Playing with Actions

Just trying to play with some photoshop actions on Sam's high reso photos. Been trying to search online where to download free plug-ins and I stumbled to this site. The author have some amazing photoshop actions that is free for download. This action I used works in both PS and PSE, and softens skin, enhances eyes, and applies a custom vignette. Can't wait to try it on Sam's photo and here what I came up with. Take a closer look and you can see my reflection in her eyes. :p

Santa Baby?

Just want to share these cute pics of Sam. Actually, it's just an experimental shots. I was just trying some of my satin curtains to use as backdrop sana then get some shots if it will look ok. All of a sudden, Sam thought that we'll going to have a shoot again. She immediately grab her santa headband...thinking that it's a christmas shoot maybe because of the red backdrop...then stood in front of me...btw, I still don't have the cam that time yet... then mega pose na sya...haha! She's really waiting for me to get the cam because she's really not moving and posing still...lol! I don't want naman to spoil her mood and she really looked pretty in her pose kaya I took some shots na din. Too bad because I wasn't able to get a good setting kaya yan..medyo blurry. Just wearing her usual pambahay...i didn't noticed that her pants was baligtad pala!..as you can see, nakalabas pa yung tag!..ayayay!...hahaha :p

my fave shot

Trinoma Snaps

This was the last time we went to attend a friend's birthday party. After Banky's party , we headed to Trinoma with mommy Stef together with the kids. I need to buy something for Sam and Stef will be having a medical checkup with her OB. We separated at the mall already. Sam saw the carousel at the 3rd floor and immediately requested to have a one round of joyful ride...hehe! She really loves the carousel and since it's still early, i granted her small wish. I forgot that it was Sunday pala because when we got to the 3rd floor, the Timezone was jam-packed with kids of all ages. My goodness... it's family day nga pala. We usually goes out kasi during the weekdeays only to avoid the mall crowd. The ticket booth has a long-line wait but still able to managed to get Sam her carousel ticket. She patiently waited for our turn. She's very happy when it's our turn already..haha! Hays, kaligayahan nga nman ng bata...it's super babaw! I'm happy that I made her happy again.

After our horsey ride, I decided to have a small shoot again with my little model. Grabbed the ops because the weather was good plus I have the camera. I seldomly bring it kasi whenever we go out. Good thing that Sam has still some enrgy to pose for mommy...hehe! I just treated her with some pieces of her favorite Krispy Kreme daughnut after. During our way home, she's already knock-down. What a tiring yet fun day again for both of us.

the little girl next door...

...another set of my practice shots...

model: sampwet (my pet name fo her..hehe)
white tops: piccadilly (gift from tita eyrish and tita tin)
floral pink skirt: periwinkle
stylist: moi
location: our improvised home studio

sweet little fairy of mine

We just had a little photoshoot at home this afternoon...with my one and only favorite model, my Sammy girl...hehe :p these are just practice shots inspired by studio like set-up. backdraft was made of connected white cartolina... improvised lights c/o my two table lamps and our uncurtained bright living room windows...lol! fairy costume c/o toys r' us and make-up c/o mommy!... what do you think guys?... pwede na ba kong magtayo ng studio?...hehe :p

Sam won on Moms Today

half page of the "Me Hero" winners

My entry on Moms Today mag (parenting mag here in the philippines) won a spot on Sept-Oct contest theme entitled "My Hero!" I sent a photo of Sam wearing a Wonder Woman costume and luckily it was included as one of the winners. I'm getting used to join to this different magazine photo contests for kids. Sometimes we win, sometimes we loose. Oh well, it's all about really like that. It's not fair if your entry will always win. Better give chance to other parents whose also participating in the contests. No one could really measure the excitement of each parent seeing their kid's photo in a glossy magazine that circulates all over the country, sometimes abroad pa. Kaya, I'll keep on joining while my girl is still little, you may never know what other great ops may come in by means of these exposures. :)

the winning entry

Fun Ranch after shoot

I noticed that most of the KT photoshoot albums in my multiply account was automatically uploaded with a Fun Ranch album as well..hehe Well, here's our album (sorry, viewable by my multiply contacts only) version modeled by who else...my little still hyperacitve Sammie girl. Who can ever resist to take a peek for a while to this very nice and kid friendly complex for the whole family. The place now have some more additional rides to enjoy. This was our 3rd time already, but as compared from our last 2 visits... Sam & I just roamed around and took some shots. The place during that time gave me an impression of it like a ghost town because there was no one else inside the park but us and the employees...hehe! Though the park is already open, this was past 12 noon only so expect that there's no guests yet to occupy the place. Sam still wanted to make hirit to play inside the Active Fun. Since I'm already hungry and exhausted, i told her that we can back there some other time. She smiled and said "ok mommy...next time na lang ok?" Im really happy and proud of her because she didn't insist her request. I guess she realizes that it will be boring since there's no other kids inside, and she understand that mommy's tired already :) After our small photshoot, we headed to SM north to get a full meal then went back straight home after. Hays, what a day! :)

