The Top 5 Photos of May 2022

By Emman Araullo

As the month of May brings with it the scorching summer weather, Zone V Camera Club members also turned up the heat with the monthly photo contest submitting visually stunning images.  The theme for this month was “Strange Things” – a nod to capture the “unusual, bizarre, peculiar, weird” things that club members saw.

The only limitation imposed was that the images had to be in color, otherwise, members were free to exercise their creativity in interpreting the theme, which can be tricky, since like what the judges pointed out, what can be considered weird or unusual for one person does not necessarily hold true for another.

This month’s panel of judges included Raymond Tanhueco a recognized lecturer, resource speaker, and workshop facilitator in the topic of street and everyday photography. There was also Henry Posadas, a respected director of mainstream and indie films who trained under legendary film director Marilou Diaz Abaya.  And finally, Edwin Loyola, photographer and visual artist who has won multiple International Photography Awards (IPA) and LUCIE awards.

The top 5 photos for the month are as follows:

#5 “Untitled” by Henry Tan

ISO 200; f14; 1/30 sec

This image from Henry featuring rock patterns reminds the viewers for the strange things that can be found in nature. Taken at the Yehliu Geopark in Taiwan one summer morning together with ZVCC friends. Henry recalls “We had to climb over the closed gate of the park in order to enter while it was still dark and just at the break of dawn in order to catch the right kind of light.”

While the judges mentioned that rock patterns are not usually considered weird per se, this image is an exception to the rule because the pattern on this particular rock and the way it was composed makes it seem like the rock has eyes that are directly looking at the viewer giving it a sense of intrigue.

True enough, the judges saw what Henry himself has seen as he described “it caught my attention because it forms an abstract bulldog.”

#4 “It’s a Z Kind of Day” by Allan Florendo

Vancouver is a fast paced, multi-cultural and vibrant city.  There is no weekend that there would not be something happening whether it’s a parade, a food truck festival or some unique event such as the Zombie Walk Vancouver.  One day a year, downtown Vancouver transforms itself into a post-apocalyptic city filled with bizarre, strange characters and zombies.  Armed with Allan’s trusted Fuji camera and an off-cam flash, he navigated the event and tried to spot some interesting zombies as they converge at the plaza.

Allan quipped “I really wanted an image using a flash to highlight the details of the make-up and ultimately achieve that post-apocalyptic image.  Simple editing was used to achieve this look to bring out the vibrance and the look that I wanted.”

#3 “Zombie Nature” by Oscar Soriano

ISO 6400; f/22; 1/60 sec.

Oscar wanted to tell a story of nature’s decay and degradation in a peculiar and strange way. Oscar’s backyard in Bulacan supplied the perfect setting – two anay-stricken wooden columns, dead leaves falling from a santol tree and rusty garden tools.

“All I needed was a creative twist” Oscar shared and added “I decided with the Pinoy sensitivity by dressing the two columns up in an old jusi barong, sprinkled some dirt and sprayed water and the whole concept came together.”

How to attack the composition was an easy decision – shooting the assemblage from a three-step ladder looking down not only allowed Oscar to control the depth of field but also mimicked the semblance of a dead person lying down, which was the real intent. That was the weird aspect of the image.

A bit of post processing enhancements provided a pseudo- surrealistic effect and the image was all done and wrapped. Finally, Oscar said “Proud the judges read my message that – if we do not protect nature, we are really digging our own graves.”

#2 “Cry for Help” by Leys Masangcay

ISO 100; f/10; 1/320 sec.

Leys was on a solo trip in the north of Thailand and decided to visit the White Temple in Chiang Rai. It was high noon and the height of summer, and expectedly, the heat was oppressive. “The temple, as the name says, is all-white, was blinding to look at, at the time of day I was there” he said.

Furthermore, Leys continued “As I approached the temple, there was a gangway I had to cross. On both sides below me, I saw this creepy looking sea of sculptural hands (also in white) as if trying to reach out and crying for help.”

“I was squinting due to the glaring sunlight, and saw this tiny red speck from a finger nail and thought it was an interesting contrast to everything that was white. I quickly shot it and went on ahead to be in the shade.” Leys shared in conclusion.

#1 “Cave of Thousand Skulls” by James Singlador

Shot with a Nikon D7000 @ ISO100 ; f/8; 1/100 sec. + SB-700

The image was taken at a peaceful town of Kabayan, Benguet. It is also known as the Opdas Mass Burial Cave that houses thousands of skeletal remains dating back 500 to 1000 years old and are believed to be casualties of small pox outbreak during Spanish colonization.

The image surely nailed the theme as it secured the top spot in the contest while also gaining the distinction of winning this month’s Member’s Cup and bagging James POTM honors.

Congratulations to all the winners!