Top 5 at Zone V: February 2023 - Zone V Camera Club

Top 5 Images at Zone V Camera Club

February 2023

By Leys Masangcay

The month of February at Zone V Camera Club has seen many interesting images from beautiful hums to reverberating noises as the month’s photo contest theme is “I SEE SOUNDS” defined as images that show presence of distinct sounds.

Here are the top 5 winning images for the month.

#5 “Untitled” by Kevin Roi Lopez

ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/250sec

Kevin captured his winning shot way back in April 2019 as he took photos at a musical event in Zambales called ‘Summer 420.’

“I was invited by a friend to attend this one-day music festival and to document it as well” Kevin shared. “Various bands performed, including Mayonnaise, and this band played original metal music. It was a fun rock ‘n’ roll night and I was thrilled to capture the memories through my photos.”

“I still have them to this day and value them as precious memories of this memorable occasion, without ever thinking I would use them for a contest.”

Now that’s music to Kevin’s and everyone’s ears as he snapped this winning shot!

#4 “Blu” by Diane Isabel Chua

ISO 25, f/1.8, 1/30sec

Diane, a new recruit and currently a probee began by sharing her thought process for the contest – “One of the things I learned from the zombie’s is to show a unique concept, so I quickly made a list of sounds that first came to mind and threw out those ideas.”

She continued to tell more about her beautiful dog, Blu – “Our Australian Shepherd, Blu, is a source of joy for my boys. He has a lot of unusual facial expressions that make us laugh. Being a merle, his pattern is unique to him. He even has just one blue eye.”

Diane further narrates “Blu hates being left behind. When I come home, Blu will be waiting at the top of the stairs with this funny expression – a half-growl and half-smile while wagging his tail. He makes a sound that starts with a growl mixed with a whimper. It’s like he’s mad I left him but really happy to see me, too.”

This photo was shot on an iPhone. Diane cropped the photo to focus on the face and increased saturation and contrast.

“I think the best thing about this photo is that my boys love it. It makes us laugh because it totally captures Blu- how silly he is, how he’s the only dog in the world with his pattern, and the bond and affection we share with him” Diane concludes.

Certainly this photo is fun and unique and you can almost hear the happy growl Blu sends out! Great job Diane!

#3 “The Lions Can’t Sleep Tonight” by Willie De Vera

ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1000sec

Shot in Chinatown, in Binondo Manila, Willie starts “I always wait for the firecrackers every time there’s a Chinese New Year lion dance. It’s dangerous and hard to shoot.” He recounts “but from experience, there are always interesting images that come up. I chose this particular photo wherein the center of the image is where you can visually hear the cracks.”

“Interestingly, the two lions are on both ends to serve as bookends to focus your eye to the center.” Willie concludes

As resounding the noise in this image, Willie deserves a resounding applause for bagging the third spot!

#2 “Sacrilege of Faith” by Billy Joe Palatino

ISO 200, f6.4, 1/125sec

Taken during the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, on January 9, 2018, Billy remembers the privilege he had on that day “I am one of the lucky few photographers who got a good vantage point to shoot this religious festival. A sea of devotees flocked the vicinity of Quiapo Cathedral to witness the “Traslacion” or the procession of the Black Nazarene.”

It is just amazing to see the dedication of the religious who brave the crush of people and almost hear the roar of pious devotees in this image, as Billy noted the main reason why they congregate steadfastly “in the belief of healing, bountiful year, and means of gratitude for answered prayers” Billy concluded.

Billy’s prayers must have been so loud that he got this winning image and landed on the 2^nd spot this month! Well done Billy!

#1 “Equine Thunder” by Corinne Blanco

ISO 640, f/6.3, 1/1000sec

“This image was among hundreds that I took on my last foreign trip before the pandemic.” Corinne Blanco reminisced, the winning photographer for the month, wherein she shot this photo in the Bashang Grasslands, Inner Mongolia.

“The biggest challenge for me while taking this shot and others like it was that I am not used to shooting in shutter speed priority and I realized that I needed to hit just the right settings to be able to capture the horses with their hooves off the ground while keeping the rest of the image in focus.” Corinne added, as she definitely hit the right settings with this beautiful shot as she used her Olympus OMD E-M1 Mk ii.

“The sight of these horses being herded through the Bashang Grasslands was nothing short of captivating. The cloud of dust stirred up by their pounding hooves served to add drama to the scene and, for the purpose of this month’s theme, I hoped that that cloud of dust would also provide enough of a sensory cue to allow the viewer to hear the thunderous noise created as the horses stampeded across the plain” Corinne concluded.