Jorge Zamora

BGY. JOSE, Rodriguez, Rizal (PND) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo distributed food packs to victims of tropical storm Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana) at the multi-purpose covered court here Thursday afternoon

Jorge Zamora

The long stretch of informal settlers in Pasig, Cainta and Taytay are bound to face yet another upheaval as their houses will be demolished this week for faster floodwater drainage.

Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLGA) General Manager, Edgardo Manda said that the large expanse of informal settlers in Pasig, Cainta and Taytay blocked the floodwater in Metro Manila. The houses built along this stretch as shown in the picture narrowed down the area of Napindan Channel, meeting point of Pasig River and Laguna Lake.

Concerned local government units are asked to closely coordinate with MMDA and NDCC. Demolition will take off with houses at the danger zone and choke points. This will be done immediately not just to drain floodwater in Metro Manila but also to prevent further damages from another tropical depression expected to landfall before weekend.

The floodway of Napindan Channel serves as a catch basin where accumulated rain water from Metro Manila should stream.

Jorge Zamora

No. This is not meant to defend Cheap Tsao (Chip Tsao, I mean) and the mockery he made out of every Filipino not to mention, the Philippine government. Just like you, my blood boiled after hearing from a local news program about the things he wrote regarding the Philippines- both the nation and its people.

Did he discriminate us by saying that we are a nation of servants? Only a fool would say no. But aren’t we guilty of doing the same thing? Didn’t we call names and brand our Visayan brothers and sisters the same thing? Didn’t we stereotypically attribute the Ilocanos as “kuripot”? We give names to Kapampangans, Aetas, Muslims and almost every ethnicity. Sure, we are guilty of the same crime Chip Tsao has committed.

I condemn what he did. It slapped my sensitive ego as a patriotic Filipino. But after I read his full length article, my ego was dead beaten with the offensive use of satire. Mind you Mr Tsao, satire is only appealing and funny when it’s done tastefully. He claims to be a patriotic Chinese but he doesn’t mind that the Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter, okay now that’s funny.

Lesson: there are things need not be said to assert certain course of argument. More importantly, don’t try to be funny at the expense of others. Hmmm… all of you, please raise your hand if you’re guilty.

Jorge Zamora

It doesn’t matter how obsolete your camera may be. The camera is only as good as the photographer. Here are some tips on how you can take good pictures even without buying the most expensive high end DSLR camera.

Familiarize yourself with your camera

Be sure to read the manual of your camera first before going out in the street and start clicking furiously.

Know every detail of your camera so you wouldn’t have to bother yourself looking where to zoom in or out or even to turn on and off the flash in the middle of a shoot because a picturesque moment could easily pass by.

Subject

The subject is your point of interest. It is the primary part of your picture and therefore must always be seen. Nevertheless, your subject doesn’t always have to be taken as a whole. A fraction of the subject may do in some cases.

Keep it simple

Less is more. Too many items in your picture can be distracting. It may mislead the viewers from the real purpose and message of your picture.

Contrast

Your subject will stand out if it is in contrast with the background. If you have a dark subject, put a light background.

Balance

Put your subject off center and balance it with other smaller objects. Use the principle of the Rule of Thirds as your guide. The Rule of Thirds divides your picture in three parts, horizontally and vertically.

Vantage point

Shoot at eye level or try to find better angles.

The angle were you are shooting at can give the picture a more dramatic effect so always choose the best.

Frame

Framing your subject with objects available during your shoot will lead the eyes of the viewer to the subject. But sometimes, frames can be distracting.

Background

Your background is as important as your subject. A cluttered background can spoil the beauty of your subject. A simple background can make your subject stand out, same with a contrasting background color.

The background is an essential element in telling the story of your picture. There are cases where a focused background and a blur subject works better.

Photography is not an expensive hobby as most of us think. Shelling out money is necessary but the reward of a good picture is priceless.