The Top 5 Photos of September 2022
by Emman Araullo
The Zone V Camera Club monthly contest rolls into September with the theme “Then and Now Diptych” which was further explained as “showing the passage of time”. The theme for this month made use of the Diptych technique which meant members had to combine 2 images to tell a story. Members had the freedom to use color or black and white photography which gave them freedom to express their vision.
This month’s panel of Judges include Jonathan Hodder who is a Leica Ambassador. He also works for the United Nations in SE Asia which takes him around the world which gives him the opportunity to photograph people from various walks of life. Ivan Man Dy who is a creative professional in the tourism industry and cultural heritage field. He is the founder and lead guide of the tour outfit Old Manila Walks. He is a trustee of the Manila-based Heritage Conservation Society and board member of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines. And Jer Sandel who is a founding member of FOCUS Bulacan Camera Club.
The top 5 photos for the month are as follows:
#5 “Special Delivery” by Leys Masangcay
Left photo taken in San Pablo, Right photo taken in Greenhills Shopping Center
Leys shared that he took a photo of a vintage mailbox about a month ago while he was in Laguna. He says he was “attracted at the way it looked and how well preserved it was”. It reminded him of a time back in the day, before the internet, when he would drop mails in them with accompanying stamps of course. This particular mailbox is no longer in service but functions as a decoration at the Sulyap restaurant in San Pablo.
Leys decided to pair it with the photo on the right which shows two delivery guys seated on a pavement, doing the exact same thing – intently checking their mobile phones, reading instant messages, perhaps, an exact paradox to the snail mail we had prior to the advancement in technology. Leys shares that he was also “drawn to the mural of a young lad, a British guard, as if looking at the two delivery men doing their thing.”
#4 “Untitled” by Efren Santos
Left photo location: Taal, Batangas
Efren shares that the initial photo was taken during the OTS in Taal, Batangas with some members of the club way back in 2014. Shown on the left is a vintage camera with the simplest of parts – basic lens, accordion type camera body. It is actually one of the items from the vast camera collection of past Zone V president Manny Inumerable. Efren shared his amazement with how exposure time is determined by how long you open the lens by removing the lens cap and how focusing is done by moving the accordion body. The photo on the right shows the camera as we know today. Paired together, the photos show the contrast of the background, the subject, and the environment – the old and new. The judges liked the cleverness of the photo with how the camera, normally the medium, became the subject.
Efren shares further that some of things he had to consider when he took the photos were time, weather condition, and source of light. Processed from color to black & white with some cropping on the image.
#3 “Then and Now Sewers” by Danny Yu
For Danny, the main objective of this diptych was to show the transition of sewing machines through the years.
The top photo was shot during a Rarindra Prakarsa workshop held in Jakarta. This staged picture was achieved with the help of a Godox A200 lighting fixture.
The bottom photo was shot while he was on a cherry blossom tour in Nagoya, Japan.
Shot while they were treated to lunch at a kimono embroidering store, Danny says he was “initially attracted by the sight of the colorful display of spools in the background” which led him to take a snapshot of the scene for keepsake.
For this contest, Danny says he “initially chose impact photos”, then tried matching them with other pictures that can help show the “Then and Now” effect.
#2 “Reflection of Baegyang Temple” by Mac Omega, Members Cup
For this photo, Mac says that these set was taken when he was still working in South Korea. His weekends were spent traveling and exploring the different places. Of course, there were places that he found to be so beautiful that he wanted to revisit them and see how they looked during the different seasons.
The first shot (left) was taken in summer so the place was filled with green and the second shot (right) was taken in winter so you would see the place covered in white.
When asked how he managed to align the photos seamlessly, Mac readily shared his secrets. According to him, the key to having almost the same view is to have the same camera set up – that meant using the same camera, lens, and using the same focal length. Also, the location where to set up the camera should also be as same as possible. Luckily, in this location, there is a small pathwalk. Mac says he just had to “go the center of the pathwalk and align the camera with the temple” and that is how he “got the same view at different seasons”.
#1 “Yeonggwang Rice Field” by Mac Omega, POTM
Call it a grand slam, a sweep, a home run – whatever you want, but they all mean the same thing – a whole lot of winning; and copping all the top awards for this month is Mac Omega. Starting with the 2nd place photo above which also won the Member’s cup. He was also able to capture 1st place with this submission. The combined scores from the 2 photos also netted Mac POTM (Photographer of the Month) honors.
The place is called Yeonggwang rice field and one has to climb a small mountain to get this beautiful bird’s eye view of the rice field. Mac says that “the 1st time that I saw it, I was mesmerized by the reflection of the sky in the rice field”. A few months after the initial photo was taken, he went back to see how the view looks like and he says, and as shown in the photo, “it was still amazing”.
In relation to the theme, then and now, Mac says he “wanted to show how a place could look different during the rice planting season and harvest season”.
Congratulations to all the winners!
