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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.