mac centeno: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Puregold and Dad

Pansol,Laguna, Philippines 2008 © Mac Centeno

Puregold and Dad / December 2008

This is probably one of the most dramatic photo I ever took. I took this when we were in Pansol Laguna. The man is looking at his kids (i think) while they are swimming. I was way afar from him. This is like a paparazzi shot actually. I used a Nikkor 200mm VR lens on a Nikon D40X on this one. I desaturated the color to add more drama. I dont know what this man is thinking. I dunno if he's sad or happy looking at his kids. Maybe he's happy for having a great family coz his kids and other relatives are having a great time. Sometimes when you're too happy., you tend to be emo and i think this sir here has his emo moments. What a great day.

Dog at the Beach

Siquijor Beach, Philippines 2006 © Mac Centen0

Siquijor Island / summer 2006

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I forgot when was the date that this picture was taken. I believe its summer 2006 when we went to Siquijor Island. We are so crazy goin to the beach that day and to our surprise, its low tide and swimming aint a good idea. We had a little picnic at the beach side and took some pictures. I noticed this dog walking along casting its reflection from the silhouette. I love this time of the day, just late afternoon. Photographers call it "The Golden Hour" where the skies seems gold and colors are warm and beautiful. I took this with a Fuji Finepix, point and shoot camera.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Single Light Source

Single Light Source, 2009 © Mac Centeno

Single Light Source / June 2009
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These photos are my top 3 choices for my assignment for Sir Nathaniel Salang's photo class in UP Diliman. I submitted the green glowing portrait of myself. The theme is "Single Light Source" - from the words itself., image lit using one light. My glowing frisbee is a unique idea of mine but too bad my face is not that sharp enough that somehow ruined the photo...

Solar Eclipse 2009

Manila Solar Eclipse / July 2009
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My shot of the Partial Solar Eclipse here in Manila. I woke up as early as 6am to prepare my gear. I even went on top of the roof to get a clear view because there were tall trees along the way and I cant get a clear shot. Then God played a little drama on me because he brought this huge cloud above me and even drizzled! I closed my eyes and said a little prayer to let me enjoy one of his greatest wonders. But then.., clouds blot out the sun and filled the sky gray. Sadness just drew my face coz i was really waiting for this one for a month now. I packed my gear and went down...

Then suddenly.., like a light switch turned on, the sky cleared up! And the sun was lit so bright! It was still early. Around 9am. Then tito walbert uttered " bakit ganun yung araw? parang may hiwa?" I wasnt looking that time coz i was sitting at the porch. As I heard what he said, I ran off to our lawn, grabbed my xray films and took a look at the sun. Boom! there it is! Its starting!!!!

I panicked a little coz I already forgot the settings of what shutterspeed and aperture to use. Took a deep breath and grab a hold of all the things I learned from Sir Nathaniel's class. Got myself a masking tape. Taped the X-Ray films in front of my UV filter and boom! There it is. An instant DIY filter. The 2nd shot, i used only 1 filter for that and the rest I used 2 of them, overlapped together. I played with the last parts coz there are lighter parts (where moms ribcage is., oh yeah., i grabbed mom's year 2000 xray results for this), to add a little effect on the shot. I should have submitted this to Sir Nathaniel's DIY filter contest.. :P hehe. And there! I have a pretty decent shot of the sun. Too bad i dont have the 300mm lens to have a good view of it but its all good. My friend Carl even told me, "Sana hiniram mo na lang yung Lens ko!" haha :P O nga sana nga :P but its ok. I just took the pictures with the maximum resolution as possible so I can crop it later. So there. My first solar eclipse pictures. I love it. Lord., thank you po for hearing my prayers. :)

1st Dkidnu Event

Lagro , QC , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

1st Dkidnu Event / May 2009
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The first ever dkidnu event held at Lagro Park in Quezon City. This event was so fun that we mingled among the youngsters and almost forgot our ages! We played the traditional patintero and touching ball like never before. The sole purpose of this organization is to bring the oldskool pinoy games to the youth of today. In replacement of the undying counterstrike, psps and playstations. This is "funner" than all of those. I so love Lucky Super 200 films! I love the color it gives. Perfect on a bright sunny day. Thanks to Digiprint at Parksquare 1 Makati for processing my films. I could be rich by now if Digiprint pays me for their advertisments. Oh well.. just wanna thank them anyway. Love working with kids. They are so true to themselves. Real emotions right at their faces. I just love it. Thanks to Ayla and Jolly for inviting me to dkidnu.

Con-Ass Rally @ Makati

Makati City , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

Con-Ass Rally Makati / June 2009
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June 10, 2009. It was a beautiful wednesday afternoon til I went out for lunch and saw this huge number of people!!! i just said to myself, What da!!! I grabbed my camera and started shooting. i didnt had much coz i still have a lot of things to do in the office. Its another first for me to participate in a rally and shoot along hundreds of photographers and media men.

