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Batch 24 Portrait Winners (L-R): Carlo Flores First Place, Emile Don Merioles 2nd, Charles Marvin Chua 3rd, Krizia Aldina S. Cruz 4th and Eldrin Conte 5th.

Here are the winners in the Batch 24 FPPF Basic Photography Workshop held for 5 Sundays from August 23 to September 20, 2009 at the FPPF Art Chamber 2 in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila.

Portrait Category:

1. Carlo Flores – First Place
2. Emile Don Merioles – 2nd Place
3. Charles Marvin Chua – 3rd Place
4. Krizia Aldina S. Cruz – 4th Place
5. Eldrin Conte – 5th Place

Still Life, Glass:

1. Adolfo T. Pariñas – First Place
2. Michael Chiang – 2nd Place
3. Cecil Pariñas – 3rd Place
4. Carlo Flores – 4th Place
5. John Ray M. Pablo – 5th Place

The winners in Still Life, Glass (L-R): Cecil Pariñas 3rd Place, Adolfo T. Pariñas First, Michael Chiang 2nd, Carlo Flores 4th and John Ray M. Pable 5th Place.

During the awarding ceremonies for Batch 24, FPPF instructor Dennis Araneta, who teaches basic studio lighting and portraiture, was also awarded his prize for winning the first of a series of photo contests for the FPPF faculty and judges held two weeks ago in Fort Santiago. The first on-the-spot (OTS) contest required the participants to submit photos in black and white shot in Fort Santiago during that day only. Dennis Araneta is shown in this photo receiving his prize of a 500GB Western Digital external mobile hard drive from guest judge Bernard Fernando.

The FPPF instructors have agreed to do the OTS as a way of regular exercise and to sharpen their skills and stay current in photography. The next instructors’ OTS is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, September 21 for photos within Intramuros with a human interest angle.

On graduation day, Batch 24 again had top commercial photographer and FPPF friend John Chua as guest. John is shown here pointing to the 8x10 photos of the workshop participants which have been submitted for final critiquing and judging.

The official residence in Cebu City for out-of-town participants to the FPPF Cebu Photography Workshop is the Mango Park Hotel along Mango Avenue, just a 5-minute walk away from the workshop venue at the Sacred Heart Center. Cebu workshop participants are entitled to a special room rate with includes a buffet breakfast. You may contact Icky Salazar (Cel: 0917-628-2822) for details of the promo rate. For those who wish to join the Cebu workshop, you may register here.

Portrait category winners (L-R): Michelle Abadesa 5th Place, Bienbelyndon Y. Belza 4th, Ken Chua 3rd, Sarah Jane S. Salazar First Place and Marc de Mesa 2nd Place.

Here are the winners in the FPPF Basic Photography Workshop, Batch 23, held for five Saturdays from August 22 to September 19, 2009 at Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila.

Portrait Category –

1. Sarah Jane S. Salazar – 1st Place
2. Marc De Mesa – 2nd Place
3. Ken Chua – 3rd Place
4. Bienbelyndon Y. Belza – 4th Place
5. Michelle Abadesa – 5th Place

Still Life Category –

1. Paolo Noceda – 1st Place
2. Richmond Paul F. Ruiz – 2nd Place
3. Arnel Mau – 3rd Place
4. Christopher Paulo Jose – 4th Place
5. Ken Chua – 5th Place

Still Life – Glass winners (L-R): Ken Chua 5th Place, Paolo Noceda First Place, Richmond Paul F. Ruiz 2nd, Arnel Mau 3rd and Christopher Paulo Jose 4th.

FPPF photography instructor Vic Sison shows workshop participants the nuances in shooting outdoors with available light, and with strobes.

The class of Batch 23 enjoying a light moment with instructor Vic Sison during a lesson on posing.

The winning photos of Batch 23 are now in the Gallery.

Manny Librodo, right, shows some workshop photos to FPPF Chairwoman Edi Huang, center, and FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran at a private lunch today. Manny showed photographic works by students of his workshops around the world.

World-famous photographer Manny Librodo met with FPPF Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang and FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran at a private lunch in a Chinese restaurant in Makati today where they discussed matters relating to the upcoming PhotoWorld Asia 2010 photography trade show to be held at the Glorietta, Ayala Malls in Makati on January 28 to February 2, 2010.

