Ginoo at Binibining Pakil 2013: Photographer Outtakes

If there's one thing you have to know about me is that, I love pageants. I love to study other people's perception of beauty and pageants are venues for such event. It is also quite the social gathering that people will be talking about for weeks. And I am one of those people, admittedly. I try to dabble to local pageants as much as I can. If I can't offer my services, I'll eventually come around and ask the next person with me about what is happening with the pageant, the rehearsals, blah, blah, but to a point of just enough of being curious of what's happening in the local scene.

Perhaps it's the collaboration of artistry that makes me want to watch pageants, the stage designing, stage lighting, costume design, photography, modeling, fashion design and overall artistic freedom in one night. Mind you, I know a little bit about theater and production stuff, but pageants are always intriguing for me. Moreover, there's always an essence of theatricality and whimsicality in it - one night dedicated to the idea of beauty and everything that comes along with it.

This year though, I was quite involved in it. Well, not much, but sort of. Anyway, I was asked to shoot the candidates for their pageant photos. I didn't want to at first but I eventually gave in because they have been so persistent and I just couldn't say no to nice people. Oh well.

I just brought a friend along with me, who has been pretty much very helpful and I never undermine it one bit and we proceeded to shooting the candidates. It was awkward at first shooting girls in their swimwear with bodies that are... well, let's just say, very sexy. But eventually, you get the hang of it and you just shoot them, no biggie. But then, boys come in in their swimming trunks, and dear lord, I feel much awkward. They are barely somewhat naked! But you know, I need to be professional and pull myself together, so I just shoot them silently and giggle on my own thoughts. haha.

We followed the shoot eventually with casual wear for both boys and girls and it was aptly done in good time. The organizers were really organized. Like things went smoothly, no wasted time, everything was done completely as planned to which I was really impressed. Really, truly impressed. Though there's still the jitters that did I get a nice picture of him or did I fuck up? I mean, these are supposedly my clients, so I must not fuck up. But he told me exactly what he wanted for the tarpaulin and I get it completely, we are in the same page, so bravo to you, Butchay.

Doing the setcards was a breeze, I thought of just making it clean and simple and elegant. I don't like the design to overpower the candidates faces so I keep it clean. And as per request of the organizer, just a close up body picture is okay and I choose the rest with the casual and another one, so he gave me limited guidelines to which I can play with which is very fine by me. I made it in smaller resolutions so it would immediately fit Facebook's news feed preview, no cut heads or something. So yeah.

Complete Setcard Layout for 2013 candidates.

Now, the tarpaulin is quite the big problem. I don't know how to layout tarpaulins. I can layout average-size photos. But to print them on a 8x10 foot scale? Err, I'm utterly clueless. I seek help from our town's resident awesome artist, Kuya Etick. To my surprise, he didn't just tell me what to do, he showed me what to do. We kept exchanging emails about how should this and this be done and he replied quickly and exactly. I mean, he was just, awesome~! Salute to you oh great leader. Haha. Almost, mustering up how to edit a big ass tarpaulin size photo, I managed to level up my skills and that is quite commendable, even if I do say so myself.

So basically, I nailed the size and resolution/math part of the tarpaulin. *good me* But imagine that tarpaulin without the logo. I was like, it looks bare. So I rummaged to get last year's logo, but it was saved as .jpeg, so I can't edit it. So I flipped my keyboards and said, "What the hell, I'll make one." Which is very odd for me to say because I haven't really tried editing logos, much more pageant ones. It needs to be very elegant and royal-looking. I focus my mind on the fonts that I'm going to use, the layout, the assembly of the logo. how I can design it without overly designing it. Meh. 

What I did was, I retained or somewhat copied the same font of the 'Ginoo and Binibining' because it's very readable and quite good enough. Then I had to enlarge the P in Pakil so that it has the essence of being a logo and not just words bunch up together and kick in the 2013. But since I'm such a minimalist person, or I just want clean stuff, I just made it plain Silver with embossed edges to make it look 3D and regal. I also ditched the former crown and sceptre to which those kind of logos are usually made with and just replaced it with an energy ball for a fantasy and whimsical effect. It looks clean and very royal indeed, so I'm happy about the logo and I'm proud I made it all from scratch. Just sad that I can't put the crown or sceptre on. haha. But it really looks very royal.

And so, I finalize the tarpaulin and the setcards and gave it to my clients. They'll be the ones to set up the page. I didn't bother to get involved with the page because it causes a lot of ruckus and it frustrates the heck out of me when getting too much notifications just like last year. I'm just happy that our photos were used and that's a gorram awesome thing for me. :D 

After giving the page an ample time to accumulate likes, I released some of the photos from the photoshoot. I know candidates could be vain and they very well be because they are the chosen bunch for this year's beautiful people. And I also like to think that beyond the competition they are friends, so I got a little something something for them to remember by: GROUP PHOTOS. I teased them on my Mira Vista page first and uploaded the rest accordingly.

Then it's the Big Night for our candidates. Even though it was drizzling, the pageant continue on and it was all in good time too. The event ended around 12:30 AM. Not that long considering they had 3 hours worth of presentation and exposure. I was in the backstage prepping myself up to award the Ms. Photogenic title, so I didn't even consider taking photos that night. One, I had enough of event photography, I just want to enjoy the night, Two, I had other things in mind, which is not screwing the awarding even if it is just being exposed for a good 1 minute, Three, I seriously cannot stand the fact that I'm too small for the high stage, my camera is beyond excellent working capability, rain, competition for vantage point and the only girl (supposedly) to take pictures during the coronation night. I know it's not an excuse but I swear, my mind is just focused on not tripping on the candidate's gown and not poking the awardee with the pin. Meh.

Me awarding the Ms. Photogenic Award.
Photo Credits to: Tadeo Sagritalo

Then of course, there will be photo opts. I got the chance to be boy crazy that night. Well, not that boy-crazy per se. I just wanted to congratulate the candidates for winning and not winning and sometimes, for not being anymore the winner. 

Photo opt with me~! lol.
Thank you D for taking these photos.

Congratulations little bro~! 

And this fella is just happy enough to turnover his title.

And since, the day after that, or the week, people are still pageant high, I put these together to make a statement. :D 

4 years of Pakil Royalty

Overall, I'm just happy to be part of the production team of this year's pageants. I don't know next year, but hopefully, I get to watch it too. Even with just that participation. :D 

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~!