Caffeinated Photographers Magazine, Anniversary Issue (November 2012) by Caffeinated Photographers

November 2012, Anniversary Issue

FEATURE STORY: YEN BAET, ONE WITH THE WORLD

Caffeinated Photographers was founded in Dipolog City, Philippines on November 4, 2011 by Mario Dandi Romano and Paulina Uy with the active participation and support of Camellia Alferez, Miracle Romano, and Rose Alferez. Caffeinated Photographers was initially just a temporary moniker for the group that was inspired by their shared love for coffee and photography. They were soon joined by Travis W. Forbear and Ralph Nordstrom from the United States, Jacques Chevalier from Belgium, Gio Tarantini, Francesco Cosi, and Francesco Gola from Italy, Frank Lassak and Stefan Hefele from Germany, Hengki Koentjoro from Indonesia, Alexey Trofimov from Russia, André Torrès and Emmanuel Dautriche from France, and Lars van de Goor from the Netherlands – the original five Caffeinated Photographers and these twelve Honorary Caffeinated Photographers make up the core group. The name was an instant hit with the fans and the Official Caffeinated Photographers page eventually spawned a Facebook group that now has thousands of members. What started as an informal gathering of friends over espresso after sunrise and sunset photo shoots quickly developed into a group with almost 6,000 members worldwide.

One Year of Caffeination / November 2012 CAFFEINATED PHOTOGRAPHERS MAGAZINE Anniversary Issue Editor and Publisher: Mario Dandi Romano Assistant Editor: Miracle Romano Email: caffeinatedphotographers@gmail.com Web: www.facebook.com/CaffeinatedPhotographers

Images published in the Caffeinated Photographers Magazine are the sole property of the contributing photographers and are copyrighted material. No image may be reproduced without the express written permission of its owner. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Cover Photo: Taal Lake at Sunset by Yen Baet Join us for a daily dose of Coffee, Photography, Art, Music, Literature, Travel, Food, and Adventure! 500px: http://500px.com/CaffeinatedPhotographers Fotoblur: http://www.fotoblur.com/people/caffeinatedphotographers

ÂŠ 2012 Caffeinated Photographers

CONTENTS... 6-14 La Dolce Vita (Panorama Italiano) by Mario Dandi Romano

80-83 Goran Kalanj (Belgrade, Serbia)

16-24 Feature Story: Yen Baet, One With The World

84-87 Francesco Cosi (Rufina, Italy)

26-28 Book of the Year: Human Canvas by Art Wolfe 30-31 Featured Photographer: Allan Z. Razo 32-34 Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation: Making the World a Better Place for Kids 36-38 A Caffeinated Wedding: Jake & Bings, The Perfect Brew The Caffeinated Photographers (p. 40-117) 40-43 Mario Dandi Romano (Dipolog, Philippiines) 44-47 Travis W. Forbear (Michigan, USA) 48-51 Lars Van de Goor (Leimuiden, Netherlands) 52-55 Hengki Koentjoro (Jakarta, Indonesia) 56-59 Stefan Hefele (Schwabmünchen, Germany) 60-63 Giò Tarantini (Bassano del Grappa, Italy) 64-67 Ronny Behnert (Berlin, Germany) 68-71 Emmanuel Dautriche (Franche-Comte, France) 72-75 Frank Lassak (Berlin, Germany) 76-79 Christian Richter (Jeßnitz, Germany)

88-91 André Torrès (Angers, France) 92-95 Ralph Nordstrom (California, USA) 96-99 Albena Markova (Varna, Bulgaria) 100-103 Francesco Gola (Lerici, Italy) 104-107 Jacques Chevalier (Gent, Belgium) 108-111 Alexey Trofimov (Bratsk, Russia) 112 Paulina Uy (Dipolog, Philippines) 113 Camellia Alferez (Dipolog, Philippines) 114 Miracle Romano (Dipolog, Philippines) 115 Rose Alferez (Dipolog, Philippines) 116 Rosalio “Didi” Romano (Dipolog, Philippines) 117 Lester Uy Ong 119 Caffeinated in Every Continent Project 120 Travel! by Miracle Romano 128-131 Photoworld Asia 2013 and FPPF 134-135 The Present by Jerry Downs

La Dolce Vita Panorama Italiano by Mario Dandi Romano

Fog-Covered Vineyard along the Tuscan Countryside

Altare della Patria at Sunset

© MARIO DANDI ROMANO View of Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore from Piazza San Marco, Venezia I just managed to catch this wave as it splashed onto the banks along PIazza San Marco. I was about to leave when I spotted a small bird to the left of the frame of the camera and a wave forming behind the gondolas - the shot came out better than I expected with the droplets from the wave’s splash adding a snow-like effect to the image. I was soaked and my lens got a bit wet but it was well worth the effort since it turned an otherwise “common” shot into something more unique.

Pantheon (Santa Maria della Rotonda)

Blue Hour at Arco di Constantino

© MARIO DANDI ROMANO Moonrise at the Colosseum (Anfiteatro Flavio) For this shot, I set up my tripod right at the edge of a sidewalk teeming with tourists. With countless tourist buses disgorging what seemed to be an endless line of tourists along the Colosseum, the only option was to go for a long exposure shot. After a few tries, I managed to get a 30-second exposure without getting jostled just before the moon cleared the edge of the Colosseum - before the shutter clicked, Bus 881 sped by and left a red streak and a line of “eights” visible just under the moon.

Bernini’s Colonnades at Piazza Di Pietra

Fontana di Trevi

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and Sant’Agnese in Agone

Vatican Obelisk at Piazza di Pietra

© MARIO DANDI ROMANO View of Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore from Piazza San Marco, Venezia My encounter with the wave made me want to try a longer exposure for a black & white image - a droplet that hit my lens in the previous shot also managed to sneak its way into this photo.

© MARIO DANDI ROMANO Roman Countryside (Road Trip from Rome to Naples) I took this photo from a car window while speeding down the autostrada at 130km/h with an RVM sister on the wheel, Abba’s “Chiquitita” blasting out the speakers, and three other RVM sisters swaying to the beat.

ÂŠ MARIO DANDI ROMANO View of Ponte Vecchio from Piazzale Michelangelo (Firenze) The fog was just lifting and the morning sun was starting to warm up the Firenze landscape when I took this shot of the famous Ponte Vecchio. Autumn colors were already prevalent but the summer sun was still trying to assert its sovereignty as the temperature quickly rose in the next few minutes.

ÂŠ MARIO DANDI ROMANO Abandoned Farm House along the road to Firenze

Piazza San Pietro, Vatican

Sant’Agnese in Agone

After a mad dash through Rome’s more famous tourist spots around midnight, I took a 13-second shot of the Basilica di San Pietro behind the Egyptian Obelisk. The square was already quite empty except for a small group of tourists in the distance and a lone man who stared unmovingly at the Cupola.

The jaw-dropping grandeur and intricate designs of this church’s interior is enough to daze anyone who appreciates art. For the individual schooled in Baroque Art though, it comes as no surprise since two of the foremost architects of the day, Francesco Borromini and the sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, were involved in the construction of this 17th-century church

© MARIO DANDI ROMANO Canal Grande / Canallasso (Venice, Italy) As I beheld the Grand Canal winding through Venice in all its splendor from the Ponte di Rialto, I chose to go with a shot of its less famous side - not as fancy as the other but still exuding that unique Venetian charm that draws swarms of spellbound visitors each day. The hustle and bustle of tourists aside, this scene transports the casual passersby to a bygone era where Venetian families squandered fortunes to show off their wealth and social status in grand palazzos that revealed their pride and deep bond with the Grand Canal. One cannot leave Venice without his or her subconscious indelibly stamped with a sense of melancholy and one’s imagination imbued with the city’s grand history. I slowly made my way along the side of the Ponte di Rialto searching for a suitable angle when I saw this solitary gull regally gazing upon the Canal Grande as the approaching sunset slowly lent a tinge of color to the overcast sky. It cocked its head towards me and with a dismissive shrug, went back to surveying the canal’s expanse like a king looking down at his kingdom.

