Elevate Your Selfies Into Self-Portraits

(Click on Photos for better viewing)

 

A phenomenon of the Social-Networking Age we live in, "Selfies" have become as common place as ID photos in the albums of our digital lives. Most people use it to show the places they have been to, the memorable events they have participated in or the times they spent with friends or loved ones, but a big number of people (particularly women) use it more as mirrors to take snaps shots of their faces or bodies (maybe to see how other people see them), to assess their physical appearance-- as personal data to be used either as negative evidence (to determine what can be improved upon) or positive feedback (to proudly display what they have and others do not). Psychologists have been alarmed by this growing "Selfie" trend, which they have diagnosed to be symptoms indicating Narcissistic Disorder.

 

The "Self-Portrait" is a time honored artistic endeavor practiced by most Western Painters and Photographers for centuries. Rembrant and Van Gogh, as well as Avedon and Cartier-Bresson often used themselves as subjects for their own work. Like them, I believe in using my image as an element in my photos, drawings, paintings and maybe even in my films (in the future). Like them, my Art flows from my sense of Self-- my history, my experiences, my perspective, my psyche, my thoughts, my spirituality-- in other words, my soul!

The Buddha says, "that the Self is an illusion... Life itself is an illusion!" Since wholly I agree with this premise and believe that our sense of "Self" is a reflection of our mind, "Self-Portraits" for me are visual reminders of my very existence, my physical presence. I think most artists, particularly the more sensitive and philosophical ones, are perpetually aware of the impermanence of all life. It is this sense of impending doom that propels Creatives to value beauty and the majesty of life, and drives them to express themselves through Art. What is Art anyway but an individual's recreation (or reconfiguration) of one's personal experiences, one's perspective of life/reality-- our ultimate validation of our own existence.

 

Painting or photographing ourselves keeps us in touch with our core... our Selves... the Being that consciously contemplates life and living. Sometimes we have to see ourselves from the outside to understand what is happening inside (our minds). "Self-Portraiture" for me, is a form of meditation or self-reflection/contemplation that can make us understand ourselves better, both in form and in substance. It is narcissistic in a way, but it can be profound if it ventures beyond the physical into the psychological.

"Selfies" are actually just a level away from becoming serious "Self-Portraits." The only difference I can see between the two is "artistic intent." "Selfies" are mostly snap-shots taken without much thought. "Center yourself (or at least see some part of yourself), then shoot" is the only instruction anyone has to follow. "Self-Portraits" are more deliberate. Framing, Focus and light (or the lack thereof) must be considered before the shot is taken, resulting in a more contemplated and conceptual photograph.

My New Instagram Account

 

Portrait taken in the Camera Museum at the Galleria Taal

 

Visit my Instagram page: www.instagram.com/atommagadia

Movie Making is hard work. More than a year ago, after I finished shooting and editing my first feature film "Dagsin," I thought that I would be able to come back and regularly write on this blog, but I was wrong. Making and finishing a movie was just the first part of a long drawn process that also includes Marketing, Promoting and Selling the project. At this point, we are just beginning to submit "Dagsin" to Foreign Festivals, and are in talks with various distributors for possible Domestic and International Commercial Exhibition.

 

After the initial salvo of releasing our Trailers, I was caught up in the Cinemalaya Film Festival proper-- a 3 months long cycle of Press Releases, Press Conferences, TV/Radio interviews and appearances, print articles, Premieres and Gala events. On top of these, since Atom & Anne Mediaworks is an Indie Production Outfit, Anne and I also had to personally supervise the project's Social Media campaigns. We were literally swamped and we were drowning in work. When Cinemalaya ended, both of us have been working none stop 24/7 for a year and a half, and we were both burned-out! It was also time for us to work on the other projects we have placed on hold to concentrate on "Dagsin."

"Camera Obscura" effect at the Camera Museum in Taal.

 

Among those responsibilities I have neglected are this Blog and my Photography. I recently decided to open an Instagram account to simplify my process. Writing articles for this Blog takes quite a bit of time and deliberation. With Instagram, I am hoping to post pictures on the fly; on whatever catches my eye! Finally, Photography (maybe a few videos too) for the sake of Photography, with as little or no captions at all. Right now, if you visit my Instagram page, you will notice that most of the photos I have posted there were actually shot on my IPhone. Spontaneity in my life (and work) has been sorely lacking in the past year and a half. I miss it terribly and I am hoping to rectify it!

 

I will continue to post articles on this blog about my work and musings on Photography, Cinema and Visual Art, but if you just want to see my images without the thought and stories that go with them, then subscribe to my Instagram account. There, you will be able to see not only examples of my formal work (both still and motion), but also view my random doodles, experimental photos/video, family pics and casual sketches.

