Growing with Maggie...

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If you remember I've discussed about new subjects which I'd like to shoot.. well, if you noticed, my blog is slowly transforming from a food blog into a photo blog nowadays. In the past weeks, I've discovered this new liking for photojournalistic shots. I've already developed a romance with classic portraiture but  in between taking photos of faces, I found myself craving to shoot objects... objects which symbolize my model. I'm fascinated in my ability to put life into an innate object.

Nowadays, I'm becoming really interested in candids... natural emotions. Shots of unaware subjects. They always leave me curious.... I wonder what they're thinking of... their deepest darkest desires. With photography, I can vividly express what's on my mind.









 I recently discovered that I actually possess a "pulse" in capturing exact moments and this ability to turn an ordinary scene into something interesting as commented by my critiques.

As I find myself in a middle of an event or a shoot, I'd notice how my mind would whisper words/phrases like a poetic verse which leads me to shoot a certain frame. Each photo.. a different line and by the time I upload them on my pc, I'd sew them all together and create a somewhat poetic photo story. I dunno exactly how I do it... it just comes naturally. I feel like the author of my own fairy tale.

Due to this pursuit in capturing more raw emotions, I've finally decided to upgrade to a new lens with a longer focal length which will enable me to capture long-range shots. This week I bought a 70-300mm manual focus lens (pardon me for the low quality shot). I know most shutterbugs would prefer a VR lens (autofocus and vibration reduction) over a manual one, but aside from being really really cheap as compared to VR lenses, I felt it's high time for me to further train my "eye" so manual focusing would be just perfect. Also, using a 300mm lens can really allow me to zoom-in! At first it was really difficult! It was like getting to know my cam again but after some time, I realized its difference from my kit lens. I now have more control on the subject. I can choose which ones to blur. I also get better BOKEH and well defined subjects. I can now make tight shots from afar! It's really amazing! Let me show you some of my test shots today...

 with my new lens, I'm able to take a peek at what people are reading hihihihihi

 notice the blur and defined subject

 I can now take close-up shots of unreachable objects

 nice blurred background ..

 Another defined subject. Amazing how manual focusing trains the "eye"

 I've been having difficulty with this kind of shot with my previous lens.. but now it's easy!

 Shot from afar while I saw my co-teacher dancing with herself.

 another shot where I was able to define my subject

Another candid shot from afar while my co-worker checks her own cam.

Passion is something which I possess that will never ever be taken away from me. This photo very much expresses how much I love what I'm doing. I was thinking how much I loved myself and my art during this time.. I'm amazed on how my camera was able to capture it perfectly!

I still have to train more. I believe I really have to train hard and discipline myself in order to be very good in this. I believe that all my hard work and sacrifices will someday pay off.  It's time to level-up, not just my equipment but my own skills as well! Slowly but surely, one step at a time.. I will patiently hone my skills. I'm doing myself a really big favor. Time to do things on my own. Sick and tired of being used and abused by others.

High time to get fuckin' serious with photography!