UST-AB Photography Photo Session Guide: Top 10 Beginning Photography Tips

Dr Abe V Rotor

Campus photography.  Plan out your itinerary to take photos that best illustrate each of these tips. 

1. Move in closer
2. Be quick Compose with care
3. Be selective Focus on yoiur subject
4. Experiment in time
5. Look at the Light
6. Watch the weather
7. Keep it simple Be Bold

Here are sample photos to analyze. Provide the caption and brief description of your photos. 

Bugsy

Pagoda Bagworm 

Flash flood, España

Skycraper

Pandangera - fantail bird nesting

Acknowledgment: BetterPhoto.com (tips)

Photography Ideas and Application

There's more than just good in photography.  

Dr Abe V Rotor
Professor in Photography, UST 
Faculty of Arts and Letters
Living with Nature School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenporio

738 DZRB-AM Band. 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

1. Halo effect enhances religious ambiance of the stone icons atop UST's main building in modified silhouette through selective photo editing, without erasing the colonial features of the building. Photo by Miss Alyssa Beltran.

2. Chandelier, stained glass and lantern. Without tripod this night scene can be captured with high resolution camera, within the range of 5 to 8 megapixels. Editing is needed to enhance contrast and colors.  

3. Combining field photo and still life of the same subject gives a complete picture of the specimen - rambutan.  The composite photo shows botanical characteristics of  the fruiting tree and morphological features of the fruit showing the rind and edible pulp.  This technique is recommended for technical photography. AVR

4. Macro and micro photography.  Stone covered with green algae (lumot); microcopic structure of Lyngbya crosbyanum, a common green freshwater alga, magnified 50x under the Low Power Objective (LPO) of a compound microcope. AVR

 5. The enduring beauty of Black & White photography will stay in spite of the breakthrough in digital photography and wireless technology. The tunnel effect towards the source of light gives the needed hope for these children in war-torn Europe during the second World War. (Time-Life)

6. Nature is perhaps the most popular application of photography, surpassing human portraits and events.  Here the details of shy creatures like the land snail, (African snail), and hatchlings soft-shelled turtle are revealed for biological study. 

 7. Skyscape is classified as landscape. The rainbow is perhaps the most photographed skyscape, followed by the many figures created by clouds. These views were photographed on the highway in Batangas at around five o'clock in the afternoon on September 21, 2012, which happens to be Autumnal Equinox.

Early Sunset on a Landscape

Dr Abe V Rotor

View from a hill in Antipolo, Rizal, June 1, 2013

Afternoon and it's already sunset,

behind gray clouds the sun's shining,

wearing a red veil over the horizon,

with dust stirred into the air floating.

Beauty in birth and death - and life,

in between - clinging to final fate

in man's hand - and oh! how lonely,

how sad, nil of hope and losing faith.

Landscape - but whose landscape?

robbed from people, robbed from nature,

from beauty sublime, to one's design

for gain and power, not for the future. 

And he speaks on behalf of progress,

measured by concrete and steel,

by the amenities of the Good Life,

                             in unending want, incessant fill. ~ 

Part 1: Aim at Excellence - 12 Tips

Dr Abe V Rotor

Aim at excellence, put you best foot forward. NFA conference, Cebu 2013

1. Success does not come easily; you must be willing to pay the price.
 
2. Don't repeat your mistakes; learn from them and take another approach.
 
3. Mend broken relationships, the sooner the better. You will achieve more in a pleasant company. 
 
4. Congratulate your peers for their accomplishments. And don't forget to thank your spouse for his or her help and support. 

5. Check your grooming on the mirror, practice your piece, and stop in the bathroom for final check before you meet your audience.

6. Be concerned when or lose or fail, just don't give up - never feel defeated.

7. SLT (Stop, Look, Listen)  before you respond; and before making a decision, repeat this motto, and pause.

8. Invest your time in learning, not just training; but know what priorities you wish to learn.  

9. Take time to shapen your saw, so to peak.

10.Keep sharpening your ommunication skills. Proofread outgoing communications, manuscripts for publication on paper, or the Internet - even simple text mesages on your cell phone. 

11. Never settle for mediocrity, aim at excellence.

12. Silence is a necessity.  Practice daily silence alone - to think, to relax, and most importantly - to pray.

Reference: The Book of Excellence by Byrd Baggett, 1990 Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville Tennessee. 

Remember, summer is gone.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Summer ends, monsoon season begins.

Empty hall and stairway to garden

Bahay Kubo and Kiosk -" all's quiet on the western front."

