Ferdz Decena

Reflections of a Bamboo Fence Starting this week I’ll be featuring photos available for print every Wednesday. For this week it is “ Reflections of a Bamboo Fence “. High Quality Print is available Here . Prints are done by the professional Bay Photo Lab and can be shipped anywhere in the world. Photo is property and copyright Ferdz Decena

The Olympus 45mm f1.8 lens I’m loving prime lenses more and more. Lately I find myself using them a lot often when I travel. It started when I got the excellent Panasonic 20mm Lumix pancake and now the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 added another dimension to my shooting style. Spending 3 weeks with the lens on actual travel made me learn more about its quirks, its strengths and handling. From the initial unboxing , I knew this lens was worth the money I spent. Now here’s my assessment of the lens and some real world samples to boot.

The Polaroid Pogo Printer in the box Many shutters have been clicked, so many people have been photographed, so many smiles have been captured. Yet it’s rare that I get to return the favour of sharing their moments with us photographers. I wanted to give something back, even as simple as giving their own photo. When I saw the Polaroid Pogo printer for the first time, I thought it was a very handy device to give instant photo to people. Its introductory price was steep two years ago (about P4000+ ) but when I saw it a couple of months ago it has gone down to half its price and thought about getting one. I thought it would be useful to bring to Myanmar where I could give photos so select individuals so I bought a unit.

SMUGs Metro Manila Photo Walk visits a Panutsa Factory in Caysasay The SMUGs Metro Manila had it’s first Photo Walk in Taal Town, Batangas . It’s been two years since I last went to Taal Town. While it is declared as a Heritage Town, two years ago I was disheartened on how it was neglected – the Taal Basilica was dilapidated, the stream along the Sta Lucia Well was flowing with trash and the streets were dirty. Returning with a group of fellow photographers through Smugs Metro Manila, I found renewed hope for this town. The Basilica is being renovated with freshly painted walls, the streets a lot cleaner and alas! The Sta Lucia Well is free of garbage. I also noticed there were a number of tourist coming and going wherein before I think we were the few who was there. Who ever the people in charge of restoring the grandeur of the town, I must commend them.

SMILE Mag Catanduanes Story Opener It’s already mid-month but if you’re flying Cebu Pacific anytime soon, check out their latest SMILE Inflight Magazine for November 2011. I got the opener photo here for their Catanduanes feature. Written by fellow writer, photographer and blogger Kara Santos of Travel UP . Do check it out.

The Magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda After 11-days, 5 overnight bus rides, 1 train ride, 1 pick-up truck, 2 horse carts, countless motorbike rides and thousands of words scribbled in my notebook, I finished my journey around Myanmar . I can say it was one of my fulfilling travels in a while in line with my travels in Laos and China . It was one of those journeys where Traveling and Photography is all about being in the moment, being part of the scene, melding, and being invisible. I love the interaction I get with the locals and just being in there. It’s the travel and the photography where the only person I’m shooting for is myself. I can’t wait to write it for the next few months. Here’s is Shwedagon Pagoda , a gold studded landmark which symbolizes the country. It was the major sight I visited the first time I got in the country and also the last before I left. Myanmar is a wonderful country that I won’t hesitate to go back again.

Shwezigon Siblings (Olympus E-PL1, 45mm, f2, 1/400s) I’m nearing the end of my Myanmar Journey with only a few days of stay here. I had a bit of snag in Inle Lake which was supposed to be some sort of a highlight for my trip but things got complicated when there was a festival on the nearby town. One things for sure I tell you, avoid the local festivals if you can. While it might be interesting, prices double and accommodations are non-existent. But still it was an experience. Good thing I met a very helpful lady in Aung Mingalar Hotel who accommodated me on my very brief stay in Nyaungshwe when I was already loosing hope of finding a place or even going back to Mandalay. Anyways more details of the story when I write them. In the meantime here’s a fun young sibling I met in Shwezigon in Bagan. That thanaka on their faces just gives the poeple of Myanmar a distinct character.

View of the Old Bagan during sunrise I’m currently halfway through my journey in Myanmar and I can say it’s more than I expected it to be. I’m currently in P yin U Lwin at the north of Mandalay. 3445 ft above sea level, taking the slow train immediately coming from Bagan. The cool clime is a refreshing change from the warm and dusty environs of Bagan. One thing I can say that the country is changing fast, any latest information from 1 year ago or even a few months ago has changed. Anyways I’ll leave you guys with one of the sunrise shots in Bagan which I thought was really a fabulous place.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 It was one of the much awaited lenses for Olympus PEN and the Micro Four Thirds format line. For years, Olympus as opted to keep the f2 as its fastest aperture to ensure the quality of its Zuiko lenses. But now they made a bold move to introduce a larger aperture of f1.8 for its 45mm M.Zuiko. This was welcomed with much celebration both from Olympus and Panasonic users as the lens selection for M43rds has definitely mature with this new addition along with the excellent Lumix 20mm f1.7 , Pany/Leica 25 f1.4 and Olympus 12mm f2 . But let’s put the spotlight on this wonderful Olympus 45mm f1.8 M.Zuiko Lens .