Category Archives: Places / Scenics

Drawing First Blood with the Panasonic Lumix LX5

Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines (23 August 2011) — I got my Panasonic Lumix LX-5 today and brought it out for a spin to draw first blood. I haven’t fully explored the features of the camera but I’m confident I will be able to familiarize myself with the camera features in time. I just love the wide-angle lens of the Lumix LX-5 and the maximum aperture opening of f/2.0. My preference has always been on the wide-angle side over the telephoto side of shooting.

When I started to play around with digital, I started with a borrowed P&S Canon G3 and every now and then I get to use a G5. My first ever paid shoot was with a borrowed Canon G5. Even when I already had my own DSLR, I still would shot with a P&S (in most cases a borrowed one). There is something about shooting with digital P&S (or at least a P&S size digital camera but with controls same as DSLRs). For one, the weight is not a problem and this includes storage and handling. As soon as a photographic opportunity shows up, one can just start shooting right away. Secondly, there are types or angles of shots that is easier achieved with a smaller and lighter camera. The size too of a digital P&S removes the intimidation factor when shooting in a public and crowded place. Take out a “big black box” SLR and questions like “why are you taking pictures?” or “What purpose is your picture-taking for?” will surely be asked of you and this already disturbs the moment. People around you tend to immediately put themselves “on guard”. The spontaneity of the moment is lost.

This time around, now that I have my own P&S, the LX-5 will be my all-around, walk-around camera. The SLRs will still be used but for specialized shooting assignments. Here are some sample photos taken during the break-in of the camera:

Nuestra Seniora El Triunfo Del La Cruz

Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, Mindanao, Philippines (02 August 2011)– I’m back home for now. It’s always nice to be back home. I’m taking this time to sort through the photos I have taken during my recently completed road trip to Ozamiz and Pagadian Cities and at least post this blog. The second leg of my travel (to the Southern and SouthCentral part of Mindanao) was postponed to next week. Here are some shots from a quick trip to a historic (250-year-old that is) site in Ozamiz City.

A colleague and I finished our data gathering work in one of the local community weekly paper in Ozamiz City so we had time to spare to go around the city. With the assistance of a guide (a Ozamiz based journalist) we had a quick tour of the historic Nuestra Seniora El Triunfo Del La Cruz or Our Lady of the Triumph of the Cross.  The Nuestra is an old fortress or barracks built by the Spaniards in 1756 to house soldiers that guard the coast of Misamis Occidental from marauding raiders from the Province of Lanao.

For many years,  I thought this landmark in Ozamiz was just a lighthouse. I discovered during the quick tour that the lighthouse is not the main attraction. The lighthouse is just but a fixture on one side of the fortress and serves as a guide for incoming vessels to the port of Ozamiz.  Nuestra Seniora is basically composed of a fort with its Southern wall (the wall directly facing the port) having a shrine of Our Lady. In recent years, the Catholic Church built an outdoor chapel fronting the image of Our Lady. This place is now called the Shrine by the locals and is visited by devotees daily.

The fortress has almost the same design as the famous walled city of Manila (Intramuros).  The first obvious difference is the size. The Ozamiz fort is significantly smaller than Intramuros. Unlike Intramuros wherein the Spaniards designed the wall to protect a settlement, the walls of the Ozamiz fort were designed and built basically as a military base. Its location is strategically placed facing the Panguil Bay opposite the Province of Lanao del Norte.

On The Road Again

I’m on the road again and its ironic that the photo I have posted is of a ship or ferry to be exact. Being “on the road” is being used here as a general description of being on travel again. The project were I am involved in is already on full swing and more data are required to be gathered thus the need to travel again. Given the volume of information that needs to be gathered, I will be on the road for a longer time this time. Hope to be able to find time to update my blog to keep you posted.

Anyway, for the first leg of my road trip, I left Cagayan de Oro early morning of Sunday to be in Ozamiz City. Will be in Ozamiz till the middle of the week and then will proceed to Pagadian City for the rest of the week. In as much as I would have wanted to take snap shots of the travel from Cagayan de Oro to Ozamiz (on the road), this was impossible as I was driving. The only time I got some respite from driving was during the short (around 15-25 mins.) ferry trip from Mukas in the Lanao del Norte side to Ozamiz City. I have been traveling this route a couple of times before in the past but haven’t really taken photos of the ferry or its surroundings. For the longest time I have wanted to have a photo set of my own. Being a Mindanawon and being a regular passer-by of this place, I just felt that I should have my own photographic version of this place. I finally got my chance today.

With the vehicle securely in placed at the parking bay I got off the vehicle and using a borrowed point and shoot digicam started to shoot. I did have my DSLR with me but I felt that it was too big and heavy and besides with so many people around, I felt uncomfortable to be shooting with all the attention on me. This was a time wherein I felt that a DSLR becomes a hindrance to effectively capture the sights and sounds of the moment. Having a smaller camera does have its benefits.

Sunday Afternoons

Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines – Ever since working with the IOM in Mindanao, I regularly get to spend time with the family only during weekends. I leave Cotabato City every Friday afternoon (arriving Cagayan de Oro in the evening) and go back to Cotabato City every Monday early morning. Saturdays usually is a day spent on catching up on family concerns like going to the bank, attend some meeting or meet with friends. Sundays are always the day spent most of the time exclusively and solely for and with the family.

TREES GROWING ON CONCRETE - Trees seemingly growing out of concrete along the underpass of the Lim Ket Kai Mall in Cagayan de Oro City

On Sundays, the usual fare would consists of attending/participating in Sunday mass and having lunch together afterwards. Sunday lunch has always been a tag of war between the kids opting for the more famous fast food chains (usually McDonald or Jollibee) and us (Azon and I) wanting to try a different place to eat as we would prefer variety over fixed menu of food to eat. After lunch, doing the grocery for the week usually follows. After this, if time permits, we watch a movie that we all would like to watch this is if a movie is showing that is to our liking (and allowable for the kids). If not movies, we do other things that needs to be done in preparation for the coming week like have a haircut. Otherwise after the grocery we go home and watch television, tend the garden/water the plants and prepare a dish or two for dinner.

ROASTED COFFEE - Imported roasted coffee beans displayed for sale at the grocery section of the Robinsons Mall in Lim Ket Kai Center in Cagayan de Oro City

Sunday afternoon for us is pretty simple but offers us with the needed time to do things together as a family (considering that I work far from Cagayan de Oro and I’m basically away the whole week). In one particular Sunday afternoon, I decided to bring my point and shoot camera and take random shots of our activities. After downloading the photos in my computer and as I was going through the photos one-by-one to select the “best” shots or at the very least the shots I have a liking, my attention was drawn to the set of photos taken while we were doing our grocery. The series of photos showed abundance. A variety of vegetables and fruits filled the racks.  The canned goods section had different brands and types of processed food. All racks in the grocery section were filled to the brim with food products for sale. While going through the photo set, I was immediately reminded of the time I was in Zimbabwe. I enter a shop (any shop for that matter) and I in most cases am presented with rows and rows of empty shelves.

TAKE YOUR PICK - Various types of vegetables displayed for sale at the vegetable section of the Robinsons Mall Grocery Section.

While doing grocery in the Philippines was a matter of choosing a preferred brand or the cheapest brand/product, in Zimbabwe, as soon as you see the product you need, you don’t think twice, you just get it. There was very little room for one to choose between white sugar or brown sugar. There was no room for one to choose between Castle Beer or Eagle or Bolingers. This makes me think that there are indeed a lot of things that we (in the Philippines) should be thankful about. In the midst of plenty, it is easy to forget that on another part of the world fellow human beings are experiencing the opposite.