The painted ladies of San Francisco

Elegant. Regal. Stoic. And it looks like they are wearing make-up. Actually, they are somewhat overly made up, if you ask me. They are a bit formal. Well, that's because this row of houses, which is quite famous, has been historically preserved by the city. And it was even given a fitting nickname: the painted ladies. No wonder they look like they are wearing make-up! Or their nails, polished. Imagine real old ladies, going to town, and they are all dolled up. That's how these houses seem to look like.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Rane), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

Holding San Francisco in my hands

I went up to a really interesting vantage point (Twin Peaks, if you must know), framed the city, and clicked my camera. Really, that's all there is to it. The whole thing seems to be dreadfully uninteresting. Unless, of course, you carefully look at each and every portion of the captured image (particularly the unprocessed, original RAW image file). It is fascinating when you try to figure out specific details from out of the motley of too much details. You are bound to see something there. Anyway, I love this image because it presents an indeterminate mosaic of a cityscape. It's like holding the entire city of San Francisco in my two hands, and never really letting it go. This photograph was exclusively post-processed using Apple's Aperture 2.0. I love the new Aperture 2.0! I know, you will too.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Rane), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

A Biker's Pacific Sunset

I count myself lucky that I accidentally stumbled upon this magnificent silhouette of a biker. I found him resting and seated on his bike atop a ledge, and peacefully looking out into the amazing Pacific Sunset. He was oblivious with everything around him. I was drawn, and I was both shooting and walking towards him. I worked on this image using Apple's Aperture 2.0 to bring out the most amazing colors of the dramatic sunset. The new digital editing and enhancement tools in Aperture 2.0 such as Vibrancy, Definition, Luminance, Saturation, among others, easily and quickly brought out the outrageous beauty in this image. I love the new Aperture 2.0.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Rane), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts

Apple's brand new Aperture 2.0 is a totally awesome post-production tool that offers professional photographers new and much-improved editing and enhancements tools that are not available in previous versions. In this dramatic back-lit image of San Francisco's historic Palace Of Fine Arts, I was able to draw out the right amount of foreground details I wanted such as the shimmer in the pond, some detailed features in the Rotunda and Colonnades, among others. For this purpose, I used and combined Aperture 2.0's new editing tools such as Recovery, Black Point, Definition, Vibrancy, among others. Long-time Aperture users will be very happy to note a lot of great and exciting improvements in Aperture 2.0. For someone like me who has been using Aperture for the longest time, it's like falling in love with Aperture all over again.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Rane), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

International Safety Orange

The color is nothing more than rust most cynics will insist, but engineers will have to disagree. One of the world's most famous bridges, the Golden Gate, is meticulously covered in a specially formulated paint color. It is called the International Safety Orange. It gained the monicker Golden Gate because it typically glows golden in sunset. This is one of the after-sunset images I snapped of San Francisco's Golden Gate using my favorite camera, the Nikon D2Xs fitted with a Lensbaby 3G. I love the play of light in this bravely hand-held shot.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Rane), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

The magic of Lensbaby 3G

I've fallen head-over-heels in love with the Lensbaby 3G. It's a specialty lens that I fit into my Nikon D2Xs, and shoot away. It's an amazingly easy-to-use selective focus lens that creates really magical photo images. It is making me see things in entirely new ways! Shown here one of my favorite images that I took with the Lensbaby 3G. Look out for the article I wrote that features a list of tips and hints on how to make the most out of any of the three Lensbaby lenses (Original Lensbaby, Lensbaby 2.0, and Lensbaby 3G). This will come out soon in iMag Photography Magazine. For more on the Lensbaby 3G, click here.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