--Photos shot by Aria Magadia

9th Generation - IPhone 6s & 6s Plus

The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

 

It's that time of year again when we, hardcore IPhone fans, welcome the newest incarnation of our favorite gadget. A few hours ago, Apple's CEO Tim Cook unveiled the 9th generation of its popular smart phone in California-- the IPhone 6s and its larger sibling the 6s Plus. Tim referred to the new models as "the most advanced smartphones in the world."

 

Among its newest features are the upgraded 12 megapixel camera and a more advanced touch-screen capability called 3D-touch. Although a lot of people have already scrapped buying traditional cameras in favor of their cell phone cameras for years now, with the 6s' 12 megapixels sensor, the IPhone has finally crossed and complied with the technical specs. of a good consumer grade point and shoot camera. The larger sensor is now 4K video capable and offers optical image stabilization (on the 6s Plus). It also has superior low-light performance (temporal and special noise reduction) compared to past models as well as better color accuracy and tonal performance. The front facing camera is now capable of taking 1080p video and 5 megapixel stills with support for slow-motion video, "selfie panoramas" and a "True Tone Flash" on the display that matches the ambient light for true to life color and natural-looking skin tones (the Retina Flash allows the display to flash 3 times brighter than usual). To enhance the 6s' photo taking capabilities, Apple has also added "Live Photos," 12 megapixel photos with motion (short video clip) and sound snippet that result in more dynamic photos.

 

The 6s and 6s Plus comes in 4 metallic colors

 

The next generation multi-touch technology called "3D Touch," offers enhanced pressure sensitivity as well as feedback. Aside from the more familiar touch-screen gestures like tap, swipe and pinch, Apple has added peek and pop. According to the literature, 3D Touch "lets you do the things you do often faster and with fewer steps. Many of the actions can even be done with a single press, right from the Home screen. The improved multi-touch capability will also deepen the experience of your favorite apps and games."

 

The new A9 chip is not only faster, it is also a capable gaming console with robust graphic performance. A third-generation chip with a 64-bit architecture, it has a 70% improved CPU performance and a 90% boosted graphic performance from the previous model. The M9 motion coprocessor is integrated directly into the A9 chip which results in better battery life, despite the improvement in power. The 6s supports 23 LTE bands with LTE Advance* and improved Wi-Fi, doubling its previous band speed.

 

Made from 7000 series aluminum used in the aerospace industry and the most durable cover glass (dual ion-exchange process) on any smartphone now available on the market, Apple has reinforced the new models to eliminate the fragility issues seen on the IPhone 6 Plus. Aside from the gold, silver and space grey, the 6s also comes in rose gold. Both models will be available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB configurations.

 

Although I am really excited about the camera improvements, I will personally be passing on this version, only because I have found that skipping a generation is the best way to upgrade our IPhones within the family. I upgraded to the 6 Plus last year (and so did my daughter), so it is my wife (and my son's) turn to get the 6s this year. It just goes to show that this gadget/tool has become such an essential part of our lives, that it has become a permanent item on our yearly  family budget. 

 

--Photos from www.apple.com 

Why I Shoot "Street"

My favorite "Street" film camera, a 1960s B&H Dial 35

To go forward, we sometimes have to step back...

 

That is exactly what I did when I decided to branch out formally into "Street Photography," six months ago. After being involved in the Photographic Arts for more than a third of a century, the practice of taking photographs was beginning to lose its magic. From an amateur hobbyist, I had successfully transitioned into a professional who specialized in commercial studio photography. But after years of doing that, photography became "work" and I lost the yearning to photograph anything outside of the "studio," without the "proper" camera set-up-- lenses, filters and lighting equipment. It became so bad, that I actually refused to bring a camera on vacation for several years (even during my Honeymoon, w/c my wife still refuses to forgive) thinking that it would be better to miss a shot than to execute one that was crappy-- of course, I was being seriously philosophical about all this. To me, it was a real choice between bringing tons of heavy equipment or bringing nothing at all, so I gave my wife the lame excuse that it was better for both of us if she just brought her own camera, because she would just lose her patience with me lugging a heavy bag on our vacations, then waiting around for the "right light" to present itself. In truth,  I actually did not want to be weighed down by anything whatsoever when I was on R&R, preferring to "live for the moment" than to be burdened by necessity.

