Two of my entries made it to 2nd and 11th Place on NCP PotM for May 2012!

I'm so happy again that two of my entries made it to 2nd and 11th place for the MULTITUDE Theme of Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month for May.  Still don't know yet which of my three entries made it to the Top 20. Stay tuned! :)

Lightbox for Android: Hard at work on a Friday night!!!

This picture says it all...

Happy weekend to everyone! I'll also try to have one :)

Hard at work on a Friday night!!!, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Lightbox: A Great Loss!

I just can't believe that Lightbox is closing down on June 15th! I will sorely miss my online photo journal, the great filters for my shots and the great interaction within the Lightbox community.  That last bit will be the one thing that I would miss the most. I remember thinking how great the comments are from fellow photo enthusiasts from all over the world. I can't help but compare the comments that I receive or the lack thereof in facebook.

I first discovered Lightbox last year when I was looking for an Instagram equivalent for Android. Upon downloading Lightbox, I discovered not just a great photography app but a thriving community of mobile photographers.  I never had that same experience with Instagram.

As they say, all good things never last and I will try to still post shots in Lightbox until that fateful day when it will finally shutdown on the 15th of June.

Here's my info on israelv.lightbox.com:

And here are some stats on my Lightbox page:

My shot of Lego C3PO and R2-D2 in Baguio is still unbeaten and is still my most liked pix, followed by the Red Rooster and the Last Leaf.  For the rest of my shots, please head on to israelv.lightbox.com, while it's still up.

Lightbox for Android: Still the fastest way around the city...

I took this snapshot of the LRT using Lightbox for Android while waiting at Tayuman Station.  Actually, this is my second Lightbox shot of the LRT.  Love it or hate it, it's still the fastest way around the city.

Still the fastest way around the city..., a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

My entry was given a Certificate of Merit by IPicture for April's "Everyday Life" Theme

Due to the Honorable Mention that was given to my entry as I stated in a previous post, I was also given a Certificate of Merit by the nice team at IPicture.

Here's my Certificate of Merit:

Here's my entry again:

Power Nap - IPicture - Honorable Mention - Everyday Life for April 2012, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

It really was such an honor! Thanks again IPicture! :)

My entry was given an Honorable Mention by IPicture for April's "Everyday Life" Theme

For some reason, I woke up early this morning, around 4:30am. I checked my facebook and all drowsiness was immediately gone as I read a post from IPicture congratulating me for being given an Honorable Mention for April's "Everyday Life" Theme.

Here are some notes from the judges:

israel's photo has a story to tell with a poster of a hopeful politician on the 1st sidecar...works oddly well with the politician's enthusiastic campaign smile but in reality, poverty has always been part of the 2 pedal-cab driver's everyday life...well done israel on your honorable mention merit :)

... the top 24 are the ones who got the most # of votes among our members & others :) hon mention naman is picked from the general album regardless of the # of votes :) ...

Here's my entry, "Power Nap":

Again, thanks to IPicture and I'm truly honored by the citation!

Instagram: This is the Droid I am looking for!

Ever since I've first seen Android's mascot, I've always wanted to have one. It has that perfect balance of being cute and being geeky at the same time which is just so perfect for me. My wife and I were malling around Robinsons Nova Market when I chanced upon a store selling these Android collectibles. There were so many designs to choose from but for my first purchase I decided on the default look of Android, the plain green version. For my future buys, it could be any of the numerous designs available. Can't wait to have my Android face-off with WALL·E! :)

Instagram: Hard Rain in QC

After a very hot day, comes a very hard rain! At least here in QC...

My entry was included in the Hall of Fame Top 24 for April's "Everyday Life" Theme by IPicture

I had a surprise again as I was checking my GMail when I saw a notification of a post made by my wife congratulating me for being selected as one of the Hall of Fame Top 24 for April's "Everyday Life" Theme by the IPicture Facebook Group!  There were so many great entries that it was an honor to be included in the Top 24.

Here's my entry which I entitled "Lofty Position":

Lofty Position - IPicture Hall of Fame Top 24 - Everyday Life for April 2012, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

My Google Plus account finally shows signs of life!

I'm a big fan of Google Plus. When it first rolled out I was one of the first in line to sign up for it. Google finally approved my request last year and I was so happy like a boy receiving his first toy. Technically, Google Plus beats facebook in so many areas. The simplicity of its UI, like other Google products, is simply superb. So I happily shared some of my pictures since most of my few initial followers and people that I follow there are photographers. But sadly I get no feedback. I still mostly get all feedbacks from my photos in facebook. Facebook still beats Google Plus in that department. Facebook is simply alive, whereas Google Plus is a little quiet, at least for some.

I have quietly abandoned my Google Plus account until a few weeks back when I started my Circle-adding frenzy. Then I started sharing my pictures again. And now slowly but surely I'm getting several feedbacks and that much sought after +1s.

This is one of the best feedbacks that I have received for my Boracay Sunset picture and it came from PhilippineSunday:

After that very humbling comment, I felt great motivation again to use Google Plus to interact with my fellow photographers around the world.