Saturday, October 30, 2010

Willy Wonka

Willy Wonka
Pasig City, Philippines
Canon EOS 400D with EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS USM and 430EX II

Still from day 1 of our office Halloween party (which was named Spooktacular, by the way). Each floor had a theme to follow, one of them was a fantasy theme. Of all those who participated, this one is probably my favorite. He was in character all afternoon, especially when the kids arrived.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Gomburza

Gomburza
Pasig City, Philippines
Canon EOS 400D with EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS USM and 430EX II

Hooray! I'm able to post pictures again. I have to admit, I was lazy these past weeks.

Anyway, I didn't go back to 1872 to take this photo. If you look closely, some artifacts give this photo away (care to guess?). This was from our office Halloween party (the first of two, actually) last Wednesday, and hopefully in the coming days I can post more of my favorites. Sort of like a Halloween treat.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Chill

Chill
Subic Bay, Zambales, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

Off topic: Sorry for being out of the loop for quite some time.

This is from our prenup shoot two weeks ago. I can't think of an appropriate title for the picture. Come to think of it, the subject seems to be out of place.

I shot this during our break, when the photography crew was taking time to chill, hence the title. I was inspired by how our photographer used off camera lighting to create a certain mood. I had to work around the S90's flash and auto exposure to get this one.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Steak

Steak
Quezon City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

Yeah it's not healthy, but once in a while you need to indulge in something wonderful. Part of our lovely dinner last night, thanks to my friend Carlo for hosting a splendid party.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Buildings

Buildings
Pasig City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

This is a continuation of my last post, this time from the left side. I can't think of an appropriate title, and I'm not really sure which building is which.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Ortigas

Ortigas
Pasig City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

I think this is only the second time that I've shot this the way I wanted. Oftentimes it's still sunny when I leave the office, and sometimes when I stay late either it rains or I'm in a hurry to go home.

This is the view from the balcony of our office cafeteria, on the foreground is Ortigas Building, and at the back is the Meralco headquarters.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Want Some?

Want Some?
Imus, Cavite, Philippines
Canon EOS 400D with EF 50mm f1.8

Last week was full of bad news, so I guess pictures like the one above are welcome to remove the negativity. Photo of my godchild sharing his food to us.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Diego The Poodle

Diego The Poodle
Pasig City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

My fiancee and I love this dog. He wouldn't pose unless someone is petting him. Thanks to Ms. Cherry for letting us play with Diego, and for accommodating us yesterday.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Pots

Pots
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

Off topic: Haven't been able to update this blog due to exams. Now that training is over, I'll do my best to keep this blog going.

Nothing special here, just some nicely arranged pottery. Taken inside Flapjacks in Greenbelt 2.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Upward

Upward
Pasig City, Philippines
iPhone 3G S

Sometimes, looking up isn't a bad idea. These are some of the buildings along Emerald Avenue. I'm beginning to enjoy my iPhone as a photographic tool.

This Is Supposed To Be Me

This Is Supposed To Be Me
iPhone 3G S

My office buddy drew this while we were having a meeting. It's supposed to be me, but those who know me would likely disagree.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

On My Way Home

On My Way Home
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

Off topic: Street photography in Metro Manila is a bit tricky, there's always a chance that someone from law enforcement or some private security personnel would approach you and question your motives. It's challenging to compose your picture the right way when you're always on your guard.

On my way home, I tried to catch that golden glow coming from the setting sun. The orange tint that blends with the purple sky is just so soothing to the eye. And the streaks of light coming from cars on their way home also added some flavor to the picture.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Bangkal

Bangkal
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

One more from last night. This time, I'm facing westward to Barangay Bangkal, near the boundary of Pasay City. I had to zoom in on this one to remove some of the obstructions, so the Skyway is left out of the picture. Too bad.