The last rose of summer, remember?
An April day's sudden shower;
Footsteps I hear only in imagination;
distant drums roll the thunder; 
back to work, back to school,
remember, remember!

Asking for a Raise

Here is a story I read in the elementary. It is about two workers - Pedro and Jose.

One day Pedro approached his boss and complained why his partner Jose is receiving a higher pay when both of them have the same nature of work.

“Ah, Pedro,” sighed the boss with a sheepish smile. “You will come to know the reason.”

Just then the doorbell rang. “Pedro, please find out who is at the gate.”

After some time, Pedro returned, “Someone is looking for you, sir.”

“Ask who he is.” Pedro went to the gate again, and reported back.

“He is a certain Mr. Carlos, sir.”

“Ask him what he wants.” Pedro went to the gate for the third again, and then returned.

“I did not get it well, sir. But he said he sells home appliances … promo, something like that. He would like to meet the manager.”

“Tell him we do not need any appliance.”

The next day the doorbell rang again. This time, both Pedro and Jose were in the office of their boss. It was Jose who promptly rose from his seat to attend to the visitor at the gate. After a while he returned and reported.

“The visitor is an insurance agent, sir. He was offering insurance for our building, and knowing that it is already covered, I told him we do not need his offer at the moment. He gave me his business card.” Jose handed the card and excused himself for another call.

“Now you understand,” said the boss to Pedro with a sheepish smile. ~

UST-AB Photography Course Outline

 Description: Digital photography as the term implies is specifically designed to meet the needs of modern journalism and creative writing, making use of modern tools and equipment which include advanced optical and digital inventions. It emphasizes the application of digital photography in all branches and forms of media (print, broadcast and internet), exploring its usefulness in publicity and promotions, newspapers and magazines, education, photographic arts and other fields, particularly those that pertain to Philippine conditions.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air)
738 Khz DZRB AM band 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday.  

State-of-the-Art Digital cameras 

Objectives: 
A. General Objective: To develop basic skill in the use of the digital camera following the theories and general principles of photography for effective communications. B. Specific Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student is expected to be able to

1. appreciate and identify the role and application of photography in the various fields of communication;

2. apply digital photography in effective communication and creative composition, other artistic expressions notwithstanding;

3. acquire the facility of choosing the equipment and process in digital photography, which include processing, editing,
organization and presentation;

Black & White Photography brings out special appeal on a subject such as The Statue of Liberty

4. prepare photographs acceptable for publication - print and non-print; and

6. acquire the discipline and cooperation in collective work, adherence to the ethics of journalism; and develop a healthy
attitude towards the advancements and movements of photography and communication.

1. Introduction and overview of the course

2. Application of digital photography in media

3. The camera: evolution, types and models

4. The story: text and photos

5. Creativity and communication

6. Digital processing and printing

7. Publication and exhibition

General Topics

• Digital photography: relevance with current issues, and prospects
• Digital photography: analysis of the course’s etymology/keywords
• Digital photography in newspapers, magazines and Internet
• Basic principles and operation of film and digital cameras, and other optical tools.
• Taking photographs, and writing the story.
• Complimentarity in creativity in photography and writing;
• Photo processing techniques with Adobe Photoshop
• Presentation, display and publication of photo and story, in print or non-print medium.
• Current events and relevance to the course
• Defining the scope of the subject
• Identification and classification of photos in feature stories, sports, entertainment, etc.
• Hands-on with the camera, familiarization of parts and accessories
• Hands-on exercises in photography sessions
• Exploring potentials for news with the camera.
• Criteria for good photographs for media and entertainment
• Editing, cropping, collage and layout, special effects
• Survey to current events, their relevance to the course, and present conditions
• Digital photographs samples as course references
• Selected photos as specimen in critiquing
• The camera: film and digital compared
• Models and rules in digital photography, and documentary
• Kinds and models of the students studied, compared
• Digitcam processing techniques, tools and equipment
• Adobe Photoshop, scanner and printer, tools and materials: for exhibition of works
• Tools and equipment from camera to exhibits to explore the wide world of photojournalism.
• Heightened awareness. Experiences and discoveries in photography
• Critiquing, exposure and awareness of quality of work samples.
• Skills development; proper care of equipment
• Objectivity and accuracy in the photography journalism
• Developing the 6th and 8th sense in photography
• Development of patience, reflection, analysis through creativity
• Aesthetics in action, appreciation and
• “fine culture.”
• Concern and Involvement;advocacy and service.
  
