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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Back

Just when I thought I’d be forsaking the complex, pressure-filled yet colorful world of photography, my friends dragged me off to Bangkok for the weekend.

For the past two weeks or so, I wasn’t able to hold Nikki (my Nikon D80) and Casey (my Casio EX-Z40). Like I’ve said in my Frozen entry, I thought my photographic skill and interest had died down dramatically. Perhaps, I’ve been pressuring myself to capture photos that are unique. I am not saying a totomai-esque kind of photos as I haven’t established a distinct style yet. Hey, I am just an amateur photographer, more of a hobbyist.

One of my friends knew my ordeal about this and he said it won’t be for long. So, I said yes to them and I guess it was still worth a try. This activity would weigh whether I still have that passion for photography or not, I thought.

From Friday night to Sunday night, along with my friends, Nikki and I were inseparable.

I was having a blast. I really enjoyed every single shot I take. Pure fun. No pressure. No standards just a plain point-and-shoot moment. It was even magical.

back
Photo taken by caloyski

This made me realize that I really love photography. I’ll shoot anything, anywhere, anyone.

I promised myself to take photos just for FUN.

Back to regular programming.

/totomai
10/24/07

34 comments:

  1. I'm glad to know you are recharged and your passion for photography was rekindled. I went through the same process last weekend. Reuniting with friends was timely to boost my fighting spirit back after it faded living a year of silence in this cold city.

    God just knows when to reach out and draw us back to our center.

    Here I am ready to experiment again. I bought a camera, thanks to your encouragements. For a start I got Canon's PowerShot SD870. I still have to learn to play with it - we are still in getting-to-know-each-other stage.

    I show pictures of my paintings to my friends and got an order right away. Too bad I will be giving it out for free to one of my friend now finishing his Nephrology specialization in the University of Chicago for the empty walls of his new condo unit. But it could be a good exposure for my works. So anytime soon, I will be back infront of my easel painting.

    I am starting to clear a path I will tread from here. Wherever this road will take me, I promise myself to make the most out of everything. I have coined a line during our get together last weekend: "I will not be 35 next year."

    I might as well enjoy the moment.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  2. that is very good john, i am very happy for you. i have that attitude in taking pictures, just shoot and shoot, and get happy with them, especially if they turn out good (as least for my eyes), hehehe.

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  3. @Jeques, first congrats on your new toy. i started with a casio exilim and i bought my DSLR last sept only. its a continuous learning process. honestly, i still dont know the menus of my cam hehehe

    congrats for that order. naks, asensado na pala hehehe. paint if that can express yourself.

    hmm, i will not be 35 next year? hehe

    @ms beth, thanks to them for inviting me. its purely fun now.

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  4. Yeah, cuz we will be 36, my batch from college. Growing up, hopefully not growing old.

    There is a certain liberating high I feel whenever I paint, and that is the costless reward I get from painting. I know you understand getting that same feeling in photography.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  5. @yes, its a way of releasing stress and pressure. thats why i promised myself just to take photos for fun.

    actually, i never thought of having it as a career :-)

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  6. Why not? In this crazy world of multi-tasking, photography is not bad for an alternative career. I mean, you can be an engineer, slash poet, slash artist, slash photographer all at the same time. You're lucky to be doing something you really like and even luckier to earn from it at the same time. You have the gift, might as well enjoy the monetary rewards of your hobby.

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  7. with that pose, i'd say you're a real artist. ganyan din ako magpo-pose kapag kumukuha ng video. that makes us both an artist. haha!

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  8. @jeques, perhaps, if someone will be interested in my works, i might have a changed of mind hhee

    @tukayo, ayos sa punchline a. musta?

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  9. Keep on updating/upgrading your portfolio, who knows. Opportunity favors a prepared heart and mind.
    I think I mentioned this before:
    Pray not only for chances, pray, too, that you're ready when it come. I bit you are.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  10. @jeques, thanks for the tip. come what may na lang kung may interested sa works ko hehe

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  11. Way to go John!!!!!!! Hanep ang pose :) I'd say you had your little moment there. But you stood the test! Now you're back, more determined and more defined about your passion in taking pictures :) Proud of you!

    And Jeques, are you here in the US too?

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  12. @karis, thanks. hehe. tambok na sa akon no? hehe

    yup, ara na da sa Chicago bala si Jeques mo..

