Top 5 At Zone V

June 2022

by Leys Masangcay

Zone V Camera Club had a very challenging photo contest theme for June. The theme is “Decisive Moments” and has been simply defined as “Bressonesque” and rendered in black & white. These are images that pay homage and reflect the photographs captured by Henri Cartier Bresson, the French master of candid photography and one of the founders of Magnum Photos in 1947.

The judges for this the month are highly regarded masters in photography. Edwin Tuyay, built most of his career in photojournalism as a staff photographer for Asiaweek Magazine from 1988 to 2001 wherein his images have graced its cover a number of times. Currently a freelance photographer for Time, Newsweek, Fortune and other international publications.

Jijo de Guzman, an extremely talented multi-genre photographer and has vast experience in shooting, teaching, judging and marketing. He is also a fitness advocate and a businessman with a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship.

Rommell Bundalian, an award-winning artist and photographer both here and abroad. His images have been featured in numerous glossy publications and travel magazines. His works have been featured in coffee table books, noteworthy was when he became a major contributor for the Department of Tourism’s “The. Bucket List Philippines.”

Here are the top 5 and winning images at Zone V Camera Club for June

#5 “Jump For Joy” by Mac Omega

ISO 100 / f4 / 1/2500 sec

Mac started by saying that for a photo to be in line with the Decisive Moment theme, “it should be an image that is difficult to recreate and can only be shot once.” This image was taken in Quinta Market in Quiapo Manila one afternoon as he saw kids playing and swimming by the Pasig River.

Mac made deliberate preparation to take this shot, and he said “First, is the composition, I made sure that no distractions and the subjects will only have the sky as their background. Second, I pre-focused so when the kids jump, my camera will no longer need to hunt for (the subject) and focus. Third, I set up my settings; I need a very fast shutter speed to capture this shot. As soon as the kids jumped from the platform, I was already waiting to take my money shot.

#4 “Carefree Days” by Bern Wong

Shot on Sony A7III 28mm lens / f10 / 1/1000 sec

Bern shared that the image was shot at the Baseco Beach one late afternoon wherein it was filled with children playing and swimming.

Bern concluded that the Manila Bay sunset at the background was the perfect backdrop to create the most dramatic silhouettes.

#3 “Untitled” by Argyle Camacho

ISO 100 / f5.6 / 1/80 sec

This image was taken around the U Bein Bridge, in Mandalay on a trip in Myanmar when Argyle saw locals casting their nets and he used continuous shooting to capture the action and movement of the fishermen.

Argyle added “I was just lucky that there was a flock of birds behind the net that started flying when the net hit the water.”

Argyle shared that this image was edited and cropped in Lightroom using the sharpening and noise reduction tools and applied color efex to enhance the color.

#2 “Before and After” by David Lim

David shared that he prepared around 10 entries for this month’s Decisive Moment theme and said “I researched Bresson and studied his images, but I was left confused and undecided since his definition of Decisive Moment did not resonate with some, if not most, of the images.”

The day of submission came and David was faced with the dilemma “It was Sunday and a decisive moment was needed. Hence, I chose this entry only because a story was clearly depicted: the stark reality between lust and love on a fleeting un-staged street scene.  Taken in Barcelona while taking a tour aboard an open-air double decker bus.”

#1 “Summer Fun Under The Sun” by James Singlador

ISO 100 / f16 / 1/125 sec

This winning image was taken at the Wawa Lake in Angono, Rizal when James saw a group of kids swimming and diving under the heat of the sun one summer day.

James added “When the sun is intense (between 10AM to 3PM) and the sky is blue, I always use my favorite photography rule that is called “The f/16 Sunny Rule”.  Just set your camera on manual mode then start with a shutter speed of 1/100 sec. to 1/125sec., ISO 100 and an aperture of f/16 to create a starburst on the sun.

This image deserves all the stars it got from the judges and members as James also won the Member’s Cup and got the Photographer of the Month citation.

Congratulations to all the winners!