La Dolce Vita Panorama Italiano by Mario Dandi Romano

“I seek truth and beauty in the transparency of an autumn leaf, in the perfect form of a seashell on the beach, in the curve of a woman’s back, in the texture of an ancient tree trunk, but also in the elusive forms of reality.” Isabel Allende, Portrait in Sepia

FEATURE STORY YEN BAET One With The World

YEN BAET, One With The World Yen Baet is a self-taught photographer born and raised in the Philippines, and also lived in the United States,

Japan, Germany and currently in England. Her love for photography takes her around the globe in search for that picture-perfect place, whether it be a sprawling metropolis or a tucked-away corner in a small unknown town. Her affinity for bridges and reflections leads her to set up tripod along waterways, from the never-ending Danube to the romantic Rhine to the picturesque Seine and Thames, and the winding canals of Amsterdam and Venice. A large part of her photography focuses on, but is not limited to, long-exposure shots taken during the best light of the day - twilight or the blue hour. Yen’s work has been seen on the pages of airline and photography magazines, calendars, catalogues and travel books worldwide. It has been displayed in trade fairs and exhibitions in Germany, France, Poland and Italy. Her photo Quechua Family in Cusco (Peru, 2012) is among the winners awarded by Steve McCurry and the WPGA that will be exhibited in Argentina’s Borges Cultural Center in December. She is also a recipient of two National Geographic awards for her photos Rainy Night in Hallstatt (Austria, 2011) and Breakfast by the Bay (Montenegro, 2012).

* This photograph won Grand Prize in the National Geographic Exceptional Experiences Photo Competition in 2011. This Upper Austrian town of Hallstatt isn’t just any village - it’s a major Celtic archæological landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This remote town is almost traffic-free. Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow trails. The land between the lake and mountains was sparse, and the town itself exhausted every free patch of it. Access between houses on the river bank was by boat or over the upper path, a small corridor passing through attics. The first road to Hallstatt was only built in 1890.

Yen Baet is a freelance photographer currently living in Southeast England. She is completely self-trained and never attended a single photography class or workshop. She attributes most of what she learned during the early stages of her photography to Google and her camera manual.

While I was preparing our feature story on her, I asked how important she thought professional guidance is when it comes to photography. “If by professional guidance you mean paid photography classes, I don’t think they’re as important as the burning desire to learn and master the craft by whatever means necessary,” she says. “That means, if you really want to learn, it doesn’t matter if you are going to pay someone to teach you or if you’re going to teach yourself to do it, as long as you pick up that camera and use it. Experience will teach you later.” On the best advice she has ever been given that has made her a better photographer:

“I’m not sure if I’ve been given any photography advice at all. If anything, I live by powerful quotes that I apply to photography. For instance, I find that Theodore Roosevelt’s quote, ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are’ is something I like to recite to myself when I am shooting under the rain or bad weather conditions. And Paulo Coelho’s ‘Courage is fear that has said its prayers’ helps me when I have to be out there alone at 3 or 4 a.m. Yen says that there are countless things she loves about being a photographer and no one reason stands out over the others. She says it gives her a good excuse to travel and explore - and these to teach her to be independent, fearless, and confident. “Afterwards, getting good feedback for my photos is often rewarding and fuels me to get out there one more time,” she intimates. ”I also enjoy being able to view the world more than one way all the time - through my own eyes in person,

COCHEM - COCHEM CASTLE Cochem is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, capital of the district Cochem-Zell. It is situated in the valley of the Mosel, at the foot of a hill surrounded by a feudal castle, the Reichsburg, dating from 1051. 16

through my computer screen, and holding it in my own hands on paper. All in all, it’s the whole process that I love.” When it comes to outdoor photography where one has to take countless factors into consideration, Yen concedes that not every step can be planned. “An outdoor photographer is always a slave to nature and light. The preparations I do are mostly research on locations and walking around pre-visualizing compositions before the right light comes,” she says. “I also like to have a contingency plan in case that light never comes, and that means shooting indoors or shooting subjects that don’t need a good sky.” ”I like the sense of calm, and the feeling of solitude but not necessarily isolation. There are many times when I find myself alone in my travels, not a soul in sight, very early in the morning - or late at night, and my only connection to the world is my camera,” Yen says. “I want this ‘One with the World’ feeling to reflect in my

photos, but also in some way, make you feel like you are there - when I come back home and show you my photos, and by looking at it you feel like you are there, then I have found my company. That, to me,, completes my picture.” During the course of the interview I asked what inspires her. Yen replied that in her view it’s less about inspiration and more about self-motivation. “Inspiration comes and goes, you cannot depend on it. However, motivation is more intrinsic and it’s always there as long as you have the right attitude and discipline. In other words, I push myself a lot. I also like to remind myself that my camera doesn’t take photos by itself.” For Yen, being a travel photographer has definitely changed her view of the world and made her more sensitive and open to different people and cultures. “I appreciate life better. I think I am a better person now that I have found myself in photography.” She points to Steve McCurry as one of the photographers she

EDINBURGH - THE NATIONAL MONUMENT ON CALTON HILL The National Monument, colloquially known as Edinburgh’s Disgrace, in Edinburgh is Scotland’s memorial to those who died fighting for the United Kingdom in the Napoleonic Wars.

admires. “I can get lost in his work and can get caught up in the varied emotions his photos evoke. I have also recently discovered and started enjoying the work of Mitchell Kanashkevich. She strongly advocates shooting in raw. “It’s simple. If you shoot, shoot in RAW. If you shoot in RAW, you need to post-process and you have to learn how to do it.” At the end of our interview, I asked about her future plans, projects that she would like to accomplish. She says that although her photos have been displayed in exhibitions in various parts of the world, she has never had her own exhibition and she wouldn’t mind having one sometime. We will all be certainly looking forward to seeing more of Yen’s wonderful work. I trust that our readers will look at her work and feel a certain connection with each scene - a feeling of being “one with the world”.

Yen’s “Power Station on the Thames” was just part of an urban-themed exhibition that was previewed in Krakow, poland and is now on display in Trieste, Italy. “Quechua Family in Cusco,” a photo she took in Peru, will also be among other winners awarded by Steve McCurry and will be exhibited in Argentina’s Borges Cultural Center in December. She also has two National Geographic Awards that she is proud of - one for “Rainy Night in Hallstatt” in 2011, and just recently, “Breakfast by the Bay” that will take her to Thailand to travel with documentary photographer Alison Wright in November. Yen uses a Nikon D800 with all Nikon lenses. She has three lenses that are always in her bag: 16-35mm f/4.0, 24-70mm f/2.8, and 70-200mm f/2.8 She uses Adobe Photoshop CS6 for post-processing.

