Tuesday, November 16, 2010

rekindling the flame

It has been 8 years since I last used a film camera. I wanted to get in touch with my film roots, so I purchased a Rolleicord and started using it. No built-in light meter, only 12 shots per roll of film, the square format is absolutely new to me, and there's no LCD screen to check if the pictures are fine --- anxiety hit me like speeding 12-wheeler truck on C5. Can I still do this? Do I even remember how film works? Will I be able to enjoy this again?

When the scanned negatives finally arrived, I felt like I was meeting the ex after a loooong time. A mixture of nervousness & excitement brewing in me as I opened the files. 

It was love at first sight! How flexible yet sensitive film is,  the smooth transition of light to shadow, the grainy texture, the anticipation, and the pleasant surprises reminded me why I fell for photography in the first place. :D

(bagong kaadikan nanaman 'to!)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

playing with food

Been wanting to test the waters of food photography for the longest time, and was finally able to experiment with Chef Mia Yan of Mihca last weekend. We wanted the food to look elegant yet extraordinary, the results were pretty interesting. :D

It pays off to play with your food once in a while! ;) Can't wait to do another session with Chef Mia soon.  



Thursday, November 4, 2010

synchronicity

One rainy afternoon, I arrived at the home of one of my idols, Ms. Gilda Cordero-Fernando, for an Anik-Anik Love interview. 

Our first meeting, I was nervous. She was curious. 

She was writing about young Filipinas who aren't bound by gender, the select few who can genuinely fall in love with both men & women. Is gender swinging a growing trend in young women nowadays? Are there really no gender limits when it comes to love?

I, on the other hand, was cooking up a project that explores bisexuality through photographs. 

We spent an entire afternoon just talking about the complications of life, the fluidity of love, and the need to express one's self --- the perfect ingredients for a collaboration. 

Tita Gilda asked if I can contribute a photograph for her article on gender swinging, of course I said yes! To work with THE Ms. Gilda Cordero-Fernando, famed writer and cultural icon, is a dream come true! :)

Check out the article here!


Philippine Daily Inquirer 
Oct. 31, 2010