Fun Photoshoot

After several months have passed since I joined a Fun Photoshoot with our fellow Nikonians, I've finally found the time to post-process two of the pictures that I've shot during that event. My schedule had been hectic so I really took advantage of my vacation time to finally do this. So here they are, my newbie attempts at post-processing. Thanks to our mentor, Abog Mola Cruz, for teaching us this technique.

Azalea, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Kacey, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

The Dark Knight will Rise

Finally, after waiting for a long time, my weeklong vacation has arrived! What better way to start than to post a picture of one of my Batman action figures. Actually I've taken this picture months ago but it was only today that I had time to do some post-processing. Hopefully I could take advantage of this vacation to take pictures of my other Batman and Revoltech collections.

The Dark Knight will Rise, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

At The Philippine Blog Awards 2011: Photobooths & Memories

Finally, after endless busy days, I was able to sit down and blog about The Philippine Blog Awards night. Initially I had my reservations about attending the event but my wife Lei convinced me that we should go. Later I was also contacted by my friend, and fellow Finalist, Ry if we were attending and that sealed the deal.

So after Lei and I attended a wedding early in the morning, we just rested for an hour and off we went. We took a cab from the LRT so we won't be late. But still, we arrived 30 minutes later. We met Ry on the third floor as he was getting ready and together we headed for the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium. As we entered the fourth floor, bloggers from all walks of life greeted us. We were impressed that TV5 and Smart were sponsoring the event. It felt surreal that we were there. Upon noticing the photobooth, we were immediately pulled towards it and eventually we were posing to our hearts' content :)

Later, Ry pointed out that there were some familiar faces in the crowd. Some of them were Lawson peeps.

We soon got hungry and we were quite disappointed that they were only serving pichi-pichi. Where's the BBQ? Where's the pancit? Where's the spaghetti? We thought that we were getting a full dinner :) #WishfulThinking

Anyways, we ate the pichi-pichi, which was so mouthwatering, that we eventually noticed that no drinks or even water were served. So Ry & I went to 711 to buy drinks while Lei waited in the auditorium. BTW, something funny happened as we went back to the auditorium and I am sure that Ry would blog about it so check it out at his blog at RyRamos.com.

All was quiet inside the auditorium upon entering since we were early and only few were around. So we decided to take advantage of the situation and Lei took pictures of Ry and I with the stage as our background.

We got excited as the program started. The thrill of the night was when we saw the URLs of  our blogs being flashed on the big screen as the names of the Finalists for each categories were announced. Although we didn't win, we still felt like winners since it was clarified that the Finalists were chosen among several nominees after passing certain criteria.

It was truly a great night for bloggers and a great night for us. As the evening winded down, our inspiration was at an all-time high and we can't help but think that maybe next year, who knows, we might win one of those trophies! :)

At The Philippine Blog Awards 2011: Teaser

The Philippine Blog Awards, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Just got home after attending The Philippine Blog Awards with my wife Lei and my blogger friend Ry (RyRamos.com), who was also a Finalist for the Travel category. It was a tiring day after also attending two weddings but it was a great day nonetheless. I'm so sleepy now but I would just like to share my reactions to the Awards night. Even though I ended up not among the winners' circle, I still feel like a winner after being chosen as one of the Finalists for the Photoblog Category for both the National and Luzon levels.  Seeing my URL displayed on the big screen twice at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium brought goosebumps. For me, that alone is worth it!  We were all inspired as the various blogs were displayed and the winners were announced and even my wife was invigorated to resurrect her blog.

So kudos to the organizers and more power to all the bloggers out there! More pix and more updates in the next post. For now, it's sleeptime for me.

Lightbox for Android: Over the Bridge

After the wedding, we explored The Oasis and I found this cute little bridge which was just begging to have its picture taken.

Over the Bridge, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Sources: http://lightbox.com/nvB1Vuv, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Lightbox for Android: Lights from above

My wife and I attended the wedding of their cousin at The Oasis and this centerpiece attracted my attention. From that point onwards, we made sure that all our pictures have that as part of the background.

Lights from above, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Sources: http://lightbox.com/m4ftgFL, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Lightbox for Android: The light at the end of the tunnel...

It was raining and the LRT was slow as usual. So out of boredom I took this picture:

The light at the end of the tunnel..., a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Sources: http://lightbox.com/ecG6eEB, http://israelv.lightbox.com

Pix n' Toys is a Finalist for Photoblog Category in The Philippine Blog Awards

Imagine my surprise when I receive the following message in my e-mail:

Congratulations! Your blog http://www.pixntoys.blogspot.com/  is a finalist for the Photo Blog Category at the 2011 (Luzon) Philippine Blog Awards. We would like to invite you to the awards ceremony on the 3rd of December 2011, 6 pm at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, RCBC Plaza, Ayala corner Buendia Makati City. As a finalist, you are advised to prepare a short two minute acceptance speech. If you are unavailable to attend, you can send a representative on your behalf. There will also be special raffle for finalists during the Awards night. You or your representative must be present to claim their raffle prize.

Wow! I can't believe that my photoblog is one of the finalists. To be included is such a big honor in itself! Can't wait for the results during Awards night this coming Dec. 3rd.

Source: http://www.philippineblogawards.com.ph/2011/11/30/finalists-for-photoblog-category-national-level/