CUSCO - IGLESIA LA COMPAÑA DE JESUS IN PLAZA DE ARMAS The Church of the Society of Jesus or Iglesia La Compaña de Jesœs was built in the late 16th century. The church was almost entirely ruined by the earthquake of 1650, but was rebuilt and finished 18 years later. 18

Perast - Front Row Seating at the Harbour, Bay of Kotor Bay of Kotor | Boka Kotorska from Perast Harbour - Perast, Montenegro. Shot at dawn just after 5 a.m. on a cloudy yet beautiful morning, when the sleepy town of Perast still safely tucked in their beds. All except for one of course. The town of Perast is so small, population of about 300, that I felt like everyone seemed to know that there was a photographer in town. And I was happy to have been part of their home even just for a while. Perast, an old Baroque town in Montenegro, lies at the foothills of St. Elijah on a cape that separates the Bay of Risano from that of Kotor, and overlooks the narrowest part of the bay of Kotor - the Verige strait. Perast was owned by the Republic of Venice between 1420 and 1797. The city has 16 Baroque palaces, 17 Catholic churches and 2 Orthodox churches. It is most visited for its two small islands: St. George and Our Lady of the Rock. The City of Perast has a population of only over 300. Camera/Lens: Nikon D700; 24-70mm f/2.8; Exposure: 20 sec.; Aperture: f/18; ISO: 100

Santorini - Traditional Windmills and Houses in Oia Traditional Windmills and Houses, after sunset - Oia - Santorini, Greece. It was extremely gusty while I was in Santorini, so I had to go for the shortest exposure that I could afford. Definitely not the best conditions I was in but in times like these, I always console myself with my favorite Roosevelt quote: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” It is common to see incave village homes along the cliff of Oia. These houses have been embedded into the porous volcanic rock that was left over from a large volcanic explosion many years ago that sunk the center of the island. The town, noted for its picturesque and mostly blue and white architecture, also combines medieval Venetian houses which used to belong to the captains during the Venetian rule. To maintain and protect the beauty of this unique architecture, there are laws that control modernism of the village. It is no doubt that Oia remains one of the foremost tourist attractions of the Aegean Sea. Camera/Lens: Nikon D700; 24-70mm f/2.8; Exposure: 5 sec Aperture: f/14; ISO: 400

Copenhagen - Nyhavn Harbour, Early Twilight II Nyhavn Harbour - Copenhagen, Denmark. Nyhavn is a colorful 17th-century waterfront, canal and popular entertainment district in Copenhagen. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbourfront just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and numerous bars, cafĂŠs and restaurants. Serving as a heritage harbour, the canal is packed with old wooden ships. This area was a little bit too dark for me at the peak of blue hour, so I decided to go earlier, when the sun was well way into the horizon and a glimmer of blue first appeared. This way, I also do justice to the colored houses which would otherwise be obscure as the night got deeper. Camera/Lens: Nikon D700; 24-70mm f/2.8; Filter: 0.9 GND Exposure: 15.0 sec; Aperture: f/14: ISO: 100: Focal Length: 29mm

VENICE - RIALTO BRIDGE The Rialto Bridge, or Ponte di Rialto, is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal.

LONDON - THE LONDON EYE

BLED - BLED CASTLE

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” - Ansel Adams

BOOK OF THE YEAR

HUMAN CANVAS by Art Wolfe

“I am really excited about this body of work, I feel as though it’s been inside me for over 20 years just waiting for all the pieces and the timing to come together.” - Art Wolfe

http://www.humancanvasproject.com

ART WOLFE AND THE HUMAN CANVAS PROJECT At first glance, one would see this new body of work as starkly different from any I have done in the past. But in fact, this is a natural evolution of my work and interests.

These works are created with the objective toward theatrical as opposed to erotic. Nevertheless, many of the landscapes and human forms are inescapably sensual in nature. Having traveled often over the past 30 years to remote cultures, nudity is more the norm than not. One could say traditional and religious teachings have impressed upon our culture that the human nude form be viewed somewhat differently. I value challenging the perception of these concepts. If you look closely, you will see a direct progression from the work I have done earlier in tribal communities, where spots, lines, and textures play heavily into the ornamental decoration that remote peoples use during celebrations. Additionally, I have drawn heavily from the images I did in my book Vanishing Act, a collection showing how evolutionary traits benefit animals in disguising themselves from predators. In this new series, I have tried to abstract the human form through the use of line, patterns, texture as well as unusual angles of view.

http://www.humancanvasproject.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.â&#x20AC;? - Edward Steichen

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER

ALLAN Z. RAZO

Allan is an Advertising Photographer by profession. He is from Dipolog City, Philippines - hometown of Caffeinated Photographers. Aside from being a Professional Photographer, his passion is Platinum printing. He is the only photographer in the Philippines who does Platinum printing. Allan uses an 8x10 cambo camera and a single 300 mm Xenar Scheneider (normal) lens for his work. His film of choice is Efke 100 develop in Rollo-Pyro and D76. The type of creative work Allan does for all his Platinum works is “Still-life” Photography using a studio controlled set-up. He is scheduled to speak in Photoworld Asia 2013 about techniques in Commercial Photography this coming January in Manila, Philippines.

MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR KIDS “The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation was formerly referred to as the Philippine Funds for Little Kids. The Philippine Funds for Little Kids started as a national movement to help children who used to swim to school in the mangrove village of Layag-Layag, Zamboanga City. The idea behind it is to pool our own individual little funds to help these children get to school safe and dry. We are more popularly known as the Yellow Boat Project. Initially, we thought we would just give them the yellow school boats but by now we’ve since moved on to helping support them through provision of other school supplies, medical/dental missions to their communities, scholarships and even through livelihood programs.” The Yellow Boat of Hope philosophy can be shown in this quote: “The great thing a little lamp can do which the big sun cannot do is to give light at night. It shows no one is superior by size but by purpose. If we cannot do great things, we can do small things in a great way. Little things make a big difference to God.”

Caffeinated Photographer Miracle D. Romano accompanied Yellow Boat of Hope founder Jay Jaboneta and project coordinators Lester Uy Ong and Haidee Go-Ong for the turn-over ceremony of the “Yellow Boat of Hope” to the community of Barangay Diongan in Siayan, the poorest municipality in the Philippines.

“Yellow Boat of Hope” founder, Jay Jaboneta, and Siayan’s Lester-1 afloat in the background.

Jay Jaboneta, Haidee Go-Ong, Lester Uy Ong - The Founder and the Project Coordinators

Fire Starter & Chief Storyteller in action.

The grateful locals of Barangay Diongan await the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The mission of the fund is to pool resources from all over the world to help kids in the Philippines. Our story is about heroic kids who face daily challenges just to be able to go to school. They are our inspiration. We believe it is our responsibility to make sure that no child is left behind.”

Jay Michael Ortuoste Jaboneta, better known as Jay Jaboneta, is a Filipino blogger, philanthropist, new media advocate, and online community organizer, who until recently served as Head for New Media under the Presidential Communications Operations Office of President Benigno Aquino III. Jaboneta is best known for having sparked the idea that led to the creation the charitable organization Philippine Funds for Little Kids, for which Jaboneta was recognized by Yahoo! Southeast Asia as one of their “7 Modern Day Pinoy Heroes.” In May 2012, The Philippine Funds for Little Kids was incorporated as the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, Inc.

identifying other communities with similar needs. The effort eventually resulted in four separate Yellow Boat communities in the Philippines as of May 2012. His focus is on education, medical support, local ecology, sustainability, and empowering others. Strong community support combined with social networking contribute to the growth of the Yellow Boat Project. Today, the project is formally known the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, Inc. with Jaboneta and Anton Mari H. Lim as co-founders. Anton is considered the Chief Dreamer and Implementer for the Zamboanga Funds for Little Kids, which was the initial humanitarian movement of what is now the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation. To provide support, he networks with local, national, and international nonprofits, private organizations, and committed volunteers.

