Ferdz Decena

Secrets of Mindoro text and photography by Ferdz Decena I have been on assignment in Mindoro twice for two different publications. The first one when I covered an Iraya Mangyan Festival and a resort in Oriental Mindoro . The most recent one was for Mabuhay Magazine when I went to Occidental Mindoro to discover its secrets. This was published last June 2009 Issue . On both occasions I went there both as a writer and a photographer. With one hand on the camera and the other on a pen and notebook, I went around Mindoro to capture a story. Personally, I would prefer to be either a writer or a photographer. But I have seen a good mix of photographer and writers who does a great job at their work  in the likes of Lester Ledesma. I also heard from a friend in the publication industry saying that the prestigious Outside Magazine, one my favorite outdoor and travel mags is known to hire people who could both write and take photos. In my experience, working as both has advantages and advantage...

Partial Solar Eclipse in Manila Philippines I can still remember it was back in 1988 when I was a kid when I witnessed a partial eclipse here in Manila. I remember my parents telling me not to look directly in the sun. I had to rely on multiple strips of film negatives or looking on the surface reflection on the water. Fast forward to July 22 2009 , the world have experienced one of the longest solar eclipse. The Total solar eclipse was see in India and China. But here in the Philippines we get to see a Partial Solar Eclipse .

The City lights of Baguio under the mist I just got back on a 4 day Photo Assignment this morning from Baguio . It was a jam packed 4 days into the Cordilleras but it was really interesting. I actually like this assignment as the story is in line to one of my interest. As usual, I can’t divulge anything until the issue comes out but it I’m really excited on how the writer would treat this story. It was raining most of the time in the afternoon but I love the hanging mist there as it adds to the mood of the shots. I already miss the cool weather and the mist. Usually I just visit Baguio in transit but after this assignment, I may explore further.

The stuffs I bring on a Photo Assignment It’s time once again when I need to pack my stuff for a photo assignment. Normally, when I pack my stuff for a personal travel, I try to be as light as possible and leave some things that I would probably not use. But when packing for a photo assignment, its different. I had to bring other stuff along that I may probably need. Here’s just an insight on what I bring along during a photo assignment trip.

Cubao X Wall collage and Electric Guitar (Pin Hole) “Seems like another gimmick to me” is my first thought when I heard about what seems to be a regular feature among the new Olympus line of DSLR cameras – the Art Filters . Honestly, it made me scratch my head. There are 6 preset creative effects found in the camera, namely Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale and Light, Light Tone, Grainy Film and Pin Hole. I had the chance to play around with their relatively new mid-range DSLR Olympus E-30 , which is the first Olympus DSLR to incorporate the feature and see what these filters can do. I need not travel that far to try out the Art Filters. Here are some shots taken along the streets of Binondo, Graffiti in Intramuros, some shops in Cubao X and also a few high rise from Makati.

DPP Travel Photography Lecture at Fully Booked Last June 27, 2009. Digital Photographer Philippines , the premiere Photography magazine in the country and certainly one of the best printed mags here celebrated their Third Anniversary. It was a whole day of lectures on three different venues inside the Fully Booked building at Bonifacio High Street. The event is not without any hassle as there were some confusion with the lines, signing up for lectures and getting their goody bags. I guess the people at DPP didn’t expect the influx of hundreds of participants (around 650) at the venue, but I think most were quite happy still.