  
  
  UST Arch of the Centuries in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the oldest university in the Philippines; the main building's tower glows in the late afternoon exuding a sense of peace and quiet.

Modular Assessments: Cognitive Modular Assessments shall be10-item objective and 10-point essay questions in written examination. Creative Assessment shall be in hands-on and on-site exercises, recall and comprehension quizzes, class recitation, practical test based on field work and projects, individual and by group.

Summative Assessments: These shall be a 50-item examination formulated to test recall, analysis, conceptualization, practical application, organization, and creativity of the student, to complement with least duplication creative assessments.

References:
1. Photo-Journalism Stylebook (1991) - The Associated Press
2. Creative Photography (1991) – Michael Langford. The Reader’s Digest
3. More Joy of Photography (1988) - The Editors of Eastman Kodak Company
4. Digital Portrait Photography (new) – D. Evans
5. Digital Photography (new), Tom Ang and Michael Beazley
6. The Everything Photography Book (2000), Elliot Khuner and Sonie Weiss
7. Digital Camera 3rd edition, 2003, Dave Johnson
8. Black and White Photography (1988) 3rd edition, Henry Horenstein
9. An Illustrated A to Z Digital Photography (2000), Nigel Atherton and Steve Crabb
10. 100 Ways to Take Better Photographs (1998), Michael Busselle
11. Photographing Your Children (new), John Hedgecoe
12. Time Annual 2005
13. Underwater Photography (new), Annemarie Danja Kohler
14. Secrets to Great Photographs, Zim Zucherman
15. Nature Photography, Learning from an Expert, Gilles Martin and D Boyard
16. People Shots That Sell, Tracy Tannenbaum and Kate Stevens
17. Beginners Guide to Digital Photography, (new) PC World
18. Close-up Photography, Michael Freeman
19. The Photo Book (1996), Phaidon
20. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Photography like a Pro (1997)
21. Through the Lens, National100 Photographs That Changed the World, Life, 2004
22. The World’s Top Photographers in Landscape (new), Terry Hope
23. Geographic Greatest Photographs, 2004
24. The Essentials of Underwater Photography Manual, Denise Nielsen Tachett
and Larry Tachett
25. Portrait Photography, David Wilson
26. Journalism for Filipinos (2003) - 3rd Edition, Alito Malinao
27. Handbook of Journalism (1994) Victoria Villanueva Sebastian
28. Light in the Woods, Photographs and Poems (1995), Abercio V. Rotor
29. Sunshine on Raindrops (1996), Abercio V. Rotor
30. Light of Dawn (1998), and Genevieve Andrada and Abercio V. Rotor
31. In His Presence, Praises (2003), Belen Tangco and Abercio V. Rotor
32. Rotor AV (2003) Living with Nature Handbook , UST Publishing House
37. Rotor AV (2006) Living with Folk Wisdom Volumes 1 and 2 (Manuscripts)
38. Other references sourced from the SPUQ Library and IMC, International Newsmagazines (e.g. Time, Photography),newspapers, Internet and TV programs National Geographic and Discovery Channels.
Source various topics of photography on the Internet
 
Acknowledgment: Wikipedia, Google

Raging Falls

Dr Abe V Rotor

Patapat, Paguppud, Ilocos Norte

Rage, rage, rage 

And I will be calm; 

Be calm, and I shall rage; 

Rage, rage rage, 

                                                       And I will be calm. ~

“Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

Dr Abe V Rotor

A teenage son bought a pair of pants too long for himself by two inches. He needed to have it cut and sewed. Not having the skill to do it, and even if he had, he is the bunso (youngest) child in the family and is the center of attention.

But on this particular day, on this particular hour, every one he approached to shorten his pants said, “Later, after I have finished what I am doing.”

His sister was cooking, his mother ironing clothes, his lola was feeding the chicken.

When each one had finished her work, it was siesta time.

The grandmother took the scissor and cut the pants two inches off, sewed it and left.
Next the mother saw the pants, took the scissor and cut two inches off, sewed it and took a nap. 

The sister suddenly remembered his brother’s request, took the scissor and cut two inches off and sewed.

When the teenage son woke up, he tried his new pants, now repaired to his expectation. But alas, his pair of pants has become into a porontong (half-short half-pants)! ~

Mystery of the White Cross

Dr Abe V Rotor                           Mysterious white cross beside an old bangar tree, San Mariano, Isabela

He graduated from the famous Philippine Military Academy on top of his class.  On the day of graduation his father, a general of the Philippine Air Force, and his mother, a dean of the State University, proudly pinned the Medal of Excellence on their only son and child.  Nobody could be happier. God smiled at them. The world loved them. And they loved the world.  What more did they wish?