 

"Levitation" Los Angeles, USA (shot on film)

I have been a student of "Zen" since I was a teenager-- reading books as well as practicing "Zazen" in private. I got into Zen Buddhist philosophy because I was practicing Martial Arts during that time and was attracted to the spontaneity it brought its practitioners, particularly to artists. For a while, I even regularly attended early morning "Zazen" sessions with the Monks in the Zenshuji Soto Mission Temple in Los Angeles, and contemplated monkhood. But my photography went the opposite direction. As I got more involved with photography and cinematography while formally studying these disciplines in film school, I slowly associated the process of making good pictures with deliberateness and precision-- with the methodical studio-based approach espoused by Hollywood. I became engrossed in the graphic simplicity and idealistic formality of studio photography, particularly in Fashion (Avedon, Penn, Newton) and Portraiture (Karsh, Newman, Halsman). To me this type of photography was beautifully "Zen" like in spirit; but learned, at the same time, that the techniques involved in their execution were consciously methodical. Their measured quality appealed to me deeply-- both aesthetically and emotionally. So I strove for this standard in my photographic work for years, after all isn't "art" rooted in "art"-ifice? But this rigid approach gradually boxed me in.

"Hound Dog" Los Angeles, USA (shot on film)

Of course I admired master photojournalists like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange and Sebastiao Salgado for years. But their type of photography belonged in an alternative universe to mine. I thought that there was a natural chasm that existed between "idealism" and "realism" in photography, that I came to believe that studio photographers and photojournalists were distinguished not only by their specialties and skillsets, but also by their personalities-- which I imagined to be polar opposites. For a long while, I firmly identified with the "photo-romanticists" (editorial and commercial photographers), who created images from their mind's eye, and not with the "photo-realists" (news and documentary photographers) that dealt with the more messier and unpredictable images from real life. I confused specialization as a choice between these two opposing camps.

Boy was I wrong! Because after much soul searching, I found out that like my photojournalistic brethren (and sisters of course), I do have a natural predilection for photographing/filming people more than any other subject. Like them, I am also curious about people-- I love stories and find nothing more compelling to capture on camera than human drama. I other words, I finally realized that I am a voyeur by impulse!

"A Brief Interlude" Hong-Kong, China

8th Generation - IPhone 6 & 6 Plus

 

The new IPhone 6 and 6 plus

 

It has become a tradition of this blog to review IPhones as they come out. If you look to the right-hand column of this page, you can still see the ancient IPhone icon I still use to display my commercial portfolio. I have been an IPhone user since version one and have upgraded almost from one generation to the next with the exception of the last two versions (5 and 5s/5c). My wife continued to upgrade, so I have been suffering comparison with my old 4s for three 3 long years.

My reason for sticking with my 4s was two fold: I have a 64GB version and Apple never expanded the internal memory of the IPhone 5/5s beyond that; and the specs. of the camera on both versions remained essentially the same as the 4s-- 8 megapixel f 2.4 (f 2.2 on the 5s, big deal). Aside from the cellphone, text and email functions, I use my IPhones to take snap shots (occasionally for fine art photography) and as my main music player/IPod. I have been needing a larger capacity smartphone, but Apple has been keeping its maximum memory at the same levels. With just my music and Apps, I have already been topping out at 60+ gigabytes for the last two years. Why would I invest more money on a device that is essentially similar to the one I am already using?

I got a Samsung smartphone as a backup since a lot of people have been raving about them, but quickly got disenchanted because the interface is light years away from the IPhone's. It's hard to describe-- its like driving a Hyundai to Apple's BMW. They are both good functional cars, but they are just not in the same class. A lot of people are critical about the IPhone lagging behind Samsung technology, but I guess to me and to a lot of diehard IPhone users, it all boils down to feel and user experience. I want my smartphone to be an extension of me, not a fiddly gadget I need a manual to figure out. The IPhone's thoroughly intuitive interface, by itself, has kept me loyal to the brand.

When Apple finally announced the newest version of its smartphone last week, the IPhone 6 and its larger twin, the IPhone 6 Plus, the first thing I checked were their maximum memory capacity and their camera specs. I was so relieved to find out that both versions come in 128GB models, although 164GB would be more than welcome. The camera remains at 8GB with essentially the same specs. as the 5s, but with a new sensor equipped with "Focus Pixels" that Apple claims to provide more information on the image resulting in better autofocus, face detection and exposure control. The newer features that got me excited are the camera's capacity to shoot video at 60 fps in 1080p and 240 fps at 720p as well as shoot time-lapse with continuous autofocus and cinematic video stabilization (optical image stabilization too in the 6 plus version). Despite what I still consider to be slight camera upgrades, these are features I gladly welcome since I can now finally take serious video footage with my favorite smartphone.    

 

The camera now features super slow motion and time-lapse.

IPhone 5s and 5c

It's September 20 and the new iPhones are finally available today worldwide.  The two newest incarnations of Steve Job's mobile tech legacy were announced two weeks ago, to mixed reactions.  I am a fan who is less than enthusiastic about the current line-up.

