Pen On Paper

From The Rolls: Thank u, next

The video for Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” dropped on the same day I posted this photo series. In the span of about six months, I met someone, got to know parts of them, lost parts of myself along the way, and ended up having to leave the relationship (a platonic one) behind.

The old me would have been distraught. She would have spent weeks crying every single night wondering where she…

From The Rolls: Catch

What you catch You can let go

Your catch Is only as wide As the net you cast

Depth Doesn’t guarantee Good catch

📸 Nikon F3 🎞️ Lomography CN400 Processed by Sunny16 Lab 📍 Tondaligan Beach, Dagupan, Pangasinan

I’ve recently been experimenting with my Instagram captions where I try my hand at pithy, almost poetic lines instead of lengthy narratives. I’ll still write narratives for future…

From The Rolls: Lightweight

Nikon F3 | Kodak Pro Image 100

Breathing deeper Breathing lighter

Sleeping soundly Sleeping peacefully

Never felt lighter After being told I am a burden

November 22, 2018

From the Notes – 11/20

Shot with Nikon FM2, Fujicolor C200

The trainer noticed I was throwing my punches harder than usual. The sound of my gloves hitting the mitts is louder than usual and only makes me want to keep putting maximum effort to every strike.

I laugh it off but still say I got some things I need to get off my chest. After weeks of going through your usual coping mechanisms… There’s still one place…

The One Where Becky Lynch is a Metaphor

The image of Becky Lynch bloodied and bruised has been on my mind all week and I think it’s the metaphor for what’s been on my mind for the past month.

Honesty is the fist that hits you in the face and leaves you with a broken nose and concussion. And sometimes you don’t realize how someone’s honesty can hurt and leave you with invisible lacerations that linger for weeks.

You go on, hold your…

From The Rolls: Faces and Flowers

Back in May I participated in a photo shoot with other members of the Cordilleras Film Collective. The theme was “Faces and Flowers” and the shoot was originally intended to be related to the Baguio Flower Festival which is held every February.

It was my second time this year to photograph models with other photographers and my first time to shoot with the collective.

For the shoot, I used my Nik…

It’s only halfway through October and there are less than three months left in the year, but after the weekend I just had, I feel like letting my thoughts flow in an attempt to be reflective and introspective of how I’ve been doing in life lately.

I think I’ve just been allowing myself to “go with the flow” in life and rarely genuinely pausing so much that I forget to reallyask myself: How are…

Analog Revival – first group exhibit!

It has been months since I last updated this blog. Forgive me, I have been trying to be busy with other things in life, specifically with my ambition to finish grad school.

But I’m still shooting film!

As a matter of fact, I am updating this blog to announce that I am part of Analog Revival, the Cordilleras Film Collective’s first group exhibit.

Photo Credit: Cordilleras Film Collective

Film…

From The Rolls: When Ruins Still Stand

The Old Diplomat Hotel is one of the places in Baguio I’ve always been curious about. I’ve heard the stories about how it’s creepy and possibly haunted. But the still learning photographer in me was more interested in seeing the location that’s appeared so many times in my feed as location for photo shoots. I actually had a chance last year in November when the local group of film photographers…

1986 (I finally read Eleanor & Park)

The year was 1986. The place was Omaha, Nebraska. Eleanor was the outsider. Park has always been there, but he was an outsider in his own way. I’ll say this now: yes, this is just another boy-meets-girl story between two teens who take a chance on each other and on first love. At least, that’s how I felt for the most part while reading the book. Well, Jesus-fuck, just sit down. Read the book.…

I thought I’d re-post this poem I wrote last year. Between originally posting it and now, the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have dominated conversations. Maybe I’ll update this poem, too, as a sign of the times. Nikon FM2 | Agfa Vista 400   Go ahead. Use the F word on me. The F word, my battle cry. The F word, the only label I allow myself to wear. When they who were sworn to serve and protect…

From The Rolls: Saturday Night Blues

I find it challenging to shoot at night using my film camera. Since the kinds of film I can afford are those that are ISO 200, I don’t often entertain the idea of shooting at night unless I hit a sweet exposure spot where I can shoot without using such a slow shutter speed. But earlier this month I gave the shooting-at-night a try while I hung out with a couple of friends at Baguio Craft Brewery.…

From The Rolls: A Walk in The Park

I seize opportunities to participate in photowalks because I know there’s still so much for me to learn as a film photographer. Whenever I am in a place I know I have been to countless times before and I know other people have gone too as well, I challenge myself to “defamiliarize” the place: how can I make this place ‘new’ to the viewer of the photo? What is it about the place that is…