Through the Lens

Gasoline prices are not going to go down any time soon.  High times we think of other efficient ways to move around.

I won again in our monthly photo competition for Sunshot.  Our theme was ‘In Motion’.  I did not have time to take pics so I had to dig up my stock photos.  My winning entry was taken at Ocean Adventure during one of our family vacations.  It was shot using my D70s and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  Congratulations to my colleagues who made it to the top 10.  Sunshot Photography Club is a hobby photo club of my office, Sunlife of Canada.

With my new AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens mounted on my D300 and a tripod, I put this lens to the test taking photos at 1:1 magnification.  My first subject was my collection of bills from different countries.  Using manual focus, the feeling was like looking into a microscope.  A whole new world indeed seeing things at a closer perspective.  Some may look familiar.

You can view all pictures here.

I have updated some of my sites recently.  One is my photoblog ‘Reign of Light‘.  I have totally cleaned the site and used a new theme, updated the software (Pixelpost) and added new anti-spam addons.  Hopefully this time around I will be able to put pics there on a regular basis.

Also I have finally decided on which software to use for my personal gallery.  I was choosing between Zenphoto and Gallery.  Both are supported by my host via Fantastico.  For lack of better looking themes, I finally decided upon Zenphoto.  Best part about this freeware is it automatically integrates a watermark on the photos so I can put larger photo resolutions without much worry.  Please visit my personal gallery containing some of my selected favorite photos - ‘Nesty Ocampo Photography‘.

Well, actually, what a disappointment. Whenever we go abroad, we make it a point to eat at Hooters at least once (been to some in Chicago and Singapore, found 1 in L.A. but had no time to dine). Favorite of course would be the Chicken Wings, the Steamed Shrimps and the Snow Crab Legs. After getting back from our 1 month vacation, I heard that Hooters opened up here at MOA. Last night, excited and all, we went there expecting no less that what we see abroad. The trademark girls and outfit were there. How they looked like? Let’s just say I never thought of having taken my pics with them. And the food… We ordered the Wings, what we got was a half cooked bloody piece of meal. We requested it to be cooked again, we got back an over cooked, semi dried, meat almost sticking to the bones chicken. We also got the shrimps, it was ok. From the size, it looked like a local catch. Wish it had more taste though. And of course the Snow Crabs… buti na lang not yet available… at more than 1k a pound.. haaayy.. Last but not least… imported beer at P255. Ganun ba talaga kamahal ang imported beers? Anyway, that is just me.. or us.. It is still worth the visit.. for the sake of experience…

The fun side of photography is learning to be patient and become observant.  I stood in front of a bush looking for interesting subjects.  I chanced upon this spider and followed its every move.  Using a tripod, I caught spidey with his butt up in the air.

After 4 weeks away from the sun, I finally came back to reality.  Back to the chaotic traffic, back to the heat and humidity, back to work of course, back to reality.  I’m still adjusting from the jetlag and hopefully I recover soon.  It’s not fun when becoming sleepy while driving home from work.

Anyway, a pic to share.  Finally I got a macro lens.   I shot this at the backyard during one of the few sunny days we had during our stay in Illinois.  I was just around 3 inches from this beauty.

I’m currently on vacation now.  Started at the west cost going around Los Angeles area.  I’m now in the east coast where I will spend the rest of my stay.  I will be posting some pics soon.  Later.

For this month, our theme was Reflections. As I was busy with work, I had to dig up my stock photos to look for an entry. I found this picture taken at the Wetland Park in Hong Kong. I cropped this for a better composition. I ended up winning second place.

Notice anything else different? Click the picture to see a bigger resolution.

Anyway, we had our first OTS competition as well. These were pictures of our Mt. Pinatubo adventure. Again, I was fortunate to win top awards for my entries :D.

Blue Wave - First Place (top) and Out of the Shade - Third Palce (bottom)

Click here for more pics from the Reflections and OTS from the Sunshot Gallery.

It has been quite a few years since my last visit to Boracay.  The place only gets better really considering all the negative news about the smell and pollution and flooding.  It is still my place to be when it comes to beaches.  Enjoy some of the pics I took.  All have been post-processed for visual effects.

You can view the rest of the pics here.