 

An avid loyalist from the first iphone, I stopped upgrading after the 5th version-- the iPhone 4s.  Aside from the obvious cellphone function, I use my iPhones mainly as a camera backup for shooting candid photographs, and it frustrates me that Apple has not really upgraded its mobile camera technology for the last two generations.  Stuck at 8 megapixels for the last 2 years, despite slight improvements in low-light capabilities, I have had no real reason to upgrade my phone.  If I needed to shoot in extreme low-light, I have a Leica, several Canons and Mamiyas, and even a Go Pro 3 to choose from; so an increase in resolution would have been a great selling-point to me and other iPhone photographers.  Besides, the iPhone is now seriously lagging behind its competitors, who have been offering better cameras in their cellphones for years.

 

I have used the iPhone as a serious photographic tool for years, to the extent of having an exhibit of limited edition prints from my iPhone generated images.  It continues to be a great tool for visual artists like me, mainly because of its versatility and wonderful Apps.  But the resolution of its camera limits my print sizes to 8 x 10 inches.  Apple, please take note of this plea or I might be forced to switch to another brand, just to satisfy my technical needs.  I am already using a Samsung as a second phone to my now outdated 4s, trying to see if its technology is actually better.

Iphone fans line up from New York to Tokyo to get their fix.

 

This year, Apple released two versions of the iPhone to address a segmented market:  The iPhone 5s-- the logical descendant of the previous models; and the iPhone 5c-- to cater to a more budget conscious consumer.  The company made sure that there are slight differences between the two models to justify the 5s' steeper price.

 

Like the older models, the 5s is armored in an aluminum/plastic shell, while the 5c is encased in an obviously cheaper all-plastic body.  You can finally get the iPhone in a variety of colors:  the 5s in Silver, Gold and Gray trim; the 5c in pastel pink, green, blue, yellow and white.  The 5s has a 64-bit A7 chip and an extra M7 motion coprocessor; the 5c retains the iPhone 5 A6 chip.  The camera specs. of the 5s is essentially the same from the iPhone 5, with a larger sensor (8 megapixels with 1.5µ pixels); while the 5c retains the iPhone 4s camera specs.  The premium 5s model also has a 'True Tone flash', auto-image stabilization, burst mode and slow-motion video capabilities.  Both models feature a 4-inch Retina display.  But the 5s also has Apple's newly developed Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor installed on the main button for added security.

6th Generation iPhone - iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 is slightly bigger than its predecessors

The sixth generation iPhone was just unveiled several hours ago. Dubbed the iPhone 5, it is actually the 6th iPhone down the line from the 1st model.

As expected, Apple upgraded its most popular product inside out. While it retains its shape and general cosmetic appearance, the iPhone 5 is actually slightly longer and thinner than the 4s and now has an anodized aluminum back (same material used in Apple's notebooks). IPhone 5's new length accomodates its 4 inch (diagonal) widescreen fingerprint-resistant display with 1136-by-640-pixel resolution. The headphone jack has also been relocated to the bottom, beside the built-in speaker and the more durable "lightning connector" (w/c replaces the older 30-pin connector from previous models).

The new phone is 4G LTE capable and supports advanced networks such as HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. It has Dual-band 802.11n wi-fi connectivity for faster browsing and downloads, up to 150 mbps. The new A6 chip offers better graphic performance and is more efficient, twice as fast as the A5 chip in the 4s.  The camera in the iPhone 5 remains at 8 megapixels with essentially the same hardware specs, but has better low-light performance (2 stops better), improved noise-reduction and improved video image-stabilization. It also has a new panorama feature - with one smooth motion you can shoot 240 degree high-resolution panoramas, up to 28 megapixels.

For details on the iPhone 5's features go to:  http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/

Would I upgrade? I probably would, since I have upgraded from every version of the phone since its inception. But I am in no hurry. I am happy with my current 4s model and the features on the new iPhone 5 can wait until after the Christmas rush is over.

--image from Apple.com

My Favorite iPhone Photo & Video Apps.

Playing my Traveler guitar using my iPhone as an Amp. (photo by Anne)

I have been an iPhone fan since its inception and yes, I am one of those freaks that have gone through all five versions (iPhone 1, 3G, 3Gs, 4 and now the 4s) of this popular Smart Phone.  I just love the versatility of this gadget-- "a digital Swiss Army Knife."  With one tool, I am always carrying a virtual office wherever I go-- my telephone, my computer, my music and most importantly (as a photographer), a camera/videocamera.

