PhotoWorldManila.com

And the biggest Christmas basket goes to…. Rina Falcis-Lee! Finance Director Dr. Amado Castro and Chairwoman Edi Huang hand over the top raffle prize of Christmas goodies to Rina at the Christmas party of the FPPF in Fort Santiago, Manila. In foreground are Jun Lee, Rina's husband, of Aperture Trading and Prof. Cecilia S. Angeles, FPPF mentor. At the back is FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran. Photo by Vic Sison.

The FPPF Saturday held its thanksgiving gathering and Christmas Party at the FPPF Art Chamber 2 in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila to mark the end of another successful year for the Federation. The FPPF is particularly thankful for the hugely successful photography workshops held during the year, among many other blessings.

On hand to attend the get-together were the FPPF officers, mentors and staff as well as the officers of camera clubs affiliated with the FPPF. Chairwoman Eduviges Huang, Finance Director Dr. Amado Castro and Project Director Lito Beltran presided over the happy occasion. In thanking the FPPF mentors and staff, Mrs. Huang singled out web admin Chris Malinao (what did I do, what did I do!) and art curator Willy Marbella for their contributions to the FPPF efforts. A sumptuous meal, songs and speeches enlivened the gathering. Highlight of the affair was the traditional exchange of Christmas gifts and the raffling off of many Christmas goodies: groceries, gift items, umbrellas, T-shirts, bags and many more!

FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran emceeing the FPPF Christmas Party. At center, seated, is Manny Inumerable, Chairman of PhotoWorld Asia 2010. Photo by Vic Sison.

Oh food, glorious food! FPPF officers and mentors prepare to savor the delicious preparations. At the forefront of the gastronomic advance are FPPF Director Lito Beltran, Rina Falcis-Lee, past Chairwoman of PhotoWorld Asia 2009, art curator Willy Marbella, FPPF Chairwoman Edi Huang and Maricris Tabañag. Photo by Vic Sison.

by Joseph F. Galian

In jubilant mood, the latest workshop participants jump for joy after completing the International Cruise Ship Photography workshop Dec 3-5, 2009 at the FPPF. From left to right, Ahmed Almubarak, Redford Samson, Rheo Mendoza, Blesila Dellava and Tomasito Visey.

Ahoy there!

Here’s a question: What’s the easiest and fastest way to work abroad, earn dollars meet many people and visit exotic places around the world at the same time?

Answer: Be a professional cruise ship photographer!

Working away from our country as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) has been a traditional way Filipinos seek “greener pastures” to improve their lot in life. Our government encourages such economic ambition and hail such people as modern-day Filipino heroes -due to their dollar remittances that positively affect our economy.

The international cruise ship industry can be an alternative plan for any Filipino intending to earn dollars without “breaking the bank” while preparing themselves with the necessary education, maritime training, medical check-ups, etcetera. Not everyone has the luxury of time, and economic endurance to prepare for some overseas industry demand like in nursing, dentistry, education and electronics for example. After all, the cruise industry is here to stay and continues to grow as more ships are being constructed. As long as people cruise there will be always need for workers to people these floating hotels. Photographers are amongst these privileged seamen!

Ready for cruise ship photography: (front) Ahmed, Blesila, Redford, (back) Tomasito and Rheo proudly display their FPPF certificates. At left, back, is Cruise Ship Photography Instructor Joseph Galian.

WHO CAN APPLY

If you are within the age bracket of 21-33 years old then you are qualified-provided you are fit and healthy, love people, have a passion for photography and posses an extroverted personality. There is a minimum height requirement so please consult your local recruiter. With these rules it can be said that exceptions can be made if the applicant can impress any recruiter.

Nostalgic and sentimental candidates don’t stand a chance being hired as a seaman-photographer with work contracts spanning six to nine months of hard work with (typically) no day-offs. In a way this is not for everybody-so it’s up to you to find out if you’re cutout to be. After your contract you will be given by your employer a 30-day (more or less) vacation till you are notified of your next cruise ship destination.

A cruise ship.

HOW TO APPLY

The first step to be a cruise ship photog is to hook up with a legitimate recruiter in good standing with the Philippine Overseas Emplyment Administration (POEA) by checking the POEA’s website. Prestigious recruiters like www.magsaysaycareers.com can refer you to the greatest photo concessionaires like The Image Group, or to impressive ships with in-house photo departments like Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises-just to name a few.

