Light tent Photography Experience

Our second photography lab exercise was about Light tent. It was my first time to hear such word or term for the course.

 

During the activity, we were asked to make a box, with holes at four sides. We are also asked to cover it with white muslin cloth that gives an effect to the subject. We also made use of Halogen lights and miniature things.

me and ynez, during the activity

The SLR cam of my group mate was automatic and has a feature like the DSLR. It has a light meter, not like the typical SLR cam we used last time in the 1^st lab activity which is to take photos inside the campus’ vicinity.

-credits to Sir Evans Yonson

I had a hard time in taking such photos in this exercise because I don’t know how to analyze the small circle in the viewfinder. Which Allyn my group mate said, that it was the one you will check for the focusing of your subject. Then one of our halogen lights was overheat, so I don’t have any enough light for the shoot.

I hope I can do it again and with my own cam someday and the expertise on SLR cam’s parts and function.

My 1st Photography Community exposure

Last July 11, 2011, all third year DevCom students who enrolled in Photography class had a community exposure.

The venue was in Brgy. Lapasan. Both section A (devjourn majors) and section B (edCom majors) were grouped and designated to different host families.

Nanay Patria preparing our snack :D
Photo taken by me

My group mates- Chum, Keith, Iris, Mich and I were warmly welcomed by Nanay Patria, our host family. She quickly prepared a snack for us. She served a juice and biscuits. We had introduced ourselves to her properly, state our purpose why we are there and many more.

I am so blessed with her as she shared to us how she brought up her children and grandchildren as well. She shared to us how they strive as a family for the education of everybody. Now she has grand sons who are nursing students in Capitol University. One of them is a graduating student this school year. Their house had testified how inclined to medical field they are. I saw a lot of medicines, certificates and medical equipments in their home. However, we were not able to have a good scope inside their house. So we asked her permission if we can go outside and take a photo walk. “oo, kayo oi… mas dasigon jud tamu na mugawas. Adto mu didto dapit sa dagat ky tsada kayo to picturan… na saon taman gamay man ni amonmg balay oi, la pod moy ma picturan dani.” she encourages.

As we step out from their house, we started to be amazed of the beauty of the site. Many children are playing. Their water system, livelihood and house structures amazed me.

My groupmates Iris and Keith, familiarizing the DSLR parts
(a digicam black and white photo taken by me, while waiting for my turn)

Yet my eyes was captured with the Kawayan. The bamboo bridge they had was so nice that it become my subject. As we go along, we reached the unfinished sea wall that protects the residents from the rising of water level. I notice that there lots of boats. So I took some pictures of it, but the rope which ties the boat and seal it from water leaks gets my attention, so that makes my other subject. The other subject of mine was a shoes I a seaside…, while I was looking on those wrecked shoes everywhere, I remember Nanay Patria who shared how their family experience a flood as the seawater level rises. The house beside theirs was already gone so their whole family evacuated immediately.

So the time I saw those shoes, I can’t help myself but to look back on those lives that was taken in that flood.

As I take all those photos and following the guidelines given to us, I realized that taking a god photo would never be easy. Like me who doesn’t have a camera that time, is waiting patiently for my group mate to lend me her camera. Another thing is I am not familiar with her cam and don’t know how to do it -the aperture and shutter speed thing. I am a tactile learner so I can’t relate to or lectures in Photography for I don’t have any cam to hold and practice on. Along the way, the jeepney we rode, kay namasada pa, that is why we arrived late at the community. So we started late too. We were given only an hour and half to take photos, which limit our exploration to the area. However, I was able to appreciate my life and excited as a devcomm student. To capture thoughts and emotions. 

My 1st Click experience in an SLR camera

It is usual for Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan students to see their fellow Atenistas taking photographs inside the campus. However it was unusual for me to take photographs using a single lens reflex SLR camera.

In our photography laboratory class, we were taught about Do's and Dont's when handling a camera, parts of a camera, how to take photo then loading and unloading the film.
 

June 28, 2011, was a memorable day to me since it was this date I took my very first SLR photos. But before that, we were instructed first and taught how to load the film, which we find very difficult. Our group really do it with care. We are so careful upon loading it to the camera because we don't want to have it over exposed.

The different parts of a camera also was introduced to us. It was a great help for me who has no SLR and DSLR ever. It was sophisticated then, I realize. There are a lot of settings new to me such as shutter speed, for I was only used to typical cameras only-the point and shoot one, that's all we got in the family.

As we step outside the DevCom-AVR, I have thoughts in my mind that this really it, the start of my journey as a photojournalist. I took photos in all angles, now then all things become new to me. I was amazed of the campus' beauty hidden. Truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As I take photos, I really enjoyed it yet with a bit fear of what will be the result of those clicking the shutter release. For an SLR cam doesn't have a preview setting. Once you take it, that is the only you can have. You can't erase those pictures you don't like. I was also challenged then when taking photos using that typical SLR cam we have. For it doesn't have a zooming lens, aperture and shutter speed. Thus, we need to draw closer to our subjects and we need to ask permission from them as to take them picture as a requirement in our photography class. It was not easy then, because some of the declined and it was very "sayang"!

Other thing I had learned is that a photographer must be as quick as a winking eye to click the shutter release button. Ihad spotted a priest walking along the hallway in the Lucas Hall. I was so amazed of that moment when he move along with me. My mind is telling me to click the shutter button but I look back to my class as they encouraged me to click, but when I get back my eye to the subject, had gone out. I lose the desired angle of that subject. Nanghihinayang talaga ako!

I learned that you need to keep an eye to your subject and capture those moments in a click. Ever second passed by, is a history, so I need to link history with my fingers as to clicking it.

All fears and worries had left us when had submitted our film canister to our professor, Sir Evans. My day was just a click away.