There was none, although his mother once said in whisper and in prayer, “How I wish we are like this forever – happy and united, and nothing to separate us.”

Secretly his father wished his son to become famous, too. He knew that a military career leads to many opportunities of greatness to one who adheres to his pledge to defend his country and stand for his people. His thoughts gleamed as he polished his medals he received in two war missions - the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He treasured most a medal given by the President of the Philippines for serving as a top military adviser during Martial Law.

“Those were troubled times,” he thought, “we are now living in peace,” and put away his fears that his son would be put in a similar test.

The young Lieutenant is indeed very lucky. How many young men in the world are endowed with caring parents, exclusive school, superior intelligence, good looks and excellent health?  Heads turned by his mere presence. Young women saw him a knight in shining armor. Children looked up to him a model, a hero. Would they grow up just like him?  Dreams! Oh, air castles!

But he was real.  He dressed simply.  He was friendly.  There was no air of arrogance in his actions and words.  He liked people, and people liked him. Many times he would go to the village of his birth in Pangasinan – Bigbiga near Anda.  He loved to visit and talk to farmers and fisher folks. He traced his relations, kinship and contemporary, as far as he could, calling them by nicknames, and with courtesy. With him around, work became light and gay. Always he had stories, varied, spontaneous, humorous, all interesting, to share. And if you happen to be around you will surely lose tract of the time.     

Housewives on errand bringing baon to the field workers had all sorts of alibi for returning late. Passersby would not just passed by.  On learning it was Lieutenant Carding Lopez, they took off their hats in greeting - and always, they were gladly acknowledged.  Crowd would easily grow by midday and double by late afternoon.  Children playing nearby would caution one another not to be rowdy, and they would display their best to impress their special guest.

And months passed.  The monsoon came and he joined the planters in the field as he joined them at harvest time. Came fishing season, and he would be pulling in the daklis (seine) net.  And when they gave him his share of the catch, he would simply refuse, or give it to the old people in the village.

One time he stopped to greet a crew draining a nearby swamp, the lowest part of the village. While telling a story on how the Panama Canal was built, people the next day came with their own shovels and drained the swamp in record time.  Farmers planted melons and watermelons on the reclaimed land early in season and made a lot of money.

But it was the marketplace he was fond of visiting on Sundays. The barangay chairman made everything clean and orderly.  More vendors came to sell their goods and wares.  And more people came to buy them.  

Once strolling on a dirt road, he paused to put some stones to fill up a rut.  The next day a gravel truck came.  With it were workers. What took an hour to reach Bigbiga from the highway, can now be reached in half the time.  

General Lopez and Dean Lopez who were living in Manila began to wonder at the kind of life their son was leading in the province.  Surely it is very strange to know of one who is full of dreams and raring to seek a bright future.  Not for a young and ambitious man, a  Pemeyer at that. No, not for their only child, now a fine gentlemen, a living gem .

“No, no, let’s talk to him,” the mother insisted, rising from her lounging chair.  “Hush, hush, let him be,” her husband soothingly reacted.

One day the young Lieutenant received a call to report for duty. In the next few days he was flying over Sierra Madre on a mission.  But alas! His fighter plane disappeared in the sky and crashed into some peak buried in cloud, far, far away from civilization. No one witnessed the accident, but guesses are not rare for such news. The plane plunged into the sea where three islands make a triangle, ventured one mystic who knew about the Bermuda Triangle that mysteriously “swallow up” airplanes and ships. Attempts to find him failed many times until search finally stopped.

Maybe it crashed on one of the Philippines’ tallest mountains, heretofore unreported, but taller than Mt. Apo or Mt. Pulag.  “That’s how high jets fly,” said an elderly native who knew too well about the flight of the Philippine eagle. “Oh,” exclaimed an activist, who said the young Lopez is an idealist, and it is possible that he defected to another country.

Guesses turned into hoax, rumors died down, only the enigma on how a promising young man suddenly disappeared without trace persisted. General Lopez shook his head in utter disbelief.  “Even in times of peace,” he realized, “danger can be just around the corner. You can’t rely on technology,” he muttered. Those planes – yes, those planes he remembered, they were very old. He knew it because they were acquired as donation after the Vietnam War. Mrs, Lopez  retired from the university, but how could you enjoy retirement if you were in her place? 