Your recruiter will ask you to enrol in their 5-day Basic Safety Course (BSC) program to train you to save lives at sea in case of emergencies. This investment will cost up to Php 10,000. You cannot get your seaman’s book from the MARINA Department without your BSC certification. Your seaman’s book will be attached to your passport in tandem. So get a you travel passport beforehand plus NBI clearance, authenticated transcript of records, birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), letter of employments, resume, workshop certificates for starters.

As a prospective ship photog, you must compile at least 24 impressive photographs of people’s portraites-as individuals or in groups. Your portfolio must be 8” x 10” in size in a black album to look professional. Owning your own camera gives your recruiter the right impression. Be prepared for a basic photography written exam covering camera parts to fill-flash. There will be a paid and scheduled test (worth around Php 1,000) covering I.Q. test, personality test and high school arithmitic, fractions, problem solving, English comprehension and vocabulary.

If you have all these documents submitted and tests completed to your agency (recruiter) then you can hope to leave the country within less than six months. Just wait for your turn to be interviewed via teleconferencing or an actual visit by the official recruitment officer abroad. The interview can be as simple as question and answer forum or can involve practical demonstration with role playing.

Cruise ship photographer Custer Cano.

WHERE TO GET CRUISE SHIP PHOTO TRAINING

The Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF) is offering a 3-day International Cruise Ship Photography Workshop for any Filipino intent to work abroad as a professional ship photographer. Joseph Galian will conduct the said workshop with hands-on, role playing photography exercises. The purpose of this unique workshop is to increase your chances of being hired as a pro ship photog.

For queries about the next ship photo workshop please call the FPPF at telephone no. 524-7576. Look for Karen. E-mail is fotoatwork@gmail.com. Visit http://photoworldmanila.com/workshops/cruise-ship-photography. Sea ya’ all soon!

International cruise ship photographers: (L-R) Joseph (Philippines), Marcos (Chile), Christian (Peru) and Steve (South Africa).

Clarence Pinto, 2nd from right, is applauded by FPPF Instructor Ador Pamintuan for topping his batch in Portrait. UE Fine Arts Vice Dean Lito de Guzman, at right, awarded the 2nd Place trophy to Ivytte Francisco, center.

Clarence Pinto was a bit worried because he still had no entry when he came to the class in the morning of the workshop’s final day. At lunch break, he went out to have his prints and came back late for the afternoon session. As a matter of fact, judging has already started when he submitted his entries for the Portrait and Still Life categories. He ended up winning First Place in the Portrait category. Huli man daw at magaling, eh talagang magaling (naihahabol din)!

The winners, Basic Photography Batch 30 Nov 8 to December 6, 2009:

Portrait Category –
1. Clarence C. Pinto – First Place
2. Ivytte Francisco – 2nd Place
3. Arnold Barria – 3rd Place
4. Erick Marcelino – 4th Place
5. Samantha Nicolas – 5th Place

Still Life Category –
1. Janisse Pascua – First Place
2. Arnold Barria – 2nd Place
3. Deil Galang – 3rd Place
4. Erick Marcelino – 4th Place
5. Allan Padojino – 5th Place

Trophies and medals courtesy of Fujifilm/YKL Color Philippines.

Portrait winners, Batch 30: At front, L-R, are Erick Marcelino 4th Place, Samantha Nicolas 5th, Ivy Francisco 2nd, Clarence C. Pinto, 1st and Arnold Barria 3rd Place. At the back are the 6th to 10th Place winners: Ayan Castillo, Connie G. Bacolor, Janis Meron, Melanie M. Antonio and Janisse Pascua.

Still Life winners, L-R front: Arnold Barria 2nd Place, Allan Padojino 5th, Janisse Pascua 1st, Erick Marcelino 4th and Deil Galang 3rd Place. At back are 6th to 10th Place winners Ayan Castillo, Connie Bacolor, Ian Duff, Angelo Duff and Roderick Collado.

Top commercial photographer John Chua, top photo, regales Batch 30 participants with exciting adventures in his 37 years of shooting. He also showed the class a portfolio of his well known commercial photos via a slideshow and some prints. In bottom photo, Noemi, Yvette and Dulce admire a print of Chua’s work. In foreground may be seen a pre-production version of the latest Canon EOS 1Ds Mark IV, being field tested by John.

