Do artists think alike?

Someone commented recently about my photography habit, "dakayo nga talaga photographers, agpapada panunot yo" (you photographers really think alike). 

It made me think and I remembered one time I was with some photographers looking at world war two ruins. One of them commented that it would be nice to have a photo shoot with models near the ruins. A distinctive effect with a stunning beauty as the subject and frenzied ruins in the background.

But what I have in mind was completely different. I was hoping some very old war veteran will pass by with wrinkled expression of a distraught face to match the ruinous background showing the chaotic past of the place. I prefer to have the very person who witnessed the transformation of the ruins from its old glory to be part of my image.

Both ideas would show art but with different impact. Artists may agree to so many things but they don’t necessarily think alike. In a hyperbolic comparison, some think vertically and some horizontally.

But one thing is for sure, each artist will always see an art from every scenery. Some would focus on a single shape or image while others consider the whole scenery. Some would focus on a single mountain concentrating on its shape with the sun setting in the background. Another would shoot the wide skyline showing its glorious transformation from blue to reddish orange with the group of mountains in the horizon. Another would attempt to combine them all in a single frame, a unique mountain shape as the foreground, and a background of a thousand mountains in the horizon and the changing hue of the skyline above them.

What artists do have in common is their way to communicate to the people in a non-linear way. Their images would grab attention and merit hours of discussion by critics and fans alike. For me, art is not just self expression but more on how you show the viewers your way of seeing things. If you can do that in your works, your art will be more appreciated. 

What's Your Artistic Value?

I often hear question on how much should you charge your photography specially in events like weddings. It's simple, what level is your artistic value? If you think it's cheap then charge 1,500 for a wedding. If it's above average then charge accordingly. Some charge 8,000 to 10,000, some are higher at 15,000 to 20,000 while some are charging as high as 50,000 to 80,000 a wedding.

Read tips from such sites as the following:

http://digital-photography-school.com
www.betterphotography.com

These sites will teach you how to compute your overhead expenses like the worth of your camera and gears,  how to price according to your competitors, how much your clients can afford, will you scare off potential clients because you charge too low or too high, etc. etc.

There are many sites that can guide you how to price your work but it all boils down to your worth as an artist after you deduct all of the necessary overhead expenses.

Photography: Professionals, Hobbyists and Amateurs

Reading the endless debate about the definition of professional and hobbyist photographer, I want to write my own opinion on the issue.

Many say that the only difference between professionals and hobbyists is that the former receives money for the job he does and the latter doesn’t. I partly disagree. Professionalism also involves the quality of work. Before you even ask for money for your work, you have to know the rules and should have developed the art in photography.

I’m not saying that hobbyists are no better than professionals. There are some who takes photos that can blow your mind. Some hobbyists have innate art of seeing that the rest has yet to develop.

The problem is the term hobbyist is always associated with amateurs, although many of them are. Hobby is what you do when you are not doing anything else. So professionals can also be hobbyists if that’s what they do when they are not shooting for money. When professionals are not shooting for the profit, they are doing it for the love of it, just like the rest of the hobbyists.

But professionals should have already developed the craft by learning the trade first hand constantly improving their art. That means they have started as amateur photographers learning from pros. That includes spending much just to get better correcting a lot of mistakes before they even decide that they can already be branded as pros themselves. Bringing out good pictures is not what professional is all about. For instance, in wedding photography, you should know where to shoot the best angle and you should already know what follows in the program so that you should know where to position yourself. Even in photojournalism, you can differentiate the amateurs from the pros by just looking at where they are positioned.

But there are amateurs charging people for their work. Some of them think that having a better camera will make them better photographers. Quoting Barry Hayes, a photographer in Vermont, “while technology may produce a camera that can make a technically perfect exposure, it cannot yet produce an artistically satisfying image or revealing portrait without the eye and mind of a skilled professional.” These posers are not professionals at all. Like any other endeavors, there are the knock offs. The following video is a classic example of amateurs posing as professionals.



I believe my short article has helped clear the issues between the differences of professionals, hobbyists and amateurs. But I’d like to end it by confusing you further with this quote from Alfred Stieglitz in 1899. It’s up to you to end the story. (‘ ‘,)

"Let me here call attention to one of the most universally popular mistakes that have to do with photography - that of classing supposedly excellent work as professional, and using the term amateur to convey the idea of immature productions and to excuse atrociously poor photographs. As a matter of fact nearly all the greatest work is being, and has always been done, by those who are following photography for the love of it, and not merely for financial reasons. As the name implies, an amateur is one who works for love; and viewed in this light the incorrectness of the popular classification is readily apparent."