Skyline Chicago

To many people, the Chicago skyline is interesting because three of America's tallest skyscrapers are there: Sears Tower, Aon Center, and the John Hancock Center. The first time I saw Chicago's skyline was at night. My friend Victor brought me out into Lake Michigan's edge, in a perfect spot to view the breathtaking cityscape. Enveloped in a cold, dark winter, the city defiantly gleamed, it's lighted reflection giddy in the icy waters. I took a few clicks, but I was so enamored that I just had to see it again from the same exact spot in a day's light. A couple of days later, my friends Dave and June brought me out, again into the same lake's edge. And there, in winter's gray, I saw the skyline in broad daylight. I came face to face with the pasty broad strokes of brooding shades. For all intents and purposes, it was magnificent. It was a grand, sweeping winter vista. I took out my Nikon D2Xs fitted with my favorite Nikkor ultrawide lens, and reverently captured the moment. But while everyone was looking at the same thing, I was seeing something else. I know, in Apple's Aperture and Adobe's Photoshop CS3, hidden beneath the graduated shades of gray, are deep brilliant colors. I was looking at Chicago's skyline with a photographer's eye.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

Exquisite taste.

There are two people that I personally know who possess exquisite taste. In fact, they embody exquisite taste. One is Kuh Ledesma. And the other is fashion designer Barge Ramos. I marvel at them because they really are faultless when it comes to matters of taste.

If you've been to the house of Kuh, any of her houses, either the old or the new, you will know that this lady has absolutely exquisite taste. Expensive yes, but exquisite nonetheless. Each and every furnishing in her house, each and every article that's in there, and even the way the big and the small things are combined with other things, or where they are placed, speaks of a very cultured and a very refined taste. Maybe, not all things she own is expensive. But the way she puts them together looks absolutely and exquisitely tasteful.

I know a lot of people (well, maybe not a lot who have a whole lot of money, probably more than what Kuh Ledesma has, but they have no taste whatsoever. Having money, therefore, should not be equated with having exquisite taste.

If you've been to the atelier of Barge Ramos, either the old or the new, exquisite taste is also apparent everywhere you look. The furniture and furnishings are so straightforward. The lines are simple. And yet, the whole thing is quite engaging. A huge glass vase serves as the centerpiece of his receiving room. And you know what, that vase, half full with clean water, holds a giant green leaf. Everything is in ecru white and antique brown. And the verdant green of the big leaf serves as the equipoise to the whole room. I say it's awesome.

I'm not sure if bad or poor taste can be unlearned, and in its place, for good or exquisite taste to be learned. But one thing is for sure. People who have exquisite taste won't be caught dead with a fake. I've seen a lot of interiors ruined because the owners, or their interior designers and decorators, have poor judgement and bad taste. Particularly when it comes to such things as frameable fine art.

Most people, particularly the rich, needs to re-educate themselves about investing in fine art. They may know a lot of things in many different areas, that's why they are rich in the first place, but money will only bring them so far if they do not do something to develop their taste. One easy way to start is by acquiring original fine art photographic prints. Throw away all the fakes. And to switch to originals. It's time to develop and cultivate authentic good taste. Click here to begin.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

In poor taste.

I enjoy visiting friends in their homes and offices.

It's really a good thing to see people in places where they are most comfortable and where they feel right at home. Whenever they are at home, or at their place of work, or, in just about any familiarly comforting place, you see their best selves emerging. They are often more friendly and relaxed. When in this kind of mood, they are more easy-going, receptive, open, warm and naturally accommodating. And it's really nice to be around people who are in that kind of mood, as opposed to someone who may be tense, uncomfortable or uneasy, just because they are in unfamiliar surroundings.

Which brings us to one point: they tend to unwittingly reveal too much of who they are. Not that I mind, but, being in one's comfort zone, can literally reveal who the person really us. If they are people you like, you will like them no matter what. But if you are in the process of just getting to know them, and deciding whether you like them or not, that can be a bit tricky. One too many, I've been in a situation like that. I love it when people start to open up, to be themselves. It's an honor for me to be given the privilege of allowing me to enter and be a part of their lives. And in the interest of genuine friendship, I just turn a blind to certain harmless and minor things.

Like, at times I begin to discover that someone I'm trying to get to know and to befriend, has poor taste. I've been inside a beautifully, and yes, tastefully and elegantly appointed receiving room. It had a high ceiling and it was bright and airy. Lots of wonderful wood furniture, furnishings, accessories and little touches. But I couldn't help notice one thing that ruined the effect for me: plastic flowers on a Waterford vase. In fairness to this person, I have great respect and admiration for him. He is very successful, and he is admired and respected, and he is even loved, by people in the industry and the public. But, every time I see him, I remember the plastic flowers. It was poor taste.

