Top 5 at Zone V: November 2024
As the last month in the Z Cup calendar, November would also serve as the finale of the recently concluded Hong Kong OTS as club members presented their captured images from the trip. The theme was Cinematic (Hong Kong OTS) and the challenge was to process the images in such a way that the “aesthetics are similar to, relating to or suggestive of motion pictures / movies”. Other restrictions were photos had to utilize a 16:9 ratio and have a title or caption.
The Club invited three esteemed judges:
Jason Quibilan
Jason is a graduate of UP Diliman’s Film Program and works regularly with film makers, writers and visual artists. As a photographer, his editorial works have been published in prestigious local and international publications – Esquire, Vogue, Tatler PH, Tatler HK, Monocle, Forbes Magazine just to name a few. His commercial clients include major F&B brands, banks, beauty, health & wellness companies, retail companies.
He is one of the founders of FotomotoPH, a photographers collective. He has also done exhibits at the Crucible Gallery, Art Fair PH, Modeka Art Space, Ben Cab Museum, Parola UP Fine Arts, ube Gallery, and Art District in Bacolod. He also established Shelter Fund – a print drive that benefitted artists and photographers
Monino Duque
Monino is an acclaimed lighting designer, cinematographer, actor and theater director. He has been in charge of Lighting productions at CCP for performances of “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, and “Madame Butterfly” just to name a few and other top theater productions namely “Huling El Bimbo”.
He had the honor of lighting Malacañang Palace and it’s Heritages Houses (Goldenberg Mansion, Laperal Mansion). He is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. His accolades include “Aliw Award recipient for Lifetime Achievement Award” and “Gawad CCP awardee”
Lee Briones-Meily
Lee is am advertising, editorial and corporate photographer. She worked up the ladder – from production assistant to executive producer. She is currently the Director and Director of Photography at Kristina Cojuangco Productions and is also a lecturer at the Asia Pacific Film Institute covering the subject “Advanced Cinematography for film students”. She has Over 60 movies in her resume as cinematographer from 1998 up to the present. She has been the recipient of Best Cinematographer from various award giving bodies – FAMAS, Gawad Urian, FAP, Star Awards, MMFF. She is also recognized as a Reiki Master and Certified Alternative Healing Practitioner.
Here are the top 5 winning entries and read the stories behind these images.
#5 “Take a Seat” by Millicent San Jose
Location: Taoyuan Fishing Village, Hong Kong
We were wandering around the Taoyuan fishing village when I saw these chairs by the sidewalk with a huge, bright yellow fabric hanging behind them. A story started to form in my head that very moment. The houses across the street threw long interesting shadows. This together with the distracting yellow fabric strengthened my resolve to create a black and white image. When one of our fellow photographers accidentally walked into the frame while I was clicking away, he completed the story i was creating. The black and white conversion did provide the mood and drama I was aiming for compared to the colored version.
#4 “Pinoy Chefs” by Danny Yu
Shot on iPhone 11 Pro Max
The Hong Kong OTS theme, “Cinematic”, was challenging. I knew that my shots had to be different from the traditional splendor and grandeur compositions of the famous megacity. Since the metropolis was famed for its cuisine, I thought of coming up with a sort of behind the scene shot where chefs toil, enduring the heat and grease of kitchen work in otherwise well-designed food outlets and fine dining facilities.
There were several options but this picture stood out as it also depicts fellow Filipinos. I aptly titled it “Pinoy Chefs” to show that our countrymen can also compete in this exacting setting.
#3 “Untitled” by Ruben Castor Ranin
While no details were shared about the photo. What we do know is fellow photographers gravitated towards this image as it garnered the most votes to win member’s cup for the month.
#2 “Recluse” by Jeff Dytuco
This image was shot early morning inside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Tsa Tsui. This is normally a very busy place, being located beside the Avenue of Stars. However, during early mornings, very few people pass through the complex. I was just lucky to catch the person walking past a lit area with the backdrop of the skyscrapers amidst the blue skies combined with the yellow lights of the building. I thought it showed the “grandness” and a very “cinematic” scene of Hong Kong.
#1 “The Girl with the Black Dress” by Mac Omega
Nikon D850 + Nikon 14-24 f/2.8
ISO 1000, f/4.5, 1/200 sec
Location: Norway
For the theme Cinematic Hongkong OTS, since I could not make it to Hongkong to join the OTS, the idea for me is to shoot a photo that could possibly be shot in Hongkong. At the time of the OTS, it was the peak of autumn season in Norway so I don’t want to show that because it will certainly be different from all the entries and the judges may think that my entry is out of place. This photo winning 1st place is a big surprise to me and totally unexpected. I was actually rooting for my other entry to get into the top 10.
Congratulations to all the winners for the month of November!