Strawberry Lane: A Unique Trade Fair at the Strawberry Festival

One of the unique innovations during the Strawberry festival is the Strawberry Lane which offers variety of strawberry inspired products from donuts to facial scrub.

What was removed from the Baguio Panagbenga Festival which was the flower inspired foods fair, La Trinidad picked up. Chairperson Municipal Agriculturist Fely Ticbaen said that “the trade fair is to showcase different entrepreneurs producing strawberry based products.”

Many who participated continued the product that won a Guinness World Record in 2004 when La Trinidad showcased the biggest strawberry shortcake. Different versions had been competed against each other for the best strawberry shortcake since then and some are currently offered at the Strawberry Lane. Normancita Obar also known as Menchi, an entrepreneur of Menchie’s did not only offer cakes but it also produced its unique version of strawberry donuts. One of the sponsors of the activities, she operates her business at home and her cakes can be ordered through her cellphone at 09089000672.



Other unique products are strawberry toast pizza by Veronica Siloy, Strawberry Sherbet at Ligaya canteen and of course there are the different brands of strawberry wine and strawberry jams.

Other agricultural events during the culminating program of the Strawberry Festival was the Duting tan Dukto, a breakfast treat serving strawberries (duting) and camote (dukto) products.

Strawberry eating contest was also held as fun activity. The biggest strawberry competition was held for the strawberry growers. The free wine tasting was not only participated by men by a large number of women as well.

The main event was the Giant Strawberry Salad Bowl where more than 3,000 servings were distributed for free.

Panagbenga Festival, the Complexities

The 17th Panagbenga probably has presented one of the unique innovations done with its street dancing parade shifting from the original flower filled dances backed with pop music into cultural presentations. This and many other events earned lots of positive and negative reactions from the audience. I believe all festivals have complexities.

With the final showdown at the Athletic Bowl, Cordillerans seem to have improved in showcasing their ethnic customs. However, the supposed street dancing parade was past paced along the stretch of Session and Harrison roads that the audience there complained for the lack of entertainment.

As my friend Fiscal Elmer Sagsago said of his visitors who came all the way from Bicol, “They came expecting a lot of dancing during the street dancing competition but were very disappointed. If you invite guests to your City to be entertained, make sure that they will be entertained,” said Sagsago. Many other guests share the same sentiment and they did not care to follow them to the athletic bowl because they didn’t expect a grander show.


The problem the organizers had been trying to solve was the pacing of the parade. As the BFFFI Chairman explained, “if we solve the pacing, we lose the entertainment value. But if we focus on the entertainment value, it will affect the pacing.” It probably is one of the most common problems of festivals.

During the early years of the Panagbenga festival, 2 minutes were allotted for each participant to perform in designated areas on the streets. This causes big gaps in between participants. But are the big gaps a big problem among the audience? As one of the execrators commented, “I believe the gap is the least of their worries and they’d rather enjoy watching the performances which is the reason why they came.”

Another issue among the observers is the extended 2-day parade. It was stretched so that the two parades could be finished earlier in the day. It has also more income potential for businesses with more days for tourists to stay in the City.

A veteran journalist who had been covering many festivals told me that long parades are not problems in other parts of the country, the longer the parades, the better. The festivals like the Sinulog starts at 8 in the morning and ends at 12 midnight and people enjoy them and they don’t complain.

They have concentrated their effort for that one day grand show and they have successfully generated longing for the audience that sponsors are willing to bestow their support giving away more than enough budget to make a spectacular festival.

As my journalist friend said, our festival in Baguio seems to be concentrated on the income the city can generate than to the quality that it was stretched thin throughout the month of February in five weeks of scattered activities.
Yet sponsors seem to be backing away to give their full support for the festival with less and less funds to spend for a grander showcase.

Another friend who has observed the growth of the festival through the years compared it to a cup of peanut that if placed on a large plate, the peanut would look very little for not filling the whole space. But if the same amount of peanut is placed on a small saucer, it would look plenty.

Less is more would be the statement. Putting all the Panagbenga events in 1 week instead of 1 month would perhaps become a dream vacation for many tourists, but of course, less income to the businesses sector. How can we satisfy the audience at the same time maximize the potential to the business sector? It is now a question how to balance quality and quantity.

One suggestion I received from another friend is there should be more promotions. People from other places only think of the main parade when they hear Panagbenga.


