pHOTOGRAPHY cULTURE & THE aRTS

pHOTOGRAPHY cULTURE & THE aRTS http://vicsol.multiply.com/ lives transformed through a lens in 1/125 of a second Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:23:23 -0000 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:57:58 -0000 pHOTOGRAPHY cULTURE & THE aRTS http://images.vicsol.multiply.com/logo http://vicsol.multiply.com 100 100 fRUITS & oTHER sTILL lIFE In the creative process, something most of us are vaguely aware of happens. In fRUITS & oTHER sTILL lIFE, I'd like to think that the capacity of photography to surprise in the visionary sense remains intact. In more ways than one, fRUITS & oTHER sTILL lIFE provides a visual link—unconsciously in the process—between the modern visionaries of photography, whose works I admire, and the contemporary essence of my photography. In the end, I love what I was doing and I think that that's all that matters. http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/16/fRUITS_oTHER_sTILL_lIFE Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:57:58 -0000 jACK o oL tRADES, mASTER o nONE <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/R@KZQQoKCqIAAHtETTI1"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/R@NsjwoKCqIAAGX6d9E1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.vicsol.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/R@NsjwoKCqIAAGX6d9E1/mAYON%20%26%20cOUNTRY%20LIGHTS.jpg?et=e2fLKM1RO033rfsJzVs%2CJA&nmid=&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502" border="0"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/R@KZQQoKCqIAAHtETTI1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.vicsol.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/R@KZQQoKCqIAAHtETTI1/sPIN.jpg?et=u2O77Eyo46bQitl%2CQjZviA&nmid=&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502&nmid=87208502" border="0"></a>I'm a writer, editor and photographer. These are the things I do best and enjoy the most. I'm also a businessman—sort of—who sells fine art photography (mine, basically) for extra cash.     Last night , I met  Kaka  (See the blog Ode to Water), her boyfriend from Cebu, Ace, and a childhood friend of hers, Mary Rose. Ace and Kaka met me at Kitchen restaurant in Greenbelt 3 where we had dinner. Afterwards we walked to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and met Mary Rose.     Basically, I had to meet Kaka because she's also a framer and I asked her to fix one of my pictures, entitled Spin. Spin is a black and white picture of the lotus flower— styled in avant-garde fashion—that mysteriously got some sort of fungus behind the frame glass. The image is 24" x 36", plus 10" on all sides for the frame and matte for 34" x 46" in total dimensions— framed and mounted.     She was basically making a delivery.   &nbs... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/27/jACK_o_oL_tRADES_mASTER_o_nONE Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:24:00 -0000 tHE eASY lIFE Pictures for my blog tHE eASY http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/15/tHE_eASY_lIFE Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:08:58 -0000 tHE eASY lIFE (Dear All, this article came out in the March 2008 edition of pERSONAL fORTUNE—the monthly magazine of Business Mirror—entitled For the easy life: Sony takes aim at the single-lens reflex market. vICsOL) LIFE is indeed easier for the photographer. Gone are the days when even the amateur must calculate and fine tune focusing distance, lens opening and shutter speed in relation to ambient light and ISO rating in order to take a picture that is considered passable. Automation took care of all that and more.     The digital camera even knocked off the most dreaded equation in photography: darkroom work. No more developers, fixers; no more wash and bleach. The MacBook Pro and Photoshop took care of those messy and dangerous chemicals.     The latest contender in the realm of digital single lens reflex camera is entertainment and gadget conglomerate Sony Corp. Its Alpha series has become the company’s flagship and the A700 has come head-to-head with Canon’s 40D ... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/26/tHE_eASY_lIFE Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:52:00 -0000 rOCK fILIPINAS tOP jUNK STYLE By Vic Sollorano Rock and roll is full of surprises, and more than sheer talent and artistry and musicality, musicians need luck—lots of it—to turn their dream into reality. Punk rock band Top Junk has been pulling surprises in the two years of its existence, first and foremost with its musicality and artistry and originality, but its members know they’ve still got a long way to go and being at the top of the heap remains the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Vocalist Marizel Sarangelo, a.k.a. Tuesday Vargas the television comedian-actress, views that whole dreamboat idealism of fame and fortune in the sober tones of someone grounded on reality. (In contrast, their songs give fans a high that certainly give the alcohol—and whatever else is—in their blood a boost.) Her life revolves on the world of entertainment and domestic realm she has created and whose significant persons are son Kaya and bandmate and partner Jerico Placido. “Top Junk’s main intention from day one was just ... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/25/rOCK_fILIPINAS_tOP_jUNK_STYLE Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:58:00 -0000 rOCK fILIPINAS tOP jUNK STYLE These photos of punk rock group tOP jUNK accompany my article, rOCK fILIPINAS tOP jUNK STYLE which appears in slightly different form in the January 2008 edition of Maxim magazine. Final selection is the discretion of their editors. Back story: originally written for pf magazine, this magazine's editor who is also music editor of Maxim has decided to use my article for the ABS-CBN publication. See blog, rOCK fILIPINAS tOP jUNK STYLE to read the article as submitted. vICsOL http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/14/rOCK_fILIPINAS_tOP_jUNK_STYLE Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:48:28 -0000 mEMORIZ—oDE TO wATER A selection of photos from the opening night of Karina Baluyot's oDE TO http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/13/13 Sat, 1 Dec 2007 02:19:23 -0000 oDE TO wATER A selection of Karina Baluyot's third one woman show