Here, There, Anywhere...

Hello again, fellow wanderers! How have you been? As usual, a week isn't complete without me going to some random place. Life isn't meant to be lived in one place, after all. I think it's a decent compromise to at least go places on a weekend if you can't roam the planet... yet. Here's a glimpse of the places I've been to recently... Can you guess where some of them were taken?

Coffee Selection. See anything you like?
Stacks of different coffee flavors and variants at a local Starbucks.

Waiting For Customers. The waiter looks on as he waits for potential customers walking through the door.

Music Among The Noise. A musician performs at the mall with everyone else passing by,
with a few stopping to listen.

Open Faced. Taken with a Rokinon 7.5mm 3.5 lens.
The lens is far from perfect but the distortion is part of its charm.

Shangri-La. Applied HDR landscape style.
Not bad for something taken somewhere relatively dark.

Love All, Serve All. Chilling at a local coffee spot waiting for rush hour to pass, with the view of the Hard Rock Cafe slogan on top of Glorietta 3. Iced Sumiyaki is love! Taken at UCC in front of Glorietta 3.

Empty Chair. Behind the empty chair is the Shangri-la Hotel and an office building.
Trying out this faux HDR effect.

Beneath The Giants. Aiming the fisheye lens up makes some interesting distortions.

Alright, I saved my favorite in this batch for last... I liked this particular photo for its vibrant colors, its angle (this image actually looks surreal both in portrait or landscape orientation)... And then there's that... (cough! glasses... cough!)

Chillin' After Work. Folks are relaxing at the local UCC coffee shop. The crowd here is quite diverse. I actually have an epic crush on that lady with glasses in white. No, I haven't seen her before. She was really standing out among the crowd. Perhaps it's the eye catching glasses or the elegant hair or that simple yet divine top. Well I never really got to talk to her lest I creep her out (Yes, there are some things that some people can't outgrow.)... Some of us are more socially awkward than others.

What? I think she's lovely and cute... Whoever that is. (*blush*)

Until then, let's get lost and wander. :-)

Here, There, Anywhere...

Hello again, fellow wanderers! How have you been? As usual, a week isn't complete without me going to some random place. Life isn't meant to be lived in one place, after all. I think it's a decent compromise to at least go places on a weekend if you can't roam the planet... yet. Here's a glimpse of the places I've been to recently... Can you guess where some of them were taken?

Coffee Selection. See anything you like?
Stacks of different coffee flavors and variants at a local Starbucks.

Waiting For Customers. The waiter looks on as he waits for potential customers walking through the door.

Music Among The Noise. A musician performs at the mall with everyone else passing by,
with a few stopping to listen.

Open Faced. Taken with a Rokinon 7.5mm 3.5 lens.
The lens is far from perfect but the distortion is part of its charm.

Shangri-La. Applied HDR landscape style.
Not bad for something taken somewhere relatively dark.

Love All, Serve All. Chilling at a local coffee spot waiting for rush hour to pass, with the view of the Hard Rock Cafe slogan on top of Glorietta 3. Iced Sumiyaki is love! Taken at UCC in front of Glorietta 3.

Empty Chair. Behind the empty chair is the Shangri-la Hotel and an office building.
Trying out this faux HDR effect.

Beneath The Giants. Aiming the fisheye lens up makes some interesting distortions.

Alright, I saved my favorite in this batch for last... I liked this particular photo for its vibrant colors, its angle (this image actually looks surreal both in portrait or landscape orientation)... And then there's that... (cough! glasses... cough!)

Chillin' After Work. Folks are relaxing at the local UCC coffee shop. The crowd here is quite diverse. I actually have an epic crush on that lady with glasses in white. No, I haven't seen her before. She was really standing out among the crowd. Perhaps it's the eye catching glasses or the elegant hair or that simple yet divine top. Well I never really got to talk to her lest I creep her out (Yes, there are some things that some people can't outgrow.)... Some of us are more socially awkward than others.

What? I think she's lovely and cute... Whoever that is. (*blush*)

Until then, let's get lost and wander. :-)

Fiddling With RAW Meat

It seems I have tendencies to word things a bit differently. Oh the puns I play with. No, I'm not playing with food. Nor meat for that matter. No meat was fiddled with during the creation of this entry... But there were some cooked meat that were consumed.

