Photography
Quickly put this post together before leaving for San Diego for Adobe Max! In this video I share unedited sample 4K video and time-lapse footage from the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe, which I had the chance to try in Batanes last week courtesy of Asus Philippines. I also share my general thoughts and impressions on the quality of the footage and overall usability of the camera on the phone.
For more on the Zenfone 3's camera, check out my post on shooting the Milky Way with the Zenfone 3 Deluxe!
Just back from Batanes as part of a large group of bloggers and other media people who were there to try out the photography features of the Asus Zenfone 3 line of mobile phones, courtesy of Asus Philippines. I was there mainly as a resource person on shooting the Milky Way, and I was intrigued about the possibility of pulling off Milky Way shots using a mobile phone. How did it turn out? Find out by watching the video above and seeing the final images below!
One of the headline features of the Asus Zenfone 3's camera is its built-in manual mode that allows you to go all the way to ISO 3200 and do long exposures of up to 32 seconds. (For comparison, using the $3.99 645 Pro app on my iPhone 6, I get up to ISO 2000 and a 1/2 second exposure at most, on f2.2.) Combined with its large aperture f/2.0 Largan lens, this would theoretically add up to the standard exposure settings for a wide angle Milky Way shot. For this post, I'm focusing exclusively on shooting the night sky and the Milky Way, saving my overall thoughts on the photography and video features of the Zenfone 3 for a post in the coming week.
Read More2:00 in the morning and perfect night sky conditions at Saddle Camp on Mt. Pulag. Click to enlarge. Sony A7RII + Samyang 14mm f2.8 | 20s | ISO 6400.
This post has been a long time coming: a showcase of the incredible night skies I experienced back in April 2016 on the Akiki Trail of Mt. Pulag. The quantity and quality of images I shot on that one trip was easily worth 3-6 months of average shooting. On this post, I take you through my best shots of the trip and the process of shooting and post-processing them --- in effect, this is my first virtual night sky workshop!
And coolest of all: my first 180-degree VR panorama of the Milky Way!
The trek on the Akiki Trail --- known as the "Killer Trail" for its seemingly never-ending steep ascents --- is worth a Photo Diary of its own, but for this post, I'll be focusing solely on the night sky shots.
Coming into the trip, I was optimistic and excited to shoot the night sky because the conditions were just right:
Stars over Pike's Peak and the Garden of the Gods, with a spotlight falling on (I think) the Kissing Camels rock formation
Part 4 of 4 of my Photo Diary of a visit to Colorado Springs in August 2016. For part 3, where I ride the Pike's Peak Cog Railway on a snowy day, click here.
On my last full day in Colorado Springs before flying to San Francisco, I decided to take advantage of the good weather to have another hike around the Garden of the Gods.
My agenda was to hike my way to the dramatic Siamese Twins rock formation and catch a photo of the famous Pike's Peak through a "natural window" at the Twins.
Read MoreAaron Anderson's "Periphery" Exhibition at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
Part 2 of 4 of my Photo Diary of a visit to Colorado Springs in August 2016. For part 1, click here.
One of my main agenda when traveling abroad this year has been checking out museums and galleries to check what world-class photography looks like, to find inspiration, ideas, and benchmarks for my own practice. As I've written before, photography does not yet have a high level of awareness as fine art in the Philippines, so I wanted to gather ideas for how to help elevate it to that level back home.
So I made sure not to miss visiting the Colorado Spring Fine Arts Center near downtown Colorado Springs. I was not disappointed, as they had a interesting and diverse collection of photography, paintings, and other art.
Read MoreThe Garden of the Gods, one of America's best National Parks, and in the distance, 14,000-ft Pike's Peak
Part 1 of 4 of my Photo Diary of a visit to Colorado Springs in August 2016
I was pretty stoked to be visiting Colorado for the very first time, even though I was just there for barely a week. While I regularly visit the US, I usually stay on the coasts (California, mostly), and it was my first time to go inside, as it were. Being a lover of looking at big mountains, Colorado was the perfect first destination --- specifically, Colorado Springs.
Read MoreFinally got around to making a video on one of my favorite topics: printing! This is one of the most technical but also most rewarding aspects of photography, as many photographers insist that it's not a photograph until it's printed. This is quite a deep topic that I've spent many, many hours studying both online and under the guidance of my mentor, but I hope this demonstration both gives you a decent overview and whets your curiosity about all the work that goes into fine art printing.
Read MoreHad the pleasure last night of attending the opening of Beyond Monochrome, an exhibition of black-and-white fine art photography by various artists arranged by Redlab in Vetro Gallery in Quezon City.
Read MoreA JOURNEY OF 200,00 MILES BEGINS WITH... getting your Platinum card
For those of you who haven't heard this story yet, it's actually simple and soon-stated. Upon the prodding of my frequent-flying mentor --- who prodding has led to many of the questionable and exciting things I've done with my life --- I joined the Air France KLM Flying View Photo Competition last June. With no entry fee, there was nothing to lose, so I submitted what I thought would be a strong entry, and promptly forgot about it. I've joined a good number of contests, and lost every one of them, because I suck, just kidding, but maybe I do? Anyway...
Read MoreAmbon-Ambon Falls, part of Panguil River Eco-Park
Part 2 of my Photo Diary of the Trail Adventours Waterfall Circuit daytrip! (For Part 1, click here.)
After hiking back from Buntot-Palos Falls to the jumpoff point, we hopped on our van and proceeded, after a heavy lunch, to the Panguil River Eco-Park a short drive away.
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