Have made it to the EPIX-O6!

An invitation came for the 2006 Epson Photo Imaging Exposition Culminating Day. Its from the organizing director himself and fellow photog Mr. Ross Capili the director of One Workshop Studio. I'm glad that i was one of its 200 selected few to be honored and be featured on a photography book. T'was an accidental entry that I can consider and was lucky enough to have a single entry that have made it to the finals.

Here's an excerpt from the book:


EPix06- Preserving the past, capturing the present

By Yugel Losorata

Both the images of the past and the present possess a sense of absolute power. They take individual full control and recognition by means of a powerful medium called
photography.The magnificence of the past is always a target of extinction while the present, a window view for reinvention. Thus, a photographer' s job is to capture the images that show their authority; loudly saying that looking back is paying homage to the present while seeing today is honoring the past.

Architectural sights and home stuff of yesteryears provide an exciting visual journey back to a period when all of today has yet to exist. While current portraits of ordinary people, attending to their daily exploits, are details our generation can really be proud of and pass it over to the future of this land. The Philippines, known as a country rich in heritage and a nation which gave birth to modern society's people power revolution, is nevertheless a paradise on its own, boasting endearing images of the old as well as poignant pictures of everyday Pinoys' resolve which the digital age neighborhood sensibly describes as heroic.

The sweet, good harvest of photographs featured in this collection has successfully
empowered both the value of preserving the look and style of the old times and freezing the genuine tales of today's common tao via the art of imaging. Preserving, because most of the antique architectural and interior designs are already on their way of becoming history themselves; freezing, because even the ordinary has become extra ordinaire, with heroism broadening its scope, meaning, to be a hero is not just dying for the flag, but also living (and working responsibly) for one's love.

The themes for this year's EPIX06 (Epson Photo Imaging Exposition) competition are
emphatically intertwined through the line drawn between the past and the present.
"Vanishing Scenes" reflects the preciousness of the disappearing old while "The Filipino Achievers" mirrors our generation's pride for the regular Juan Dela Cruz at work. The 200 photos selected here from both the Professional and Enthusiast divisions, most especially the 12 prize winning submissions, are images breathing the impact of such themes, like melodies providing soul to some moving lyrics of a song, or character to emotion-driven lines of a story. These are photographs capturing not just pictures, but the very essence of photography, which to the great Ansel Adams is a powerful medium of _expression and communications that offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation, and execution.

In her book "The Power of Photography, " author Vicki Goldberg said, "No photograph ever changed anything all by itself, for photographs are highly dependent creatures and their influence is entirely contingent on words, circumstances, distribution and belief systems. A photograph has power only if the right people see it in the right context at the right time." Indeed, the following photos sincerely caressed the illuminating themes in all their subtleness, vibrancy, and eloquence.

Yes, the sheer power of documentation lies at their very substance taking form, with
emphasis on the `unposed' (a farmer and his carabao readying for work) and good subject choice (a vintage electric fan in a classic-styled house). Just the thought of how these shots and subjects were taken and chosen should pass for a tender topic over a cup of coffee. And isn't that `decisive moment' originator Henri Cartier-Bresson applied a style wherein he would wrap a large hanky around his camera and pretend to be blowing his nose while clicking his shutter? And that the great architectural lensman Frederick Evans shone brightest through his posterity shots of exteriors and interiors of England's medieval cathedrals?

Apart from the artistic grandeur of the entries pulled off by the featured `drawing in light' talents, emerging in here is the Filipino lensman's ingenuity – passionately peering and pouring. Every Pinoy photographer must be wishing to be the next Joe Rosenthal, Alberto Korda, or Dorothea Lange. But no, he or she needs not dream of that. A Filipino artist has his own place in the world. His visual recognition of his country's history, environment, and community is proof of his mark.

To put it on cue, photographs like the ones you'll about to marvel at cannot truly bring back the past nor sustain the present, but they freeze moments and images to keep warm the hearts and forever embrace the future.

On October 29, Sunday at 3pm. Epson Philippines Corporation will honor the 200 Best
Photographers with their best images. The top twelve will be revealed and be placed on pedestal of history. Come join us in honoring our great artists!