I placed 12th in the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month for November 2011

I could not believe that the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month photo contest had concluded and a friend of ours had already made it as the Photographer of the Year (Congrats Annidy!).

I can still remember last February like it was yesterday as I nervously sent my first three entries to the photo contest. During that time I was happy just to be able to participate since it was my first time to participate in any photo contests. But I never made it to the Top 10 until June when I placed 3rd for my Oblation picture entry. I was happy and getting confident about my photography! :)

Then in July two of my entries placed 5th and 16th. Not bad. August was not a good month for me since none of my entries made it to the Top 20.  In September, I'm back in the Top 10 as my Flaming Chef picture entry made it to 7th place. Last month in October I was back among the top when my Identical Notebooks picture entry made it to 3rd place and my Identical Spam Meals picture entry made it to 18th place. My last entry for the year didn't finish as strong as I wanted to but at least I still made it to the top 20 :)

Here's the theme for November:

November Theme: Sound of Silence
Description: none

NCP PotM Nov. 2011 - 12th Place, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

And that's a wrap. I would work more on my photography and who knows, I might be able to win that elusive first prize next year! :)



Thanks again to Nikon Club Philippines and congratulations on a successful year!

Lightbox for Android: As the day ends...

I took this picture as I went home for the weekend. Happy weekend to everyone!

As the day ends..., a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Sources: http://lightbox.com/cDBy6yr, http://israelv.lightbox.com

My Entries to 11 Eleven Project

Last night was the deadline for the submission of entries for the 11 Eleven Project.  So even though my right arm is still aching from playing bowling, I still processed the pictures that I took last 11/11/11, uploaded them to flickr then finally submitted the form at http://11elevenproject.com

I entitled my series of pictures as Happy Weekend and I described them as pictures I took as I left the office on a Friday night on the way to a relaxing dinner.

Here are the series of shots. My first shot is a close-up of the F11 function key. Since it was 11/11/11 so I took a picture of a key with 11 on it.

F11, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

As I left my office, I said goodbye to the tools of my trade:

Tools of my Trade, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

It was a bumpy ride on the way to the restaurant:

Bumpy Bus Ride, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

But in the end, it was all worth it since I had a sumptuous dinner plus a refreshing drink as I relax for the weekend!

Dinner+R&R, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

So that's all. It's not much but I still hope to make it to the official 11 Eleven Project coffee table book! :)

Lightbox for Android: Team Bowling!

Here's my first Lightbox shot.  We had a team bowling tournament yesterday so I took a shot of the bowling lanes. BTW, our team won! :)

Sources: http://lightbox.com/xYOK0Q3, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Lightbox for Android

I love Instagram for my iPod touch but I can't stand the hassle of taking pictures using my Android phone then transferring them to my iPod touch via Dropbox. So I searched for an Instagram alternative on Android. Until I discovered the free Lightbox for Android app (Download via Android Market here).

After checking its features, I found it to my liking so I signed up right away. I'll post my Lightbox pictures in my next posts.

Check out My Lightbox here: http://israelv.lightbox.com/

Scott Kelby's Fourth Annual Worldwide Photowalk: Intramuros, Manila (Picture Set #3)

Walking along, we stumbled upon the cobblestones of Real Street which really brings you back to Spanish times. You could just imagine hearing the old horse carriages with their Spanish passengers as they noisily trod along this street way back three centuries ago. For a history buff like me, this is bliss! :)

Silent Street, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

My wife suddenly caught sight of something on the old cobblestones and took a picture of it. An equally curious lad looked on.

What are you looking at?, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

As the time for our Photowalk winded down, we decided to head back to our rendezvous point at Casa Rocha. Along the road to Palacio del Gobernador, we saw this queue of calesas which were just begging to be shot.

Calesa Row, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Thus ended our first participation in a Scott Kelby Photowalk. Even though the typhoon was unkind to us, we were glad that we still pushed through and participated since in the end it was all worth it! Can't wait for next year.