Waiting For The Order. My buddy explores the whole room while we wait for the goodies we ordered. Yes, I have scary friends. He will cut you. Beware. LOL just kidding, he's a nice guy.

This has more to do with photography than with meat, though. In this case, the "meat" of the image file is the RAW data that comes from the sensor. And as for the JPEG output, well, I guess we can call it "processed meat", since this is output from the image processors from cameras. Notice how small the file size is compared to the RAW file. The reason is, some of the details and dynamic range has been lost in the name of having a smaller size and neat packaging. The control you have over the final image is relatively limited as the camera makes the decisions for you. Some "essence" has been lost along the way.

Darkened Halls. Not much crowd tonight. We're lucky that it's not crowded and not too noisy tonight.

Used to be that I'm contented with having JPEG outputs from the images. The outputs were decent to begin with anyway. At least for general viewing. However, it kinda made me a bit lazy. Sure, I can photoshop the stuff but it's too much trouble. And sometimes, the exposure corrections I need to do are so minor that I don't bother to edit it anymore. This worked fine for social shots, like somebody's birthday party or some social gathering. But for more creative work, it doesn't offer much WOW factor.

Quiet Eye. Notice the all seeing camera quietly watching in the corner. The witness to whatever fracas that may arise.

The desire I have for more detail, especially in night shots (See my recent ones here.) has compelled me to adapting to having RAW files for the image. And so having the right tools made it relatively painless. I have somehow outgrown the camera's built in filters, and I was looking for something more elaborate and something that I can have fun tweaking...

Chandelier. I can almost imagine Maddie Ziegler swinging up there with Sia singing. Also, we heard some noisy crowd upstairs. I was half hoping to see some random guy get tossed over the balcony and unto the tables below.

Vintage Decor. The look and feel reminds me of wild west saloons back in the old days.

... Also, having the RAW files means I can apply whatever filter I want. My only limitation is my creativity. This opens a new dimension for me. One that I'll have fun exploring.

Starbucks. My frequent hangout.

This set showcases the different image styles and filters I'm trying out, from a vast selection that's way more than what a single camera can muster.

Goodies. Ah the tempting selection of food beckoning for me.

Lots Of Tumblers. I never needed one though. My sister already gave me a huge 600mL mug.

Random Sign. Someone will run out the floor?

Empty Chairs. I wonder what were the stories of the people who sat there?

End Of A Weeknight. It was late in the night and almost closing time. These furniture bore witness to the comings and goings of a diverse number of people that went here day in and day out. If these had ears they'd have listened, known and understood the story of each individual that occupied these spaces.

Take Out. Care for  some bread? Buy one, take one after nine in the evening.

Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)

Fiddling With RAW Meat

It seems I have tendencies to word things a bit differently. Oh the puns I play with. No, I'm not playing with food. Nor meat for that matter. No meat was fiddled with during the creation of this entry... But there were some cooked meat that were consumed.

Waiting For The Order. My buddy explores the whole room while we wait for the goodies we ordered. Yes, I have scary friends. He will cut you. Beware. LOL just kidding, he's a nice guy.

This has more to do with photography than with meat, though. In this case, the "meat" of the image file is the RAW data that comes from the sensor. And as for the JPEG output, well, I guess we can call it "processed meat", since this is output from the image processors from cameras. Notice how small the file size is compared to the RAW file. The reason is, some of the details and dynamic range has been lost in the name of having a smaller size and neat packaging. The control you have over the final image is relatively limited as the camera makes the decisions for you. Some "essence" has been lost along the way.

Darkened Halls. Not much crowd tonight. We're lucky that it's not crowded and not too noisy tonight.

Used to be that I'm contented with having JPEG outputs from the images. The outputs were decent to begin with anyway. At least for general viewing. However, it kinda made me a bit lazy. Sure, I can photoshop the stuff but it's too much trouble. And sometimes, the exposure corrections I need to do are so minor that I don't bother to edit it anymore. This worked fine for social shots, like somebody's birthday party or some social gathering. But for more creative work, it doesn't offer much WOW factor.