It has been five years since the young pilot mysteriously disappeared. The village people of his birth put up a cross in his memory at the center of the village cemetery. At all times they kept it white, and not a single weed grew around it.    

Tourists today come to Bigbiga, now a progressive community.  It boosts of a model cooperative.  It is a persistent winner of cleanliness in the whole province. A church has been built, around is a beautiful park frequented by people of all walks of life. Classes are no longer conducted under the big mango tree. Floods that accompany the monsoon are a thing of the past. The market is now a village mall, attracting people from nearby towns. An institute of science and technology was recently inaugurated. Young men and women are returning and changing the concept of balikbayan, at least in Bigbiga. They call it brain gain, whereas before they called it brain drain. The fields are green and at harvest time under the moonlight, some people would swear, they would see a handsome young man inaudibly talking and laughing – men and women and children huddled around him.

The general and his wife did not live long in their grief. A new generation had taken over the reins of command in the military. A new president has been installed in Malacañang.  He is young and handsome, friendly and there’s something they like in his eyes and the way he talks.  They trust him. Those who knew the late Lieutenant Lopez liken him to the new president.

One day there was a flash report that a community was discovered somewhere between Nueva Ecia and Aurora. It is hidden in a valley shrouded by forests and thick mist. That is why it remained obscure. There must be a mistake, commented a local government official who knew well about the region. Cautiously a survey team followed the trail. It is like searching for a lost city in the Andes of Peru, or a Shangri-La in the Himalayas.  But it is true.  There before their very eyes appeared a progressive community. It is actually the Viejo  Dakkel, the remotest barangay in San Mariano, Isabela.

The people in this newly discovered community are peace loving, industrious and self reliant.  They are highly respectable in every measure. They are farmers, craftsmen, many are professionals. They have children studying in Manila, and relatives working abroad. There is a progressive multiple cooperative, and the village market is always busy.  A chapel rises, around it is a beautiful park.  Nearby is a cemetery.  In the middle a white cross gleams in the distance, and no weed grows around it.  ~

Big Foot

 Dr Abe V Rotor

Foot-shape ube (Dioscorea alata) lends a light moment, 

bringing back childhood and keeping mythology alive. 

Stress, tension, anxiety - they all disappear

when moments of joy take over;

when the little child in us - the Little Prince

knocks on our home and office door. 

UST-AB 3CA1,2,3,4: Re-discover the magical touch of Black and White

Dr Abe V Rotor

                        

What are the applications of B &W photography?  Cite 5 other than these examples.  

B & W emphasizes massive limbs of acacia, as well 

as the tree's very old age. San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur 

B & W enhances microscopic detail of a green 

alga and its symbionts. Home laboratory, QC. 

When color gives way to B & W, the result is 

better contrast, yet closer organization. Leo 

Carlo at home. QC. 

Monotony of subject is masked by B & W such 

as this native sow. San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

B & W hides age.  Where are the gray hairs

 and wrinkles? UST campus, Manila

Overexposed but looks fresh in the morning 

sun. Church ruin, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur   

B & W makes you look neat and trim. Manila 

Bulletin, Intramuros, Manila

 B & W enhances countryside view of this 

landscape. Mandaon, Masbate. 

Natural frame in black (branch) gives a 

telescopic as well as stage effect to this 

view.  Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur 

B & W fits well for this broken bell to look 

like relic of the past. San Juan, La Union 

Colored clothes (red in this case) in B & W 

gives focus to the bird instead of the person.  

Avilon Zoo, San Mateo, Rizal   

Quaintness is enhanced by converting color

 photo to B & W.  Bantay, Ilocos Sur. 

Good morning! It's a world of B & W.  Camping, QC

Now the two kids are indistinguishable. Leo with pet Billy the Kid.  At Home, QC.

TRIVIA: Can you take color photos with the electron microscope? Support your answer. 

UST-AB 3CA1,2,3,4: The Rainbow - A Study in Photography

Dr Abe V Rotor  Living with Nature School on Blog Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday

 

A rainbow spans a continuous spectrum of colors in sequence - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (ROYGBIV). Rainbows can be caused by other forms of water than rain, including mist, spray, and dew. Photos by Matthew Marlo R Rotor. Canon EOS 350. Bamban, Tarlac. Canon EOS 350.

Rainbow, rainbow, tell me where your end lies
     that I may meet the Leprechaun;
Rainbow, rainbow, lead me to the pot of gold
     you keep season after season. 

My child, my child, where I end is where I begin,
     seven colors of life I send;
My child, my child, I will lead you to my treasure,
     if you dream and strive to the end. ~