Noel Bondoc Photography

Lowepro Fastpack BP 150 AWII I recently bought a new camera back pack to replace my aging Lowepro 250 AW DSLR Video Fastpack which I have been using for the last 4 years or so,  with the LOWEPRO Fastpack BP 150 AWII . I believe this is the new upgraded version as designated by the AWII. But to be honest, I should have bought the Fastpack BP 250 instead of this model which is the Fastpack BP 150. This model comes in 3 sizes namely BP 150 , BP 250, and the BP 350 . As the numbers suggest, the BP 150 is the smallest. With my impending trip to LA, I wanted a compact backpack to hold all my camera gears and some personal stuff as a carry on baggage. I have a small body frame so I chose BP 150. This backpack can hold my Nikon D500 with a moderate 18-140mm all around zoom lens attached. If your camera has a battery grip attached to the body, this bag can accommodate it with ease.  A second backup body ( my old D90) , a 35mm 1.8 prime lens, chargers, assorted cables etc. Now...

For those who are just beginning to enter into photography or contemplating, they would undoubtedly encounter the term RAW files. For the multitudes of people out there shooting with their smartphones, they are most probably familiar with JPEGs but not RAW. So before we go any further, it's best if we define a RAW image file. What is it? It is basically an image file from the camera which is a minimally processed data. Meaning, AS IS. It preserves most of the data such as sharpness and contrast without processing and compressing. It is equivalent to a NEGATIVE during the film days of photography. So as such, a raw file or image cannot be posted online such as facebook or Instagram ect... it can be viewed and edited however, on your favorite photo editor such as the FastStone Image Viewer . Or any other photo editor of your choice.  From there, you edit your RAW image and convert it into a JPEG file. So, do I shoot RAW or JPEG ? The answer is ... it depends really. There are of...

What is street photography?   Wikipedia defines street photography  as" a type of documentary photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings. Street photography uses the techniques of straight photography in that it shows a pure vision of something, like holding up a mirror to society. Street photography often tends to be ironic and can be distanced from its subject matter, and often concentrates on a single human moment, caught at a decisive or poignant moment. . ." So, you want to do street photography? If you are just beginning into this wonderful world of photography, all you have to do is literally go out into the street and start shooting! But a bit of warning here. This is not for the faint of heart . To begin with, one must have the guts and courage to actually go out there and photograph people, strangers at that.  Most people dislike being photogra...

This miniature toy looks bigger than it actually is. Shooting miniatures or little objects indoors does not really require elaborate and expensive set ups. Now, if you are a beginner, you would probably want to shoot right away. Right? So I will forego of the usual mumbo jumbo of photography and go straight to the point to keep you shooting in no time. ( The procedures  also applies to general still photography ) WHAT YOU WILL NEED I call this a make shift studio , making use of any available material   A Camera -  Any SLR or DSLR , brand is irrelevant. Low end, high end, heck they all give the same results provided they are used skilfully.  A tripod – A must!  In case you don’t know, it is a three legged adjustable gear in which the camera is screwed into the top . The purpose here is to steady the camera, so as to keep pictures sharp.   White / Black or any dark color “Cartolina” - Get the biggest size you can. The cartolina will be your ...

Okay, so as promised from my previous post, here’s a short step by step procedure on how to do the selective color stuff I was telling you about . But first, if you haven’t already, download the free photo editing software called Photo Pos Pro. Don’t worry, it’s totally free! This software is much simpler than PhotoShop but feature by feature, it’s almost totally the same. Okay. Let’s go. Assuming you already have the stand alone Photo Pos Pro, press FILE found at the ( as they always do) upper right corner of your software. Then press OPEN ( to choose an image from your computer). In this case, as an example, I chose an image from my computer of my dog Barney. Our aim here is to convert the image into Monochrome ( Black and White) while leaving Barney's red collar in color. Actual screenshot You may click on the image to enlarge, if this image is too small for you The procedure : Now that your desired image is open, press the freehand select tool found ...

A Philippine Navy sailor carries his tuba Playing around with selective coloring can be fun and addicting. This photographic technique may be used for fun and to emphasize the subject. I realize most pro photographers tend to shy away and sometimes can be  so incredibly  snobbish about selective color for some reasons. But hey, almost everybody loves selective color!  There really is no magic or mystery behind this technique. Want to try it? Go ahead and have some fun ! I’ll write some step by step tutorial on selective color next time, as soon as I figure out how to capture my screen for the illustration… In the meantime , you may want to check PhotoShop’s step by step tutorial on this technique, though the degree of difficulty may be in between moderate to hard.  I have PhotoShop, but I use Photo Pos Pro for it’s simple way of achieving selective color. And it’s free.