On October 29–30, 2010, Jay served as a featured speaker at Mindanao Bloggers Summit in Zamboanga City. It was at this event that he first learned about elementary school students from Layag-Layag, an island community in Zamboanga City. Close to 200 of these students could only attend school by swim- An active member of Rotary Club of Zamboanga ming half a mile to get to the mainland. City, Anton was an early winner of the TESDA-IX Kabalikat Awards in Western Mindanao. He also sits on Disturbed by what he had just learned, and encour- the Board of Tzu Chi Foundation, Philippine Branch aged by his friend Josiah Go to do something more Office, and is a director of Rotary Club of Zamboanthan just post on Facebook about it, Jaboneta began ga City, as well as a past president, and has received a movement he called Zamboanga Fund for Little numerous Rotary International awards and citations Kids, in an effort to help. The group began by raising among which is the Rotary International Service funds to be able to provide the community of Layag- Above Self Award, the highest award Rotary InterLayag with boats which the students could ride to national can bestow to its members worldwide. His school. Meeting initial success, the group kept press- current activity often involves collaboration between ing forward, searching for ways to be able to serve Tzu Chi and the Yellow Boat Foundation, which Lim the Layag-layag community more sustainably while co-founded with Jay Jaboneta.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.â&#x20AC;? - Ansel Adams

A CAFFEINATED WEDDING

JAKE & ROSE The Perfect Brew

CONGRATULATIONS TO CAFFEINATED PHOTOGRAPHER ROSE ALFEREZ AND HER GROOM, MR. JAKE LIMBAGA!

OCTOBER 26, 2012

Join us for a daily dose of Coffee, Photography, Art, Music, Literature, Travel, Food, and Adventure!

Official Page: www.facebook.com/CaffeinatedPhotographers FB Group: www.facebook.com/groups/caffeinatedphotographers Caffeinated in Every Continent Project Page: http://www.facebook.com/CaffeinatedPhotographersInternational

Mario Dandi Romano I was born in Dumaguete City, Philippines but I spent my childhood in Dipolog City in a house full of art and music. For me, life started when my mom taught me to read at the age of three. I was insatiable – I read and read for hours and cried when my mom told me the lights had to be turned off at night. I finished reading the whole Bible by the time I was 7, by eight I read the unabridged versions of Huckleberry Finn, Oliver Twist, Moll Flanders, The Three Musketeers, Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur and other classics – by 10 I was reading novels by Norman Mailer and John Steinbeck along with heavy classics. While reading these books I always used to picture each scene in my mind – I imagined how each scene would have looked if someone had taken a photo at that time. Because of this, I didn’t pay much attention to my dad’s black and white photos – he used to print all his photos in his darkroom when my sister and I were around 7 and 8 years old and even though I found the process quite interesting I was more taken with colored photos. It wasn’t until years later that I fully appreciated the art in black and white photography. Even though I took up Computer Engineering and studied classical piano from the age of 7, I ended up doing something quite different – I work as a freelance Graphics/Logo Designer and Consultant although I teach piano in my spare time. If anyone were to ask me to describe myself I would say that I’m a hybrid. A cross between the nerdy type and the sporty type, the serious type and the goofy type, the mature and the immature, a bookworm and a computer gamer, serious and happy-go-lucky, level-headed and hot-headed, hopeful and yet a bit of a cynic, an introvert and an extrovert, an idealist and a romantic but also pragmatic, a realist...an oxymoron? maybe, but not an ox and a moron. “Life is like a piano...What you get out of it depends on how you play it.”

Travis W. Forbear “When I was a kid I always thought I’d grow up to be a film director. I loved movies, they are filled with so many beautiful images, places, and stories - I wanted to create like that. While taking film classes in college, I had a professor who showed us the film “La Jetee”. Its story is told mostly with still images. I fell in love with the idea of still images to tell stories. Soon after I purchased my first 35mm camera, and started to learn everything I could about photography. I bought my wife a digital camera in 2004, but I wasn’t sold on the idea. I loved film way to much. I finally bought a digital body in 2008, but it took almost a year of shooting and some playing in Photoshop elements 5 to convince me of the true power of digital imaging. I do miss film, but digital opened so many doors for my creativity. Once I upgraded to Photoshop CS4 the floodgates opened and I haven’t looked back. Inspiration comes from all over. I love the outdoors, I love to hike, to explore, and just get lost for a few hours. I love macro photography, especially super macro, there’s just something about seeing a subject beyond the normal closeness. I’m inspired by other photographers’ work, but I seldom shoot what I see others making. I might see a pattern, a color, a texture, or some other part of a photograph and think I want to do something with that. I love colors and textures to create moods. It’s kind of like seeing in monochrome, it takes practice, but eventually you see a subject and tell yourself “that would look so cool with a stone texture or a scratched film plate overlay”. I’ve been told my work is moody, sometimes it’s full of color and light, while other times it’s filled with a surreal darkness. I just create with what I see and inspires me through my daily learning. I spend a lot of time learning new techniques, perfecting and honing my skills. No matter what I create, I always feel there’s something around the corner that will be better. That’s what keeps me learning and shooting. I think I’ll always be a student, that’s where I feel the most creative.” http://teedubbaus.blogspot.com/

I believe in doing what ever it takes to make the best

photograph you can with what you have. I’ve subjected myself and my gear to rain, freezing temperatures, high winds and even dangled my camera less than an inch above moving water, but I’ve never felt guilty about getting out and getting dirty to make the work. Yesterday, I felt like a cheater. Why you might ask? Well, considering the fact that less than 24 hours before I was being pelted with sand and water to make the photographs I wanted and 20 hours later I was taking in the sites from the back of my Highlander.

back of my Highlander, set up my tripod and roll down the back window. That set up would shield me from the high winds and sand and allow me to create the long exposures I planned. All of this sounded great, with one hitch. It felt like I was cheating. Even though I knew the photographs would never work without this set up, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was somehow not living up to the adventurous part of my nature. I’ll be honest. The set up worked ok. The Highlander still shook during the big blasts and I missed more photographs than I care to admit, but I did manage to make a couple keepers despite a tremendous amount of details stacked against me. Sure, I could have made the photographs in color, I could have done a lot more to ensure the ease of my success, but since when does anyone want to take the easy way out? All of my choices, good or bad, lead to me creating an image like the following one.

Ok, let me explain. Monday, I headed to Ludington to work on a few photographs I’ve been wanting to make for 6 months. While I did make a few new pieces, the high winds and sting of sand blasting me kept me from making the photograph I set out to make. My tripod and gear were no match for the gusts of wind. Normally, it would not be a problem. I would just adjust the ISO, f-stop and shutter speed to make the photograph I wanted, but And, truth be told, I would do it all over again, even if it that wasn’t an option. You see, I was using my infrared leaves me with feelings of being a cheater. converted camera and I wanted to use a long exposure. High winds do not create ideal conditions for that type of photograph. http://teedubbaus.blogspot.com/ I left the park, disappointed, but not ready to give up. That’s when I had the idea to lay the seats down in the back of my Highlander, set up my tripod and roll down the 28

THE LOST PAGES, by Travis W. Forbear

The next piece, “Along the Trail”, actually saw a rebirth. The original photograph was part of a recent 50mm chalI’ve been working on a new series of textured prints. In- lenge. Fascinated with the shallow depth of field and imcorporating standard textures and hand written pages ages from childhood, I wanted to create something soft from various journals, old stories, and purchased hand- and yet still a bit unsure. Is there a danger, or is it all in written pages. This isn’t a new style for me, I’ve created a the imagination? few pieces like this in the past, but I didn’t have a theme in mind. All of that has changed with the creation of a new set. What follows are just a small sample of the work I’ve created.