practicing outdoor shots

Some of the practice shots my hubby and I took from his last vacation. He's already a bit used with the cam setting and he was still teaching me. As usual, the set was modeled by our little Sam...hehe! Outdoor shots are really great since the light comes out naturally, no need to use the flash. As what each photograper's say...in Photography, make the Sun your best friend, not your enemy.But there are still a lot more things and rules to consider when photographing outdoors. Remember that in art and photography, rules are really just guidelines, and the best way to get better is to experiment. Knowledge is power! So keep shooting!

Some tips that may help us to produce better outdoor photos:

• On a clear day, the sun can be your enemy. With the sun directly over head with no cloud cover you will get harsh shadows. This will occur just about everywhere but most significantly they will appear around the eyes of your subject creating what I call “raccoon eyes”. This happens because the brow bone above your eyes protrudes out to block the sun like a visor. Try taking your outdoor photographs closer to sunrise or sunset. Not only will it help you to eliminate “raccoon eyes” you will also get better color for your images.
• Keep the sun behind you, preferably at a slight angle. By doing this you will be using the sun to light your subject and the slight angle will help shape the face in a more flattering fashion. If the sun is behind your subject you will be creating a silhouette, which is of course fine if that’s what your going for. Keeping the sun behind you will also help to eliminate “lens flare” which can ruin an otherwise great image, and it will help prevent squinting.
• Clouds are your friends. Those white fluffy things floating above you act as a “diffuser”. This helps to spread the light around and create what’s called “soft lighting”. It’s much more flattering than “hard light” any day. Think of it as a giant soft box for the sun.
• Don’t forget your flash! You can use your flash outdoors with great effect to help eliminate shadows and better light your subject. You will want to set your flash at 1/4 or 1/2 power. Consult your manual on how to do this for your specific flash. This makes your flash a “fill” flash instead of the main light. You should still have the sun behind you at an angle for the flattering light.

By implementing these easy tips you’ll soon be on your way to getting better photographs in no time. Credits from Your Photo Tips.

LP # 5 : Luntian

Narito ang aking ika-limang lahok sa "Litratong Pinoy" para sa huwebes ng linggong ito na may temang "Luntian". Ito ay isang kuha ng aking anak habang kinukulayan nya ang isa sa kanyang mga "Pre-K Workbooks". Sa edad na 3.5, and munting batang ito ay talagang nahuhumaling sa pagkukulay ng buwayang ito gamit ang kanyang kulay LUNTIANG krayola. Ako ay natutuwa na makita ang kanyang pagunlad sa kanyang mga bagong natututunan. Sya ay talagang nagsisikap na hindi lumagpas sa labas ng mga guhit kumpara sa mga unang gawa nya noong sya ay nagsasanay pa lamang.

Maligayang Huwebes sa inyong lahat! :p

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Here's my 5th entry to our "Litratong Pinoy" group for this week's theme "Luntian" or Green color. This is a shot of my daughter's work while she's coloring one of her Kumon's pre-K workbooks. At age 3.5, this little girl really enjoys coloring this corcodile with her green crayon. I'm happy to see that she's improving in terms of her new learned skill. She's really trying hard now not to color outside the borders as compared from her works before when she was just starting. :p

Happy Thursday to all! :p

What's in your Desktop?

download the desktop here

Been seeing this tag for a couple of times before when I do blog hop. I decided to share mine. Since it's my birthday month, I decided to start using a calendar desktop to keep me tracked of my to do list for the entire month. I usually have a photo of my daughter or any digiscrap layout that I made to use as my desktop. For this month, I made used of this beautiful layout desktop calendar from shabby princess. It includes the current month and some slots for your pics. Plus a very clean space for your desktop icons. :p

How about you?...What's in your desktop?

LP # 3 : Tatak Pinoy

Matatawag nating ito na isa sa pinaka importanteng gamit panglinis ng ating mga kabahayan. Marami ng makabago at modernong kagamitang panglinis ang naimbento ngayon upang mapanatili nating malinis ang ating kapaligiran partikular sa loob ng bahay. Ngunit kung ako ang inyong tatanungin, hindi ko ipagpapalit ang ating nakasanayan ng gamitin mula pa sa ating kanunununuan. Ang tawag dito ay Walis Tambo. Kinunan ko ang larawang ito noong kami ay nagtungo sa Baguio nuong nakaraang tag-init. Ito ay isang totoo at ipinagmamalaking produkto ng Pilipinas.