Dennis Araneta shares a funny comment during the final critique session.

The winning photos will be posted soon in the Gallery. Winners, please email your photos to admin-at-photoworldmanila-dot-com.

Batch 29 top ten finishers in the Portrait category, with the Top 5 winners at the front, from left to right: Ben Endriga 3rd Place, Norman C. Bugtong 1st Place, Abbie Prudente 2nd Place, Ferdinand E. Samarista 4th Place and Donna Flor O. Canlas 5th Place.

Here are the winners of Batch 29, Saturday Class, FPPF Basic Photography held November 7 to December 5, 2009 at Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila.

Portrait Category:
1. Norman C. Bugtong – First Place
2. Abbie Prudente – 2nd Place
3. Benjamin Endriga – 3rd Place
4. Ferdinand E. Samarista – 4th Place
5. Donna Flor O. Canlas

Still Life Category:
1. Shianne Gomez – First Place
2. Jeffrey Tan – 2nd Place
3. Mich Maskariño – 3rd Place
4. Evangeline D. Aclan – 4th Place
5. Navette Flores – 5th Place

At the front are the Top 5 winners in the Still Life category (L-R): Shianne Gomez 1st Place, Mich Maskariño 3rd Place, Jeffrey Tan 2nd Place, Navette Flores 5th Place and Evangeline D. Aclan 4th Place. At the back are the 6th to 10th Place winners.

FPPF instructor Dennis Araneta discusses a few points during the final critique and judging session.

A double win for Armin Skylab Tuprio as he gets his second medal, for topping the Still Life contest, from instructor Ador Pamintuan. Runner-up Alisha Mae Domingo, at left, beams with a smile. FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran, right, awarded SkyLab a free pass to PhotoWorld Asia 2010 convention right there and then.

Armin “Skylab” Tuprio bagged two medals last Friday at the close of the 5th class for Basic Photography Workshop, weekday sessions, held from November 23 to 27, 2009. He won First Place in both portrait and still life competitions.

On the spot, FPPF Director Lito Beltran granted Tuprio a free pass to attend the PhotoWorld Asia 2010 annual convention slated for January 29 to February 1 at the AIM in Makati. The annual event features workshops and seminars with world-renowned professional photographers, headlined this year by Manny Librodo and Kevin Ames.

Portait winners (L-R): Joseph Lagniton 2nd Place, Jun Santos 3rd, Armin F. Tuprio 1st, Christopher T. Resco 4th and Andre Akheer Garcia 5th Place.

The winners of Batch 5, Basic Photography Workshop, Weekdays Nov 23-27, 2009:

Portrait
1. Armin “SkyLab” F. Tuprio – First Place
2. Joseph Lagniton – 2nd Place
3. Ignacio Jun Santos – 3rd Place
4. Christopher T. Resco – 4th Place
5. Andre Akheer Garcia – 5th Place

Still Life
1. Armin “SkyLab” F. Tuprio – First Place
2. Alisha Mae Domingo – 2nd Place
3. Noel Florentino – 3rd Place
4. Kamil Rafuson – 4th Place
5. Ignacio Jun Santos – 5th Place

Still Life winners (L-R): Kamil Rafuson 4th Place, Jun Santos 5th, Noel Florentino 3rd, Alisha Mae Domingo 2nd and Skylab Tuprio 1st Place.

The class in action: FPPF Instructors Dennis Araneta, left, and Rod Banzon, at right, demonstrate how to light glass using a light tent.

The FPPF is holding a workshop on large format black and white photography on Febuary 10, 14, 15, 16 & 17, 2010 at the FPPF Art Chamber in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila.

The workshop will be conducted by Rey Castañeda, a Fine Art photography practitioner since 1992. At present, Rey is teaching History and Black and White Photography at De la Salle University – College of St. Benilde. Rey is accredited with TESDA and has acquired a National Certificate Level II. He already had a number of local and international photo exhibits, the latest of which was in Saudi Arabia.

The Large Format Black and White Photography Workshop is designed for professional photographers who want to enhance their artistic skills by learning the non-traditional methods of black and white image making. The participants will be taught the basics of black and white shooting, processing and printing with the use of large format 4 x 5 cameras.