The original photograph captured for “Red” was a beautiful example of the color red. The intoxicating colors this fall in Michigan have been some of the best. I wanted to capture the essence of many colors, but also playing with the light and shadows. There are a lot of elements all playing out in this photograph, but I wanted the viewer to be drawn to the intense red leaves.

The next piece is also part of the color exploration. “Green” is a photograph that almost didn’t happen. I was making all of my photographs that morning in infrared. I didn’t want to bring out the 40D, put a lens on, compose an image and make one photograph. Then it dawned on me. The colors were amazing. Not taking the time to collect such a beautiful sample would be a shame. The voice in my head won. I made time to photograph this scene in all it’s splendor and joy.

The same can be said of “As We Are”. While walking on a private trail, I stopped to see a group of fallen red leaves scattered across the path. The early morning light, coupled with the mystery and cool wetness of the day created a visual feast. I wanted to recreate the feeling of a fable or a forgotten lore. Somebody pass me the breadcrumbs.

See the rest of this article and more of his great work at: http://teedubbaus.blogspot.com/

Lars Van de Goor I was born in 1964 in The Netherlands, in a houseboat, next to a farm, located between lakes and meadows. My first passion was music, the latest photography and editing – in a way, I am still composing. In 2007 I bought my first camera, a few months later I placed my very first pictures on the internet. Four years later, in 2010, I was nominated as a finalist in the 2010 Hasselblad masters Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the world of photography. At first, I photographed everything primarily in the vicinity of Amsterdam. Soon, I rediscovered the beauty of nature – especially trees and forests. There’s nothing better than being alone in the woods early in the morning and nothing more beautiful than seeing the sunlight breaking through the canopy of trees. By the enthusiastic reaction to my photos, I was encouraged to show the best of nature. I also started experimenting with photo editing to enhance the magic that I experienced. I love working with colors and light, but it always starts with a good image. Although technology is important, I believe that the composition and emotion of an image is the most important. A few years ago, when someone saw my pictures he said, “You’re not a photographer, you’re an artist! And voila, now everything was possible, I did not feel limited by technology, knowledge, labels, etc. By working just a bit more on the extreme side of colors without creating kitsch, a kind of surreal effect arises, it is familiar and yet it isn’t…like being awake in a dream. I was already experimenting with this when I saw the works of the famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, “Curse of the Golden Flower” and “House of Flying Daggers”. His sense of color is unprecedented. His images give me an itchy feeling and that’s what it’s all about for me – I must also be able to feel!

“Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.”

http://www.facebook.com/LarsvandeGoor http://www.larsvandegoor.com/ http://500px.com/larsvandegoor

Hengki Koentjoro I was born in March 24, 1963 in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, and I acquired my knowledge of Multimedia Production at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, USA. I majored in Video Production with a minor in Fine Art of Photography and graduated in 1991. Photography is not just a way of expressing my innermost soul but also a way of creating a window to the world where through my pictures the unseen and the unspoken can be grasped. Driven by the desire to explore the mystical beauty of nature, I develop my sense and sensibility through the elements of fine art photography. My freedom of expression is reflected more in the elaboration and exploration of black and white. Photography can never be separated from the aspects of making the common things unusual, welcoming the unexpected, indulging and embracing ourselves with the joy of photography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as believing that anything is possible. I live in Jakarta, Indonesia with my wife and three children. http://www.facebook.com/hengki.koentjoro http://www.facebook.com/Hengki24 http://www.facebook.com/koentjoro24 http://500px.com/hengki24

Stefan Hefele For me photography is not just a means to an end – it is like a “second” mother tongue. It is a language in which I can visually write and express my view of things because as everyone knows, pictures often say more than a thousand words. I try to put all my heart and soul into the process to get a perfect result. Besides my wife and my family, I have found in photography a refreshing and unparalleled enthusiasm. My Landscape Photography is influenced by my panoramic wide-angle style so I always try to lead the viewer into as much depth as possible into the subject. My first significant contact with the art of photography was when I was in Australia – more or less by accident, I became fascinated with what a photograph represents when I was traveling through the red continent. After school, I stood at a crossroads in my life and I spontaneously decided to train as a commercial photographer. Today, a few years later, I have not really settled on a specific photographic area. In addition to landscape photography, I am also into architectural photography and commercial photography. However, no other activity combines creativity, nature, art, movement, and travel for me as much as landscape photography. I continue to see it as a privilege to be able to pursue this profession and I hope to find many more of the beautiful designs that our planet has to offer and share them with you. http://www.artwork-pictures.de http://500px.com/artworkpictures http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stefan-Hefele-Photography-Artwork-Pictures/148550418515870

Giò Tarantini I am a self-taught photographer based in Bassano del Grappa, in the northern part of Italy. I cover a wide and varied range of subjects – from portraiture, wedding, sport, reportage, to wildlife and landscape. I enjoy the finer things in life, the ones that really matter to me – my family, my friends, a good book, a glass of wine, or a good meal with the right person. I discovered my passion for photography so late – or maybe photography discovered me to help me in this time of my life. To give you a glimpse of how I think of photography there is a line from Richard Avedon that I really feel is “mine” – “If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible.” Now I will let my photos do the talking. http://www.giotarantini.com/

Ronny Behnert I was born in 1982 in the south of Berlin,Germany. After my apprenticeship I moved to different cities in Germany like Frankfurt, Main and on the island of Sylt, the northernmost point in Germany. But I came back to Berlin and followed my roots. I have been actively working on photography since February 2007. While continuously developing my skills and knowledge, I based my “Håggard Photography” in 2010 and work for different companies, newspapers and magazines. In my private photography I never wants to give up my amateur spirit and I try to travel as often as it’s possible. I published my last series of Venice, United Arab Emirates and Iceland in nominated international photo-magazines and plans new series of the atlantic coast of France and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.

http://www.facebook.com/HaggardPhotography http://www.bewegungsunschaerfe.de/

Emmanuel Dautriche My name is Emmanuel Dautriche and I’m 30, I live in Franche-Comté in France. I’ve been an “autodidact” photographer for 7 years. I fell in love with photography from exploring again and again, immortalizing the lights became a goal for me. My favorite vistas are the mountains - especially the Alps. I love water in all it’s states and especially the many waterfalls not far from my home in Jura. I live in a mountainous region and the fall and cold winter here, really inspires me. I love the beautiful ambiance, the stealthy light – strong contrasts as during my last trip to Scotland. I am attracted by the Northern Lights and the extreme latitudes. Photographers who inspire me are photographers like Marc Adamus, Patrick DiFruscia, and French photographers like Xavier Jamonet and Alexandre Deschaumes although my world is very different from the latter. Recently I integrated my work with a nature photographer in a site named Horizons Naturels – we have a common vision of nature and its beauty.

http://www.emmanueldautriche.com/ http://www.horizons-naturels.com/ http://500px.com/EmmanuelDautriche http://www.facebook.com/emmanuel.dautriche.photographies http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmanuel-Dautriche-Photographies-/214803075221360