Chili Fingers

Makati City , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

Chili Fingers / October 2008

This is one of my favorite dishes in Gery's Grille. Its pepper wrapped in Lumpia wrapper. Stuffed with cheese inside. This really tastes good. Its not that spicy if you look at it. Its manageable and will not sweat you out. You got to try this one out.

Baguio Trip 2009

Baguio , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

Baguio / January 2009
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Cold Saturday Night. as in 15 degrees cold. Its a weekend full of fun, laughter, food.. yeah we really pigged out. Revelations, surprises and more of that diminished emotional encounters. What a way to spend your weekend. Thanks a lot Fr.Luciano for making a part of our lives very memorable.

HTP-PYM Youth Camp

Tanay, Rizal , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

HTP-PYM Youth Camp / May 2009
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What a week it was!!! A week of smiles, singing, walking with nature.. a week of splashes and bonfires. Im proud to say that our first youth camp held at Sacramento Valley Resort in Tanay, Rizal is a success. I would like to grab this opportunity to thank everybody who made the youth camp possible. First - the active YOUTH of the Holy Trinity Parish for making this event a reality. With all your sacrifice, it finally bear fruit. What good times we had. Many thanks to Tin-tin, Ronilda and TJ for burning up the midnight oil and adding wrinkles on their foreheads in organizing the youth camp. I salute you. To all the elders who helped us cook our food.. without you, we will never survive. To Carl for the camera, thanks man. To the Parish Pastoral Council of the HTP, thank you for all the support. To brother Lando and Kuya Max who guided us along the way, to Father Luciano who paved the way., who made us important, the one who places us in front beyond everything else. Thank you Father Luciano. and to our Lord God, to bro, who gave us clear blue skies, a perfect moon and a lovely rainbow. For the weather so good. A window of fair and sunny day at the start of the rainy season. Thank you for all the blessings, the talents and for all the things that we take for granted. To the youth of the HTP...Good job guys! To view all the images, please visit htpyouthministry.multiply.com

A Visit to Siquijor

Siquijor , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

Siquijor Island / February 2008
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Island of Fire. The shores of Siquijor Island was once surrounded by Fire trees., trees that have an orange color when their flowers bloom, giving the illusion that the island is burning. Along with my cousins, we gave the mystic island a visit and we enjoyed its magnificent beaches, warm hospitality and good food. You too should experience it for yourself. Visit Siquijor and enjoy its enchanted kingdom.

Mt. Batulao Adventure

Mt. Batulao , Philippines 2009 © Mac Centeno

Mt. Batulao / January 2009
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At 1050 meters above sea level, me and my friends at work felt the inevitable pain, the unending agony, the wounds from sharp and itchy grass, the corns on our feet, the cramps on our legs, the tears, dirt and sweat in our eyes, the weight on our backs, the thirst that we quenched.., the shortness in our breath.. Everything just magically swept away once we reached that small piece of land above the clouds. Simply breathtaking... and all we have to do was to drop our bags, let go of our travel sticks, sat down and enjoyed the breath-taking view.

Sadly, some people..dont appreciate it. "I reached the peak of that mountain.., and so? That man reached the summit of Mt. Everest...and so., a lot of people did." To some people, they just dont give a Fck. And I am one of those guilty. Im one of those people who ignore all that hype. Im am one of those people who switched the channel when Romy Garduce and Leo Oracion was being congratulated on their quest.

But everything changed once i reached the summit of Mt. Batulao. I really enjoyed every single moment. The fresh air. The feel of the grass. Beautiful Wild flowers and Venus along with the trillion stars right above you. Thank God the weather is fine and for letting us witness his marvelous creation.

Upon our descent, I took a one last look of the mountain and stood in awe, I said to myself that I was once higher than that huge piece of rock and with sheer determination, anything is possible.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Caleruega Church

Caleruega Church / May 2009
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I have been to a lot of churches in the country and recently, I have witnessed the most spectacular of them all, the Caleruega Church in Batangas. Its like you are in a different country when you graze its wonderful landscapes, serene foliage and a magnificent view of Mt. Batulao. Anywhere your eyes turn to, you will see hues of yellows., reds.. whites and greens. Its like your living in a dream in some sort of paradise. What a perfect place to celebrate your vows and have your wedding dreams come into reality. I am so thankful to be here.

Coconut Hills Resort

Coconut Hills Resort, Batangas / August 2009
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Our company outing @ Coconut Hills Resort in Bauan, Batangas is an event etched im my brain that will last for a lifetime. What an experience indeed. We had great food, we played frisbee in the rain, we had roasted mallows and its my first time to play 1-2-3 pass! I would like to thank Sir Noel for bringing us there and for entrusting his brand new Honda CRV to me. Thank you sir! Many thanks also to Jolly and Nath for organizing the whole trip and thanks to Carl for once again letting me experience the wonders of your Camera. Thank you Thank you. SBM Crew! Your the best! Sana sa susunod kumpleto na tayo... :)