Every activity should have its own advertising budget, not a collective promotion for the whole event. Although the fluvial parade was a disappointment this year, this was one of the unique events that this friend of mine wanted to see because of the photos he saw in a magazine published last year, Yet it completely skipped his mind because he did not see any separate advertisement promoting it. There may have been ads but not enough that not many people noticed.

He said all of the activities during the Panagbenga have potentials to be Grand National events. The “Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom” could attract national or even international artists who are willing to come and create a painting that they can give away to Panagbenga and the foundation can earn by auctioning them.

With only one famous artist we can invite to come, many others will follow. And many of the best artists who can draw crowds live right in the neighborhood.

The Pony Boys day too can attract more participants it its games if properly advertised.

I do agree that if we can’t compress all the events together, separate promotions should be given more attention. I promoted the “Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom” event to online facebook groups, many came and have created beautiful designs that were chosen to be included in the parades. And that was just me. How much more when there are people dedicated to do that kind of promotions to all groups in the country? Perhaps even this event can create big income potential when it’s hyped in all advertising media.

Like what my friend said, there’s a possible way to address the quality and not loss in quantity for this festival. We may not need to hire more people to do it, just use proper mechanisms.

"Fun in the Philippines" Blunder

A photo of Thailand used in The Straits Times baring the new DOT campaign "It's more fun in the Philippines" is now one of the rising issues online.

The photo below was credited to the Department of Tourism in the online version of the News paper.


Here's the print version of the paper published on January 12, 2012.

The photo was formerly published online showing the Shongkaran Festival of Thailand.


Irresponsible reportage?
Department of Tourism Blunder?
An individual's deception?

I for one will not blame the reporter if that photo has indeed come from the Department of Tourism. If for some reason, an individual just want to make fun of the logo and the DOT readily accepted it, then perhaps that department should be the one to be educated first about our tourism for they don't know what are ours and what are not.

But if the photo was not from DOT but only attributed to them like they claimed, then the responsibility is to the journalist especially if the photo was only downloaded online.

I don't like the new slogan but I don't want to reject it. Compared to the "Pilipinas kay Ganda", there are many ways to make it work. We can promote the Philippines as a place of Fiestas, Adventures, Foods, Beaches, etc.

Yet, if our Department Heads don't have enough knowledge and don't explore for new ideas to promote tourism, our new campaign will not go far and we'll just have another useless battle cry striving after the wind. I do believe there are many talented individuals who can make this campaign escalate.

Yes, it's fun in the Philippines as what our colleagues working abroad would say, "there's no place like home" because there are many things that we can proudly say, "only in the Philippines."

Kapangan Staged 2nd Anitap Festival

Lunch are served in banana trunk plates.
Photo and story by: Carl C. Taawan

Kapangan, Benguet has recently concluded its second Anitap Festival on March 17, 2009. The community activity was attended by the 15 different barangays of the municipality.

Councilor Bentres, the tourism officer of the municipality explained that “the Anitap tree is the source of the indigenous musical instrument called the “tallak” which is used in the performance of the Tallak dance.” Anitap, scientifically known as Macaranga Cumingii, is abundant in Kapangan. Bentres said that “Tallak was not only used by the people of Kapangan but the whole of Benguet in celebrating the canao long before the coming of the metal gongs.”

“The municipality decided to name its cultural celebration in recognition of this old age plant that has been part of the heritage of the people of Kapangan and of Benguet” said Bentres.

Mayor Canuto thanked the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) as the “major contributor in bringing cultural awareness to the people of Kapangan.“ NCCA allocated 138,000 for the event. Other major contributor is Governor Fongwan, the office of Congressman Dangwa and the Department of Tourism.

Department of Tourism Purification Molintas expressed her plan to establish a commission “to train the facilitators of the festival to improve the activities further. This way, the cordillera municipalities could establish world class festivals.”

Director Molintas voiced her delight on the “young people of Benguet starting to learn the cultures and customs which few years ago were not taught to them.” DOT has donated 275 t-shirts worn by the participants of the program.

All participants of the event including visitors were given lunch in the “watwat” style Igorot custom. The Anitap Festival is now an annual event.

Igorots in Motion

They were once mighty people of the earth and mountains. They carved the mountainsides to create big stairways of rice fields reaching up to the skies. They have braved the rough terrains and adjusted to the kind of living the mountains have to offer. They protected the treasures from invaders. When their efforts failed and their trees were harvested by invaders, they changed the sculpture of the bald mountains by creating vegetable farms that can supply the needs of the national capital region. They were called by their lowland brothers in the outskirts of the mountains Igolots.

