dew and once the sun finally kiss those peaks you will feel a joy so profound it is beyond words and then breathe, compose and press the shutter.

The rich and varied journey of life, encompassing all opposites, connecting all things.
The Great Journey is full of blessings for the person who has eyes to see. Tao - The Great Way.

Tip: When taking pictures of your travels, tell a story. Think of how the story begins and how it will end. You can start with photos of you at the airport and end it walking away from the camera at a beach at sunset.

A good story needs a good backdrop to work with, grab your tripod and wide angle lens and take pictures of the place, the mountains, the monuments. Zoom in and grab the details that make the place unique. Vary your angles, shoot at different times of the day. Night shots of city lights, sunsets at the beach or the drama of the rainy day. A good rule of thumb when shooting landscapes is to be mindful of the horizon and that it is horizontally straight and shoot with a smaller aperture.

A good story will need actors, so take photos of the people in that area, learn their customs so you could shoot them in their environment. Use a long lens and be invisible, in that way they can act naturally. Once you get a good rapport with them, take a closer more intimate portrait to emphasize their eyes and face, which in themselves tell their own story.


And lastly don't forget to enjoy the moment.

The Tipping Point

I am taking a break today and not talk about Photography for a second.

I wanted to take this time to relish this moment in history, when America voted its first African-American President in the true sense of the word. Although I am not a citizen of this country, I feel indebted to it because it has provided me with a lot of opportunities and memories.

I have to admit, if I could vote I would've voted for the old warrior John McCain, because being a martial artist all my life I do have an affinity for the warrior and the code that embodies a warrior. But there was no question change is coming. It all pointed to it, 911, the Iraq war, the failed Bush administration and the worse economic downturn since the great depression. A Tipping point has been reached. All that is needed is a catalyst to facilitate that change.

Tipping points are "The levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.

- Malcolm Gladwell, from his book, The Tipping Point.

Back home in the Philippines in 1983, after years of brutal dictatorship under Ferdinand Marcos, the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino, the killings of innocent lives and the suppression of freedom. The country had its Tipping Point. Masses of people stormed the streets, stood against the might of the government and eventually toppled it. They clamored for change and they got it.

Last night was the same it was a people powered revolution, albeit in a more civil and peaceful way. Americans young and old, black and white got in line in record numbers to cast their vote. Red states were turned blue as the evening moved on. The change was underway.

Obama's strategist recognized that the Tipping point is almost upon us. Like Clinton's slogan on his campaign "It's the economy stupid"! Obama's rally cry was "Hope and Change" and it worked, he made the people understand his message and the strategy was perfect.

What started as Rev. Martin Luther King's dream culminated last night and it was a moment to remember.

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

America truly is now, a country of Red, White and Blue. White being…"The absence of color".

Perception

Some of you might have seen this picture already. For those of you who have not, please indulge me and let's play a game. Here goes, what is your first impression when you take a look at the picture?

tick..tock..tick..tock..brnngg time's up!

Ok, you got your impressions by now I assume. This is a classic optical illusion of an old woman or young woman image. There is really no right or wrong answer here, it all depends on how you perceive the image.

I ended my previous article with the phrase "Master the rules, before you break them". In photography once you master the technical aspects of it (aperture, shutter speed, exposure, reciprocal rule, composition etc.) then you can now move to the next step. Break the rules and try to find your own vision.

Because in photography as in any creative pursuit, there really are no rules. It is all based on how we perceive the world, and for each and everyone of us, it is unique. The only thing that hinders us from that process of freedom is the environment we belong to or the belief system of that era.

From infancy, we collect, correlate, and learn to transmit sensory data. The sum of these impressions make up our mind's internal model of the reality around us. With maturity, value judgments replace sensory data as primary factors determining our regard for someone or some thing. - from the book, The Warrior's Edge

Remember that before Columbus set sail for the new world, the belief system of that time was that the world is flat (thanks to Thomas Friedman, the world is flat again!) and that the horizon is the edge of the world. That is why fishermen or seafarers of that time hugged the coast for the fear of falling off the earth. So Columbus set sail, broke the rules and the rest is history.

This is more important now more than ever since here in the digital age we can access a library of thousands upon thousands of photographs and we can only ask ourselves, how can our photos look unique?

Tip:
When taking a picture of say a toy, try to resist the urge to take the same pictures you see on the postcards or the hundreds of the same photos you see on the web. Instead let your mind be free and capture the picture the way your mind and heart tells you to.

from this



to this