Place of Dreams

Almost a year after, here I am with another post. Been very busy the past year, so I apologize for the lack of update. Thankfully I have a very long and dull holiday vacation (almost a week celebration of eid al adha) so I have some time to post. 

Recently I went outside of my comfort zone and attended two worldwide photo walks held here in Bahrain. The first one was sponsored by 500px last October 5.

                                                                                                     

Walking Away

This was my first time to try street photography. I usually take photos of nature/landscape, food and of course, my family and friends. I found out about this event while I was browsing some posts in the Bahrain Photography Club in facebook. I wasn't even sure if I'll go or not because I am not usually keen on trying out new things.

Shoemaker

I decided to go anyway thinking that this might be a good way to break free from my very mundane routine. So I asked my father to drop me in the event. I didn't know anyone there but fortunately there were some Filipinos also who attended.

Mentor

The shoot was set on Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Around 30 or 40 photographers attended so the group was subdivided into smaller ones, my group (with the group of Filipino photographers "Barkadahan sa Potograpiya") was assigned to go to the old neighborhood on the left side of the souq.

Bearded Man

I was uncomfortable at first because I don't know which subjects to shoot, what settings on my camera to choose (not to mention I was really envious of the cameras they brought to the shoot, they had good quality SLRs and lenses) and which way to go.

Hip shot

But after a while of observing how my group mates take their shot, I just let go of my fears and started taking photos. And slowly I just found myself being one with the street and with my camera.. *Click* after *click* of my shutter capturing pictures of people and just about anything which I found interesting.

What's going on?

I had fun interacting with the locals. Some were very active, they were posing for the camera, asking for more photos and telling that it wasn't their best angle. We even met one man who took her grand daughter from his home so that we could take her photo.

Little star of the walk

It was a good experience. I am very thankful that I decided to come. I met new people, took a lot of photo memories and learned new things about photography and the life here in Bahrain.. Indeed, Manama is a place of dreams.

-Abi.

Easy Peasy Sunday

A day like this makes me regret the decision I just made to leave my position and these people behind..

*sigh*

Photo Diary: Matryoshka dolls

Dear Reader,

Today, I decided to take out my camera and take a picture of our Matryoshka Dolls. These dolls were given to us by our family friend from Azerbaijan. Matryoshka dolls are a set of decreasing wooden dolls placed one inside the other. I only took a picture of 4 of them, but there are more than 10 pieces of these dolls. I'm pretty much amazed of the manual dexterity of the artisan who made this doll because when you reach the smallest doll inside, you can still see the full details of the face (as seen in my last photo, stubby fingers I know, but those hands may save your life someday, lol i'm digressing). It's sad because from what I've read in some websites, the craft of making these dolls is slowly dying. Hope they'll continue to make this kind of doll or else we'll all just be relying on photos like these to appreciate.

Photo Diary: Visita Iglesia 2012 (Church 4-7)

Dear Reader,

We continue our travel to…

Fourth church visited: Parish of St. James the Great (Ayala Alabang)

(Inside AAV en route to the church, my mom and my aunt kept wishing they could own a property here.. Someday mom, someday.)

(I can’t take a good pic of the whole façade of the church because the sun is too bright!)

(Another attempt, edited on PaintFx, UST ang peg!)

(Inside the church)

(Bio friends, help me identify this tree! ^_^)

Fifth church visited: Shrine of the Five Wounds of our Lord (Alabang-Zapote Road)

We weren’t able to stay long here because there were a lot of cars and people doing the station of the cross that we had a hard time securing a parking for our car…

(Nagmamadali na, but I still managed to take a picture of my mom and aunt doing the station of the cross)

(Much improvement since last year…)

Fact about this church: A piece or relic from the cross where Jesus Christ has been crucified and died is placed inside the shrine.

Travelling during the lent is great ‘cause…

(THERE'S NO TRAFFIC AT ALABANG-ZAPOTE ROAD!)

Sixth church visited: Good Shepherd Parish (Dona Manuela Subdivision, Las Pinas)

We always include our parish church in our Visita Iglesia. Even if we always go here to hear mass, this church feels like home…

Seventh church visited: Our Lady of Fatima Parish (Phil-Am Village, Las Pinas)

This place reminds me of that last scene in the movie “Closer” when Dan realizes that Alice’s name isn’t real. =)

To end this post, here’s another artsy fartsy pic of a tree…

Photo Diary: Visita Iglesia 2012 (Church 1-3)

Dear Reader,

Here are some photos I took when we visited seven churches (also known as Visita Iglesia or Church Visit) earlier this morning.. (photo heavy post ahead)

(I call these, my “Visita Iglesia” essentials. hehe)

First church visited: Mary, Mother of the Church Parish (BF Las Pinas)

(My Aunt Leni and Mom)

Second Church Visited: Mary Immaculate Parish “Nature’s Church” (Moonwalk, Las Pinas)

(Welcome Signage.. Ossuary means depository of human skeletal remains. Too bad we didn’t go there)

(The station of the cross is placed around the church along with the trees and the plants, so you could feel the serene environment while praying)

(Roof of the main church. It’s made from anahaw fans linked together and those hanging from the ceiling are birds made from capiz)

(The floor of the main church is made from pebbles and wood slabs)

We decided to take a break from all of the walking that we’ve been doing inside the church perimeters and found that they have a small pond with koi fish and tilapia. Mom even joked that she should’ve brought a hook/net so she could catch the big pla-plas for dinner.

(A street lamp inside the church)

(Let me in…)

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the rock arch near the chapel.

Close-up pictures of the rocks and the roots growing on this arch..

This church really fascinates me, it’s like you’re immediately transported to another dimension when you step inside. Peaceful environment, you can only hear the birds chirp and leaves rustling against the wind. This place is really perfect if you want to reflect.. However, we can’t stay for long since we still have 5 more churches to visit. :-)

Third Church Visited: St. Jerome Church (near Alabang Town Center)

(Facade of the church, the sky is blue, no cloud in sight)

(Snapshot of an unknown guy doing the station of the cross)

(Umaartsy fartsy shot of Plumiera rubra or “kalachuchi”)

(To be continued on the next post.. ^_^)