Delivery

- noun:

conveyance, carriage, transportation, transport, distribution, dispatch, remittance, haulage, shipment; consignment, load, shipment; birth, childbirth, parturition; speech, pronunciation, enunciation, articulation, elocution; utterance, recitation, recital, execution.

Best of 2008

I chose the title "Delivery" because, to be honest, I was looking for the best word to rhyme with "Recovery" and "Discovery," which are the titles of the previous tabblos I made, which feature some of the 2008 photos I really liked. While looking for the right word, the word "delivery" just kept on ringing inside my head while I was considering "bravery," "rediscovery," and even as far as "savagery" and "jamboree." Since I cannot find a really deep word as the theme of my top ten best (or personal favorite) photos of 2008, I finally decided to  settle down with "Delivery." I was mildly tempted to make it "A Special Delivery," but that might sound too cheesy or gooey.

Why "Delivery?" First, these photos for me, as crude as it may sound, are like my babies; I am proud of these pictures, and they are the offsprings of my perceptions, sense of aesthetics, and photography tools. I delivered these pictures from different places, through the help of my midwife, Nikon D200, and its childbirth tools, a Nikon 28-105mm lens with macro, and a 16mm Nikon fisheye lens... and the UV lens that was stuck to the former lens. I have never used anything else other than these: no external flash, no strobe lights, not even a single tripod or an improvised tripod. These shots were products of handheld efforts and very light post-processing through Aperture. No Photoshop involved--I have yet to study CS4 soon. Second, this tabblo is a "special" delivery indeed because it's my 200th tabblo. After productive 9 months, *that sounds like a delivery time to me* I just released the 200th album in tabblo.com. And lastly, this tabblo is a delivery, an execution and articulation of sorts, as to how I have grown as a photographer this year. This year, I learned to shoot in RAW format, I became more aware of the ISO and white balance of images, and I practiced a lot and learned vicariously through the photos and pieces of advice of other photographers. 

So here's a very special delivery for you, guys. The year 2008 has been a great year because of you. Let's enjoy 2009 together. Happy New Year! :)

- James aka SirNicolay

ps. You might want to check out this tabblo also, where I featured my picks for the year 2007. It's up to you to decide whether I regressed or improved this year. Haha! I guess when it comes to details and the process of taking the pictures, I have improved a lot because my 2007 shots are mostly lucky shots. 

"Sea Breeze"

May 14, 2008. 1:52 PM. Siquijor Island, Philippines. f/11, 1/100, ISO 100.

My friend and I were on our first day on this island, and just after checking in our hotel, we decided to go around. Siquijor is one of the smallest islands in the Philippines and is quite notorious because it is believed that witchcraft is being practiced by some natives. While I didn't notice any instance of witchcraft, this particular photo has bewitched me and my friend the second after I took this shot. It's from the border of nowhere on the island, and these clothes are merely there hanging by the beach, possibly owned by tenants who have been there for a long time. My initial impression after getting this shot was that I was able to capture something I didn't expect to catch; the invisible sea breeze made this picture so inviting. It was the wallpaper of my laptop for a really long time. I feel relaxed whenever I see this photo. 

"Water Station"

August 14, 2008. 2:10 PM. Loboc Church, Bohol, Philippines. f/4.5, 1/50, ISO 400.

This is a classic example of serendipity. You go inside a church, expecting to find a great interior design, and suddenly you happen to pass by the kitchen of the convent. Despite being terribly ventilated, the antique look of the place and those two earth jars below an almost-dilapidated sink just becomes a scene of interest. That's the story behind this picture. And no, I did not drink the water from the jar or from the faucet of the sink. It sure looks great, in a strange archaic/decay kind of way--the shadows, the red jars, and the greenness of the molds of the walls give a certain "bite" to this scene.

"Crossings"

April 14, 2008. 6:10 PM. Camera Islands, Zambales, Philippines. f/18, 1/125, ISO 640.

Not another sunset! You might remark. This is the earliest taken picture here in the series, and it was taken just four days before I joined tabblo. Cool eh? Strange to realize that the three pictures so far were taken on the 14th of different months. Weird. :) Back to this photo, I recall waiting for the right moment when I took these pictures. I was waiting for the sun to emit the best color combinations in the sky and I was waiting for this boat to pass by just at the right place. I guess that's the strength of this photo: the waiting was worth it because elements in the photos seem to be just right in balance, and the crossing of the boat, even the posture of those riding it, was just right on time. And those clouds also made this photo so gorgeous, I fell in love with this photo instantly; out of so many sunset photos I've ever taken, this is my most favorite.

"Vigilant"

July 26, 2008. 11:33 AM. Hinulugang Taktak Park, Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines. f/4.5, 1/25, ISO 200.

