new muse

The spontaneous move to Quezon City early this year really affected my mindset... in a good way. I'm definitely falling in love with the laid-back atmosphere & creative vibe of this city. Can't wait to explore more of it next year! :)

rica

I love taking pictures of my friends, especially the girls. I honestly believe all women are beautiful --- whatever shape, size, and color. There is always something interesting in every woman.

This photograph of my good friend Rica was take more than a year ago and it's still one of my favorite pictures. We had so much fun doing this spontaneous shoot at my old tiny apartment. I love that she opened up to me at this shoot, showing both her vulnerable and adventurous sides.

I hope to photograph her again soon... wonder how that shoot will turn out. :)

back to basics

Purchased a secondhand Rolleicord camera! :) It's been a long time since I've handled a film camera, I'm a bit nervous but really excited to play with it. I've never used a medium format camera before but I'm loving the square format of the Rollei --- it's just perfect for portraits. Can't wait to shoot women and my friends with it! :)


I want to relearn how to develop and print my own pictures... I hope the learning curve would be easy. I have no idea where and how to start with developing my own film so I searched Booksale and fortunately saw this book. A real deal for 270.00 pesos! I hope this works! :D

recent reads

Been devouring books during my free time lately... I love books! :)

I've re-read all 6 issues of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and it's an awesome funny comic book series. Can't wait to watch the movie! Thanks Pao and Nelz for introducing me to the world of Scott Pilgrim. :)


I've been reading up on new ideas every night and here are some of the books that keep the brain burning.

Seth Godin's The Dip teaches you to quit the unimportant stuff you've been doing, and just focus on things that matter to you. This book rocked my world, now I know I've got to start doing things I love.

Scott Belsky's Making Ideas Happen is an informative book on how creatives need to organize their lives in order to push through with ideas and eventually finish them --- from vision to reality. The book packs a lot of helpful tips for the creative yet cluttered person.


And here are two current inspirations for photography:

I bought Marc Baptiste's Nudes book at Strands Bookstore back in NYC, and I couldn't take my eyes off his beautiful women. He captures them in such a sensuous and honest way that he inspires me shoot and search for my own photographic truth.


The book Looker was a surprise gift from Pao since I wasn't feeling good a few weeks ago --- this definitely made my day better! I've been a fan of Richard Kern's photographs since I was in college. His erotica shoots are raw but still sensual. I love what he does, capturing the beauty and provocativeness of women --- idol talaga! :)


I wonder what I'll be reading next month...

samsung monitor

Paolo Ferrer and I received a Samsung PX2470 monitor each! Wooooot! :)

Had it for 2 weeks, road testing it... and I'm loving it!

I'm no techie but the crisp images and exact colors are very impressive. It's a far cry from my Mag monitor at work or the Sony Bravia TV-turned-monitor I used at home before. Samsung PX2470 has this amazing crystal frame technology that supposedly decreases glare --- we have half a dozen lamps in our condo and I can honestly say that the monitor has dropped down glare to zero! It makes editing photos and watching movies so much easier.

One of the things that impress me the most is it's adjustable neck. You can finally tilt the monitor to whatever angle you want --- no more adjusting your chair's height just to get the right working view. And from wherever corner you are (whether it's from above, below, or side), it delivers the same sharp images from every possible angle!

It's one very sexy beast at only 16.6mm thin! The 23" widescreen LCD-LED backlit monitor with it's sleek black design, a power button that turns on and off with the slightest feather-like touch, and elegant glass neck really rocks my boat. Poging-pogi! :)

I don't really know why I was chosen to receive one of the Samsung PX2470 monitors, but I'm absolutely grateful.

loving anais nin

I'm loving Anais Nin's erotica right now! Getting inspired to do more personal projects on women's sexuality... will see if I can try shooting erotica too. :)

francisco coching: an inspiration

Was able to buy a reprinted copy of the great komiks creator Francisco Coching's 1954 Lapu-Lapu. Been reading it nightly, struggling with the deep and age-old Filipino language but loving how the phrases flow and feel like home. The foreign yet familiar rich word play touching my indigenous senses and profoundly connecting me to my Filipino roots --- cathartic.

I just love how expressive the old Filipino language used to be! The words and phrases to describe anger, love, lust, beauty, etc. were filled with so much emotion and depth that reading Lapu-Lapu gave me goosebumps. Read it out loud and you can actually taste how beautiful and exquisite the language really is.

Someday, I hope to visually translate the awesomeness of the old Filipino language into photographs. Soon, soon. :)