According to early 20th century historian Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, golot is an old Bago tribe word meaning “mountain chain” or “mountain ranges” and the prefix “i” means “people of” or “dwellers in.” Igolot was the term the early people of the lowlands describe these mountain dwellers that came to trade goods with them. When the Spaniards came, the name was anglicized into Ygorrotte, to be spelled later as Igorot.

Although many of the people of the Cordillera don’t want to be called as such for some reasons. Many don’t like the negative connotations associated to the name. Some say they weren’t called by their ancestors with that name so it’s not appropriate to use it for their tribes and opted to use their own tribe’s name. Some have chosen to be called Cordillerans, although the term cordillera is of Spanish origin and is a common term in every country colonized by the Spaniards.

However, many people in the Cordillera Region of the Philippines already accepted the name given to them by their lowland brothers. They still use their tribe’s name such as Ibalois, Kankanaey, Ibontoc and such but accepted the Igorot term as their collective name.

From the first worldwide exposure of the Igorots as live exhibits in St. Louis Fair in Missouri in 1904, the Igorot people continue to migrate to different lands and countries. Nowadays Igorot communities have spread throughout the globe. Igorot online organizations are springing up and effort to clear the negative connotation of the name continue to spread.

The Igorots always help each other. It was the nature of their old culture. They made use of the internet as a means to expedite material aids when someone needs assistance especially when disaster strikes home. When disaster affected their lowland brothers, they too make extra effort to extend help. When Mt. Pinatubo erupted and thousand of people including the Aetas were displaced from their homes, truckloads of vegetables were sent as aids and the following famous quote came out: “Aetas very hungry, Igorots in a hurry.”

Yes, the Igorots are always in motion. They are respected worldwide and they are not ashamed of their name. Some of them may not be able to speak their local dialects anymore, but the values of their ancestors will always stay with them. After all, the Igorot way is about honor and respect.

Last April 2010, the online communities of Igorots met and created the Cordillera Global Network. It is an organization that involved not only the Igorot people but every person who became part of the Cordillera Region. The purpose is to help the new generations learn and appreciate their own culture and to shine as lights to other people to make them understand the history that brought wonders to these mountainous lands. A fitting organization to reunite them after decades of adventures that shaped their modern culture.

By Carl Carino Taawan

Igorots: The People Behind the Name

In many parts of the country, the word Igorot is used as a derogatory term for idiots. In 1958, Even the former representative Luis Hora of the Third District of the Old Mountain sought to prohibit the use of Igorot in a house bill he presented. But what does the word really mean and who are these people who are proud to be called as one.

Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, a Tagalog scholar in the early 1900s, stated that it was composed of the root word golot, meaning “mountain chain” or “mountain ranges” and the prefix i, meaning “people of” or “dwellers in.”

The fact that golot is a place has still survived in the speech of those “Bagos” living in the outskirts of the Ilocos provinces who are believed to be related to the Igorots. We still hear people say, “Nagapodad Golot” (They came from golot) when people arrive from the mountains.

"The word Igolot, therefore, appears to be perfectly indigenous Filipino origin, and it is in this form that it first appeared in Spanish records. The substitution of R for L in the word did not become popular until the 18th century when Antonio Mozo used the word in his 1763 Noticia Historico Natural changing the letter ‘L’ into letter ‘R’".

There is no record if the people in question called themselves Igorots (or Igolots) in the olden days. It would be more likely that this is what they were called by non-mountaineers in the lowlands. We have no idea if they ever have a collective term than can identify the highland tribes.

The name was imposed on the mountaineers by American Authority in the present century in accordance with the American ethnological surveys. The people of the old Mountain Province (namely Bontok, Ifugao, Benguet, Apayao and Kalinga) started using the term as their unique identity.

Presently, some people from the Cordillera Region refuse to use Igorot as their own identity for they argue that they were never called as such by their ancestors in the first place. And another reason is the derogatory meaning that lowland people associated with the name. Some wanted to be called Cordilleran instead. However, the word Cordillera is not an indigenous but a foreign (Spanish) term. It would then defeat the purpose of identifying the uniqueness of this distinct culture and people. In the first place, they pride themselves unconquered by the Spaniards so isn't using a Spanish term connote defeat.

Igorot is the closest local term to call these unique people. However, even the people it seeks to define are divided. In this writer's opinion, if they therefore can't agree with this name as their collective name, they should find a local terminology that they are all comfortable to use.

So what should be the perfect name to call these distinctive people of these mountain ranges or “golot”?

Kibungan: Where Monkeys Roamed

By Carl Cariño Taawan

Deep gorges separating and isolating many sitios and barangays, rocky cliffs formed as human faces, and pine covered mountains that is said to resemble those of Switzerland. A place named after a primate.