Quiet Eye. Notice the all seeing camera quietly watching in the corner. The witness to whatever fracas that may arise.

The desire I have for more detail, especially in night shots (See my recent ones here.) has compelled me to adapting to having RAW files for the image. And so having the right tools made it relatively painless. I have somehow outgrown the camera's built in filters, and I was looking for something more elaborate and something that I can have fun tweaking...

Chandelier. I can almost imagine Maddie Ziegler swinging up there with Sia singing. Also, we heard some noisy crowd upstairs. I was half hoping to see some random guy get tossed over the balcony and unto the tables below.

Vintage Decor. The look and feel reminds me of wild west saloons back in the old days.

... Also, having the RAW files means I can apply whatever filter I want. My only limitation is my creativity. This opens a new dimension for me. One that I'll have fun exploring.

Starbucks. My frequent hangout.

This set showcases the different image styles and filters I'm trying out, from a vast selection that's way more than what a single camera can muster.

Goodies. Ah the tempting selection of food beckoning for me.

Lots Of Tumblers. I never needed one though. My sister already gave me a huge 600mL mug.

Random Sign. Someone will run out the floor?

Empty Chairs. I wonder what were the stories of the people who sat there?

End Of A Weeknight. It was late in the night and almost closing time. These furniture bore witness to the comings and goings of a diverse number of people that went here day in and day out. If these had ears they'd have listened, known and understood the story of each individual that occupied these spaces.

Take Out. Care for  some bread? Buy one, take one after nine in the evening.

Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)

Memories Under The Starry Night

If you've been following this from the start since Nuvali, you're awesome! Thank you for spending time with me on this journey.

The day has been long, the thoughts heavy and the memories dragging. I found some temporary respite when I went to Sky Ranch being able to somehow keep a broken vow. I now am homeward bound. But it's not as simple as going straight home. My last stop in this journey-- Starbucks Tagaytay.

Overlooking The Lake. This was taken last November 2010 on the second floor balcony of Starbucks Tagaytay. This was the first time I set foot in Tagaytay.

I recall the first time I went to Tagaytay. My siblings and I initially planned to go to Enchanted Kingdom. When we got there the place was closed (looking back, I think it was because we were too early.) and my sister, on a whim said, "Big bro, let's go to Tagaytay?" and so we did. I guess it was amazing that we didn't get lost considering that the cellphone coverage was lousy at the time, so GPS wasn't exactly great, and my sister only vaguely remembers how to get there. We went on, pushed on and followed the signs. Not bad since I had no idea how to get there at the time. The first place we stopped on when we got there was this particular Starbucks branch. So this place holds some memories for me. 

And so I have returned to this special place. This time though, it was vastly different. For starters, it was night time. The view was different, but I dare say, it was even more amazing.

My company for the night on this cozy spot enjoying the cool breeze. Aside from my camera, of course: My chatty, Instagram-happy cellphone, a tall cup of coffee and my trilby. Because reasons. I need a hat. Because.

I went to the railing near Starbucks and had a great vantage point overlooking an awesome view. Below is the picture of the railing. I had my mini-tripod and I managed to place it on top of the railing with me holding it down to make ensure it doesn't fall.

Off Limits. Taken November 2010. The irony is that the guy with his foot on the railing is actually the guard. During the day, I'd say that the view is already lovely. When it gets dark though, it gets a bit more challenging to capture its beauty. But it is well worth the extra effort.

As I look up and watch the starry distant sky with the cool breeze blowing on my face, I can't help but recall a few lines from a song as I recall someone:

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Well, at least I cared enough to ponder that. Things are not the same anymore, and this journey goes on. I should try to as well. It may not make sense now but hopefully, eventually it will.

Shot RAW. This was a long  exposure shot taken from a cliff side railing. I placed the camera on a mini-tripod and shot for a few seconds. I held the camera down while it was shooting since it was a bit windy and I don't want th thing falling down the grassy cliff side. It really helped that I shot with RAW as well. It allowed me to pull some details like stars and the lake surface not initially visible on the JPEG shot.

