Vogue-d!

Dear Reader, this is not one of those event filled post like before. Unlike my September, October is quite slow for my pace, but with the recent happenings online, I'm humbled with delightful experience. This may be shallow but my online confidence magnified itself three folds.

I joined Photo Vogue of Vogue Italia online. It's a feature on their website where any user (photographers) can use it as an online portfolio. It's a nice place where you can get your works assessed and critiqued by Vogue's editorial staff. If you are good, you get to be approved as one of the staff's selected photos and have your photos saved permanently, but if you are great, you get to be the Picture-of-the-day and quite possibly be published in Vogue Italia itself. If you are neither, then your photo gets taken down and you wallow in the depths of your mistreated ego. 

I got to know this website through one of my favorite photographers, Chai Mungcal. The photographer in me  thought, "Hey, there's a place like this? Cool. Im'ma try it too." And so I signed up and was giddy to post my photos. I posted and I posted. I kept coming back for days. None of my photos were good enough to make it to the "approved" category. I said to myself, screw this. And I've forgotten my account.

Months passed and with the stillness of everything in my current lifestyle, I googled myself online (yes, I love myself too much). I was in the process of taking down some of sites because my digital footprints are so scattered and too revealing of my identity. I just had to take down some of them, if I can remember what password and username I used. 

Then I saw a familiar site that featured a photo of mine. I clicked it and it routed me to Vogue.it featuring a photo of Jade, a friend of mine. And you can just imagine my smile as if it's the Christmas morning or when Harry walk through that brick wall and his first site of Diagon Alley. I was so happy.

My early Christmas gift. Lol. To better view the photo, please click here.

Funny thing is, I never remember uploading this online, And never have I gotten any message from vogue that  I have an approved photo. The photo was published July 19 of this year. And I was like, seriously? I haven't even checked Vogue that long? 

Lol, I think Vogue likes hunchback people for some reason.

But the photo seems like a fluke, I mean anyone can put a fake Vogue watermark on my picture. And so I scour the archives of Vogue.it to find out that I've been really featured. And I was, I browsed through all the pages and the July 19 selections were on the 939th page. Yes, seriously. But what matters is, it is there. 

Then you know, my big *virtual* mouth kicked in and I just had to post it on Facebook. *BAD IDEA* I mean, I didn't post anything braggy. I just post that I was late for the news that I had a picture approved by Vogue. That's all it said. And then people started liking my post and they are congratulating me and giving me compliments and stuff. It was nice of course. But do I really deserve the attention? I mean, my photo is just 1 among the hundreds of photos they approve everyday, photos that are waaaay more glamorous and excellent than what I could do in my lifetime. Some photographers have like 10-20 photos approved. But still I've been featured alongside them. It is such an honor, but from my friends, I think I don't deserve the attention they are giving me.

Someone even posted a link about me and vogue to a community site and of course, you get more compliments as it is quite a "town's honor". So I just said my humblest thank you's and prevent my ego ballooning up with this recent achievement. 

Of course, after so much attention you have garnered from one photo, you just had to try submit another one and to my surprise. It got approved again. And I'm just seriously doing my victory dance inside my room (more of like a Baby Finn dance really). Now I've got 2 photos in my Vogue Portfolio. I'm feel so good. I went out for tea with my friend, D. And some of the people we know are still congratulating me. Is it really a great feat what I did? Maybe, Maybe not. What is important is that, someone "powerful" in the fashion industry liked my photo and that itself is awesome beyond words.

I personally love this photo very much. To my delight, it made it too. For better viewing click here.

Looksee the only warm looking photo in the bunch. Okay, Vogues choices are as random as they get.

It mattered to me now on how I take photos nowadays. It needs to be "emotive" Not basing my creativity on what Vogue thinks is beautiful. But I get what Vogue wants and I know that I like my photos to make an impact as those I see in Vogue. What I think Vogue selects to be published or approve is how a photographer interprets what "beauty" is all about. I observe that not all the photos my fellow photographers submit are haute couture or high fashion, sometimes it's just a well-lit alley or macro shot of a flower. I mean, Vogue selects Beauty in every sense of the word. And I think that's what Vogue highlights, the beauty around us.

Here's another one. Click here for better viewing.

Looksee, I'm so proud.

I think this is the most favorited photo I've ever had. Click here for better viewing.

Sorry, but I just love warm colors. :D

So far I got 4 photos in my Vogue Portfolio. All of them are quite my favorites. I still submit everyday. I want   a shot on that Pic-of-the-day. So I'll try harder. Ganbatte~!