“It's designed to break your heart.
The game begins in the spring,
when everything is new again,
and it blossoms in the summer,
filling the afternoons and evenings,
and then as soon as the chill rains comes,
it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone.”
A. Bartlett Giamatti
This was probably the shortest shoot I've had. An hour before the sun was expected to set, Kristine, the sister of a friend, came over to the our house. Fair with dark brown hair, Kristine was exactly the person I had in mind for a shoot. Fortunately, she was all up for it, although I warned her that this was probably going to be very short since the sun was already setting. It was a good thing that the sun was turning its usual pretty colors, so I got out my lip gloss so that she can add a bit of color to her lips and we started shooting.
The sun shone beautifully and our neighborhood was so quiet, so it was easy getting into the mood of things. We picked weeds from the roadside to make a wreath for her hair. An old braided belt held a bouquet of flowers together that we picked from our yard (sorry Mother!) For an hour of shooting, not bad. It was already dark when we finished and we were scratching ourselves silly from all the weeds and insects that we came across as we waded through the neighbors' vegetable gardens, but it was a great way to spend the afternoon. My only regret is that I still find it hard to make my images sharp using this lens (I have lots of practicing ahead of me) but I liked how some of the soft shots looked like.Somehow, they lent themselves to the mood that I wanted to capture for that day.
“...there is no such thing as a charmed life,
not for any of us,
no matter where we live or how mindfully we attend to the tasks at hand.
But there are charmed moments,
all the time,
in every life and in every day,
if we are only awake enough to experience them when they come
and wise enough to appreciate them.”
― Katrina Kenison
The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir
I love going and walking by the boulevard when the sun is about to set and the afternoon is awash in a hazy, pink and yellow light. Dumaguete is magical at this hour, and the I think the people who go out to enjoy the sun and the breeze as they sit on one of the many benches facing the sea know it too.
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the Boulevard |
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They look like they're ready to put on a show, lined up like that. :) |
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Setting up shop for the afternoon's batch of shoppers |
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Gorgeous colors! |
I especially love summer afternoons, because I am free to wander and enjoy the sunset. I no longer have to endure so-near-and-yet-so-far moments, times when I am just a a short walk away from the boulevard but I know that I will have to miss another gorgeous sunset, another charmed afternoon, just because there's something more important to do. This particular afternoon, there was no hurry, no rush, and I walked the pace of the others ahead of me who were in no hurry to be someplace else, either. I just love living here :)
I have been putting off shooting with film for months now, ever since I received the package from a good friend containing some pieces from his vintage camera collection that he decided to give to me. Film has an element of uncertainty with it-- you cannot just look at a viewfinder and see if you got a good shot or not. Today, I mustered the courage to load one of the film rolls into the camera. It took me two tries before I was confident that the film loaded correctly, and I shut the film compartment and cranked the lever to see if the number 1 will show up. Whew (*dramatic brow wipe*)Thank God it did!!!
A rangefinder is very different from an SLR although the focusing is very interesting and quite fun to do. It is fun aligning the glowy orb thing so that the double images disappear and you get a clear image. I also had to get adjusted to the fact that I cannot just look at my photos after taking a shot. I noticed that after every shot I would look down at the camera, expecting the LCD screen to be there. No such luck. The change is a welcome one, since it is quite a challenge to get used to this, and the anticipation that comes with each shot, as I think about how it will come out when it finally gets developed, is something new.
A photo of me, taking first shots using the rangefinder, thanks to
Kat Banay. :D
It is April and for us in the tropics that means summer and sun, sun sun!!! The heat is scorching which also leaves me craving for all the cold treats that I could get my hands on, from mango shakes to buko shakes (my new obsession!) and anything else that has ice and sugar.
Summer 2013, cannot believe you are here already.
I will go to the beach this year,
I will go to the beach this year,
I will go to the beach this year!!!
“Tea pot is on, the cups are waiting,
Favorite chairs anticipating,
No matter what I have to do,
My friend there's always time for you”
--Anonymous
I love the thought of setting dates for meeting friends... it is something worth looking forward to. Yesterday was a great Sunday, the first Sunday of summer and it was sunny and warm. I got out of the house and dropped by Robinson's to buy the silvanas that I promised to bring along with a box of tea. I arrived late, as usual, although the sun was still shining bright although it was nearing 5 PM. Darwiza's house, a 3-story "building" is nearing completion, although the first floor was almost done and felt so much like the lobby of a nice, small hotel. She had prepared a nice table for us, complete with a tea set for my tea (yay!!!). Serlyn prepared pasta, someone bought chicken, the others brought fruit mix, coconut shake and ice cream. For an afternoon snack, we sure know how to prepare!
Love, love, love days like these :)