During the meeting, Manny showed photos by participants of his workshops from various places around the world, the latest of which was held in Cebu yesterday. He will proceed to San Francisco, California for another photography workshop there on September 26-27, and then on to Los Angeles for yet another workshop on October 3-4.

Photo by Marvin Dungao, a student in one of Manny Librodo’s workshops.

Photo by John Mateos Ong, another participant in Manny’s series of master classes.

After a brief stay in New York City, N.Y., Manny said he will be back in Manila on October 14 in time for a 5-day photo workshop organized exclusively for photography enthusiasts at the Bank of the Philippine Islands on Oct 24-28.

Manny Librodo is the main guest speaker during PhotoWorld Asia 2010 where he will share his photography techniques and post-process workflow with participants. He will speak in the educational series of PWA 2010, together with US photographer Kevin Ames, Jose Librodo (Manny’s brother), Boboy Yonzon, John Silva, John Tronco, Jason Magbanua, Bernie Ledesma and Isa Lorenzo.

Manny has conducted workshops in Canada, the United States, Amsterdam, Scandinavia, India, Egypt, Bhutan, Thailand, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Australia and, of course, the Philippines. He is the only Filipino photographer who holds this distinction.

A signature photograph by Manny Librodo

While Manny does wonders to a photograph during the post-process (he’s a Photoshop expert), the photography guru emphasizes the importance of getting the image right straight from the camera. The photo above is proof of that; this has not gone through any post processing whatsoever – straight from the camera, the photo was resized only for the Web, proof also of Manny’s superlative skills as a photographer.

Photo at left shows the author, Chris Malinao (right), with Manny Librodo, center, and FPPF Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang. Manny Librodo is main guest speaker in the educational series of PhotoWorld Asia 2010, Jan 29-Feb 1. The trade show from Jan 28-Feb 2 at the Glorietta in Makati is open to the public for free. The educational series, to be held at the SGV Hall of the Asian Institute of Management in Makati, which will feature seminars to be conducted by famous photographers, will require registration. Seminar fee is P5,000; for early birds it’s P4,000 until Nov 30, and P4,500 from Dec 1 until Jan 27.

For more details on PhotoWorld Asia 2010, please click here.

[Editor's note: This article was originally posted on September 7, 2009, here, Virgie Tano Galang's blog. Virgie was with Batch 22 of the FPPF Basic Photography Workshop.]

Last night was a restful evening.

The best laid back rest that has been deprived of me for over a month. It was a peaceful and uninterrupted relief.

The FPPF Basic Photography Class I attended has ended. Finally, the winners were revealed. I did not win. At least my entry was chosen on the Top Ten against 22 finalist. I was on 7th Place.

As expected, all photos were amazing!

Even the FPPF Chairwoman (Eduviges Y. Huang) hardly believed it was only the Basic Class. She almost confused herself if she was talking in front of the Advanced Class. The committees told her the best class was the one prior to ours; but upon seeing our works she’d like to believe she was given the wrong information.
Her remarks were flattering. Winners were all deserving.

The pride of winning was evident.
I felt how efforts were exerted; all of us had the same exertion;
but theirs were exemplary. Maybe we still need to see beyond what they saw.

My classmates would agree, if I say “all of us were winners”.
We learned substantially. The experience was simply beyond our expectations.
Most of all we gained new friends. For me that made us all champions.

Ma’am Cecilia Angeles would say our batch was the most “bungisngis” of all classes.
A single joke would collapse the entire FPPF Chamber by the outburst of our laughter.
I am guilty of it. I admit I was one who giggled much.
I cannot control myself with such a joyful group.

Ma’am Cecil was right when she told us “if you love photography you would not need a hospital, because you will never be sick. Taking photos will make your life easygoing. Every time you look at the viewfinder you will see that everything is beautiful.”

The short term course is done.

I have mixed emotions. Happy yet sad.
Happy of the immense occurrence. Sad of the short period of friendship.
We will miss the resonance of glee.
The coming Sunday will be different; but the the chuckle will continue to tremble.

Our photos will be a reminder that I’ve been a part of this “Bungisngis” batch.

Undeniably, it made me felt so proud.

[Admin's note: Batch 21 winning photos have been posted in the Gallery.]

More than just look, your eyes can now see. Time freezes into eternity. Your senses come alive, and suddenly, you can taste without moving your tongue, hear without turning your ear and smell without the aid of your nose. You feel your stomach erupt like a volcano, with emotion as your lava. Your eyes now become windows, through which your soul enters to live for a moment within the frame of a created universe, and this becomes your everything. And everything is beautiful. Eventually, you realize you need to let go, and thus you return to just looking, but now you know the world a little bit better because of the beauty of a photograph.