Tilting the lens upwards gives a good view of the night sky. Applying a filter I got for Dark Table really brought out the stars. Just the way I like it. When I shot this it was practically pitch black beyond the bushes and the window on the right with some lights at the distance and that's it. I soaked this for a good 30 seconds to get this much detail in the dark, and it turned out divine!

And so after this I went on my journey home. Back to reality, somewhat refreshed, with one less burden on my mind that haunted me. Things may no longer revert to how they used to be from the bright and happy days I miss, but I was fortunate to have a few pictures of those to keep.

Some lesson I have on this night somehow was, while the night is cold and long, like a long exposure shot, I have focus on the infinity in front of me and stay steady and strong, just keep believing and persisting no matter how long, eventually the brightness of better days will come out no matter how dark the night may be. And hopefully find some beauty where eyes initially failed to see...

Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)

Memories Under The Starry Night

If you've been following this from the start since Nuvali, you're awesome! Thank you for spending time with me on this journey.

The day has been long, the thoughts heavy and the memories dragging. I found some temporary respite when I went to Sky Ranch being able to somehow keep a broken vow. I now am homeward bound. But it's not as simple as going straight home. My last stop in this journey-- Starbucks Tagaytay.

Overlooking The Lake. This was taken last November 2010 on the second floor balcony of Starbucks Tagaytay. This was the first time I set foot in Tagaytay.

I recall the first time I went to Tagaytay. My siblings and I initially planned to go to Enchanted Kingdom. When we got there the place was closed (looking back, I think it was because we were too early.) and my sister, on a whim said, "Big bro, let's go to Tagaytay?" and so we did. I guess it was amazing that we didn't get lost considering that the cellphone coverage was lousy at the time, so GPS wasn't exactly great, and my sister only vaguely remembers how to get there. We went on, pushed on and followed the signs. Not bad since I had no idea how to get there at the time. The first place we stopped on when we got there was this particular Starbucks branch. So this place holds some memories for me. 

And so I have returned to this special place. This time though, it was vastly different. For starters, it was night time. The view was different, but I dare say, it was even more amazing.

My company for the night on this cozy spot enjoying the cool breeze. Aside from my camera, of course: My chatty, Instagram-happy cellphone, a tall cup of coffee and my trilby. Because reasons. I need a hat. Because.

I went to the railing near Starbucks and had a great vantage point overlooking an awesome view. Below is the picture of the railing. I had my mini-tripod and I managed to place it on top of the railing with me holding it down to make ensure it doesn't fall.

Off Limits. Taken November 2010. The irony is that the guy with his foot on the railing is actually the guard. During the day, I'd say that the view is already lovely. When it gets dark though, it gets a bit more challenging to capture its beauty. But it is well worth the extra effort.

As I look up and watch the starry distant sky with the cool breeze blowing on my face, I can't help but recall a few lines from a song as I recall someone:

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Well, at least I cared enough to ponder that. Things are not the same anymore, and this journey goes on. I should try to as well. It may not make sense now but hopefully, eventually it will.

Shot RAW. This was a long  exposure shot taken from a cliff side railing. I placed the camera on a mini-tripod and shot for a few seconds. I held the camera down while it was shooting since it was a bit windy and I don't want th thing falling down the grassy cliff side. It really helped that I shot with RAW as well. It allowed me to pull some details like stars and the lake surface not initially visible on the JPEG shot.

Tilting the lens upwards gives a good view of the night sky. Applying a filter I got for Dark Table really brought out the stars. Just the way I like it. When I shot this it was practically pitch black beyond the bushes and the window on the right with some lights at the distance and that's it. I soaked this for a good 30 seconds to get this much detail in the dark, and it turned out divine!

And so after this I went on my journey home. Back to reality, somewhat refreshed, with one less burden on my mind that haunted me. Things may no longer revert to how they used to be from the bright and happy days I miss, but I was fortunate to have a few pictures of those to keep.

Some lesson I have on this night somehow was, while the night is cold and long, like a long exposure shot, I have focus on the infinity in front of me and stay steady and strong, just keep believing and persisting no matter how long, eventually the brightness of better days will come out no matter how dark the night may be. And hopefully find some beauty where eyes initially failed to see...

Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)