Top 5 Images at Zone V: August 2022

The Top 5 Photos of August 2022

By Emman Araullo

The Zone V Camera Club monthly photo contest rolls into August with the theme “Refractions or Reflections”. It was explicitly specified that the theme was “open to interpretations” which allowed the photographers to add their own creative flair to their images.

This month’s panel of Judges include Bing Basit, a Director and Cinematographer. Aaron Favila, photojournalist for an international news agency from 1998 to present. He has won several awards in the field of visual arts and has covered some of the most historic events of our time. Aly Reyes, an economist, IT Professional, Internet Pioneer, an everyday photographer, and a Fedora Icon. The doctrine of the Fedora: “I believe that everybody is an ARTIST and photography is a modern medium of expressing our own personal ART.”

The top 5 photos for the month are as follows:

#5 “Untitled” by Brian Agana

ISO 2000; f/3.3; 1/80 sec.

Brian’s story about his image begins with the quote “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Of course, this was Neil Armstrong’s famous quote when he became the first person to set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Brian says that “the image of an astronaut walking on the surface of the moon with the Lunar Roving Vehicle” was his inspiration in creating his image. He used the eye of a young boy who was looking on to a monitor to capture the reflected monumental image that tells a story of a “Limitless Possibilities”.

Brian used his trusty Nikon D90 together with a Sigma 105mm Macro Lens. He also made use of Christmas lights in the background to add a circular bokeh light to compliment the shape of the eyeball.

#4 “MULTIVERSE J” by Angela Panlilio

ISO 320; f/5.6; 1/60 sec.

When it comes to taking photos, it’s no secret that Angela’s first love is street photography. Within that genre, reflections and shooting glass is the one thing that truly draws her gaze. It’s no surprise that she considers New York as a street photographer’s dream as “no one really cares, nor stops you from clicking”.

Angela narrates that during one of her visits in 2019, she was walking along 5^th avenue when from across the street, she spotted the Bergdorf Goodman window. To her, it was screaming – “come close and shoot me”. She describes what she saw as “the delicate muslin fabric sculpted to be these beautiful faces. Soft, layered, full of expression. Each window a different face beside a mannequin without a face”. That was the story for her – the juxtaposition of those two elements. She says she “was enthralled” as she shot each window, working the scene – each basked in its own color, theme, and face.

She also reveals that the reflection of the trump tower behind was an afterthought – “a lucky accident”. She says her edits were kept to a minimum as she wants to “let the image speak for itself”.

#3 “SunDew” by Fria Day Delfin

For her image, Day decided to do a macro shot of water droplets with a sunflower backdrop. She says she “liked how the final image turned out sharp” as it was hard to get the droplets to form a perfect circle. She shares that in order to create this image, one needs “a lot of patience and steady hands” since the leaf/branch had limited spaces where one could put the droplets without losing them. She further reveals that the composition and spacing of the image which somewhat resembled a car or a motorbike “was accidental”.

Day used an adapted 180mm macro lens mounted on an Olympus OM-D E-M5 and a stable tripod.

#2 “Morning Smoke” by Jeff Dytuco

Jeff shared that this shot was taken last 2019 during their photo trip to Myanmar. He says he liked the balance in the composition; it was “clean and simple” and fit the “reflection” theme quite well. The “bonus” was the interaction between the two fishermen as he was lucky to have taken the shot while they were sharing a smoke early in the morning. Jeff says he “expected a lot of submissions taken from Inle Lake” as their group was blessed with great weather and beautiful “reflection” scenes during their time there.

Jeff’s image was taken with a Nikon D750 with Tamron 28-300mm lens.

#1 “Autumn Reflection” by Alfred Uy Bomping

Location: Lotte World Seoul Theme Park, South Korea

Taken at 2019 in Lotte World Seoul Theme Park South Korean during a family vacation, Alfred says he was not really looking forward to taking photographs. He reveals that he actually left his camera at the hotel to concentrate on being a tourist and bonding with his family.

As they went about with things you expect to do in a theme park, it rained for a while, transforming the wet grounds into a sea of colorful swatches. This particular scene caught his eye – colorful leaves, blue sky, and the shadow from the overhead footbridge. These elements together created a beautiful blend.

This is when the photographer in him could no longer resist as he impulsively took out his cellphone. He says “it took some patience” to capture this shot as he was without his usual camera. Furthermore, the scene was also quite near a popular ride where it was busy and noisy, a stark contrast to what seemed like a serene scene.