I was with my fellow photographer friends when I took this shot. I think they were calling me already to take our lunch, and I was busy trying to take a picture of this blue butterfly I saw. It was, again, an accident that I came across this spider on a yellow leaf. I turned the macro on and took about four shots. Initially, I didn't like this picture that much because I found it blurry. But surprisingly, when I upped the contrast and the sharpness of the image, the eyes of the spidey just seemed to pop out of the screen. The blend of yellow and green and black in this photo also made it appealing to me. This photo spawned two tabblos and even a haiku which I wrote as inspired by this picture. You may view the haiku tabblo here. There's a hidden code in the haiku. :)

"Strike One"

July 9, 2008. 7:16 PM. Eisenhower Condominium, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. f/3.5, 1/15, ISO 320.

How easy is it to capture a decent lightning strike? It took me one shot. No kidding. It was a lucky strike, I guess. I was just at home then, when I just thought of trying it out. I took my camera from my dusty bookshelf, and I did not even bother checking the settings. (I usually take pictures of my room at nights because I love the lamp I recently bought then) And when I looked outside the window, I decided to take a test shot of the building. Absentmindedly, I took a shot. It was like being struck by lightning itself because I was surprised to see the result of the shot. Holy cow. I tried to do the same thing again, but the lightning shots I was able to take were not as good as Strike One. I did a bit of alteration in this photo. Notice that the sign at the top of the building is inverted. That is because this image, I decided, looked better when it is flipped horizontally. You may view the other two lightning shots I took here.

"Feeding Time"

May 31, 2008. 1:30 PM. Rice Fields, Candaba, Pampanga, Philippines. f/8, 1/100, ISO 100.

This picture is chosen mostly for personal reasons. One is that it was taken in Pampanga, the province where I came from. Second, carabaos (water buffalos) have always been a fascination for me--in the Philippines, the carabao is the national animal, and it is often the symbol of hard work. They toil for hours under the heat of the sun with rice field workers. Third, I find the picture moving because of its mother-child theme. Fourth, there seems to be a glow around the mother carabao. Fifth, it reminds me of this Shakespearean phrase, "demon with two backs," which, of course should never ever be associated with this image. LOL. And lastly, because it is a picture of love, sacrifice, and nature.  

"Blues"

August 13, 2008. 2:48 PM. Panglao's Nature Park, Panglao Island, Philippines. f/14, 1/200, ISO 160.

And yet another picture which reminded me of Shakespeare's work. The phrase "Brave New World" from "The Tempest" came to mind when I took this shot. It was low tide back then, and this boat seems to have come from nowhere. It looks like a sad little blue boat, which is stranded on an island where it just landed. But the reality is that it is just a small resort boat in one of the best beaches in the Bohol province. The beach looks much, much better before low tide. I was struck when I had this picture under postprocessing because I saw how the blues and the browns are actually making a great contrast. I also love the simplicity of the boat and the rough texture of the sands of the beach. The gloominess of the clouds adds up to the bluesy feel of this photo.

"Little Girl"

November 2, 2008. 9:15 AM. National Orchids Garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore. f/5.6, 1/60, ISO 320.

This one will definitely look the most familiar because it is part of my Singapore tabblo which I made as a tribute to Women. The strange irony of this flower is that I took this picture inside the National ORCHIDS Garden. I don't even know what kind of flower this is, but I'm pretty sure that it is a very, very small flower, and it can just go by unnoticed by those who visit the gardens. The charm of this flower is that it really reminds me of a little girl lost, as the cliche goes, in a big world. I was also surprised how this picture turned out. My orchid shots were so-so, but this flower turned out to be so peculiarly beautiful--the background reinforces its color as well. This photo reminds me that beauty can be found even in the strangest places or objects. We only have to look closer. 

"Restoration"

August 14, 2008. 8:47 AM. Baclayon Church, Bohol, Philippines. f/3.5, 1/30, ISO 400.

I have often been proud of the ancestral churches that we have in Pampanga, our province. But most of the churches I saw were mostly beautiful externally. It was only after seeing this interior of Baclayon Church that I remarked in my thoughts, this easily beats all of the churches I have ever seen. The windows are simple, dramatically colored in basic colors, where they cast off elegant lights on the well-polished nave of the church. The pews are simple and sturdy, while the walls, made of limestones, are partly covered by green moss and antiquated by a few cracks and newly hung pictures of stations of the cross. This church is just beautiful and elegant. I'll run out of words describing this place.  

"Solitude"

May 14, 2008. 5:46 PM. Siquijor Island, Philippines. f/5.6, 1/80, ISO 320.

And it all goes back to the first day in Siquijor, the bewitching place where the "Sea Breeze," the first photo of this collection was also taken from. I love this photo intensely. It was my first real "wow" photo this year, and like the first photo, it was my laptop's wallpaper for a very long time, too. What I love about this image is that it is just simple. All of the elements just came together to form this beautiful image. The silhouette of this beautifully-shaped mangrove tree, the calm waters surrounding this area of Siqujor Island, and even the subtly-formed clouds and the right amount of light just forming around the mangrove tree. This photo has evoked a lot of emotions not just from me but to some of the people who has seen it. It is a sad image yet also can be interpreted as a symbol or a beacon of hope. It stands still despite the vast impenetrable sea. Graceful, brooding, but above all, beautiful.

Again, thank you everyone for the wonderful 2008! :) I wish you all a prosperous and a happy new year!

- James aka SirNicolay