currently on display at Galerie Raphael, 2d floor The Serendra, Global http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/12/oDE_TO_wATER Sat, 1 Dec 2007 02:07:08 -0000 oDE TO wATER — Karina Baluyot's 3d one woman show Some things were conspiring that Tuesday night the 27th of November in this part of the world. It was raining--not a real downpour and not a drizzle either, just a steady kind of November rain. It was nature imitating art. The exhibit was Ode to Water by Karina "Kaka" Baluyot, hosted by Jack Teotico in his Galerie Raphael on the second floor of the Serendra in Global City. Family, friends and patrons were there to support the artist in her 3d one woman show. What struck me about her works on display were the maturity of her brush strokes--controlled, yet playful; authoritative, yet really unassuming. These attributes actually made her paintings--characterized by thick dubs of oil paint sculpted to bear form and texture--heavy on the mental side, yet fresh and accessible. Also, there is a raw kind of sensuality that lingers tucked somewhere beneath the totality of her individual paintings, like the scent of Channel No. 5 long after Carmen had left the dim-lit room. Definitely, passion murm... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/24/24 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:59:00 -0000 Karina Baluyot It's a different feeling to write about someone you know to a certain extent than writing about someone you haven't really shared space and time with other than the yield of research.This is how I'm writing about Karina Baluyot, one of the most dynamic and vibrant young artists in the Philippines today. We are like--come to think of it now--soulmates. Once in a while we hang out together, and--wala lang--talk about life in general and as it pertains to her art and my photography. I am comfortable sharing a meal or coffee with her in a in a coffee shop or restaurant in a mall or somewhere else. I'm writing about Kaka--her nickname--because tonight is her third one woman show at Galarie Raphael on the 2d floor of Serendra in Global City. Called Ode to Water, the exhibit consists of 33 paintings on different media. She describes them as "...paintings on canvas, board and handmade paper. Depicting shells, the rain, waves, the sea and other elements inspired by water." In the tradition of the... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/21/Karina_Baluyot Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:54:00 -0000 aPPLES & pEARS & mORE fusion photography where hope and passion meet Last October, after my exhibit at the the Ayala Museum ArtistSpace, I took a week off from work. I wanted to fly to Bangkok to visit my children. In fact, made arrangements for the trip. But then again, I will go to Scarborough and visit friends instead. Or simply for a Philippne destination to shoot unfamiliar scenes. I always buy fruits. My table top set was still up after a commercial shoot of beauty porducts--bottles basically. I always place a pear because I have this affinity with the particular backdrop that I'm using. I also shoot the pear, using the macro settings on my EF 70-300 mm telephoto zoom 1:4-5.6. None of my travel plans took off, Not that week of the 15th. I know why. This reminds of Ways of Escape the aubobiography of Graham Greene. He used to postpone works, including novels under contract, because he wanted to escape the drugery of work. I think that's what happened to me. Until i got bored taking pictures of apples and pears. I called Crucible Gallery at SM Mega... http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/11/aPPLES_pEARS_mORE_fusion_photography_where_hope_and_passion_meet Tue, 6 Nov 2007 02:32:28 -0000 a gLIMPSE OF THE lANDSCAPE a gLIMPSE OF THE lANDSCAPE, as described by a friend who accompanied me over the weekend for a drive in Batangas, reflects on photography that is as contemporary as the equipment that I've used--Canon EOS 5D and 70-300 mm telephoto zoom 1:4-5.6, also called the lens with the green stripe. The images have been made within the parameters of time that are less than 20 minutes, and definitely within a fraction of a second when it comes to individual images. These words are better understood with the following consideration: Photography was officially announced in 1839 in Paris, France before members of the French Academy of Sciences.The process was then known as the daguerreotype--from the machine to the taking of the picture to the final product. Developments ran amok as artist and techies of that time contributed to improve on the new invention. But it was not until 1850 when exposure time was actually reduced to less than 5 minutes. Okay. After all that has been said and done, I believe... http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/10/a_gLIMPSE_OF_THE_lANDSCAPE Tue, 6 Nov 2007 01:06:49 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT+poetry/Carla Casanova The writer, editor--an artist in her own right--Carla Casanova shall read poetry on Friday 5 Oct 07 at 5 pm to celebrate the opening of vISIONS IN THE lIGHT at the Ayala Museum ArtistSpace. See you http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/19/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHTpoetryCarla_Casanova Tue, 2 Oct 2007 23:11:00 -0000 VicSol on Art takes on Jill Arwen Posadas and her Romp at OWG Creative Center Saturday 22 Sept 2007 I got this SMS from Ross Capili as I was wrapping up a product shoot: Pare, im inviting tonyt at 630pm, we hve an opening exhibit at oneworkshop gallery, u Going there as a detour to my appointment with the owners of a small cosmetics factory was one of the best things that ever happened to me last weekend. I met the artist Jill Arwen Posadas; her signature works adorned the walls of OWG Creative Center. Her exhibit--ROMP--basically reflects the lightness of her personality. She is so approachable, so unassuming, so... Wala s'yang excess baggage whatsoever. Her works exude the playfulness of a child. Her mastery of color and technique dances with a full imagination, unlike the works of an elder veteran who painted toys referenced on a photograph whose exhibit I saw last year at SM Mega Mall. Posadas will likely go down in the history of Philippine art as the artist whose works matured so much in a charming manner despite