Frank Lassak My name is Frank Lassak and I am a photographer/journalist. I run Efacts Photography which was founded in 2009. Works mainly focus on people, street, fashion, editorial or conceptual scenes – along with documentaries, travel and stage photography as additional fields. My works have been featured in various magazines throughout Europe such as “Vogue”, “Capital”, and “Opel Magazine” and have been shown in galleries in Berlin and Vienna. I draw my creative energy from a long-lasting passion for movies (mostly independent), dramatic theater, contemporary dance and street art. This amalgamation of influences brings about a rather unique visual language. When I was 8, my father let me take pictures with Voigtländer Bessamatic camera for the first time – a fully manual model. Ever since that time, I’ve been addicted to shooting analog, with films of various kinds. Digital photography only became relevant for me because clients demanded speed – and it was only in 2009 that I upgraded my equipment but at the same time “keeping the faith” with my vintage Contax and Minolta cameras. After all, it’s not the hardware that decides the quality of a picture – it’s the ability of the photographer to decide what’s in the frame. http://www.facebook.com/efactsphoto http://efactsphotography.fotograf.de/

Christian Richter http://richterchristian.com/ http://www.facebook.com/richterchri http://www.facebook.com/PhotoButton

Goran Kalanj http://www.facebook.com/goran.fotografije http://www.fotoblur.com/people/kale http://www.flickr.com/people/kale2006/

Francesco Cosi My name is Francesco Cosi. I live in Italy in a little town near Florence. Since the end of 2006 I started having a passion for photography landscapes and nature in general. My photographic approach is to think about our life - how very often it slips away in such a frenetic world: but if we are able to stop and take a walk in the countryside, listening to the rythmes and the emotions which nature can generate in ourselves, we’ll be able to rediscover lost emotions and new sensations, captured in a sunset or sunrise. The images which I suggest are the result of particular place and atmospheres of our Italy; more than this, they are the the product of my mental and visual flights besides long walks. This is the way to conceive my passion for photographs. In post–production I control the exposure and the contrast with level and curves and I make use of dodge/burn tool to improve the depth of the shot, trying to emphasize what was in my mind before starting the photographic session. In this way I try to obtain the best result while I’ m shooting. My absolute favorite photographers are David Noton, Charlie Waite and many others . Have a good vision and see you soon. All the best, Francesco Cosi http://www.jimmycost.com/ http://www.facebook.com/FrancescoCosiLandscapesPhotography http://500px.com/FrancescoCosi

André Torrès I was an English senior lecturer by profession and have been a keen photographer by avocation. I live in Angers and Sète, France, but started using a camera in the south of the country when I was 5. The blurred pictures of that period had little to do with artistry. I began attending evening classes in 1978 at a local photographic society. I took up black and white photography, then transparencies and colour processing. I spent long moments in my dark room improving my technique mostly by trial and error giving a try at whatever idea I could think of. I tend to go in for a more aesthetic research of pictorial images rather than a mere recording of instants. I am currently a member of a number of local, national and international photo associations and have been appointed as PSA’s Director of European Study Groups. I usually participate in the photo salons with PSA, Fiap, ISF or national patronages either as a regular entrant or as a judge which enables me to see inspiring and emulating real works of art. I thus gained a number of distinctions i.e. M.fiap, Edisf, Efpf5… and am a star exhibitor with Psa. In conclusion, I am fascinated by all aspects of the photographic media including both old processing methods and digital ones for instance. I tend to refuse any sectarian opinion or attitude in art. Any attempt is worth considering. Lastly, I must admit I do photography rather selfishly for first and foremost for my own pleasure. http://andretorres.photography.com/ http://www.facebook.com/torresandre1

Torrès

Ralph Nordstrom Photography is my passion. I guess I’m not so unique in that regard. I love to be alone in the desert before sunrise and experience the gentle breeze that always greets the day just before the sun majestically rises into the heavens. That timid announcement of such a royal entrance is one of the many wonders to be found on our beautiful Mother Earth. But for me photography is more than a passion. It is a journey, a journey of self-discovery. Sometimes I wonder if my photography is an escape from the tortured world we live in. But looking deep inside, I understand that it is a rebellion not an escape. I choose to seek out what’s right with the world. And I choose to engage the land and share the wonder I find there. The journey continues; the passion grows. What’s waiting at the next sunrise?

http://www.facebook.com/RalphNordstromPhotography http://ralphnordstromphotography.com/

Albena Markova I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, 1962 and I raduated at Technical University, Varna in 1990, Master Degree of Engineering. Since 2001 I worked as a freelancer Web&Graphic Designer. I first began studying photography by attending a 10 days solo photo course in 2006 conducted by one of the best photographers in her town â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Angel Nenov. But a real beginning of my passion was one trip to Rodope Mountain several months later. The indescribable beauty of the Autumn in the mountain was the source of inspiration that opened the doors for the illness called Photography. In the next few years I began teaching myself photography by reading books and magazines and mostly with a lot of practice. The fact that I never received any formal photographic training, or been framed by existing styles, helped me to develop an unique style that made my photos instantly recognizable and loved by the people. My photographs have been published extensively worldwide in a large variety of media ranging from calendars, books, magazines and many more.

http://www.albenamarkovaphotography.com/

Francesco Gola My name is Francesco, I’m 31 and I grew up in a town called Stradella, in the north of Italy. Unfortunately my job brought me far from my home, and now I live in the beautiful town of Lerici, in Liguria. Photography is not my primary occupation - I can’t say exactly when everything started. I have to say that I love to understand how the things works, and this was probably the reason I was so curious with the Canon AT-1 of my father. I studied every single manual of photography I found and then I asked him to lend it to me for my holidays…Love at first sight. My job let me travel quite often even if I don’t have much free time for myself. But I noticed that the time spent on photography could turn me in a totally different mood, despite a really bad day. It’s really difficult to explain, but when I’m out with my camera I’m able to think of nothing: job, love, life, troubles… everything disappears. So I got used to spending my free time in this parallel world, and I can’t stop now. I love Long Exposures, because it represents the parallel world I see. In a Long Exposure you don’t freeze just a moment, but an entire period of time. You can transform your picture in an hourglass, and this is really amazing for me. There is something beyond what your eyes can see, and I try to reveal it. Photography is a source of inspiration that allows me to reveal the relationship between the outside world of Nature and the inside world of dreams, thoughts, emotions, desires and wishes. Photography allows me to express myself - mental and emotional stimulation mixed with idea and vision and shape it into an art form.

http://www.francescogola.net/

http://www.facebook.com/FrancescoGolaPhotography

Jacques Chevalier I’m a “hobby photographer” and more or less self-taught. I took my first photo when I was about 10 years old with my father’s Exacta. He taught me the basic rules of composition, light-metering – ASA/DIN-value and DOF rules in combination with the f-values and shutter speed. My first camera was an Agfa ISO-Rapid (I was 12 when I got it). I liked taking “street shots” because observing people is very interesting for me and I loved playing the “journalist”, posting my photos in the school newspaper. Between ages 21 and 35, I played with Chinon and Zeiss-Ikon and concentrated more on nature and portraits, weddings, etc. I was then inspired by the photos and photographic style of the 50s and “Bilitis” using (way too much) the Cokin filter. For about 15 years I took “zero” shots – my work (teaching) and my main hobby (old electronics) were taking all my attention. Then I discovered Flickr and André Govia – I was “phototriggered” again. This time into URBEX photography and editing – but I couldn’t compete with the other photographers who had “heavy” digital cameras, editing techniques, with access to all sorts of sites. But I discovered many new possibilities with digital photography. I like “poetic shots” – shots with (some) feeling. For me, the subject is sometimes not the most important – the “moment” is. I also like “well-balanced” shots with nice expressions. I also like to experiment (HDR, etc) – the possibilities are endless especially with Photoshop. Photography for me is “freezing time” – once a shot is taken it belongs to the past. Probably, my schooling (Masters in History, French and Latin) are emphasizing this starting point to “Take a Shot”!

