PHOTOGRAPHY is truly an art when time is captured at a precise moment for eternity. This is what the Baguio Photographers Club did in the second exhibit called “Flower Feast II” at SM.
The two years old club of photography addicts displayed their mastery of the craft in the 37 pieces selected by exhibit curator Ric Maniquis.
Ric said the images were romantic, poetic, strange, and amazing. They expressed the affections of the photographers as they said it with flowers.
Guest of honor, national artist Benedict Cabrera or Bencab, said the exhibit showed the innovations and creativity of the photographers with the digital medium. He said the show would inspire new talents to explore the infinite wonders of the electronic medium.
As photography guru, Ompong Tan enthuses about Tom Acop’s “Summer Umbrella” that it took Tom 1600 patient attempts to capture the drop of water in its rebound to the surface. This particular photo captured the images of a sunflower within the droplet of water.
Similarly, Mikey dela Pena’s “Into the Heart” showed a red anthurium splattered with grenadine syrup. Mikey suspended the splatter of the syrup from the petal of the anthurium casting the beautiful complement between red and green and the merging of red on red.
The photographs challenged the viewer’s urge to touch the photo and feel the texture of liquid suspended in mid air.
There was also the shattered effect of flowers in ice. The two dimensional visual sensation in Congelati Fancuille (Frigid Maidens) by Yuthika Isla Daguman and “Heart of Light” by Arnel Vergara tricks the eyes. It appeared like a super imposition of sheets of transparent and translucent glass over the flowers just in time to capture the flowers coming out of their icy beds.
Compositions also expressed much about the softness of a woman’s perspective. Elicon’s “Attraction” made the contour of white on white soft shadows with a singular flower feel like elegance personified. It left the impression of the shape of a woman in fine clothes with a singular flower as a bouquet.
Ryan Tabangin’s “Persus Ransom” that captured scenery inside a crystal ball held by a finger showed how a sphere can naturally capture images within it. It was the fish eye lens outside the camera.
There was also the play of multiple images in certain flowers like Lino Tabangin’s “Enchanted Garden”. Departing from the mums, roses and dahlia’s, Lino chose flowers that looked like fairies doing a dance. A close up of the ruffled contours of petals of tiny flowers.
There were a thousand feelings that the images inspired in the people who borrowed the lenses of the photographers in the split second that the photographs were taken.
Definitely, the feeling of awe for beauty.
But nothing could equal the image of a butterfly taking flight from a red flower in Mayor Peter Rey Bautista’s “Butterfly”. The lines of the petals of a flower in the background gave texture and contrast to the butterfly that was opening its wings to lift off. Or is it the butterfly giving texture to the red background.
These are but a few of the photographs that will delight the gazers at the SM lower basement gallery. Truly a flower feast. Congratulations to the Baguio Photographers Club. Beauty is in the lens of the photographers.