And then, there was this one time, I was photographing an interior of the house of one of the most prominent political families. The entire house was just amazing. I was so impressed. And I had a great shoot because it was really, truly photogenic. At the end of the shoot, the wife of the politician, perhaps grateful for the long hours we spent working, and the consideration with which we treated their house, each gave us a nice gift. Unwrapped. I got a Louis Vuitton bag. And guess what? It was a fake Louis Vuitton bag. I don't want to seem ungrateful, but, I felt insulted. And you know what came to my mind? This lady has not only unwise political sense for dealing with counterfeits right inside their household and for the bad judgement of giving out fake gifts to people who can afford and who always buy the real thing, but also for the poor taste of a gift.

You know what they say about first impressions: it is lasting. These things happened a long time ago. And yet, I still remember them. And that's telling you something because everyone who knows me will tell you I am quite forgetful. You might think I'm hard on people. I'm not. For a photographer, I typically turn a blind eye when it comes to people I personally know. I'm very forgiving, because for all you know, I also have my own misgivings in need of forgiving. And believe me, I have a lot of them, actually.

Poor taste. Bad taste. I just seem unable to kick them into the trash can of forgetful oblivion. I really want to forget all about it. But I just couldn't.

And that brings me to my number one subject matter: Reproductions. I love Mona Lisa. I am a great fan of Leonardo da Vinci. I'm also a fan of Rembrant, Matisse, Picasso, Warhol. But every time I see a framed reproduction of their works in homes and offices hanging in fake gold-painted frames, I want to puke. Yes, their works are truly magnificent and deserves to be looked upon with admiration. But for reproductions of their works to be hanged in places of honor in our homes and offices, I find it utterly distasteful. For all intents and purposes, reproductions of artworks are fakes. If they are treated as poster prints and hanged as such, I'd be happy to see them. But to entomb them in pseudo-gilded frames, that's just too much.

Nowadays, it's easy to own an original work of art instead of fakes and reproductions. And it's even affordable. And you know what, it supports real artists and great modern art movement. What I don't understand is why do most people seem to prefer fakes and reproductions over originals? Poor taste. Bad taste. That's what it is. The owners of the huge and big houses who don't know any better have poor and bad taste. The interior decorators and designers they hire have poor and bad taste. Tell me, what other reason or justification there is to something like this.

It's so sad that most people fancy that they know what art is. And yet, the reality is, all they have is: poor taste, bad taste.

But all hope is not lost.

I'm pleasantly surprised and very delighted every time I visit homes and offices that displays good taste. Like a law office that had original framed black-and-white photographs of flowers in silver gelatin prints lining up the corridor. With a simple black unassuming frame with white mat, the photographs are a delight to behold. They are beautiful. And they are originals. And yes, the choice of the subject, the framing, the display -- it was oozing with good taste. In a bachelor's pad I visited one time, I excused myself to the bathroom. Guess what I saw hanging on the wall: a series of original black-and-white framed prints of a male nude. I stood there, inside the bathroom, for a long time. I couldn't believe my eyes! These were original fine art photo prints hanging on the wall. And did I mention that because they are original photo prints, in limited edition, and signed by the photographers, they appreciate in value? The price of these works increase over time. Isn't that a great investment? Do you think framed reproductions will appreciate in value over time? No. You know what people do with reproductions? They throw them in trash. Because that's what they are: trash. The fakes and reproductions you reverently hang and proudly show off to guests and visitors have zero value. It's time to re-educate ourselves about investing in fine art. Right now, you can easily start by acquiring original fine art photographic prints. Throw away all the fakes. And to switch to originals. It's time you develop and cultivate authentic good taste. Click here to begin.

