BACK TO VENICE

I love Venice! It is, without a doubt, my favorite European city.

Aside from its culture and sheer beauty, I will always have a special place in my cold, cold heart for this city, because it is where I started integrating people into my travel photography. It is also where I drank oodles of yummy Mimosas and Bellinis (yes, the authentic ones).

So, to continue with my current vintage b&w obsession, here are some images from that enchanting place.

*Click on an image to see its enlarged version.

BACK TO BASICS

I've been looking through my photo archives for images that might be better off if they were simply b&w. I don't really know why I've suddenly been motivated to do this, but, anyway, here are some of what I've found so far.

In my opinion, b&w photography is actually a form of cheating. As I said in my basic photography class, it's hard to go wrong with this medium because everything looks instantly artsy and all you have to worry about when shooting is contrast. And, it almost always results in powerful images, because it's simplicity forces one to focus on the subject, not on the clutter that usually diminishes the impact of the said subject.

But enough ranting. Let's proceed with the cheating.

*Click on an image to see its enlarged version.

MORE GOLDEN GIRLS

I returned to the Igorot tribeswomen to take more portraits. I found the previous pictures interesting because of their facial expressions, wrinkles, teeth, and costumes, so I felt compelled to take some more images. Since I was pretty pleased with the outcome of the last shoot, I used the same lighting and background as before. So, finally, check out five more golden girls!

*Click on an image to see its enlarged version.

GOLDEN GIRLS

Still in Baguio. And as I mentioned in my previous post, there are very few interesting things to take pictures of over here. So, just like before, I decided to focus on details. This time, however, I took close-ups of some Igorot tribeswomen. No more creepy butterflies for me.

I originally set out to take pictures of these women in their natural dwellings. My family laughed at this original concept, but I thought it would be really cool if I was able to pull it off. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the language barrier is a bitch. Giving them instructions on facial expressions was hard enough. I did not even attempt to ask them to bring me to their homes.

Raw processing notes: Desaturated by 40%. Increased contrast and shadow levels.

*Click on an image to see its enlarged version.

TINY TREASURES

I'm in Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines.

The thing is, it's actually not that cold here, and there's a serious lack of photo-worthy sights in this overrated tourist spot.

Fortunately, as I've been faced with this dilemma before, I came prepared and brought my macro lens with me. If there's nothing big worth focusing on, maybe there's something in the little things, I figured. I was right, and here's proof of that.

*Click on an image to see its enlarged version.

FASHION FINALE

The title of this post lacks the word "grand" unlike the actual name of the closing show of Philippine Fashion Week 06. The thing is, I really can no longer tell if these pics are stronger than the previous ones. I have become so desensitized by this fashion explosion. (I'm not fishing either.)

I'll be spending Holy Week in Baguio so, hopefully, the images I capture there will be worlds apart from what I've become indifferent to (but will surely miss soon enough). We'll see.

Happy Holy Week everybody (or whatever greeting is appropriate during this time of the year)!

*Click on an image to see its enlarged version.