First time I've ever been to Pasig's Rainforest Park. It's a bit nice. Then we headed to UP Diliman for more shots. Ran into one of my favorite local wedding duo - Mimi and Karl. I wish I brought more lights with me. But one can only bring so much alone.

Now for the photos.

I've always wanted to do a shot on the swing.




We 'shoo'd-off' the kids to get this turf. Haha.










I was too lazy to bring a lightstand, but Ray and I thought of a way to mount the flash somewhere. Hehe.


Since the apparent fad in digital photography is UBER editing, I thought I might dip into it a bit and show friends my little skills in some of the shots here. Look Ma, no hands! Hehe.

But frankly, I'm still veering towards the purist side and prefer to correct my composition on the field and get some interesting material(s) during picture-taking. At the end of the day, you really can't edit much from a photo that's a crap to begin with (pardon the term). =)

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I had the pleasure of shooting the engagement session of Rich and Roj, a sweet, generous, and fun couple. We had a number of planned destinations but in the end we settled for the bay area of SM Mall of Asia. MOA is an interesting change from my usual prenup nook - UP Diliman. Some of the amusing differences I've noted in favor of MOA are:

1. less trees
2. more cars
3. more crowd (who at one time probably thought we were celebrities, haha)
4. and more security guards (over you shoulder; save for one who was kind enough to let us take some sunset shots on the bayside)

Rich and Roj's wedding will be on Monday at The Blue Gardens. Since my favorite second photographer, Roi Francisco wouldn't be around due to thesis work, Greg Morales of Pure Heart Productions, another excellent photographer would document the wedding with me.

Now for the engagement photos.



Some light play, that earned us a crowd and prematurely stopped our photo session at the fountain area. Tsk.


Restaurants are being constructed on the bay area. Here's one with an interesting tarp.


Something from the stop over at The Blue Gardens.


The we walked toward a nearby amusement park in the MOA area.




And another from The Blue Gardens.


What a way to cap off the evening. We were unaware of a scheduled fireworks display. How often does that kind of thing coincide with a loosely planned prenup? God is good. =)


PS: I'm considering getting an advanced point and shoot camera for stealth photography, especially for areas where there are plenty of paranoid security guards. Apparently in most areas, the guards don't mind people clicking away with point & shoots. But when someone takes out an SLR, their radars switch on. What is it about guards and their fetish for big cameras? Hahaha.

It's going to be a long wait though, as the first point & shoot with an APS-C sized imaging sensor is still in development from Sigma. Hopefully when it comes out other camera manufacturers would adapt the advancement (err... Nikon?). A bigger sensor would mean better noise handling for low light situations. Normally, current point & shoots can only provide shots with acceptable noise up to ISO400. In my short experience, a clean (noise free) ISO1600 would be a big help. We earlier planned on getting the Nikon Coolpix P5100 for this purpose, but dpreview.com rated it as an average performer. What's interesting is that the P5100's sensor jump to 12megapixels from it's predecessor's 10mp (P5000) didn't help at all in its noise handling, if not added to the problem. So there goes the rat race of point & shoot digicams for more megapixels.

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I was privileged to document the recent G12 Conference at Cuneta last Nov 28-30. And here are my favorite photos from the 3-day conference.

For more photos, visit my multiply site at www.dcercado.multiply.com or click HERE.

Ptr. Nate leading the worship. I purchased studio strobes to light this event and looking back at the photos, I'm glad I made the decision.


Cuneta Astrodome was packed!


What's a conference in a coliseum without vendors coming in? Hehe.


Ptr. Nate dancing during worship.


Ptr. Cesar Castellanos, founder of the G12 Vision, begins his session with a congregational call to repentance.


Ptr. Castellanos and his interpreter take a moment to laugh. When Ptr. Castellanos laid down his coat to better describe a portion of his preaching - about the time when the Israelites laid down their cloaks for Jesus' entry, the interpreter looked at the pastor with a face asking if it was necessary for him to duplicate the gesture. They laugh it off when he finally followed suit.


Ptr. Nate waiting.


Ministering time.


Some parent's brought their kids to the conference. Here are two wallowing their time at the hind part of the coliseum.


Mike Manubag's reaction after I cracked a joke. I asked him who would look good beside him in a picture, and showed him a previous shot of a person I took earlier. Just in time to catch his laugh.

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What happened last night is something I would never forget. I would mark it as a major turning point in my life as a photographer. It happened while I was doing devotions. I can't go into details. That's between God and me.

But if I were asked today what my sole motivation for doing photography is, I'd humbly say - Obscurity for God's renown.

Obscurity = nameless, unknown, unnoticed, unnoted, inconspicuous; undistinguished, uncelebrated, unhonored, renownless, inglorious.

Why not?

There would be no words that would completely explain my experience last night. In the hope of touching other people's lives and spurring other believers to run the race, I leave you this song. (download HERE)

 

From the Inside Out (lyrics)

A thousand times I fail still Your mercy remains
Should I stumble again, 'til I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fails
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fails
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fails
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fails
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fails
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fails
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out

From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out

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