Alexey Trofimov I was born in 1970 in the city of Bratsk. This town is situated on the Great Siberian Angara River, 600 km north of Lake Baikal. This is a very beautiful place, with a severe and majestic nature. In winter, a lot of snow and cold. Summer is short, but hot. Photography takes a lot of my time, but it is not my primary occupation. I am the owner of a consulting company, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m fond of rafting, sports, traveling by car, and I have a daughter and a son. In 2012I had a personal exhibition. I plan to have more shows in the near future. I travel a lot in Siberia and the Altai Mountains. The very nature of my inspiration - and there are always new forms and subjects, even in familiar and frequented places. Most of all I love to shoot landscapes. Especially around dawn. This makes it possible not only to enjoy the beauty of nature, but also to bring their thoughts in order. I recently made a test trip to Beijing. This was a reconnaissance trip for the fall in which I plan to shoot in Beijing and the Great Wall. In August, ten days to the north of Lake Baikal, in the Barguzin reserve. I wish you good luck, beautiful light and shadows!

http://elbarto.artphoto.pro/ http://www.facebook.com/PhotoGraphAlex

Paulina Uy I’m from the Philippines and I was raised in the small city of Dipolog. After graduating secondary school, I resided in Cebu City and I only visit Dipolog a few times each year. My passion for photography started when I was 15 and my parents gave me a digital camera. I brought along my camera anywhere and anytime; and whenever my photos got printed, my parents encouraged me and told me how beautiful they were and that I had the eye of a photographer. However, in college, I took up Computer Engineering – but I stopped after 7 semesters, realizing that it wasn’t my passion. Thinking of another course to take up and considering my dad’s application for immigration to Canada for our whole family, I decided to take up and pursue photography. I am currently studying under the New York Institute of Photography’s distance learning program (The Complete Course in Professional Photography), learning more and more things to hone my skills. Now with a digital SLR (Canon EOS 450D) in hand I mostly do landscape photography. I also enjoy shooting macros both for fun and for the love of exploring minute things we don’t normally see in our daily lives. I dream of becoming a wedding photographer in the future. Other fields of photography I would like to be involved with are photojournalism and wildlife photography. Speaking of photojournalism, I’m all set to pursue this field of photography this coming September in Canada. I can’t wait!

Camellia Alferez I am currently living in Dipolog City, my birthplace. I took up Accountancy and I work as a Copywriter. For as long as I can remember I have loved sports - especially Table Tennis. It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I also ended up being a Head Coach in Table Tennis.

I also love music, I love to travel, and I also love playing Darts, and Badminton.

Photography is one of my main passions and I love learning new techniques to enhance my knowledge of the craft. I look forward to another year of coffee and photography!

Miracle Romano There are many ways to describe oneself. There are many, but the same self-indulgent prattle. Anyway, let us indulge... If I were to reveal myself in technical terms, I would simply relay what my birth certificate warrants; that my real name is Miracle Romano and that I was brought forth into this world in 1984 (a rather significant year in literature). If I were to do so philosophically, I’d ask you, dear reader, “What is Self?” and I shall be conveniently released from the necessity to supply an answer. If I were allowed to borrow the words of sages and poets, I would quote Plato and say, “I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge,every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with.” Or I may usurp a most befitting line from Walt Whitman and declare that “each part and tag of me is a miracle.” I may also speak as a musician and maintain that I am one who lives life as a musical process. Indeed, there are many ways, and yet I feel that through the following titles, I am able to successfully summarize what I perceive myself to be: A Little Girl, a Woman, a Daughter of God, a Sister, a Free Spirit, a Page-Turner (whether they be book pages, music pages, or life’s pages), a KapeWriter, a Polybibliogamist, a Traveling Minstrel, among other fancied things.

http://flowersfromabook.wordpress.com/

Rose Alferez I grew up in Dipolog City, Philippines. I spent my college years in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, where I studied Psychology and Secondary Education at Silliman University. For almost 9 years, I taught Psychology in the tertiary level in Dipolog and Dumaguete City. With my interest in understanding human behavior, both the common and the uncommon, I wish to finish my master’s degree in Special Education. Presently, I work as a freelance Online Copy Editor and as a Consultant for Leadership and Life Skills trainings in nongovernment units. With this kind of work that leaves me more leisure time, I am able to engage in my interest in photography. I got my inspiration for most of my photos from my fellow Caffeinated Photographers. My work varies from people and emotions to playful subjects and colors. I would say that I need to work on my perspective and develop a vision to get great photos. I wholeheartedly agree with the quote “If you want to get better in photography, you better start shooting and get to know the gear you have.”

Didi Romano Photo / Graphic Artist, Dipolog City

Lester Uy Ong Archer / Photographer / Businessman / Farmer, Dipolog City

ÂŠ LESTER UY ONG Sungkilaw Falls

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.â&#x20AC;? - Ernst Haas

http://www.facebook.com/CaffeinatedPhotographersInternational

ue to the diverse and “international” nature of the Caffeinated Photographers Facebook Group, the admins decided to organize a new project that would build on this partnership and further enhance communication and cooperation between our members from all over the world. The Caffeinated in Every Continent Project was launched on June 2012 and it currently has registered members from more than 30 countries. We are currently in the process of building a database that will only be accessible to our registered members. In the near future, we will also compile all the material provided by our volunteers about their respective areas and publish it in PDF form for easy downloading. This project will give our members free access to information about great places for photography in areas that they may be traveling in. It also allows members to meet up, coordinate photo walks, etc. should they find themselves in the same area. Other useful information about hotels, restaurants, tourist sites, hospitals in specific areas are also made available to our members. You may now register for the Caffeinated Photographers Program for free (http://www.facebook.com/CaffeinatedPhotographersInternational). Please “Like” the page then click on the “Message” option in the new page and send the following details: Name: City and Country: Email Address: Phone Number (Optional for now): Additional Details: (“Volunteer” or “Member”) NOTE: In “Additional Details” please indicate if you are registering as a “Volunteer” or simply as a “Member”. These are the main differences between being a volunteer or member: Registering as a “Volunteer” means you will be appointed as a contact person/coordinator for your area/city - members who visit your place will have the option of contacting you for photo shoots, or information about areas that are great for photo shoots, tourist spots, hotels, restaurants, etc. - any information that would help a Caffeinated Photographer traveling in that area. You will have all the benefits of being a member but with added responsibilities. This will be strictly voluntary and all members are under no obligation to meet up with a fellow member should they have more pressing things to attend to – all meet ups will be at the sole discretion of the “coordinator” in that specific area. Registering as a “Member” will allow you to see the list of available contact persons in each area when you travel there but you won’t be added as a “coordinator” in your area.