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  13. Karis? Yup, as John(pala?!) said, I'm here in Chicago. Been a year now here. So far so good. Nice meeting you. Please visit my blog, too. jeques.wordpress.com/jeques's web nook.

    I wish you both well.

    ~ Jeques

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  14. @jeques, hehe, im not john, im totomai. hehehe :-) i guess she will visit your site too.

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  15. John, not tambok at all. You look great, you look hiyang where you are and what you do :) Keep it up, ok? Still hope to see you someday soon. :) I love thai food! Spicy!!!!!

    Jeques, nice to meet you too. I enjoy your comments to John's blogs. Chicago? Brrrr I bet it gets windy and I bet it's freezing there now. We've been having frost for a few nights now. I guess snow will be coming soon. Wish you well, and I'll visit your site soon. I'm not good at writing stuff like you and John do very well, but I love to read. And you guys are doing me a favor :)

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  16. @karis, hehe. tomai si much much better. hehe

    im beginning to like thai foods too

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  17. Ok, Totomai,

    I'm starting to like conversations through blogging now. You know what, because of my night time shift when most people are asleep,
    I only have few interactions with people now sleeping in the morning myself. So my conversations begins in the afternoon blogging. I'm glad to meet Karis here, too. Though we haven't really made a long blog-conversation yet. I'm really talkative in person, if you may have noted my comments are long to compensate my silence in the world outside. I thank you again for introducing me to blogging.

    ~

    Karis,

    Chicago is not that cold at this time, well not yet. Automn came late ~ trees still have the tinge of green when they're supposed to be expected to show rapture of colors at this time. It's just a little chilly right now, but well then, that's to Chicago standards. You know what I mean when I say it's really cold here. Last year, there was already snow October 12 ~ I missed that because I arrived here October 15, 2006. My first snow was November 29 and it was fun! I like winter, only in the first few days of pristine white. But humans has a way of messing it up.
    Winter is a great time to write though.

    I wish you both well.

    ~ Jeques

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  18. @Jeques, you're very much welcome. i have to say im pretty new to blogging too. isnt blogging fun, right?

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  19. Blogging is indeed fun, Totomai!
    Save me time writing my daily pages and enjoy it in the process. Hearing feedbacks from people and meeting new friends makes it even exciting.

    Now, I don't have to worry nomore passing a day without me writing anything. Blogging just makes me write something and that what's important.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  20. @jeques, youre welcome. :-) just continue writing. im sorry if i cant visit your blog often. too much work :-(

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  21. Totomai,

    It's Ok, I understand. Stay focused in your career. My job and my schedule sometimes gets crazy and I know how hard it is to balance things. I'm just happy now that I'm able to insert in my daily schedule an hour or 2 for writing and when I get lucky for my paintings. It's a great way to relax and to calm the senses.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  22. No problem. I miss reading your blog entries though. Looking forward to your next articles.

    I wish you inspiration.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  23. @Jeques, thanks been very busy lately :-)

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  24. Every picture tells a story even the bad ones.

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  25. I'd say if you don't enjoy, it won't be good enough.
    Snap away, happily.

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  26. and i am looking forward to the day you see your way clear to publish a few of those no pressure point and shoot shots..

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  27. It is those impulse shots that give passion to your pics!

    I so love the unusual pics!

    Gemma

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  28. Totomai,

    It's good re-reading this post and our exchanges of comments, it's like going "BACK" to that time and yes, now knowing where it brought us. I now remember how I become interested with photography, and I'm reminded, too, to go back to my easel and paint. I've not been painting since December. Yes, I should go back.

    I wish you well.

    ~ Jeques

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  29. Nicely done! Great picture there!

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  30. yes it is good to look back and remember the spirit of joy you found... am starting to clear a path I will tread from here. Wherever this road will take me, I promise myself to make the most out of everything.... that was the best!!!

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  31. i have a sister and a brother who are die-hard shutterbugs... wherever they go, they take their cameras (yes, with an "s") - a digital and the "old fashioned" ones :) for my daughter's wedding they each must have taken at least 800 pictures each...my sister in church using one camera, while she had other two hanging from her neck! truthfully, their pictures were exceedingly better than the professional photographer i hired for the event! i believe that when you love what you are doing, you are going to do so much better because it is a passion.

    good for you that you have picked up this hobby again...one should always pursue that which moves us...

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  32. Isn't it great when you find your passion again?

    I'm jealous of your D80; I only (only!) have a D50!

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