george tapan’s winning photo – each element handpicked and placed by God into the shot

there is an uncommon serenity in this photo which we think is what makes this a great photo.  everything seemed  to be understated and yet when the elements are put together, it is transformed into something very powerful.

the elements of the woman, the boat, the sea, the rainbow and the clouds in one picture put together like this is a one in a million shot. in fact, it might not be duplicated ever again.  the photo looks like these specific elements were handpicked and placed one by one into the picture by the hand of God.

for me, the most amazing detail in the shot that God handpicked for the photo is the wind that blew the hair of the woman in pink to the direction of the man in the boat.  the wind needed to be  strong enough to make the hair sway in that direction, the whole lot with little stray hair and the shape of it in an artistic and sensual way. the hair was moving but the moment of the shot caught it right at that perfect second.

second is the wind and the rain that conspired to create the calming ripples on the sea. the ripples or light captured by the camera as it the rain fell and the wind blue the sea water formed brush strokes of white on the canvass of the sea. the “waves” were not violent but even and calming.

all these details, including the rainbow and the clouds are very difficult to capture in film. the range of light, shades and action are so wide that you need to have a great camera and a very high sense of photographic mind to set the the right aperture and speed on the camera.  the range is so wide that i doubt if this was taken at “auto” or “program”. i would think this was taken with the photographer doing a manual setting on it.  asking the camera to take the photo on its own will confuse its meter in reading a scene with so much range.

george tapan is a well known veteran photographer but this confirms he has the eye of a master photographer. he does not have eyes like yours and mine, he has the eyes of  a master photographer. not only did his eyes capture the lights available on the scene, he also captured the action not to mention the perfect framing and composition on the photo.

to me, this photo is more than a celebration of the “green zone” or nature as the title suggests. this is a celebration of God’s glory and His awesome power, bar none. there is a religious experience in this shot for me.

my conclusion on this shot – God conspired, even handpicked each element and put it in this shot. it’s the only way. there is no other way.

"into the green zone", george tapan's winning photo at National Geographic

Pinoy lensman George Tapan praised for winning Natl Geographic tilt

The winning photo, taken at Onuk Island in Balabac, Palawan, features two human subjects—a girl in pink and a man on a boat— under a rainbow that stands between the clear green waters and the blue skies.

The photos in the three categories — Places, People, and Nature — were judged according to creativity (50 percent) and photographic quality (50 percent). Manipulated or “photoshopped” entries were dubbed “not acceptable.”

The winning shots were picked by a panel of “photographic experts” composed of:
National Geographic photographer Amy Toensing, Peter Essick, “one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world”, and field biologist and wildlife photojournalist Tim Laman.

Named grand prize winner of the competition was Shikhei Goh’s “Splashing,” which was named first prize winner in the Nature category. Shot in Riau Islands in Indonesia, the photo shows “arrows of rain [that] seem to pelt a dragonfly.”

Meanwhile, Izabelle Nordfjelle’s shot of a Sami reindeer hunter in Sweden won first prize in the People category.

Praises

Laman, a regular contributor of the magazine, said Tapan “showed a perfect sense of timing and composition in the way he captured the two small human subjects in this beautiful scene.”

Meanwhile, judges Toensing and Essick were drawn by the “beautifully composed” image, especially by the detail of the woman’s hair.

Essick said that specific detail “fills a fraction of the picture’s real estate, but by capturing the movement at the apex, the photographer has documented a sense of style and flair.”

Tapan’s participation and win in the National Geographic contest is a first for the Philippines and it gained accolades from netizens on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

When a link to the announcement of winners was posted on Tapan’s Facebook fan page, it got 67 “likes” and several messages from his supporters, like:

“Congrats po, inspirasyon ko [ang] mga gawa n’yo. Tuloy po kayo sa pagkuha ng magagandang litrato sa 2012” – Jesse Alegre

“I joined in the Nature category but did not win. I am happy, though, that you… have made us Filipinos proud.” – Ely Teehankee

Philippine Airlines also posted the link, which garnered 129 “likes”. Palanca winner and journalist Frank Cimatu posted the photo on his Facebook “wall” and it got nearly 200 “likes.”

On Twitter, celebrity Tim Yap (@officialTIMYAP) “retweeted” the photo and called it “rainbow of hope,” while the account of

Save the Beach Spain (@savethebeach_es) also took notice, calling the shot “preciosa.”

Story behind the shot

Tapan chanced upon his winning shot in Onuk Island, a three-hour ride away from Palawan’s capital, Puerto Princesa.

According to “Our Awesome Planet,” the photo “was taken while George’s team was stranded on the island during their photo expedition.”