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We can call this as one of the most important tool to clean our house. There are so many new and modern type cleaning equipments are being invented today to keep our sorroundings clean particularly the interior part of our houses. But if you are going to ask me, I will not trade our native product that still came from our ancestors. It 's called "Walis Tambo". I've got this photo when we went to Baguio last summer. This is a one true and proudly Philippine made product.

LP # 2: Pag-aaral

Ako ay labis na nasisiyahan na makita ang aking anak na babae na nagugustuhan nya ang eskwelahan. Wala akong pagsisisi na ipinadala ko agad sya sa eskwelahan sa murang edad, sya ay tatlo't limang buwan na taong gulang pa lamang. Ang aking munting intensyon ay upang matutunan nya kung paano makipaghalubilo. Ang pag-aaral kung paano magbasa at magsulat ay dadating din. Si Sam ay ang nagiisang bata sa aming tahanan at wala syang ibang kalaro na pwedeng makipaglaro. Sa eskwelahan, makakgawa sya ng mga bagong kaibigan at matututunang makipaghalubilo sa ibang bata na kapareho ng kanyang edad. Noong una, akala ko na puros paglalaro lang dahil ang edad ng mga "nursery" ay nahuhulog sa eded na pagitan sa tatlo hanggang apat na taon. Hindi ko naisip na ang pag-aaral kung paano magbasa at magsulat ay kaagad na parte na ng kanilang kurikulum. Sya ay may limang aklat, mayroong arawang gawaing aklat at dagdag na gawaing pambahay. Hala!...ang mga bata sa henerasyong ito ay nagiging masyado ng nauuna. Isa pa sa nakakpagpasaya sa akin ay ang makita na sya ay may nagagawang maganda sa kanyang klase. Palagi syang merong mga tatak ng "Very Good" at "Behave" sa kanyang mga kamay tuwing matatapos ang kanyang klase. :)

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I am very happy to see that my daughter is really enjoying the school. I don't have any regrets that I send her at an early age, she's only 3.5 years old. My only intention was to improve more her socialization skills. Learning how to read and write will surely come at a latter part. Sam is the only kid in the house and doesn't have any playmates to play with. In school, she can make new friends and will learn how to interact with other kids of her age. At first, I thought that it's only more on the playing part since the age bracket of nursery falls between 3-4 y/o. I didn't realized that learning how to read and write is already part of their curriculum. She has 5 books, having their daily workbook activities plus homeworks. Oh my...the kids in this generation is getting more advance. What makes me more happier is to see that she's doing very well in her class. She always have these Very Good Star and Behave stamp on each of her hands every after class. :)

Like Mother, Like Daughter...

Original layout by Aggie Avaso. A very creative pinay digiscrapper I just found recently over the net. Great work mommy Aggie! Keep up the good work! you're such an inspiration to every pinay digiscrap enthusiasts. :p

Credits:
original layout by Aggie Avaso
digital kits by Tammy Cirilli

Photography 101: Know more about ISO, Aperture & Shutter Speed

I'm absolutely fascinated about photography and really trying to learn and deepen more my knowledge about this digital hobby. Thanks to my very loving husbad...hehe, for providing me my dream slr cam last summer. The camera made me more passionate about photography. Since I have no time to attend to a photography school, aside from the fact that it's also very expensive, I just do self-study by searching some sites that provides free tutorials and helpful tip and tricks. Let me share some of the articles that i've found over the net that will surely benefit and educate those photographic enthusiasts like me.

The best way to think of photography is to think of light. That’s really what photography is -- capturing the light of the moment on film (or recording it onto a digital camera’s sensor). Virtually everything involved with a camera revolves around manipulating the available light to produce a photograph, and there are three main terms that interconnect with this manipulation: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed.

ISO, APERTURE, AND SHUTTER SPEED

When you pick up your camera to take a photo, the first thing you need to consider is how much available light you have and the speed of your ISO setting. ISO stands for International Organization of Standards, but you really don’t need to remember that. What you do need to know is that ISO is the setting on your camera that tells your camera how quickly your film or digital image sensor will capture the light that it’s exposed to. The lower your ISO setting (100 speed, for example), the slower the exposure of light onto the film or image sensor will be. The faster the ISO (1000 speed, for example) the faster the exposure of light onto the film or sensor will be.

In other words, for lower ISO settings, you will need more light to correctly expose each image. Because a low ISO uses more light, the resulting image of a stationary object will be very sharp and clear. The higher the ISO setting, the less available light you will need, but keep in mind that the resulting image will be have more grain (or in the case of digital cameras, more digital noise).

