Tips Archives - Ferdz Decena

The Thrill of the Shutter: Picking the Right Camera

Posted on Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 2:21 pm.

Written by Ferdz

Getting into photography — A Photographer using his DSLR

I have been asked a lot on what camera to use or what brand is the best one to buy. Honestly that’s a real tricky question as there are a lot of factors to consider. Being one of the Olympus endorsers in the Philippines I may give a biased answer in a fly so I don’t want to give a specific brand. Here’s an article I wrote for a magazine at least a year ago which I think is still relevant at this time. Since that Magazine never saw the light of its second issue, I might as well publish it here with a few changes to adapt to time. Hope this one helps.

–

We call it the “Happy Shot” — that one single photograph amongst the many attempts that captured the perfect moment. It may be the perfect smile on a portrait. The best light on a landscape. Or that unexpected candid action on an event. It’s what every photographer yearns for. The sheer pleasure of taking home the shots that you would be proud to hang on your wall, post on the internet and show off to your friends. Your quest for your own “Happy Shot” begins with getting the camera that’s right for you.

Travel Photographers, Don’t Sell Yourself Cheap

Posted on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 7:53 pm.

Written by Ferdz

I know how it feels to get published. I think for an aspiring photographer, it is one of the initial accomplishments to see their photos on print with their name on it. With photography very accessible to everyone lately, it’s so easy to get into the field. But wait! It is also a hive for some publishers and companies to take advantage of young and aspiring photographers wanting to break into the field. “Give us your photos for free and credit you for that”, they say. That’s just cheap.

Ushering 2010 with Blue Moons

Posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 1:46 am.

Written by Ferdz

The Full Moon on a New Year 2010 (Taken 12:22am Phil Time) — The Full Moon on a New Year 2010

Yes it comes only every 2 decades. And we get to see it this time again on the New Years Eve of 2009. No don’t expect the moon to be fully blue in color but it’s just a term for a double full moon in one month which happens rarely hence the term “Once in a blue moon” while technically here in the Philippines it starts at 3:15am January 1st so it wouldn’t be a blue moon on 2009 but on 2010. In fact 2010 would be a rare lunar year with having multiple blue moons here in the Philippines, which is January 1, and 30 and March 1 and 30.

Olympus E-P1 Diary Part 2: Shooting Portraits using Natural Light

Posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 11:17 am.

Written by Ferdz

Alodia Gosiengfiao (Olympus E-P1, ISO 800, 17mm Pancake, F2.8, 1/80sec)

It took a while for my second installment of the Olympus E-P1 Diary as I took my time in actually using the E-P1 in various situations. One interesting challenge for the E-P1 is on shooting portraits using its current kit lenses, the 17mm f2.8 Pancake and the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Zoom. I shot most of the portraits here under natural lighting conditions as I rarely travel with flash or any reflectors since these are personal travels. It is interesting how the Olympus E-P1 fared in this situation.

On Assignment: So how do you shoot a ghost?

Posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 pm.

Written by Ferdz

It seemed a daunting task but I took on the assignment with much gusto as delving into the paranormal intrigues me. Seair Inflight wanted to feature Baguio’s famous haunts for its October-November Issue. There was research done on the famous and not so famous spots. But as with any ghost stories it’s a question on how would you catch anything that isn’t corporeal. Let alone a question of belief if they do exist.

Tips: How to Take Better Travel Photos

Posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 12:06 am.

Written by Ferdz

Article Published on One Philippines August 2009

People have been asking for tips on how to get the most when taking photos during their travels. I’m sharing here and article I wrote for One Philippines, an entertainment and lifestyle newsmagazine for the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers and Pinoy migrants. It’s a general set of pointers both for point-and-shooters and new to DSLR cameras:

There’s nothing like summer to stir wanderlust. We go to exotic places, embark on adventures, sample great food, and most importantly, share moments with friends and family. And the camera has become our third eye, capturing these important events in our lives so when we return home, we get to re-live our experience and share them on Facebook or via email to our friends. But sometimes, when we finally scroll through our photographs, we see blurry shots, awful lighting, unrecognizable landmarks or plain-to-crappy pictures.

It can be frustrating, as we can’t take back the moments we remember vividly but documented so badly. How to avoid vacationer’s remorse? Here are a few handy tips to take better travel photos. Whether you’re a casual point-and-shooter or a beginner when it comes to handling that brand new DSLR or digital single-lens reflex camera, these tips may help you make your casual snaps into something as memorable and stunning as your actual experience.

Tips: Sorting and Organizing Photos

Posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 12:02 am.

Written by Ferdz

Whenever I go home from a personal trip or a photo assignment,I would usually have a few of memory cards filled in. Imagine around 10-16 gigabytes of photos which is roughly more than a thousand photo files. Just thinking about sorting out and organizing all of those photos can be daunting. But if you have a system or work flow for organizing photos, life can be a little easier. I’m sharing here my current method on sorting and organizing my photo files straight from the camera. It’s not perfect and may be refined more in the future, but currently it works for me.