The site noted that when the picture was taken, it was raining hard and the wind was strong.

The photographer—who has been recognized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Association and Pacific Asia Tourism Association— is currently finishing a book, also titled “Into the Green Zone,” which showcases nature’s beauty in Palawan.

He told “Our Awesome Planet” that he entered the contest because he “was disappointed with the entries of some photographers, which magnified the poverty in the Philippines.”

In a separate interview with “Mabuhay” magazine, Tapan said he was concerned about how other Filipino photographers present our country, particularly Palawan, which he feels is best showcased “as a paradise.”

The photographer added that he wanted to present an “all-emcompassing idea” of the province—beyond the usual spots like Coron, El Nido, and Puerto Princesa.

While he wanted to promote the beauty of the province, Tapan told visitors to “take care of the place.” He also encouraged the locals to “never let go of their old way of life just to ride on the wave of tourism.” – VVP, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/242910/pinoyabroad/pinoy-lensman-george-tapan-praised-for-winning-natl-geographic-tilt

what is with perez? now tyrone perez is found dead, just at 26

tyrone perez, 26

twitter is abuzz with the death of tyrone perez. not only of the 26 year old’s death but the two more your actors with the same last name who also died young.

what is with that?

Actor Tyron Perez found dead
990 AM Radyo Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Actor Tyron Perez was found dead in an abandoned car at Que Grande in Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City Thursday, Radyo Inquirer 990AM reported.

Quoting police reports Ahna Mejia, chief public information officer
of Valenzuela City, told 990AM in an interview that the Toyota Altis where Perez’s body was found was already parked near Que Grande in the morning but the body was later discovered only at night.
She added that the actor, who lives in Parañaque, reportedly spent Christmas holidays with a close friend in Barangay Ugong.

The cause of death is still unknown, she said.

Police are still conducting an investigation.
Perez was a member of Starstruck Batch 1, a star-search show of GMA Network.

AJ Perez, 18

halina perez,, 21

Mo Twister’s “abortion confession” – how a hurt can hurt others

this video has been the talk of the town lately. mo twister is  a popular radio dj turned tv host who had a relationship with a young tv actress. he was 10 years her senior.

we all got to know of their relationship when they broke up some months ago. many tears were shed on tv, painful words exchanged and threats thrown. we have forgotten about it after some months until a few days ago when this video became viral in youtube and became the hot topic in twitter and facebook.

in the video, mo twister makes a tearful and emotional confession about the abortion his girlfriend was about to have. he apparently video taped the confession inside a singapore hotel while waiting for the abortion to take place.

the girl friend, rhian ramos, her lawyer and mother have come out on tv threatening to sue mo twister for defamation of character.

the video speaks volumes of mo twister’s angst on the abortion that was about to happen.  he shows a man in pain on the loss of apparently their child. abortion so it seems was an action  only the girl wanted, or at least the girl has insisted on.

he was hurting when it happened but more than a year after it occurred, now the woman mo twister was referring to is  also hurting. she is now seen as the woman who had her child aborted.

she may have not realized the gravity of her decision to abort the chi8ld then, but now for sure she realizes exactly what it means to have a child aborted. we do not know if she feels guilt but for sure shame is a big part of it.

while we recognize that it is her body and the baby did reside inside her womb and she could very well have the right to decide what to do with it, she now knows what it means to live in a catholic country that in many ways is still conservative where abortion at minimum is still frowned upon plus the fact that is is actually illegal to have an abortion in the philippines.

the male hurting and objecting to an abortion instead of the female is also an interesting twist in this story.  we have heard of a lot of real life stories where it is the female who objects to have her baby aborted while the male is the one who insists on it. the typical story is the male usually wants to escape from the responsibility of an unplanned pregnancy, rearing of the child and of course marriage thus, pushing for the woman to have the baby aborted.

in this case the woman wanted the abortion apparently under pressure from her family and showbiz. this young woman getting pregnant at her age and without the benefit of marriage was apparently seen as a constraint to her budding career in showbiz.

the actress in this story is just starting out in her career and is being groomed to be the next biggest star of the tv network she is under contract with. this tv network has also announced that they will also sue mo twister for damages apparently to protect the reputation of its next star.

is the complications of a an unplanned pregnancy, child rearing a real deal breaker for showbiz stars in the country?

it is  timely as the rh bill is a hot topic in the country today. the rh bill confirms with actual language that abortion is illegal in the country (and enshrined in the constitution of the country), it is nevertheless an issue that has been raised by anti-rhbill advocates.

whether the mo twister youtube abortion confession will affect the debate on the rhbill is open for debate and something we ned to just wait and see.