I shot and edited this photo using the 1st iPhone

I shot and edited this photo using the iPhone 3G

When I got my first version of the iPhone, I just used the camera for casual snap-shots.  At 2.0 megapixel, the camera was just too "light" to use for anything more serious.  Since the phone came with some great Apps., I was always eager to upgrade.  I began using the iPhone for my Fine Art work after upgrading to the 3G.  There was only a megapixel difference, but I was able to clearly print my photos up to 8" x 10" (using the Camera Bag App.).  You can see the results of this initial foray in my "Grounded Series." Now with the 4s' 8 megapixel camera, I can leave my trusty compact Leica D-Lux 3 at home.

Here is an example of a photo I shot and edited with the iPhone 4s.

Although there have been a slew of lens attachments and gadgets that have been made to enhance the performance of the iPhone's camera, I never really used any of them personally.  Carrying attachments bulkier than the phone itself defeats the portability and ease the gadget offers.  My main attraction to the iPhone aside from its obvious convenience, has always been the availability of wonderful Apps.  To date, I have more than 400 Apps. on my current iPhone.

Here are some of photo and video Apps. I use regularly:

Is It The Camera Or Is It The Photographer?

Should the photographer or the camera be credited for the quality of a photograph?  The answer to this question seems obvious (to me), yet photographers often encounter statements from people who readily tell them, "I love your pictures, you must have a great camera" or "your photos are beautiful, that expensive (professional) camera is certainly worth what you paid for."  It seems that most people have a general impression that photographers are only as good as their camera, and that a newer model, with more bells and whistles, will actually do miracles for anyone's photography-- a myth propagated and fueled by Camera manufacturers.

This erroneous belief started more than 100 years ago when George Eastman simplified the photographic process by inventing the first Kodak Camera.  "You press the button, we do the rest" promised George Eastman in 1888.  Everyone, wherever they went (since it was also portable), could easily take a picture with a Kodak -- essentially a shoebox sized light-tight box with a simple shutter, pre-loaded with his newly invented rolled-film (enough for 100 exposures).  Before Eastman, photography was a laborious occupation, exclusive to professionals who used cumbersome cameras and individually prepared glass plates.  The Kodak camera brought photography to the masses, and for the first time, knowledge and experience in the craft of photography took a back seat.

Since 1888, developments in photographic technology and imaging had made it easier and easier for all of us to take better photographs-- from point-and-shoot cameras with flash, to faster film stock and even auto-focus.  The current digital technology has even reached the point (in my opinion), where it is almost impossible to take a badly exposed photo.  Our current digital cameras (or cellphones) are not simple boxes anymore, but micro-sized pro-grade cameras that have variable shutters, irises, lenses and programmable flash guns that can all be automatically adjusted by computer.  "You press the button, and the camera literally does the rest."  In this day and age of the digital camera, everyone is at least, a competent photographer.

So has the camera finally replaced the photographer, after 120 years of technological advances?

Photography After Kodak

One of the biggest stories of the New Year, is Eastman Kodak's recent bankruptcy filing.  It made headlines the world over because it symbolizes the end of an era-- the end to the Age of Film Photography.  To film users everywhere, it was a death spell.  As a fan and Kodak film user, I mourn the good old days when film was the norm and great film stock was available everywhere.  I started my exploration of photography on Kodak film when I was a young boy.  As a film student in Art Center College, I used to buy my film stock directly from Kodak Hollywood in Santa Monica Blvd.  With Kodak forced to recognize its need to reorganize, film stock will soon become scarce (at least Fuji Film is still doing business) and film prices would surely skyrocket. Film photography will become more specialized and rarified.

But this Bankruptcy was not a surprise to anyone, everyone was expecting it to happen sooner or later.  The paradigm shift to digital photography has been happening for the last 20 years.  Eastman Kodak was just not savvy enough to remain on the forefront of the digital photography technology in the last 10 years, because it was busy concentrating a lot of its resources on mounting an aggressive stance to defend its shrinking core film business. 

The first Kodak digital imaging system built in 1975

Very few people know that Kodak built its first prototype all-digital camera in 1975.  The camera had a working CCD imager which digitize the captured image on a standard cassette tape.  The data was read by a playback device that interpolated the 100 captured lines to 400 lines, then generated a standard NTSC video signal, which can be viewed a television set.  In 1986, Kodak came up with the first megapixel sensor.  The company released 7 digital imaging products in 1987, capable of recording, storing, manipulating, transmitting and printing electronic still video images.  In 1990 it came out with the Photo CD system and proposed "the first standard for defining color in the digital environment of computers and computer peripherals.  In 1991, it released the first professional grade digital camera system (DCS) using a Nikon F3 body with a 1.3 megapixel Kodak sensor.  The company was in the forefront of the digital photography revolution, decades before companies like Samsung and Casio built their first digital camera.  So what happened?