Northbound

Northbound
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

Another one from last night's rooftop shoot. It a view of the northern end of the Skyway, going to Manila. I had to use the S90 since the view was obstructed, a bigger camera just wouldn't cut it.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Moonlit Rooftop

Moonlit Rooftop
Makati City, Philippines
Canon EOS 400D with EF-S 10-22 f3.5-4.5 USM

Off topic: The Green Archers' win over the Blue Eagles this afternoon inspired me to troop to the penthouse and take pictures. If you're not acquainted with what I'm talking about, here's a little info.

My first photo posted here using my DSLR, coupled with my ever favorite ultra wide lens. Moonlit isn't exactly the correct term, as light was coming from different sources. I just love night photography.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Bus

Bus
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

I love this shot, even though it was by accident. I meant to shoot the buildings at the back, but the bus was blocking the view. And the streaks of light, purely by luck as another vehicle passed by. I had the shutter open for five seconds, which turned out to be adequate.

I'm beginning to appreciate small cameras like the Canon Powershot S90. With a bigger camera, a tripod would have been necessary for support. I just used one of the railings to prevent the camera from shaking.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Bells

Bells
Manila, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

I didn't know the Manila Cathedral had these many bells. First saw them last month when we went there to fulfill our wedding requirements, that time they were being cleaned, and protected from the sun. Yesterday, they were lined up beautifully, waiting to be captured.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Christ

Christ
Ramos, Tarlac, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

A unique crucifix, taken inside one of the chapels at the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish. For the curious, the place is a four hour drive from Manila.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Vandalism

Vandalism
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

This is very common in Makati. Those cartoon like eyes superimposed on crossing signs around the city. Needless to say, I think they're all done by one entity.

McDonald's

McDonald's
Makati City, Philippines
Canon Powershot S90

While walking I noticed how nice the McDonald's at Greenbelt is from the other side of the road. Maybe that happens when you really want to find something to shoot. Only had one chance to take the photo, it was raining and it was hard composing while holding an umbrella.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Welcome To My Photoblog


1. Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel, 2. Nose Poke (DLSU vs UP), 3. Mimo, 4. Sandwiched, 5. Yuchengco Hall in Ultra Wide, 6. Tree, 7. Manila Cathedral, 8. Kung Fu Panda and Mini Panda, 9. Sweethearts, 10. Ortigas at Night, 11. Tea, 12. View of Makati, 13. Ducks, Anyone?, 14. Owl, 15. Anchored, 16. Breakwater, 17. Baguio Country Club at Night, 18. Hong Kong Skyline, 19. Having a Snack, 20. Paoay Church, 21. MOA, 22. Peacock, 23. Perya, 24. Twilight, 25. Christmas 2006

My name is Jani Balani. It's not my real name, but if you look hard enough you might stumble upon it. This is not my first time to blog, I also maintain The Nonsense Of Jani Balani, a blog dedicated to my random ramblings, and love for photography. Unfortunately, as time went by I forgot to simplify that blog, too many personal stuff only those close to me could relate to, and so little useful detail on some of the other things I shared. Plus, photography seemed to have taken a backseat for a few months now, thanks to work and our wedding preps (yes, we're tying the knot this December).

But lately I've been trying to rekindle my love for photography. I got inspired by other photoblogs, especially those about Manila, my hometown. That was how I originally envisioned my blog, I just got lost along the way.

So here I am starting fresh with photography, and blogging as well. I will continue maintaining my other blog, for all the mundane personal stuff and those other things (like photography gear and tips from the web). My favorite blogs (by other people) and links are also listed there, as I want to keep this blog as clean as possible.

The photo above is a Flickr mosaic courtesy of BigHugeLabs. Those are some of the pictures that I took in the past. To view more photos by me, please visit my Flickr and Multiply galleries, although I haven't updated them in a while. I must admit that too many settings and my obsession to detail is killing my interest in photography, so again it's time to simplify.

I'll try to make my posts discrete, this would probably the longest one of them all, I promise the next ones would be short. All the photos I will post will be recent ones. I am not good at Photoshop (for now), so minimal post processing will be applied.

So there you go. I'll try to start posting soon. Thank you for visiting my photoblog.