If you look closely, a photograph ceases to be just a photograph, it becomes part of your reality. This is what I have experienced after I decided to take photography seriously, and ever since I graduated from the FPPF Basic Photography Course a couple of weeks ago, I have had this experience more often and in a stronger degree. The Basic course combines decades of experience of seven master photographers, whom we have come to deeply respect in the five weeks we’ve spent with them. The practical tips given on camera operation, lighting, portrait photography & post-processing are not to be found in your camera manual, nor in stiff books on photography, because these little snippets of knowledge come from something that cannot be immediately acquired but must be cultivated through years and years of trying to be better—it’s called wisdom. The photo critiques were very humbling. It was like being transported back in time when I was just in Kindergarten, sweat on my hands and skips in my heartbeat. I would shiver with excitement and anxiety whenever my teacher posts the best projects on the bulletin board, hoping that my work would be chosen (We never grow up, do we?). I am amazed by the vast talent of my batchmates, and I am awed at the diversity of our pictures. Photography is a big proof that God made us all different; no one is alike. But the shared love of taking pictures unites us in the batch, and we revel in the distinctiveness of each one’s work.

The class of FPPF Basic Photography Batch 21, Saturdays, Aug-Sep 2009 at Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila.

More than the technical aspects, the most important lesson I took home from this course is that photography is not just a personal experience but a communal one. Passion becomes stronger when it is shared with somebody else. It is with this premise that we immediately formed our own photography club after our graduation—the f21 club—which is an avenue for us to share our craft with each other, learn from one another and have fun in the continuous process of discovery. We start this group with huge inspiration from our idols—Ka Lito, Sir Ador, Ma’am Cecile, Sir Vic, Sir Manny, Sir Dennis and Sir Chris—for we see in them not only true artistry but genuine generosity in sharing what they know. And a little bit of what they know is a good start in this precious journey of capturing the beauty of the world. These people have taught us to do more than just look…our eyes can now see.

The author, Emmanuel Paras is from Batch 21, Saturday Class, of the FPPF Basic Photography Workshop. He won 4th Place in Still Life in the photo contest for their batch. He is one of the active organizers of their group, now called the f21 club, composed of members of Batch 21.

The FPPF encourages contributions from students and graduates relating to their experiences with the workshops and about photography in general, for publication on this website and in Frame One, the FPPF print magazine.

Travel photographer George Cabig briefs participants to the first Taal Photo Trek scheduled for September 19, held today at the Chow King Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila. George delivered a lecture on travel photography with emphasis on composition and elements of design, pointing out to participants what to expect and how to shoot travel scenes during the actual photo event.

Veteran travel photographer and multi-awarded artist George Cabig today held his first lecture and briefing for the Taal Photo Trek 1 scheduled for September 19 in Batangas.

Taal Photo Trek 1 will take the participants to the scenic town of Taal to photograph old houses, the Taal Basilica inside and out, a picturesque farm, a ballet class in session, models in period costumes and other photo opportunities.

Also scheduled during the Taal Photo Trek 1 is a boat trip to the Taal Volcano Island where participants will climb to the crater rim on horseback. The photo adventure will be supervised by George Cabig together with other FPPF mentors.

After the photo trek, the group will meet again in Fort Santiago for the photo critique, during which Cabig will evaluate the participants’ photos and point out to them where their strength lies and suggest ways to improve their photos even further.

Taal Photo Trek 2, scheduled for Oct 3, has been booked exclusively for the ADB Camera Club. The lecture is slated for Sep 26 and the photo critique after the trek on Oct 10.

Taal Photo Trek 3, scheduled for Nov 21, is now open for registration; lecture on Nov 14 and critique on Nov 28. Details and Registration here.

George Cabig with Taal Photo Trek 1 participants. Photo by Amir Alba.

FPPF Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang addressing executives of the country’s major suppliers of cameras and imaging products during the trade launch of PhotoWorld Asia 2010 at the Kamayan Restaurant in Glorietta, Ayala Center, Makati.

The Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc. (FPPF) today formally announced the trade launch of PhotoWorld Asia 2010, an annual event that showcases the best and the latest in the Philippine photography industry. On hand to announce the trade launch at the Kamayan Restaurant in Glorietta Makati were the pillars of FPPF, Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang, Finance Director Dr. Amado Castro and Project Director Lito Beltran, as well as Manny Inumerable, Chairman of the organizing committee of PhotoWorld Asia 2010. Also present were officers and members of the various camera clubs affiliated with the FPPF.

The event was attended by executives of the country’s major suppliers and manufacturers of photographic and digital imaging products including Canon Marketing (Philippines), Panasonic, Sanyo, Olympus, Noritsu, YKL Color/Fujifilm Philippines, Euro Color, Henry’s Camera Supply and JT Photoworld, among many others.

Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang, center, firmed up the commitment of exhibitors and suppliers during the trade launch. She is shown here conferring with Canon executives Jay-R Romero and Hubert Punongbayan.

Highlight of the event was the signing up of exhibitors to the photography trade show. PhotoWorld Asia 2010 is a major gathering of well known brands who exhibit their latest products in the annual event. The trade show is open to the public for free, from January 28 to February 2, 2010 at the Glorietta, Ayala Center Mall in Makati.

Also taking center stage during PhotoWorld Asia 2010 are the educational seminars and workshops to be conducted by world-renowned photographers. The educational series will be held at the SGV Hall, ACCM, Asian Institute of Management in Makati from January 29 to February 1. The 4-day workshops will feature top US photographer Kevin Ames, Filipino photographers Manny and Jose Librodo, Bernie Ledesma, Hugo Yonzon III, John Silva, John Tronco and Jason Magbanua. To register for the PWA2010 workshops, please click here.

Environmental Portrait winners, Batch 22, Basic Photography Workshop (L-R): Noe Christian S. Nolasco 4th Place, Celeste Ferrer-Nolasco 5th, Dr. Maria Lyn E. Sese, MD, First Place, Sam Macariola 2nd and Danilo P. Ortega 3rd Place.

Here are the winners of Batch 22, FPPF Basic Photography Workshop, held Sundays in August and September 2009.

Envrionmental Portrait:

1. Dr. Maria Lyn E. Sese, MD – 1st Place
2. Sam Macariola – 2nd Place
3. Danilo P. Ortega – 3rd Place
4. Noe Christian S. Nolasco – 4th Place
5. Celeste Ferrer-Nolasco – 5th Place

Still Life Category:

1. Noe Christian S. Nolasco – 1st Place
2. Celeste Ferrer-Nolasco – 2nd Place
3. Cathleen Gian C. Cruz – 3rd Place
4. Ralph Lauren Custodio – 4th Place
5. Dr. Maria Lyn E. Sese, MD – 5th Place

Still Life winners (L-R): Cathleen Gian C. Cruz 3rd Place, Ralph Lauren Custodio 4th, Dr. Maria Lyn E. Sese, MD 5th, Celeste Ferrer-Nolasco 2nd and Noe Christian S. Nolasco, First Place.

The class of Batch 22 Sunday, FPPF Basic Photography Workshop, with Prof. Cecilia S. Angeles (back to camera).

The winning photos of Batch 22 have posted in the Gallery.

Portrait category winners of Batch 21, Saturday Class, Basic Photography. From left to right: Archie Niño G. Osio First Place, Gil Hontiveros 2nd, Elsie Santos 3rd, Paul Angelo Chang 4th and Sheryl Gonzales 5th.

Here are the winners in the Class of Batch 21, August-September Saturday Class, Basic Photography:

Environmental Portrait:

1. Archie Niño G. Osio – First Place
2. Gil Hontiveros – Second Place
3. Elsie Santos – Third Place
4. Paul Angelo Chang – Fourth Place
5. Sheryl Gonzales – Fifth Place

Still Life – Glass

1. Gil Hontiveros – First Place
2. Rackell M. Lumberio – Second Place
3. Rhoderick Ian Villareal – Third Place
4. Emmanuel Paras – Fourth Place
5. Rom J. Acio – Fifth Place

The winning photos of Batch 21 have been posted in the Gallery.

The Still Life winners, Batch 21 (L-R): Gil Hontiveros First Place, Rackell M. Lumberio 2nd, Rhoderick Ian Villareal 3rd, Emmanuel Paras 4th and Rom J. Acio 5th.

The Class of Batch 21 with top commercial photographer John Chua showing a pre-production unit of the new Canon EOS 7D digital SLR which is slated to be released worldwide by the end of this month. John also regaled his audience with his inspiring experiences and stories in photography.