Grounded 1: Meditations On The Terra Firma

Ribbon-cutting for "Grounded 1" last Dec. 7

I have been a practicing Photographer for more than thirty-three years.  Photography started out as a hobby at the age of eleven, and it has been a constant presence in my life ever since.

When I turned professional five years ago, I decided to keep a part of my photography personal and experimental.  “Grounded: Meditations on the Terra Firma” is my first Series dedicated to the original impulse I had when I received my first camera -- to explore the medium of Photography and to use it to see our world in a different way.

I decided to start this personal (experimental) photographic journey at its core.  Light, shadow, texture, line, shape, color and composition comprise the most basic elements of the visual arts -- the fundamental building blocks of Photography.  “Grounded: Meditations on the Terra Firma” is pure photography, concentrated on the most essential elements of the Art.  All the photographs in this Series were shot as is, without photo manipulation.*

Beside the "Grounded" Exhibit poster in Ayala Museum

I opted to use a simple camera from the onset, devoid of any controls, to force myself to focus on these crucial elements.  I ended up using an IPhone, instead of my Holga or my Polaroid cameras, because my cellphone is always with me.  It is the modern day counterpart of the Polaroid and the Instamatic camera, and everyone is familiar with it (very few remember what Polaroids are).  After all the camera, no matter how simple or complex, is just a gadget that captures images.  It is our ability to ‘See’ and delight in what we see that dictates what we photograph.

“Grounded: Meditations on the Terra Firma” is also my initial foray into Abstract Photography.  Inspired by the avant garde work of Aaron Siskind, I wanted to retrace the possibilities of  Abstract Expressionism in Photography.  Siskind deliberately obscured his subject matter by concentrating on form, texture and simple visual elements to push Photography into the realm of abstraction; Simple and direct, without employing elaborate tricks and gadgets.  Upon discovering the possibilities of abstraction Siskind exclaimed, “For the first time in my life subject matter as such, has ceased to be of primary importance.  Instead I found myself involved in the relationships of these objects, so much so that the pictures turned out to be deeply moving and personal experiences.”

Preparing the Prints for the exhibit

I was walking down Hollywood Blvd. one afternoon, when it dawned on me that the pavements on this street are probably the most photographed side-walks in the whole world -- Pavements normally ignored, but have transcended the mundane by virtue of the names and hand/footprints of the media celebrities imprinted on them.  Why not photograph regular pavements and celebrate them in the same manner?  Aaron Siskind had a series of photographs of ‘tar-marked asphalt roads (his last Series 1986-88),’ which he elevated into Abstract Art -- because they contain interesting calligraphic-like elements that most people overlook.  Since Siskind’s photos were mostly in Black & White, I became excited by the thought of doing mine in color -- a small but significant variable that can heighten visual impact.

“Grounded No. 1” was born.  Seventeen different Los Angeles Cities ‘abstracted’ in a quatrain of photographs like the stanza of a poem ...distilled from the most basic visual elements of the ground we work and play on.  Gravity grounds us to the earth and nothing is more constant in our lives than the firmament beneath us.  Art exists around us, if we just took the time to ‘Look and See.’  “Grounded” is my photographic meditation on the Terra  Firma, the terrain we live and walk on.

*Technical Notes - I used an IPhone App. called ‘Camera Bag’ in the ‘Lolo’ setting to heighten saturation -- a digital approximation of Medium Format Color Reversal Film (square format). But the pictures remain as they were originally shot (no tweaking in Photoshop), with color gradations reflecting the natural daylight color temperature shifts during the time of the day they were captured. No special lenses or attachments were used.

My 1st Solo Exhibit: "Grounded in the Old Manila International Airport"

My new Fine Art Photo Series - "Grounded," will finally be shown to the public.  This first installment of an ongoing Series, is a collection of 18 Art Prints featuring photographs of Los Angeles County streets assembled in a quartet.  Inspired by the avant garde photography of Aaron Siskind, "Grounded" revisits the possibilities of Abstract Expressionism in photography, using the most elemental ingredients of light, shadow, color and texture.

The Prints will be on display from December 4 (Aaron Siskind's bday) to January 6 in the Filipinas Heritage Library, the historic 1930s Manila International Airport in the heart of Makati (the Philippines' central financial district).  The venue was the country's first international airport and served as the headquarters of the U.S. Army Airforce during World War II.

Steve Jobs Dies at 56

Steve Jobs - computer icon, media innovator and Apple Computer co-founder, died early today at age 56 after battling pancreatic cancer for several years.  He stepped down last August after handing the reins of the company to current Apple CEO, Tim Cook.  A Beatles fan, Steve named the computer company he co-founded with Steve Wozniak after the Rock group's Apple Records label. 