her biological, and theref... http://vicsol.multiply.com/reviews/item/2 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 01:56:18 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT The young photographer Noel Salazar will shoot the opening cocktails of vISIONS IN THE lIGHT. It would be great to see him do his stuff in the spirit of photography by photographers for http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/18/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:23:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT/hanging out with Jeremy & Ku Managing the Arts Program batch 10, or MAP 10. That was our two week stint in April 2005 at the Asian Institute of Management. We were the last batch before the program was moved to the CCP. Now the same program is running under the acronym META at the Peta Theater building in Quezon City. Two MAP 10 guys who turned out to be my pals are theater actors Jeremy Domingo and Ku Aquino. Their Word of Mouth productions staged Aqua Barkada at the RCBC Theater. I took the pictures. Last night we kind of hang out at bang coffee on T Morato. Ku and Jeremy came from Peta with Miguel, also a theater actor. Ku and Miguel were in the Peta play Romulus da Great! and Jeremy was in the audience. (I came from the office-Yes. Journalists work on Sundays. On the way I took our editorial writer Dave Llorito to Glorietta where he was supposed to pick up the book We're All Journalists Now: The Transformation of the Press and the Reshaping of of the Law int eh Internet Age. (Yes. Journalists like us ... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/17/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHThanging_out_with_Jeremy_Ku Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:48:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Poster #6 for vISIONS IN THE LIGHT from the Ayala http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/16/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:46:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Poster #5 for vISIONS IN THE LIGHT from the Ayala http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/15/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:44:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Poster #4 for vISIONS IN THE lIGHT from the Ayala http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/14/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:42:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Poster #3 for vISIONS IN THE lIGHT from the Ayala http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/13/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:41:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Poster #2 for vISIONS IN THE lIGHT from the Ayala http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/12/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:39:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Poster # for vISIONS IN THE lIGHT from the Ayala http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/11/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:37:00 -0000 From Goodbye, Summer 2005 to Hello vISIONS IN THE lIGHt 2007 This article came out in the Archikonst magazine July 2005 edition in conjunction with my exhibit at the then Epson Katha Digital Imaging Gallery in Glorietta. Goodbye, Summer is my second solo exhibit here in the Philippines since I started coming back in October 2004. The first was in May of the same year, entitled Unnatural Habitat at the The Enterprise Center Art Hall –VS Goodbye, Summer: A visionary look at the lotus flower and the beaches of Boracay through digital photography To many the term digital photography conjures images that are overly software-edited and have that experimental look that is not easily recognizable. Not true at all when it comes to the photographs of lotus flowers and Boracay by Vic Sollorano, on exhibit through to June 15 at the Katha Epson Digital Imaging Gallery in Glorietta 3, Makati Commercial Center.* For Sollorano, the equation is simple: digital photography = photography using a digital camera or a camera with a digital back + edited on a computer ... http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/10/From_Goodbye_Summer_2005_to_Hello_vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHt_2007 Wed, 5 Sep 2007 02:25:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT The Visions in the Light Statement Visions in the Light is my response to nature, in this case the lotus flower. I am awed and amazed by this encounter. My curiosity is stirred. If a lotus could speak, it would have said to me, Come; explore my endless possibilities, for I can be a thousand other forms without losing the essence of my nature. The camera serves as an extension to my eye, the lotus an object of desire. My two-pronged ambition is simple: bring forth its tonal range within the bounds of black and white; and journey through its undulating texture. I want to create something new, give life to an image that has always been part and parcel of a cultural scene for more than 2000 years, but never been explored before in the way that I do. In more ways than one, I have reached that vision through Visions in the Light. The essence of my being dictates that I share them with you. –Victor Sollorano http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/9/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:06:00 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT Ayala Museum The Director's Choice 2-15 October 2007 A contemporary look at the lotus flower through digital photography by Victor Sollorano http://vicsol.multiply.com/photos/album/9/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 3 Sep 2007 03:31:23 -0000 vISIONS IN THE lIGHT My muse is Terracota, but very organic and totally blue. Looks like she just came from the bowels of the earth. Her flowing robes cover her feet. Her hair, in buns, have chopsticks and mineature bells. She moves in stealthy fashion, but would rather recline on a mahogany and wicker-work divan. She says in her sweet falsetto voice, "Your pictures must evolve from the depths of your soul, the core of your heart and on the edge of your sane thoughts." I think I shall call her Sweet Lady Blue. http://vicsol.multiply.com/journal/item/8/vISIONS_IN_THE_lIGHT Mon, 3 Sep 2007 00:54:00 -0000