Most modern film cameras will automatically set the ISO for you when you put in a roll of film. The benefit of digital SLR cameras, as well as some point and shoot or bridge cameras, is that you can adjust your ISO setting for each shot you take. As a general rule, for bright outdoor shots, choose 200 or 400 speed. When you move to a setting with less light, such as when you go indoors, you can quickly increase your ISO to 800, 1000, or higher to keep on taking photos.

Once you’ve gotten the idea behind ISO, then we need to move on to Aperture. The aperture is the opening in your lens right in front of where it connects to your camera that either opens to allow light to pour through the lens or closes to constrict the flow of light. The aperture acts like the iris of your eye in that it can control the volume of light provided to give you an accurate image.

Most point and shoot cameras have a fixed aperture (meaning you can’t change it), but virtually all bridge and digital SLR cameras have adjustable apertures. Apertures are referred to by their f/stop (a technical number obtained by taking the focal length of the lens and dividing it by the aperture of the lens). For example, you’ll see numbers like f/1.8 or f/5.6 used to describe a lens. In addition to indicating the aperture, f/stops represent the lens speed and indicate how quickly light will enter the lens and focus onto the film or digital sensor.

Here’s the important part -- the lower the f/ number the faster the lens will capture light onto the film or sensor. For example, if a lens is listed with an f/stop of f/2.8, then that is as wide as the aperture on the lens will open, as well as being the lowest f/stop allowed by that lens. At the lens’s lowest f/stop, nothing will stop the light from entering the lens and being captured by the camera. Light will flow through the lens like water that’s been unleashed from a dam. This is very nice in low light situations since low f/stops allow you to take pictures that you normally wouldn’t think possible, but there is a drawback. Because nothing is slowing the light from entering the camera, your lens will only focus on a small portion of the image and leave a large portion of the image blurred. This can be very nice or very frustrating.

With larger f/stops like f/22, the aperture on the lens closes down to the size of a pinhole and the light very slowly enters the camera. Because the light flow is restricted, the film or image sensor has much more time to capture that light and you will get images where almost everything in the image is in focus.

By the way, if you’ve heard the term “depth of field,” this is what it is referring to – the portion of your image that is in focus. A large depth of field would have more in focus and would use a larger f/stop. A shallow depth of field would have less in focus and use a smaller f/stop.

After you’ve set your ISO and considered your lens aperture, it’s time to move on to Shutter Speed. Now you’re probably beginning to figure out that if your lens aperture is at f/22 and light is slowly trickling into your camera, then anything moving would be a blur. The same could be said for instances when you have your ISO set at 100 and you’re trying to capture someone in motion. This is where your shutter speed comes into play with your f/stop and ISO settings.

Your shutter speed is how quickly the shutter, or the little door that opens in front of your film or image sensor, operates. It can range from several minutes to 1/1600 of a second or more. When you set your shutter speed on your camera, you’ll see numbers like 60, 120, 250 and so on. These actually represent 1/60th of a second, 1/120th of a second and so on. Generally speaking, if you are holding your camera and it is not mounted on a tripod, you should keep your shutter speed at 1/60th of a second or faster. To capture quickly moving objects your shutter speed should be around 1/1600th or faster.

When you combine the ISO setting, the aperture (or f/stop) setting and the correct shutter speed, you are putting together the pieces of the camera puzzle that create your exposure.

For further reading we recommend the following book:
Designing with Photos by Allison Tyler Jones, published by Autumn Leaves

You can also find out more online about your specific camera at these camera resource centers:
Canon Digital Learning Center
Nikon Digital Learning Center

Canon Photography in the Parks Photo Contest

For my US based friends out there, join the Canon Photography in the Parks Photo Contest. Share a piece of the world's natural beauty by submitting your favorite inspirational park photo and you could win an exciting trip for two to a National or State Park, renowned Canon camera gear, and the opportunity to have your photo featured in the future Canon advertising endeavors like previous contest winners shown here. Remember - photos taken of landscape, wildlife or National Monuments are eligible!

Note: Contest is only open to any legal US resident over 13 years of age. So i guess, I can't join...waaah!! :(

Visit the Canon Digital Learning Center to know more about the contest.

