THE DPP8
The conclusion of Digital Photographer Philippine's 8th Anniversary brought about new converts, new camera models, free insights from the pros, and yes, there were pretty women to photograph too.
May 10, 2014. There may be no other event in the country that can compare to the number of lenses, cameras, and photographers all bundled up into one than the anniversary of Digital Photography Philippines.
Photography has grown much in the country over the years. From a handful of European photographers promoting the Philippine Islands in the 1800's, Photography today is as much a hobby as golf and bicycle riding (and now equally as expensive).
The event, held at Bonifacio Global City's High Street was a celebration of the photo magazine's 8th year in the country. A feat only made possible by the increase of photography enthusiasts nationwide and their willingness to invest time, effort and cold hard cash to get premium quality, top-of-the line photographs.
Camera Porno at It's Finest
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| Did I mention camera porn already? |
The DPP event is Camera Porn at its finest. Filled to the brim with anything and everything photography related.The one day event was a photo hub where photographers, photography clubs and brand enthusiasts could all congregate and share their love for the light recording machine.
The word of DPP spread like wildfire through the net, largely contributing to the event's 4,000 person attendance. A word of caution though, DP and porno shouldn't to be searched together with safe search off unless you're in to that stuff and its late at night.
Like all porn I watched growing up, it ain't complete without the lovely ladies. If you are the type of person who'd rather shoot "candid" because you cant afford to, or lack the confidence to talk to a model (or member of the opposite sex for that matter), The DPP anniversary offered you an opportunity to live your fantasy feeding your CMOS sensors with megapixels upon megapixels of the beauties.The event was far from short of offering beauties from each brand to aim your grade-A glass at.
A word of caution for women though, photographers are more mindful of how the sharpness of the third pixel to the corner of your eyelids are than how you well you are dressed in a picture (he could be having an affair with his camera).
For better or for worse, porn is filled with "guns" of different sizes. For the sake of making this post safe for work, by guns, I am referring to one's lens, and under no way am I trying to make a phallic reference to camera lenses whatsoever. That is reserved for a future post.
Whether its for practical-sake or an extension of your manhood, you could find and/or purchase a plethora of lenses for bargain deals from the different booths around.
Short on cash? then trade insights and stories with your man friends who have equal focal lengths as yours. It's empowerment.
Nowhere else can you see a bundle of lenses big, tiny, narrow or wide all stuffed into one tightly knit event. Again, these are lenses we are talking about.
In case you forgot, there were models too.
More than just lenses, Digital Photographer Philippines' 8th anniversary was a congregation of the different denominations in the world of photography;
The word of DPP spread like wildfire through the net, largely contributing to the event's 4,000 person attendance. A word of caution though, DP and porno shouldn't to be searched together with safe search off unless you're in to that stuff and its late at night.
Like all porn I watched growing up, it ain't complete without the lovely ladies. If you are the type of person who'd rather shoot "candid" because you cant afford to, or lack the confidence to talk to a model (or member of the opposite sex for that matter), The DPP anniversary offered you an opportunity to live your fantasy feeding your CMOS sensors with megapixels upon megapixels of the beauties.The event was far from short of offering beauties from each brand to aim your grade-A glass at.
A word of caution for women though, photographers are more mindful of how the sharpness of the third pixel to the corner of your eyelids are than how you well you are dressed in a picture (he could be having an affair with his camera).
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| The lens hood can help overcompensate your manlihood |
For better or for worse, porn is filled with "guns" of different sizes. For the sake of making this post safe for work, by guns, I am referring to one's lens, and under no way am I trying to make a phallic reference to camera lenses whatsoever. That is reserved for a future post.
Whether its for practical-sake or an extension of your manhood, you could find and/or purchase a plethora of lenses for bargain deals from the different booths around.
Short on cash? then trade insights and stories with your man friends who have equal focal lengths as yours. It's empowerment.
Nowhere else can you see a bundle of lenses big, tiny, narrow or wide all stuffed into one tightly knit event. Again, these are lenses we are talking about.
In case you forgot, there were models too.
