Need More Films

I need more films! But the thing is I’m broke right now. Haha! That is the downside of doing analog photography compared to going digital, you still need moolah for buying and developing films. I’d love to go digital and will do one of these days but I’m not giving up analog, more specifically, lomography. My cousin tells me I can do all those lomo effects in digital too, with the help of PhotoShop, of course. I’m very much aware of that and I do that sometimes but you know, where’s the fun in that? Lomography is all about the fun and the surprise! I have this impression that you need to impress people when you’re using a DSLR. I mean, come on, you’re using a professional camera for goodness’ sake, your shots should be pretty impressive or else all the money you used to buy the camera would be pretty useless.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mocking DSLR users, this is just for my case… I think I should be a good photographer for me to deserve a DSLR. It’ll be like owning a grand piano but not knowing how to play piano, making the grand piano useless. In lomography’s case, you’re allowed to make “happy mistakes” or accidental beautiful shots. You don’t need to perfectly compose your photos, you don’t need to adjust anything on your camera, you don’t even have to look through the viewfinder. Now isn’t that fun?

So, anyway, back to the title of my post…  need more films. Well, first I want to give pinhole photography another shot. And also wanna try this double sprocket thing or what others call 70mm. you use two 35mm films in a medium format camera like my Holga. A single shot will result to an image in two overlapping 35mm films with sprockets in the middle. Can you picture what I’m trying to describe? Okay, I had to snag this photo by adamscott just so  you’ll see what I mean.

You can read more about it in the tipster written by adamscott.

Edited: June 29th, 2009

Pinhole Take 1

A few months ago, I attempted to make my own pinhole camera from scratch. It’s supposed to be made out of matchbox and I couldn’t find one that time so I improvised my own. I tested it already and had the film developed and scanned and here’s what came out of the roll:

Looks kinda creepy but it looks cool too! Haha! I’m not sure what I did wrong but I have some clues. First possible reason could be the exposure. Maybe I left the hole open too long thus, the overexposure. Another possible reason could be the thickness of my matchbox. Mine was a little thinner so it may have resulted again to overexposure. The third possible reason could be beacuse I used an overly expired film. I know, what was I thinking? I was too excited and that was the only film I had in hand that time. So, I thought that would have to do. And the last reason could be the combination of all these reasons. Haha! Oh well. But I’m not giving up. It’ll be like trying the best diet pills until you find the best of the best. I’ll be more cautious in my next attempt. Maybe I’ll have to start building the easier pinhole camera first, the one with the template.And I’ll hope against hope that this time it’ll work. If not then like what they say… try and try until you succeed!

Edited: June 28th, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Dito Lang (Only here)

Magandang Huwebes mga ka-LP!

Alam mo ba na dito lang sa Pinas merong Lambanog? Ang Lambanog ay isang uri ng Arrack. Ano nga ba ang Arrack? Japanese ng alak? Haha! Corny! Ang arrack ay alak na gawa sa burong prutas, tubo, o dagta ng niyog. Isa sa mga paborito ko ang lambanog kase madali akong malaseng. Haha! Ayoko lang dito ay isa itong traydor… akala mo ay okay ka pa pero pag naglakad ka ay gegewang-gewang na.

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Did you know that you can find Lambanog only here in the Philippines. Lambanog is what they call the coconut vodka. It is a type of Arrack or an alcoholic beverage made from fermented fruit, sugarcane, or sap of coconut palms. This is one of my favorite drinks because of it’s high alcohol content. Haha! What I don’t like about it is it’s a traitor. You think you’re still sober until you stand up and try to walk.

Edited: June 25th, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Tulay

There’s a bridge to tomorrow, there’s a bridge from the past
There’s a bridge made of sorrow that I pray will not last
There’s a bridge made of colors in the sky high above
And I think that there must be bridges made out of love

Magandang araw mga ka-LP! Ang lahok ko ngayong linggong ito ay walang iba kungdi ang Jones Bridge na makikita sa Maynila. Kuha ito noong unang EB ng LP noong araw ng Kalayaan noong isang taon.

Ang Puente de España, na nagdudugtong sa Binondo at Ermita, ay unang itinayo noong 1701 kapalit ng Puente Grande na nasira nung lumindol noong 1863. Noong 1916 ay Itinayo ulit ng mga Amerikano ang tulay at isinunod ang pangalan nito kay Atkinson Jones na isang miyembro ng US Congress at chairman ng Insular Affairs Committee na nag-sponsor ng Philippine Autonomy Act ng 1916, o ang mas kilala natin bilang Jones Law. Narito ang larawan ng Jones Bridge noon.

(Photo from wikimapia.org)

Ang ganda diba? Sayang lang at hindi na-preserve ng gobyerno natin ang dati nitong itsura.

Happy LP!