FYI: For the first two sets of pictures, please check them out here and here.

Scott Kelby's Fourth Annual Worldwide Photowalk: Intramuros, Manila (Picture Set #2)

As my wife and I bravely press on, enduring the never-ending rain and the ticking clock (we only have less than an hour left for our Photowalk), we discovered this creepy-looking garden.

Creepy Garden, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

But amidst all this creepiness was a very moving and touching monument. It was called the Memorare and it is dedicated to all the innocent victims during The Battle of Manila in 1945.  The monument was excellently done and you could almost feel the anguish and weariness of the depicted victims. My wife actually was uncomfortable while viewing this.

Memorare Monument, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

So we left this solemn scene and moved on to other subjects to lighten the mood. We caught site of this cochero and calesa at the edge of the garden and we took shots of them.

Calesa & Cochero, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Next and final stop, Real Street.

FYI: For the first set of pictures, please check out the first post here.

Scott Kelby's Fourth Annual Worldwide Photowalk: Intramuros, Manila (Picture Set #1)

Finally, I've managed to find some time to post-process and upload my pictures during the Scott Kelby Photowalk. I've been so busy for the past weeks that I'm already tired when I get home.

Here's our first stop during our Photowalk in Intramuros -- the Palacio del Gobernador.  This is the residence and office of the Governor General during the Spanish occupation of Manila. It now houses government offices and the Intramuros Administration.

Palacio del Gobernador, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Next, I've taken a picture of a statue which I later identified as King Carlos IV of Spain located in Plaza Roma in front of the Manila Cathedral. It was still raining so it's very difficult to take pictures while at the same time holding an umbrella to prevent my camera from getting wet.

King Carlos IV, Plaza Roma, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

This next structure I cannot identify. I don't know its use or  purpose. But it looks cool as a subject so I took a picture of it. Maybe someone can identify this for me?

Unknown, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

More pix in the next post!

Signed up and Ready for 11ElevenProject

I've just signed up to participate in the 11ElevenProject by submitting photographs that I will take today, the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2011. It's a fun event on this special day and who knows, my pictures might make it to the planned coffee table book for this project.

If you're interested to sign-up then hurry on to http://11elevenproject.com and you still have time before 11/11/11 ends at midnight tonight.

There are several ways to participate and Photography is just one of them. With regards to Photography check out this link for more info: http://11elevenproject.com/en/participate/photographers/

BTW, here are the 11 topics that you can choose as photography subjects:

So what are you waiting for? Grab those cameras and start shooting! :)

I placed 3rd in the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month for October 2011

NCP PotM Oct. 2011 - 3rd Place, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

I'm happy and surprised to have placed 3rd in the NCP PotM last October. This is a picture I took of scrapbooks that I placed on top of each other in the lobby of The Mabuhay Manor. My wife and I just had our free breakfast and while resting I took some shots of several items in the lobby.

Here's the theme for October:

October Theme: Seeing double
Description: Photo of two identical subjects.

BTW, in addition to placing 3rd, I was again glad to learn that another entry of mine made it to the Top 20. This is a picture of two orders of our favorite dish at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel branch of Mr. Donuts -- the Spam combo meal. So my wife and I were able to eat our favorite meal plus its picture placed 18th as well. Not bad! :)

NCP PotM Oct. 2011 - 18th Place, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Thanks again to Nikon Club Philippines for hosting this photo contest!

Thanks Mr. Gilbert Monsanto!

It's great when someone you look up to likes your picture.  And that happened to me when one of my favorite Pinoy comic illustrators, Gilbert Monsanto, liked my 7th place picture entry from the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month for September 2011.

Thanks again Sir Gilbert and more power to Bayan Knights!

Check out Gilbert Monsanto in deviantART: http://gammaknight.deviantart.com/ 
Plus, check out the official site of Bayan Knights: http://bayanknights.blogspot.com/