An innovator, more than an inventor, Steve changed the media landscape forever with masterful products like the Apple II - the first commercially successful personal computer, the Macintosh - the first commercially viable graphical user interface PC, the iMac and the Powerbook - which changed how computers are packaged, the iPod - which transformed digital music players, iTunes which revolutionized how music is sold, the iPhone - that defined the next generation of smart phones and finally the iPad - which has created a new and growing segment in the PC industry.  Aside from these, he was also the founder and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios (sold to Disney in 2006), which led the digital animation Features revolution we are currently enjoying.

An uncompromising perfectionist, Steve orchestrated his products from the development and design phase, all the way to its packaging and marketing strategy.  His pursuit for aesthetic perfection bordered on the extreme.  He is famous for his "insanely great" aesthetics in product design and packaging; his Apple Stores are some of the most striking retail outlets anywhere in the world; he even insists on beautifying the insides of his computers.  Infamous for immersing himself into the smallest details, his meticulously planned onstage product unveils are legendary.

Steve Jobs was an iconoclast of the 1st degree, comparable only to Edison and Disney.  Like most legends, he was able to accomplish so much at such a short time.  He will be missed, and we can only speculate about the many other wonders he could have achieved given more time.  But his legacy continues on through his company (including Pixar), through his products and through his example - of a life lived to the fullest.  He truely exemplified what he preached, " Think Different."

iPhone 4S

Apple just introduced the new iPhone 4S, the newly updated version of its popular smart phone.  As a photographer who uses the iPhone regularly as a camera (I've used all 4 previous models), I am happy to announce an upgrade on the camera of our favorite pocket/everyday phone-camera.

The camera on the iPhone 4S was upgraded to 8 megapixels from the 5 megapixels of the iPhone 4 (rear/main camera).  The lens was also improved to provide sharper and crisper images, with a slightly faster aperture of f/2.4 from the previous f/2.8.  The video capability was also increased from 30 fps 720p HD to 30 fps 1080p HD.

The other notable upgrades are the faster processor, new OS 5, better antenna (reception), higher capacity (new 64 GB model) and Apple's new talking voice activated task software, called Siri.

The iPhone 4S will be available in the US, Canada, Japan and most of Western Europe by October 14 and to 22 other countries by the end of October.

Is it a worthy upgrade?  You be the judge.

Click here to see some sample photos taken with the new iPhone 4S camera.

--photo taken from http://www.apple.com/

Like Father Like Son

(photo by Anne Prado-Magadia)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!

My son, Ari (Renato III), turned 7 today.  We had a big party for him last Saturday in my parent's home.  Most of his classmates and friends attended, and everybody had great fun (one fell into the pool, another ran naked in the garden and a couple of them wrestled in the mud).

I am proud of my son, who is not only bright and artistic, but is also very popular.  He is funny and full of life.  He is also beginning to show some interest in photography, using his Nintendo DS to shoot and edit, and I am excited about it.

My son clowning around in my studio

I wanted to get him a real camera for his birthday, but decided to delay it for another year or two (to see if he really wants it).  I gave my daughter her own camera when she turned 6, but she hardly uses it.  Unfortunately it was in Pink, so my son would not touch it with a ten foot pole.  I do not want to force photography on him, anymore than I want to determine what he wants to be or to eventually do with his life.  But I am struggling hard to restrain my fatherly instincts to make him like what I like.  I guess it is just natural for any father... 

Instead of a card this year, I am also giving my son a 'birthday comicbook,' like what I gave my daughter a month ago ("10 Years Ago Today").  As a storyteller, I find it more natural and fun to say what I am feeling by telling a story (plus I really love this iPhone App. - I highly recommend it).

10 Years Ago Today

Ten Years Ago...        I became a father.  It was a defining moment for me.

Today, my daughter turned 10, so I decided to give her something different.  Instead of the traditional card, I decided to give her a "Birthday Comicbook," chronicling her first ten years of life (through my eyes of course) and to celebrate a decade of fatherhood.

Last Space Shuttle + IPhone 4

The Space Shuttle Program's last flight blasted off yesterday in Florida for a 12 day mission to the International Space Station.  The lift-off of Space Shuttle Atlantis marks the end of America's 30 year old Space Shuttle program.  It has been a fruitful 30 years of labor, highlighted by the Hubble and the International space station, and I salute all the astronauts, engineers, scientists and support crews of NASA for a job well done!  Your work will benefit us all.

Here is brief video of that historical launch:


Here is a tribute video with Hi Def images of various shuttle launches:

Nothing combines photography and technology more perfectly than "space photography" -- the final frontier.  I happen to be an avid fan of both.