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios official website. We are proud that The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground Professional Photography Studio is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

Now Playing On YouTube: Scarlett's Secret Savannah

My collection of 33 all-new black-and-white photographs from the portfolio Scarlett's Secret Savannah, is now available as a slideshow and video presentation from YouTube. This slideshow, as a video presentation, was made on the Mac using FotoMagico by Boinx Software. The fabulous song for this 3-minute YouTube video is entitled Daybreak, from Brian Cua's awesome Asianology album. If you like any of the black-and-white photo images, you can order individual or sets of framed or unframed fine art prints. Just send in an email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com or visit http://www.theplaygroundstudios.com. All fine art photo prints are created by Eric Calderon of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. Go to http://www.ericcalderon.com for more details. [Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios website. The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

Florence & Scarlett

Her name is Florence Martus. She is a real person, and she has been immortalized as a statue. She was born on August 7, 1868. She is a Savannahian (a native of Savannah, Georgia, USA) whose understanding and application of the words "Southern Hospitality" brought her fame as "The Waving Girl." Martus lived with her brother, lighthouse keeper George Martus, between 1887 and 1931, near the entrance of the Savannah harbor. During this time, she would wave a welcome to each incoming ship and wave a goodbye to every outgoing vessel. During her years at the lighthouse, she greeted more than 50,000 vessels. This photograph shows a statue of Florence Martus as a memorial to her legacy. This is located in Savannah's historic River Street. This is the first memorial to a Georgia woman in any city park within Savannah. The statue photograph of Florence Martus shown above is part of my latest black-and-white portfolio of images from my landscape photographs of Savannah. This portfolio is entitled Scarlett's Secret Savannah. You now know who Florence is, but who, you may be wondering, is Scarlett? Well, Scarlett is a name is another lady whom I am paying another tribute. She is one of the most enduring, the most well-known and the most-admired fictional characters of all time, Scarlett O'Hara, from the 1939 American novel by Margaret Michell, Gone With The Wind. As I was going around old Savannah to take pictures, I was trying to look at photographic possibilities, believe it or not, from the eyes of Scarlett O'Hara. I was trying to imagine how she would have seen the old South with her very own eyes during the American Civil War and Reconstruction. To download the free 22-page PDF portfolio showcasing the complete collection of 33 dramatic black-and-white images, click on Scarlett's Secret Savannah. If you like any of the photo images, you can order framed or unframed fine art prints of any or all of the portfolio images. Just email fun@theplaygroundstudios.com or visit http://www.theplaygroundstudios.com. All fine art photo prints are created by Eric Calderon of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. Go to http://www.ericcalderon.com for more details. [Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82 (Renzo). You can also email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com for your questions. For more information, visit The Playground Professional Photography Studios website. The Playground is sponsored and supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Eneloop, Xacti, Sanyo, Globis, Airborne Access, Global Destiny and MyDestiny. The Playground is a photographic imaging partner of ESC Creative and MediaCircus. It is also associated with The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), John Robert Powers (JRP), CalCarrie International Models, Ford Models International Philippines, and Runway Productions. Likewise, it is the premiere digital imaging consultant to and affiliate of the Solid Group, Inc. Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground Professional Photography Studios proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs digital camera and all original Nikkor lenses. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James, The Dominique James Professional Photography Studios and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.]

Singapore Shootout: An Exclusive Preview

Under the watchful eyes of two adults, a group of young boys dutifully file in line during an educational field trip to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. Located along Serangoon Road, this is one of the most richly, lavishly and ornately decorated temples that I have ever seen in Singapore. The riot of designs blend into each other in an intricate yet meaningful play of patterns. The textural effect of incredible details can shock the visual sense at first, but everything, it seems, just flow smoothly and evenly from one design to the next. This photograph is an outtake from the one-day shootout I did with well-known Singapore-based Filipino travel and adventure freelance photographer and photo editor, Lester Ledesma. The shootout covered a lot of grounds. It started from the marketplace and little shop houses of Little India and the temples in Chinatown, and then progressed towards the cosmopolitan Orchard Road and the business district, Raffles Place. To be published as a 10-page editorial travel feature in iMag Photography Magazine this coming May, this shootout is a look at Singapore from the point of view of 2 photographers (Lester Ledesma vs. Dominique James), using 2 different camera systems (Canon EOS 5D vs. Nikon D2Xs), and processing the images using 2 different workflows (Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 vs. Apple Aperture 1.5.2). The shootout will also puts to a test the functionality and practicality of other photography gears such as the Epson P5000 Photo Viewer, among others. [Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered under my company, The Dominique James Photography Studio, call landline + 63 2 410 43 52 (ask for Agnes Taylan), mobile + 63 917 808 88 04, or email The Studio. For more information, visit The Dominique James Photography Studio website.]
Photographed by Dominique James of The Dominique James Photography Studio. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James and The Dominique James Photography Studio. All rights reserved.