Syllabus:
February 10 Wednesday – Lecture
February 14 Sunday – Shooting day (whole day)
February 15, 16, 17 Processing and printing
Free materials (film, chemicals and paper)
With certification upon submission of requirements

FEE: P4,750.00

Interested parties may register online at www.photoworldmanila.com.

Details have been firmed up for the annual PhotoWorld Asia 2010 event during a lunch meeting of the Executive Committee at the Casino Español in Manila. Photo shows, from left to right, standing: Chris Malinao, FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran, George Cabig, FPPF Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang, Willy Marbella, John Tronco and Raul Echivarre. Seated are Manny Librodo and Manny Inumerable, Chairman of the organizing committee.

The Executive Committee for PhotoWorld Asia 2010 met Wednesday at the Casino Español in Manila to finalize program details for the upcoming annual photography trade show and convention. PhotoWorld Asia 2010 reels off this coming January 28 to February 2 at the Glorietta Ayala Center for the trade show and at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati for the educational series and convention.

Wednesday’s lunch meeting at the Casino Español was presided over by FPPF Chairwoman Eduviges Y. Huang and FPPF Project Director Lito Beltran. In attendance was Manny Inumerable, Chairman of the organizing committee for PWAsia 2010 and convention guests Manny Librodo, John Tronco and Raul Echivarre. Also present were art curator Willy Marbella and FPPF’s George Cabig and Chris Malinao.

Details of the event are available here; final details will also be published soon. PhotoWorld Asia 2010 is a yearly project of the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc.

Registration for the event is now in full swing. Early registrants may still avail of the Early Bird rate of P4,500 to attend the educational series of workshops and seminars from January 29 to February 1, 2010. The early bird rate is good until January 27. It will be P5,000 on opening day.

REGISTER ONLINE

Excellent timing and exquisite lighting won for Victor Po the top trophy for Still Life competition in his Basic Photography class, Batch 28, held for 5 Sundays in Fort Santiago from October 18 to November 22, 2009. Victor is a Malaysian national who works in oil exploration in the Philippines. His photo, at left, won the nod of the judges who praised his preparation and execution for this glass shot.

The FPPF Basic Photography workshop teaches the use of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, as well as composition, elements of design, basic lighting in portraiture and product shots and imaging workflow. It is being conducted by the FPPF on weekends, participants can choose either Saturday or Sunday classes. Once a month, weekday classes are also scheduled for those who want to take it in 5 successive sessions in just one week.

The basic workshops are held at the FPPF Art Chambers in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila.

Batch 28 Still Life winners (L-R): Karla Solis 5th Place, Robinson C. De Guzman 3rd Place, Julie Mae Samson 2nd Place, Victor Po 1st Place and Camille Joy Eustaquio 4th Place.

Portrait winners, Batch 28 (L-R): Jho Topacio 2nd Place, Vanessa K. De Castro 1st Place, Joy Angel 3rd Place, Chloe de Guzman 4th Place and Ted Bautista 5th Place.

The Batch 28 winners:

Still Life (Glass)

1. Victor Po – First Place
2. Julie Mae Samson – 2nd Place
3. Robinson C. De Guzman – 3rd Place
4. Camille Joy Eustaquio – 4th Place
5. Karla Solis – 5th Place
6. Alvin Sydney Altura – 6th Place
7. Ronald Jake V. Cruz – 7th Place
8. Monica Andaya – 8th Place
9. Lemuel Date – 9th Place
10. Olem C. Forte – 10th Place

Portrait

1. Vanessa K. De Castro – First Place
2. Marjorie Ann R. Topacio – 2nd Place
3. Jocelyn A. Angel – 3rd Place
4. Chloe S. De Guzman – 4th Place
5. Teodore D. Bautista – 5th Place
6. Olem C. Forte – 6th Place
7. Maryann Zamuco – 7th Place
8. Patrick Rivera – 8th Place
9. Julie Mae Samson – 9th Place
10. Karla S. Solis – 10th Place

Advanced Photography lecturer Victor Sison demonstrates some posing and portraiture techniques…

…as Batch 28 participants happily look on. They are standing to emulate the poses Vic demonstrates in the class.

The winning photos, the top 5 in both categories, will be posted soon in the Gallery.