Speaking of technology, Space Shuttle Atlantis is carrying two IPhone 4s aboard its last mission loaded with the new SpaceLab App for iOS. The App is designed to utilize IPhone 4's cutting-edge capabilities including the 3-axis-gyro, accelerometer, retina display, cameras and A4 processor.

The IPhones will be used to conduct 4 experiments:
- An experiment will measure the distance and exact location of the iPhone in relation to the Earth’s center.
- Calibration of the three-axis gyro and accelerometer to make subsequent measurements more accurate.
- Calculation the longitude and latitude of the spacecraft multiple times to predict the spacecraft’s path of orbit.
- To monitor and categorize how radiation affects the iPhone.

The goal of the SpaceLab App is to gather as much data as possible now to aid in developing more advanced mobile applications in the future.

Here is a gallery of my favorite photographs from 30 years of Space Shuttle missions.  Enjoy!:

iCloud and Photography

It is Apple Computer WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) time again and the tech world is abuzz with the latest Apple tech news. This is the annual event most IPhone and Mac lovers wait for, since it has been the traditional venue where the newest version of their favorite gadget is unveiled.  But this year, the company decided to delay the unveiling of their latest hardware to give centerstage to their newest platform dubbed "the iCloud."

In yesterday's keynote address, delivered by Apple chairman Steve Jobs, Apple announced a new free service called the "iCloud" (in obvious response to the recent "cloud" music services launched by Amazon and Google).  Like other "cloud" services or 3rd party online storage services, iCloud will synch user content from their device/s to servers in Apple's data centers, where it can be readily available and distributed to all the user's other devices.  But unlike similar online storage services, which just backup and centralizes data, "iCloud's" smart system offers some added features like: purchases from iTunes (Apps, music, media) will be mirrored on all your other devices (IPhone, IPad, IPod and computer), documents created and updated on any device will be automatically stored in iCloud and updated on all your other devices and photos (and videos) taken by an apple device or uploaded on a computer will automatically be available in your other devices for a short period of time via "Photo Stream."    

This is great news for photographers and photo enthusiasts worldwide. Aside from the obvious storage space service (5 GB is free not counting music, photos, apps and books), photos taken by Apple devices or photos downloaded from your digital camera to your computer (including PCs) can be instantaneously available to all of your devices, and will be stored in "iCloud" for 30 days.  This automatic feature will save us the hassle of manually backing up and uploading our photo files to our online servers or to our individual devices constantly.  As soon as I found out about this, my mind started to think of the different ways I can use "iCloud" for my own photography.

Happy Blog Anniversary

HAPPY BLOG ANNIVERSARY TO ALL!

It has been exactly one year since I started this blog.  After 90 entries (not all of them interesting to many), I am still having a lot of fun blogging about my life-long passions of Photography, Cinema and the Visual Arts.  I am quite certain, because I am now blogging just after suffering through 15 hours of  heat in a citywide blackout (the whole of Metro-Manila was out of electricity for 15 hours after last night's typhoon onslaught).

I have found blogging essential to my art, not only because it brings wider attention to my work, but it also keeps me abreast with the latest developments in the fields of photography and cinema as well as in contact with like minded individuals and fellow practitioners.

Although I love cameras (gadgets) and I do collect them, I have always underscored the primary importance of creativity and technique above technology.  I am as techie as they come, but I try my best to impart some "poetry" to my work.  I want to share a video I saw yesterday that emphasizes this point:



If you look throughout this blog, you will discover that I use both film and digital equipment, as well as the IPhone for my work.  Each camera offers me a different palette to work on.  In photography, lighting is number one -- as this video has demonstrated.  But Halogen worklights, a flashlight or even a candle can suffice, if you just take the time to master technique.

--Video from YouTube.com by FStoppers.  Visit http://www.fstoppers.com/ .

David Hockney Paints with an IPhone

David Hockney has been painting with an IPhone for more than a year now. He discovered an IPhone application called "Brushes" and just started to doodle, sending 4 or 5 of his spontaneous "sketch-paintings" per day via email to a group of about a dozen friends -- from where the electronic paintings eventually find their way out to the rest of the world. David has created hundreds, maybe even thousands of these original "art pieces"  by now ever since he began.

I am intrigued by this story because David Hockney is a prominent artist, who's not only widely famous, but is also reconized as a seminal figure in 20/21th Century Art. An artist of this caliber utilizing the cellphone (particularly the IPhone) as a tool to create "Art", gives "cellphone art/photography" a boost, an endorsement of sorts -- publicly declaring the electronic gadget fit for the creation of "Fine Art." Of course a lot of photographers (and artists) have been using the IPhone as a serious photographic tool since it was first introduced, but there have been many cynics.