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Happy Thursday everyone! My entry for this week is a photo Jones Bridge which is located in Manila. I took this shot during Litratong Pinoy’s 1st EB last year.

Puente de España, which connects Binondo and Ermita, was built in 1701 replacing Puente Grande, which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1863. The Americans rebuilt it in 1916 and renamed it after Atkinson Jones, a member of the U.S. Congress and chairman of the Insular Affairs Committee who sponsored the Philippine Autonomy Act in 1916 (Jones Law).

Edited: April 30th, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Paboritong Litrato

Magandang Biyernes mga ka-LP! Kamusta kayo? Ang inet diba? Bago ang lahat ay gusto kong bumati ng Happy Birthday sa Litratong Pinoy! Yehey! Isang taon na ang LP at sana ay matagal pa tayong magkasama-sama!

Narito ang lahok ko para sa linggong ito…

Ito ang pinaka-bagong paborito ko na litrato na aking kinunan. Siyempre pa at Lomo na naman yan… hanggang plastic na kamera lang kase ang kaya kong bilhin. Haha! Kuha ito sa Punto Miguel sa Anilao, Batangas noong isang, isang linggo. Sobrang tirik ng araw niyan. Talagang iba na ang panahon ngayon. Naalala ko noong 2000-2001, kung saan halos linggo-linggo ay nasa Anilao kami, kahit maghapon kami lumangoy at magpaaraw ay hindi naman ako masyadong umiitim. Pero ngayon, halos dalawang oras lang ako naka-bilad sa araw at nasunog agad ang aking balat, as in sunog.

Ang tawag dun sa mga butas sa gilid ay “sprockets.” Ang film kse talaga para sa Holga ko na camera ay ang 120 format. Mas malaki ito kesa sa karaniwang 35mm film kaya’t pag ginamitan ng 35 ang Holga ay nasasakop ng isang frame pati yung mga butas sa gilid nung film. Naintindihan niyo ba? Pasensiya na at magulo talaga ko magpaliwanag. Haha! Kita din pati yung mga numero at detalye nung film na ginamit ko.

Wala din akong proseso na ginawa para maging ganyan ang kulay at itsura ng larawan. Diba’t napaka-old school ng dating? Haha! Kaya ulet naging ganyan yan ay gumamit ako ng slide film at pina cross-process ko eto. Magkaiba kse ang kemikal na ginagamit pag develop ng ordinaryong colored film at slide fim. Pag cross-process ay gagamitin nila ang kemikal na dapat ay para sa colored film para i-develop ang slide film. At yan ang kinalabasan, ang kakaiba niyang kulay at depende din yan sa brand ng film na ginamit.

Sana ay nagustuhan niyo ang lahok ko ngayong linggong ito. Salamat sa pagbisita!

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Before anything else… Happy 1st Birthday Litratong Pinoy!!! Yay!

This is my entry for this week… my newest favorite photo that I took. Again, this is lomo because plastic cameras are all that I can afford. Haha! This photo was taken ac ouple of weekends ago at Punto Miguel in Anilao, Batangas. The sun was so hot that day and the weather has really changed. I remember when we used to go Anilao almost every weekend way back in 2000-2001, even if we stay out in the sun for almost the whole day, I didn’t get sunburned very much. But this time, I only stayed out for about a couple of hours and I was already burnt, and I mean burnt and not just tanned.

The holes on the sides of the photo are called sprockets. The Holga camera uses a 120 film format. It is bigger than the common film we use, the 35mm, that’s why when you use a 35 film on a Holga, the frame is bigger than the film itself so the photo occupies even the sprockets of the film. You can even see the details of the film I used.

I also didn’t edit the photo. Again, I used a slide film and had it cross-processed. It was developed using chemicals intended for ordinary colored film.

Edited: April 3rd, 2009

Pluto’s First Day Out

We went to Punto Miguel in Anilao, Batangas last weekend and it was the first time I brought Pluto with me. I brought my ever reliable pink Holga with me too but I only took a few photos because the sun was too hot. But I was able to take some photos of Pluto around the resort and here are a few…

I notice that the shots from the Velvia film is greenish when processed. Next time I’ll try other brands of film and not to cross-process it.

You can see the rest of the Punto Miguel set here.

Edited: March 27th, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Sapatos

Magandang Huwebes mga ka-LP! Narito ang aking lahok para ngayong linggong ito.

Mahilig ako sa sapatos pero hindi naman karamihan ang mga sapatos ko dahil bihira akong makakita ng talagang gustong-gusto ko… pihikan baga. Haha! At kadalasan kung may bibilin man ako ay yung mga magagamit ko kapag ako ay nagga-gala. Isa nang halimbawa ay ang sandals na nasa larawan sa taas. Binili ko ito dahil nasira na yung isa kong outdoor sandals at paalis kami noon papuntang Lobo at Mindoro. Nagandahan ako sa kulay nito kaya ko siya binili. Ang hindi ko lang gusto ay yung amoy niya na parang plastik na parang goma ay ayaw matanggal.