Primer: A Shootout In Singapore

During the early stages in planning the 8-day schedule of my recent Singapore trip, I had about 2 days free that I wanted to fill with something interesting, if not fruitful, to do. I know I’d somehow stumble upon something interesting that I can do when I get to Singapore, but I didn’t want fate to take care of the 2 days. The strategy of following where the wind may blow often doesn’t work for me. It just produces a lot of unintended side effects. You can therefore understand that I almost desperately wanted to control those 2 days, particularly since I am in a foreign land. Initially, what appealed to me was to take a side trip to nearby Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, to visit a good friend and an esteemed colleague, Jenhor Siow. And that would have been a great idea. Jen has been inviting me for the longest time to visit him, and here it seemed, was the perfect excuse to do so. But as the trip neared, the 2 free days became 1 free day, and eventually, talking to an old friend, now a Singapore-based travel/adventure photographer and photo editor, Lester Ledesma, we conceptualized a 10-page editorial travel photography feature for iMag Photography Magazine. We worked around the concept of a shootout in Singapore. The idea was to pit 2 professional photographers, 2 professional cameras, and 2 professional workflows encapsulated in a neat package of a one-day shoot of Singapore. The idea of the shootout matured quickly. Lester and I grew excited with it. iMag Photography Magazine publisher Neil Garcia didn’t even think twice when I tried to explain concept to him over the phone. He quickly agreed to the idea and immediately committed to allocate 10 full pages for this shootout. Lester spoke to Canon in Singapore and I spoke to Nikon in Manila. Anderson Tan of Columbia Digital saw this as an opportunity to showcase their flagship camera, the incredibly amazing Nikon D2Xs. And, since Lester’s wife, Marian Young-Ledesma, is from Adobe based in Singapore, Lester naturally tended to use Lightroom. I, on the other hand, recently minted as an Apple Certified Professional and Apple Certified Trainor, use almost exclusively Aperture on my Mac systems. Lester was looking at Singapore from the eyes of someone who has been living there for years. And I, on the other hand, was looking at Singapore for the first time. Lester naturally assumed the role of the guide, while I, the virgin, followed dutifully. For most of the way, my good friend, and now also a Singapore-based photographer, Justin Sales, accompanied us during the shootout. With each place we went to, we happily snapped along the way. There were so many things I wanted shoot. I was looking at everything from a pair of fresh eyes, therefore, everything looked new and different. Good thing that the Nikon D2Xs have an impressive battery life. Good thing that I brought with me lots of CF cards. And good thing that I packed the Epson Fine Pix Viewer P-5000 with roomy 80GB of hard disc space to store all the RAW pictures shot with the Nikon D2Xs. With all the right ingredients, everything fell into place. It just clicked, so to speak. And so, the problem of what to do on that one remaining free day while I was in Singapore, was solved. The shootout was such an elegant, extraordinary and brilliant solution. It is a solution that worked not only for me, but also for a lot of others. I do not know if there will be another opportunity like this in the near future but I do know that that one day I did a shootout with Lester will forever remain as one of the most interesting and memorable days I’ve spent in Singapore. Through my Nikon D2Xs, I got to know Singapore, from shore to shore, the way I did, and not otherwise the way I would have or wouldn’t have, if Lester and I did not do the shootout. The 10-page Singapore Shootout will come out in iMag Photography Magazine’s May 2007 issue. Watch out for it! [Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered under my company, The Dominique James Photography Studio, call landline + 63 2 410 43 52 (ask for Agnes Taylan), mobile + 63 917 808 88 04, or email The Studio. For more information, visit The Dominique James Photography Studio website.]
Photo of Lester Ledesma and Dominique James by Justin Sales of Lights + Lines Photography. Copyright 2007 © The Dominique James Photography Studio. All rights reserved.