April 2008 was the springtime for my photography. It was the month when I first hung out with a group of talented and enthusiastic photographers (Joaqy, Mariusblack, etc.); and it was also the month when I joined tabblo.com. This website changed a lot of perspectives I had with photography. Given a photography opportunity, some photographers aim to capture the best photographs he can shoot; a lot will actually interpret the event as a possible monetary-inducing chance and, therefore, will shoot great pictures with profit as the goal in mind; but in my case, and it is true to a lot of the members of tabblo.com, I shoot pictures in order to convey not just the beauty of the subject but some meaning which seems to be deeply imbedded on the subjects. That's why tabblos are not merely online photo albums but they are beyond pictures--a good combination of pictures with a layout that resonates the theme and/or title, and if possible, some accompanying words create a different kind of experience for the viewing person. A picture is not just a picture--but a part of a larger reality. Being a literature major and a film buff, I am a sucker for stories--tabblos appeal to me in this way. The photographs transcend beyond just being  frozen or captured moments--all the photos, they flow together and form a life of their own.

In my previous tabblo, Recovery, I expressed how extremely revived I was after being able to get another shot in photography. In the second quarter of 2008, a lingering feeling of resurrection seemed to pervade my senses while absorbing the thrill of improving the craft. I look back at this period and realize that I had made a lot of discoveries during this time. The seemingly ordinary began to speak to me. The beautiful seem to speak beyond its essence. And more importantly, it seems that I have become a part of the process of interpreting the meaning of the photographs. I realized that I became not only an architect but a prophet of visions, both meaningful and real.

I had a lot of chances to take pictures this year. I was able to visit two of the most beautiful places in the Philippines: Siquijor and Bohol. Many of my best photos this year are from those places. The pictures in this tabblo are but a few of the photos I took and cherished from April to September. I decided to put all of these together because I'm saving another special tabblo as the year 2008 ends. The next tabblo, my year-ender tabblo, will feature my top ten photos for 2008. They're not just the best of the bunch for me, but the most meaningful also. It's also cool to realize that that will be my 200th tabblo already. :) I also decided to skip making a 4th quarter collection because that will mean reposting my most recent tabblos--mostly the Singapore shots. That will be too redundant already since I just made the last Singapore tabblo a few weeks ago.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do. Thanks to everyone who continue to inspire me with encouraging warm words of appreciation and great pieces of advice. In spirit, you are all part of these photographs. :) - James aka SirNicolay