Pedrosa: All set for Sinulog ‘13

Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania

OSCAR Bersabal Machacon Jr., one of the thousands of registrants for the Sinulog photo contest, in his Facebook status said, “That awkward moment while shooting the opening salvo of Sinulog in Basilica, fotogs on my left & right are using D4 with all the nano lenses and me felt so underdog with my CD-R king tripod :)”

Photographers from different parts of the country and even from abroad arrive in Cebu to witness the spectacle and vie to win in one of the most prestigious photo contests in Cebu, if not the country. See photographers with their countless gadgets hanging like decors in a Christmas tree. ­­

All photographers seeking the best angle and the right timing to bag the hefty cash prize and the bragging rights for taking the winning shot among tens of thousands of entries. Registration is still P1,000, and this comes with an official pass and a not-so-good quality shirt. This time Nikon is sponsoring the event.

Last year, Mikhail Arrogante’s winning streak was broken when Louis Enario won the grand prize followed by Dan Ong for the second place and Mark Philip Dales for the third place. Will the veterans claim back the glory this year, or will another sophomore emerge?

Whichever direction the judge goes, one thing’s for sure, the experience and the opportunity of shooting for more than a week from the different colorful activities happening during the entire festival is already something to value and remember.

Here are some tips when shooting the festivities.

1. Make sure to bring a plastic wrap for your cameras to protect them from the rain. I can’t even remember the last time that it didn’t rain during the grand parade.

2. Don’t bring water. It just adds weight. You can always buy it in the street.

3. Bring a scarf and a bush hat to protect yourself from the heat. This will save you energy to last the entire day of shooting.

4. Plan your route and consider the direction of the parade and the sun’s position.
Find out where you will start and end your day.

5. Shoot with a friend or a group. The parade can sometimes be too much for you to handle. You can take a break and chat with your shooting buddy. You can also look after each other.

6. Check your camera settings before you start shooting. Make sure you’re shooting raw and other settings like light optimization or d-lighting.

7. Play with your shooting mode, such as the aperture priority or shutter priority. The action can sometimes be fast so that putting it in manual mode will only delay you from getting the shot.

8. Get as much information as you can about the activity and research previous winning photos.

9. Look at where you’re going, especially when your eyes are in the view finder.

10. Don’t forget to enjoy the festivities.

There you go. Good luck to all who registered, and happy shooting, everyone.

photography@grp.ph / www.grp.ph