Typhoon Frank Lashes Metro Manila

I suddenly woke up yesterday dawn beacause of this loud and hurling sound of the trees due to strong wind. Typhoon Frank is already hitting metro manila! There's no rain yet at around 4:00am but the wind was really scary as if somebody's roof might be blow up again. Sam was still fast asleep at that time and didn't bothered by the noise caused by these strong wind. Power was still ok at that time but already cut-off at around 8:ooam. Heavy rain were already pouring before the sun slightly shines. Since there's no power available, there's no other way to know what's happening around. Typhoon Frank wrought heavy rains and strong winds surely caused heavy floods and still undetermined total damages in some part of the metro. But earlier news already claims some lives in the different provinces in the Philippines.

Since the power was cut-off and Sam was still sleeping, and there's nothing else to do yet, I just took the chance to get some photo ops. Above was a shot of the pouring rain from our backyard. I took a couple of shots to get a better picture. This was one of the best shot I've got. :p

LP # 1 : Itay

Ito ay kuha ng aking asawa at ng aming pinakamamahal na anak na babae. Kuha ito noong mga panahaon na narito ang aking asawa para sa kanyang taunang bakasyon mula sa kanyang pag-hahanapbuhay sa labas ng bansa. Ito ay yung pagkakataong natutulog silang mag-ama. Kinuha ko agad ang aking kamera at ang pagkakataon na kunan itong pinakmamahal na sandali.

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This is a shot of my hubby and our precious daughter. This was taken during the time that my hubby was here having his annual vacation from his job overseas. This was the time that they are both sleeping. Grabbed my camera and took the chances to capture this precious moment.

Canon launches its Ambassador Program

Canon Marketing (Philippines) Inc. (CMP), the leader in total digital imaging solutions, extends a special promotional activity for photography clubs and organizations, dubbed the Canon Ambassador Program. The program provides a way for photography club members to help raise funds for their respective organizations by getting cash rebates whenever they purchase Canon products.

“Canon continues to find ways to support the local photography community, and the Canon Ambassador Program is just one of them. This will help boost the photo clubs’ fund raising efforts for their various activities and projects, and at the same time, encourages local photographers to continue supporting locally distributed products,” says Ramon Arteficio, CMP President and CEO.

An organization or club will receive PhP5,000 as rebate for every PhP250,000 accumulated purchase of participating Canon professional products, which include EOS digital SLR cameras and accessories, video cameras, PIXMA bubble jet printers, laser printers and multimedia projectors. To receive the rebate, the group must register and submit their organization profile, business permit, SEC/BIR registration and signed memorandum of agreement (MoA).

In addition to the rebates, Canon will be giving an additional prize of P100,000 in cash for the photo club who credits the highest amount of rebates.

“We launched this in 2007 and acceptance and support for the community was overwhelming. We decided to extend our Ambassador Program until June 2008 to give more photo clubs and organizations a chance to raise funds for their groups,” added Arteficio.

Just recently, Canon turned over rebates amounting PhP128,195.00 to Pinoy Photographers Org or PhiPho, who will be using the funds for their annual Christmas party at the end of the year as well as for their regular out-of-town shoots and trainings.

Registration and claim forms are available at Canon retail outlets. Submission of accomplished forms and verified documents may be done in person at Canon Marketing (Philippines) Inc. head office located at Marvin Plaza Building, Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City 1233, through fax 812-0067 or email info@canon.com.ph.

Photography Workshop @ Trinoma

Tacsiyapo, Tarlac

On our journey going to Baguio. we took the chance to drop by at Isdaan Restaurant and Tacsiyapo Wall at Tarlac. The first thing that will surely steal your attention are the Mayan/Aztec-themed, and some giant fish sculptures outside the restaurant. This floating resto is located along the hi-way at Gerona, Tarlac. There are giant fish too hanging from fishing-rods.

Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll find floating bahay kubos for dining. There’s a lot to see around the place. There are some giant urinating/spitting monkeys. It’s a multi-player game where the players try their luck staying dry. The winner (the one who stay dry until the end) gets 1 kilo of fish cooked any way the winner wants.

The Tacsiyapo Wall was featured many times on TV and on print. Guests buy a mug or plate (P8-15) or even a functioning TV (P1,500). Once you’ve chosen your “weapon”, take a deep breath, then throw your it unto the wall, break it into pieces and release your tension along shouting Tacsiyapo as loud as you can. Isn't that an effective stress therapy!. Try to drop by here to experience this unique way to release your anger...hehe

Trivia:'Tacsiyapo' is a kapangpangan term which means "Shame on you!" Quite appropriate actually, since the wall where you get to smash your wares is labelled with different issues over which Filipinos usually get frustrated. Favorite targets on the wall are "5-6!," "Boss / Managers / Supervisors, etc. !" and "Mother / Father in Law!" It is comforting to know that you are not the only one suffering from the same problem.

Mayan/Aztec-themed huge sculptures

Next destination...Our Lady of Manaoag :p