TRAVEL! by Miracle D. Romano The synthesis of the rising sun and the morning mist created an ethereal monochromatic panorama as I sat through

a long drive through the Italian countryside. Rolling hills, old churches, bell towers, villas, vineyards, orchards, and other scenes became mere silhouettes in the mist, their forms and outlines distinguished by much, much more than fifty shades of grey. What a beautiful thing it is to travel. Even when one is still on the way to a destination, the journey is already visually enriching as it provides one with new fields of vision, and emotionally elevating as the new vistas touch areas of the soul that are otherwise in repose. The experience is augmented even more as soon as one comes in contact with another culture and language. Someone once said, “Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer.” When one travels, it is impossible not to be educated and enriched, it is impossible not to ponder on life, and it is even more impossible not to think of love. After a journey, there is hardly any excuse for one not to become a better man or woman. “Be that starving artist you’re afraid to be! Open up that journal and get poetic finally! Travel! You were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. Stop putting it off. Take pictures! Shake up the scene!” ~ Jason Mraz

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting.â&#x20AC;? - Harry Callahan

CAFFEINATED PHOTOGRAPHERS FB GROUP TOP PHOTOS http://www.facebook.com/groups/caffeinatedphotographers/

CONGRATULATIONS from

Caffeinated Photographers to our dear friends

Mrs. Edi Huang and Mr. Pablo Beltran on FPPFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

25th Anniversary!

http://www.photoworldmanila.com/ http://www.facebook.com/Photoworldmanila

PhotoWorld Asia 2013

will be held January 31-February 5 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati for the photography trade show, and at the Asian Institute of Management Convention Center (ACCM) for the educational series. Chairperson for PhotoWorld Asia 2013 is Ms. Cris Cleofas of Alpha Camera Club. World-renowned professional photographer Joe McNally topbills the event’s guests speakers together with his first assistant Drew Gurian and Filipino master photographers Allan Razo, G-Nie Arambulo, Revoli Cortez, Edwin Bacasmas, Nap Jamir II, Dan Pamintuan, Prof. Cecilia Manican, Jim Paredes, Nick Tuason, Jay Tablante, and Arnel Murillo.

World-renowned National Geographic photographer Joe McNally is the keynote speaker at the biggest and longest-running photography event in the Philippines – PhotoWorld Asia 2013 happening on January 31-February 5 at the Glorietta and AIM venues in Makati. McNally will address photographer delegates at the AIM convention and share with them his vast experiences as photojournalist and fine art photographer. Joe is a master photographer with a career that has spanned 30 years with assignments in over 50 countries. He has shot cover stories for The National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, LIFE, TIME, Newsweek, Fortune, New York, Entertainment Week, New York Times Sunday Magazine, and Men’s Journal. Named one of the 100 Most Important People in Photography by the American Photo magazine, Joe has published best-selling books including The Moment It Clicks, Hot Shoe Diaries, Sketching Light and Guide to Digital Photography, among other publications.

US master lensman Joe McNally, National Geographic photographer and Nikon Legend Behind the Lens.

In 2010, he was voted as one of the 30 most influential photographers of the decade in an industry wide Photo District News survey. McNally won the first Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Journalist Impact for a LIFE coverage titled, “The Panorama of War.” He has also been honored numerous times by Communication Arts, PDN, Graphis, American Photo, POY, and The World Press Photo Foundation. His fine art work is represented by the Monroe Gallery of Santa Fe, and his prints are in numerous collections, most significantly the National Portrait Gallery of the United States.

Drew Gurian is a New York City based music and editorial photographer, and for the past four years, first assistant to editorial photographer, Joe McNally. When Drew was 15, he was given a Pentax Spotmatic and started taking awful photos for bands who were kind enough to give him passes to their shows. Over time, his work improved, and he earned a BFA in photography and graphic design. While in school, he interned for two major NYC photographers- Joe McNally (Nat Geo, Sports Illustrated, LIFE) and Danny Clinch (Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair). This led to a job with Joe, as his first/lead assistant, a position he’s held since 2008. His travels with Joe have taken him on assignments across the globe, and he’s logged close to 400K miles on Delta alone since working with him. In his spare time, he works with musicians, record labels, music festivals, editorial publications and ad agencies. His work has been published in PDN, Billboard, Runner’s World, USA Today, and The NY Daily News, amongst others, as well as receiving a photo credit in the July 2010 issue of National Geographic. Drew will be showing a behind the scenes look at working in the field with McNally, presenting his own work, and discussing the transition from assisting to shooting. If you’re trying to break into the business of photography, this session with Drew promises to provide you with some priceless advice and entertaining stories of Joe McNally’s photography pursuits.

Filipino Speakers The Filipino masters who are scheduled to speak at PhotoWorld Asia 2013 include Dubai-based professional photographer Allan Razo and AdPhoto’s G-Nie Arambulo whose jaw-dropping work with Boysen Paint earned her world acclaim at the 2009 Cannes International Advertising Festival in France. Razo and Arambulo will share their techniques on commercial photography. Photojournalists Revoli Cortez (News Photographer of the Year – Catholic Mass Media Awards 2010 and Henry Ford Journalism Award 2008 and record holder for the World’s Largest Photo Mosaic) and Edwin Bacasmas (Catholic Mass Media Award’s Photographer of the Year, Asian Press Photo Contest Grand Prize winner) are also lined up as speakers in the convention. Veteran cinematographer Nap Jamir II (“Noli Me Tangere”, “Isauli Mo Ang Lahat sa Akin”, “Ang Pag-Dadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros”, among many others) will talk about cinematography, while Dan Pamintuan (Camera Geek TV) will give a lecture on the emerging art of DSLR videography and video editing. Prof. Cecilia Manican of the Asian Institute of Management and singer-songwriter Jim Paredes will share their thoughts on creative thinking while multi-awarded fine art photographer Edwin Loyola will discuss conceptual and creative photography. Other Filipino masters lined up to speak at PhotoWorld Asia 2013 are Digital Photographer Philippines publisher Nick Tuason on glamour photography, and Jay Tablante (he made a name in Philippine cosplay) on fashion photography. Award-winning photographer Arnel Murillo of the Camera Club of the Philippines will speak on travel and fine art photography.

http://www.photoworldmanila.com/ http://www.facebook.com/Photoworldmanila

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.â&#x20AC;? - Paul Strand

A Special Caffeinated Treat from Dipolog City

Sardine Capital of the Philippines and hometown of

Caffeinated Photographers! Lucky fans of Caffeinated Photographers will get special prices and discounts on Octavio Products http://www.facebook.com/octaviosardines8 http://www.octaviosardines.com

I’ve made the 1,400 mile trip between San Francisco and Boulder, Colorado nearly 100 times over the last 40 years. The book is a compilation of some of my favorite images and adventures through the wide open spaces of the American West.

THE PRESENT Finding Myself in the Middle of NowHere.

by Jerry Downs Download it free here: http://www.thepresentis.it/

“When I remember that I am making up my picture of the world from my own lines of thought, life itself becomes the ultimate creative act.” Pg. 46, The Present

The book is a photographic novel way of looking at the world. It contains lots of information about photography. I’m happy to teach people everything I know. But, and more importantly, The Present is about what photography has taught me. It’s my gift to the world about using photography as a medium for self-discovery. So far, more than 6,000 people have downloaded a free copy of my eBook. I decided to make it free one night after I had received the final edit. It was the same kind of epiphany that comes to me in the middle of the night after driving all day. I asked myself why I had spent the last three years writing it and what I hoped to gain by publishing it. What did I have to gain from any fame and fortune? The purpose for fame and fortune is to be happy, right? So, I decided to go straight for the happiness and forgo all the effort of creating a physical book. It is, after all, called The Present. I have a certain following and I’m sure I could have sold hundreds of copies, but this way thousands of people get to see, read and give The Present as their own gift to a friend. That makes me very happy. Here are a few excerpts and images to give you a feel for the road that I traveled to bring myself to the present.

http://www.jerrydownsphoto.com