A Congregation of Denominations
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| Loyal to the end |
Among the people you would meet are
The Brand Loyalists - Always staying true to their choice camera maker (down to wearing their brand color)
The Big Gun Users - Always equipped with their biggest baddest lens plus lens hood to get that added length,
The Boy Scout Shooters - Ready for anything (I saw a few people bring a studio's worth of equipment to the event),
The Mirrorless Loyalists - Free spirits who believe in not being encumbered by heavy gear, and
The Go Pro Boys - Adventure enthusiasts who document the entire experience out of anything humanly possible.
Ease of Access of Gadgets
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| Hard-to-find 40mm lens filter |
Pentax released a limited edition Philippine Themed DSLR for those patriotic-at-heart shooters. The design will also go well with any early Manny Paquiao themed apparel if you are into that.
Another great thing that might be overlooked by the occasional photog is the ease-of access of camera shops including Henry's and Camera House. This could save you a trip to the mall or in Henry's case, the dreaded Quiapo walk.
Lessons from the Best
The best part of the event though was the plethora of knowledge to learn from free seminars from many of the country's greats in photography. That alone gives you a pretty good bang-for-the-buck in attending a free photography event.
More than just your photography 101, These guys give you straight out insights on their own specialized craft. Were not talking freshman photography lessons here, but lessons that you can major on and even earn a profit with.
A credible photography 101 seminar would could cost you between 7,000 Pesos ($160.00) to 15,000 Pesos ($343.00). Multiply that by 14 speakers and you get a shitload of lessons for the meagre price of a mild summer sweat.
More than just your photography 101, These guys give you straight out insights on their own specialized craft. Were not talking freshman photography lessons here, but lessons that you can major on and even earn a profit with.
A credible photography 101 seminar would could cost you between 7,000 Pesos ($160.00) to 15,000 Pesos ($343.00). Multiply that by 14 speakers and you get a shitload of lessons for the meagre price of a mild summer sweat.
Eric Kim, International Street Photographer and funny man also gave a lively seminar on street photography with the added bonus of hearing his quirks about eating pork sisig and uttering the lines "Boom Panis!" to his partner and Co-Fuji Ambassador Rommel Bundalian.
Live Pro Photog SHOOT-OUT
The evening festivities only got better with a shoot-out between Fuji Boys Eric Kim and Rommel Bundalian (Seriously, these guys should have a sitcom together sponsored by Fuji). Their 30 minute run around the town to get the best street photographs on the spot was a classic DPP8 moment in itself but add the quick witted antics of Eric going up against Omeng's fun photog bashing, and you've got an event that would be recorded into the anals of Pinoy photographic history.
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| Let the match begin Rommel VS Eric |
(Yes, I'm that old)
No matter who won these pro-tog head-to-heads, the winners were the viewers and attendees. The mere fact of seeing these guys do their magic from scratch and pull off great pieces of work in a matter of minutes is a testament to their experience in their craft.
HIPA, or the Hamdan International Photography Award also made their presence felt at the event, inviting all photographers to test their talents with the HIPA 2014, one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world. The Award appeals to all talented photographers across the globe, and also nurtures national talent, which will in turn attract international art and cultural attention.
To top it all off, the crowd was in for a surprise with the announcement Fuji Ambassador and camera extrordinaire Zack Arias coming to next year's anniversary.
The announcement came from no other than the Z himself in a short video of him speaking in Tagalog while mentioning his eagerness to try balut.
To sum up the events of the DPP, it was a great place to meet, great, learn, interact, purchase, shop, exchange and simply have a good time with like minded people.
An escape from the daily grind of the modern world where time can limit one's passion.
Again, thank you to the DPP team and all of its sponsors for making this event another memorable one.
Till next year.
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| Zack Arias on DPP9 |
To top it all off, the crowd was in for a surprise with the announcement Fuji Ambassador and camera extrordinaire Zack Arias coming to next year's anniversary.
The announcement came from no other than the Z himself in a short video of him speaking in Tagalog while mentioning his eagerness to try balut.
To sum up the events of the DPP, it was a great place to meet, great, learn, interact, purchase, shop, exchange and simply have a good time with like minded people.
An escape from the daily grind of the modern world where time can limit one's passion.
Again, thank you to the DPP team and all of its sponsors for making this event another memorable one.
Till next year.