In the mountains of Kibungan dwelt monkeys that are believed to have vanished because of the degradation of the forests and hunted for food. These monkeys were bigger than their common families found in the area today. The Americans named this municipality after these primates. They were called by the locals “Kibengan”.

One of the people who saw the said monkeys was Bernabe Wance. “It was probably in 1932 that they still roamed these mountains, “he said. “As the population grows, the monkeys were hunted for food. The monkeys eventually run away or have been wiped out.”

Increase of population in Kibunga escalated when the logging and mining industry expanded in the area. Bigger communities like those from Sagpat and Lobo were formed during the gold mines that closed down sometime in the 80s.

Today Kibungan is subdivided into 7 Barangays. Badeo, Lubo, Madaymen, Palina, Poblacion and Sagpat. The language in this municipality is mainly Kankanaey. It is located within a cool highland mountainous zone with elevations at more than 2500 meters above sea level. During its coolest months of December - January, Barangay Madaymen experiences chilling temperature of 0 degrees Celsius causing the famous Frost of Madaymen.

The municipality has many sites to offer but many can be reached only through hiking. Here are some of them.

Les-eng Rice Terraces
These magnificent terraces can be reached after 6-hour hike through lush pine forests in Barangay Tacadang.
Mayos River
Located at the northeastern part of Barangay Poblacion. It is approximately 2.5 kilometers in length and is about 3 kilometers awayfrom Poblacion Proper. The river originates from ridges of nearby Barangays Madaymen, Palina and Tacadang and supplies water to rice paddies and vegetable farms along the vicinity.
Palina Rice Terraces
In Barangay Palina at the foot of Mt. Kilkili believed to be a former volcano because of its conical shape. Constructed following a century-old system of rice terraces built with stone walls and neatly arranged one after the other. The rice terraces are at their best in December and June when the rice paddies turn golden yellow, near harvest time. The Palina rice terraces is known as the municipality’s rice granary.

War Dance

What I am going to talk about here is not the war dance of our Igorot tribes but a documentary film I recently watched, a movie about the Acholi tribes of Northern Uganda. It’s about the lives of the people in a war zone torn by unending wars between the rebels and the Government. I wanted to watch the film to learn better documentation coz it has won several awards and was even nominated for Oscar. I learned more than just documentation here.

I was supposed to title this entry “The God Forsaken Land” but I don’t believe God would abandon those people even though that’s what some people think of them. Listening to the children’s stories would make your tears fall. In this place, common people are killed by rebels for no reason at all. They would hack them mercilessly and force their families to bury them. In some cases, body parts were just scattered and families have to locate the corpses’ heads to identify their kin. Raping of women are common stories. Old enough boys are forced to join the army of rebels. For the rebels, the more children they abduct for their army, the higher their ranks will be. These children are ordered to kill or be killed. There are about 200,000 children orphaned by the war.

But despite of this cruelty the Acholi people have kept their love for music. Playing their songs and dances can make them forget even just for a while the cruelty and make them feel as if everything is just how it used to be. In 2005, in the farthest and most vulnerable government protected school in a camp in Patongo emerged a group of Acholi orphans who aspire to present their musical talents in a National Musical and Choral competition. First time to attend such a big competition, the group traveled for two days on rugged terrains under armed escorts to the capital City of Kampala. To many of them, just going to Kampala is a big enough dream. Coming from the north, they were insulted by other competitors as people from the bush, rebels and murderers. Most of the other competitors believed the first time contestants will finish last. The inferiority feelings made it hard for them to compete.

Yet where most of the news are killings and fighting, the whole City is excited to watch what these people from the north are to present. People are keen to observe every time they’re onstage. In the end, they have exceeded everyone’s and perhaps even their own expectations. They have proven that they’re more than just children of war. They are musicians. Although they don’t have the freedom and resources like everyone else, they brought home the trophy for their country’s traditional dance called Bwola. The very first time the Acholi tribe brought home such a trophy in a National competition.

This event inspired many of them that despite of growing in a cruel environment, they can still do great things. This group did not just win for Patongo, they won for the entire Acholi tribe and the people who live like they do. Like what one of the teachers in the documentary said, the war has taken their parents, brothers, sisters and relatives and left them a lot of scars. But that’s not where their story ends; they still have the chance to become the best.

This story has also won my heart. It’s more than just an excellent documentary where I learned a lot. It’s an inspiration.

If you want to help the people of Patongo or other people like them, visit http://shineglobal.org/