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This is my entry for this week’s Litratong Pinoy.

I love shoes but I don’t have many because it’s very seldom that I see a pair that I really, really like. And most of the time I would only buy outdoorsy types that I could use when I travel. An example is the sandals that I was wearing on the photo. I bought this because my old one already broke and we were leaving for Lobo and Mindoro. What attracted me to this pair was the colors. What I don’t like about it is the plastic or rubber smell that couldn’t be removed.

Edited: March 26th, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Lila

Magandang araw mga ka-LP! Sabi ko nga papanindigan ko ang paglalahok ng mga takipsilim na larawan sa buwang eto. Ngayon naman ay ang Lilang Takipsilim.

Kagaya ng dati ay kuha pa din ito sa Lobo, Batangas. Pagtatabihin ko ang tatlong larawan para makita niyo ang kaibahan:

Ang tatlong larawan ng takipsilim na ito ay kinuhanan ko sa loob ng isang araw, ilang minuto lamang ang mga pagitan. Kung interesado kayo sa lomography, marahil ay ang mga larawang eto ay magandang halimbawa nito. Gamit ko ang Holga ko na kamera at rolyo ng film. Diba’t ang galing ng pagkakaiba-iba nila samantalang wala naman akong espesyal na ginawa kundi pindutin lamang ang shutter ng aking kamera? Wala lang naaliw lang ako. Pramis sa isang llinggo hindi na takipsilim ang lahok ko. Haha!

Para po sa mga nagtatanong kung ano ang Holga, eto po ay isang toy kamera na gawa sa plastic na ginagamitan pa ng film, kumbaga eh low-tech na kamera. Haha! Magandang Huwebes sa inyong lahat mga ka-LP!

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Like what I’ve said, I was going to stick with posting twilight photo entries this month. This time it’s a Purple Twilight.

This one was also taken in Lobo, Batangas. I posted all three photos so you can see the difference. These three were all taken on the same day, with a few minutes interval, using the same camera and same roll of film. I guess this could be an example of Lomography and its unpredictable effects. I’m really amazed with the outcome because I didn’t do any tricks here, I just pushed the shutter button of my camera.

Happy Thursday!

Edited: January 29th, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Kahel

Magandang araw mga ka-LP! Paninindigan ko na ang paglahok ng mga larawan na takipsilim hanggang sa katapusan ng buwan na ito. Parang ngayong linggong ito, ang aking larawan ay tatawagin kong Kahel na Kalangitan.

Ito ay kuha pa din sa Lobo, Batangas gamit ang aking Holga na kamera at Fuji Velvia slide film na pina cross-process. Isang linggo ako don sa Lobo at wala namang ibang gagawin don kundi kumain, mag-swimming, matulog at mamalengke. Haha! Minsan din ay nagpupunta kami sa SM Lipa pero nakakatamad din dahil halos apat na oras ang biyahe, balikan.

Maligayang LP!

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I’m gonna carry on with posting twilight photos for my entries for the rest of the month. For this week, I’m gonna name my photo Orange Colored Sky.

This was also taken in Lobo, Batangas using my Holga camera and Fuji Velvia slide film that was cross-processed. I spent one week in Lobo and I had nothing else to do except eat, swim, sleep, and go to the market. We also went to SM Lipa a couple of times but it was tiring because it was about a 4 hour trip to and fro.

Happy LP!

Edited: January 22nd, 2009

Litratong Pinoy: Pula

Maligayang bagong taon mga ka-LP! Bagong taon kaya bagong buhay! Pasensiya na at medyo matagal akong nawala pero ngayon ako’y nagbabalik. Gusto ko tuloy kumanta ng Yakap… ako ay nagbalik sa init ng iyong yakap… Haha! Na-miss ko kayong lahat!

Narito ang aking lahok para ngayong linggo at ito ay ang aking tinatawag Pulang Takipsilim

Kuha ito sa Lobo, Batangas at unang beses kong gamitin ang Holga na kamera ko. Pasensiya na din at medyo magalaw ang larawan dahil wala pa akong tripod at naka bulb mode yung kamera nung ginamit ko. Wala akong binago sa larawang ito. Naging mapula ang lumabas na kulay dahil gumamit ako ng slide film, Fuji Velvia, at pina cross-process ko eto.

Maligayang LP!

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Here’s my entry for this week and I call this Red Twilight.

This was taken in Lobo, Batangas using my Holga camera. Sorry if the photo is blurry because I don’t have a tripod yet and my camera was in bulb mode when I took this. I didn’t edit this photo. The red tint was the result of using a slide film, Fuji Velvia, and having it cross-processed.

Happy LP!

Edited: January 8th, 2009