Philippines Commencement Photography for grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins

Glen Roa, a 2012 Juan Villablanca National High School graduate in cap and gown. 

Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

Ornamental photo frame graphic by Photo Frames Online.

 

by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

I’m a photographer. My mother loved the “Kodak moments” of life. I don’t believe a family birthday, anniversary, wedding or graduation ever passed that momma didn’t slip a camera out of her purse and take some snapshots.

It took me a few years to inherit momma’s photography habit, but, I did. I have also noticed in life sometimes when those monumental moments happen, grandparents and mom and dad get so wrapped up in the event they forget to bring a camera.

I don’t know if the relatives of Mohon Elementary, Pitogo Elementary and Juan Villablanca National High School remembered their cameras for these commencement exercises for the 2012 school year. There were a multitude of cell phone photographers and videographers at each of the events.

 

At JVNHS there was a professional photographer, wearing a khaki AGFA vest, who photographed the students in the Saint Francis of Assisi Parish church mass to the students leaving the stage at the JVNHS auditorium.

I trained as a news photographer, so I shoot photos like a reporter and not an official portrait or wedding photographer. Thus, for those family photos to frame and hang on the wall or to place in family photo albums, people will want to seek out the official event photographers.

 

Leniel Saldana smiles, while her son, Rayniel Saldana poses for a photograph at the Mohon Elementary School Graduation March 27, 2012.  This photo is an example of one of the photos that I lightened using software, before posting the photo to the web.  Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

 

My Canon EOS 40 D camera and I were at Mohon, Pitogo and Juan Villablanca because Uncle Sam had nephews graduating. In case, grandparents, mom, dad, aunts, uncles and cousins forgot their cameras, then, you can visit Picasa Web Albums Samuel Warren or facebook Samuel Warren to see the photos

My wife, Christy Warren, also took some of the photographs at Pitogo and Juan Villablanca National High School..

There is a variety of photo sizes in the posted photographs because my camera is not a full frame 35 millimeter that usually prints out the 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 prints. I am a newsman, which means when I look at a photo I always see it through an editor’s eyes – thus, I tend to crop out distractions such as people walking into or out of a photo as the shutter snaps.

In all photographic situations, I take the light into account. After all, photography, is actually two Greek words that translate into “writing with light,” thus, I am always aware of the lighting conditions.

I use Irfanview and PhotoScape in working with photographs. I edited some of the Mohon and all of the Pitogo photos for light, which will explain why the Pitogo photos should appear brighter. If you glance at the Mohon photos, you should be able to tell that I only made the time to lighten up three or four.

 

 

Mac Mac Roa whirls like John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever”, during this dance number at the Pitogo Elementary School Graduation Exercises March 27, 2012.  This photo is an example of  trying to crop the photo to bring attention to the dancer.  In group photography situations involving movement, it is always a challenge to try to isolate the subject or subjects without getting obvious distractions in the background of the photo. 

Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

 

I have explained my photography editing routine for any relatives, who want to download any of the photos. Be aware that the photos are different sizes if you plan to download a photo to a printer.

While I have used software to compensate for lighting in the photos, a relative may wish to use their favorite software program to enhance a photo that they would like to keep for a memory.

The Mohon Elementary School Graduation Exercises and the Pitogo Elementary School Graduation Exercises have already been posted to the web addresses I mentioned above. Good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise and I should have the Juan Villablanca National High School Commencement Exercise photos posted in a few days.

I’m a naturally curious person, so if you do download a photo, a few photos, or all of the photos, for your scrapbook or to post to your blog, I would ask that you send me an email to samuelwarren55@gmail.com because I’ would just like to know if the photos were important to a mom or dad, who might of forgot the camera.

Visit my blogs, the “Sam I Am Blog” on Word Press, my “Samuel Warren The Writer” blog on Blogger or my “The Knight Writer” blog on Tumblr for articles and photographs on life in the Republic of the Philippines.