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George Cabig at the Taal Volcano Crater Lake rim, the highlight of the Taal Photo Trek that includes shooting the old ancestral houses in Taal town and beautiful sceneries in Batangas.

I’m looking forward to meeting you and sharing an opportunity to photograph the oldest town and the world’s smallest active volcano. Taal is best seen from the Volcano Island itself, hike up to the volcano’s rim and witness another magnificent lake inside the volcano. Our itinerary covers all the bases, so you’ll be seeing from every perspective: on foot, by boat, and, even on horses. The potential for great shots is virtually unlimited, and Treks are amazing photo experiences. You’ll make new friends and be exposed to all kinds of new information and techniques, good for “new-to-digital users” or aspiring professionals.

Photo trekkers shoot in all conditions, so make sure your bag is roomy enough for your camera too. Some of you are undoubtedly going to bring big, heavy backpacks filled with every lens you own. That’s fine, but also think that these days, with a single lens or two at the most, you can cover focal lengths from 18 – 200 mm without breaking your back. Put your energy into creativity instead of carrying heavy loads! Make sure you bring enough digital storage cards and extra rechargeable batteries. A tripod is always a good idea, although not mandatory. If you have a heavy, sturdy tripod, think about getting a travel friendly model instead. We are usually very casual on the treks. We will be both shooting mainly outdoors, so bring extra clothing. Dress comfortably, with good walking shoes. Make sure to have rain gear with you at all times to protect your camera bag and camera.

Details here.

Sarah Novak, a life coach who hails from Minnesotta, USA, right, poses for a souvenir photo with FPPF Chairwoman Edi Huang. Sarah, newly married to a husband who works in Manila, took the Basic Photography course with the FPPF at Fort Santiago.

Prof. Cecilia S. Angeles, standing, addresses the class of Batch 18 inside the FPPF Art Chamber 1 in Fort Santiago. Batch 18 is unique among the previous Basic batches because they made their own T-shirts printed with their class logo and emblazoned with some words from the Photography Hymn composed by Prof. Angeles. The kind professor is mighty proud of this class.

Here a group from Batch 18 sings a lively song of their own making – they wrote the words and set it to the tune of a popular song. This was part of their graduation ceremonies on the final day of the workshop.

The winners in the Portrait category (L-R): May Cupcupin 4th Place, Josh Benitez 5th, Dr. Cristeto Azucena MD 3rd, John Nazaren Marcelo 1st and Allan Barnuevo 2nd.

Still Life winners, Batch 18 2009 (L-R): Domel Mangundayao 4th Place, Roland Meollo 3rd, Angelo Balobalo 2nd, Melissa Mae Carpio 1st and John Nazaren Marcelo 5th.

The winning photos of Batch 18 have been posted in the Gallery.