The series of photos below was my entry to the Epson in Batanes Photo Contest held at Batanes Seaside Lodge and Restaurant last February 18 to 19, 2008 in Basco Batanes. Epson Philippines brought media people, esteemed photographers, and bloggers (and Ernie!) to Batanes to experience the beauty of the Northern Isles as well as the beauty of Epson’s newest line of Multi-Function Printers.We were informed that the winners of the contest would take home some neat prizes.  And since it was an Epson-sponsored event, we all knew that they were giving away printers from their latest, top-of-the-line Multi-Function Printers.  This was very timely, I said to myself, since I was already planning to buy a printer of my own.  After all, the very last printer that I owned was an LX-800 (yes, those small dot matrix ribbon-cartridge-fed printers!).  I don’t know why but I never really felt an urgent need to buy a printer in this age of the Internet. I wanted the printer but I also knew that the chances of me winning the photo contest was close to nil.

The Photos:(Click here for more)

The Presentation:

I am not plastic.

Batanes is a very beautiful place and it won’t be long before it becomes a well-visited tourist destination.Convergence: when two elements meet.  This term usually connotes positivity.  However, it does not do so all the time. In this series of photos, named I Am Not Plastic, we will see a convergence of two elements: Nature and Plastic.We all know that non-biodegradable materials like plastic can cause harm to the environment.  And in the past two days, most of you may not have noticed these small things.  We see plastic by the sea, plastic in the bundoks, and plastic everywhereWe did not see these small, little things as we looked at Batanes in the big picture (pun not intended). 

Before the tourism industry in Batanes booms like how Boracay’s tourism industry is now, let’s do our part in preserving the beauty of Batanes by encouraging the locals and tourists alike to dispose of their waste properly.

If we allow these small plastic things to continue destroying this beautiful place, then the future of the children of Batanes as well as the future of all our children will be in shambles.I am not plastic.  And I hope that all of us will not be plastic too.

We were given two days to take photos of anything we wanted.  The theme for the photo contest was Convergence:  When Two Elements Meet.  It seemed easy since Batanes is full of everything that resulted from a convergence of two different things.  I must have wanted the printer so badly that blood bled from my brain to my nose (dunno if that’s possible) just thinking of a series of photos for my entry.  Who wouldn’t want a printer that comes with a host of PC-less connectivity options?  I could imagine myself at home, printing my photos and Bakla Business Cards directly from my memory card, USB thumb drive or even from my phone using bluetooth!  (For amateur photographers and hobbyists new to the craft, Epson incorporates its PhotoEnhance and PortraitEnhance software that are designed to help photographers get the  picture they want by automatically correcting common digital photo flaws such as color balance.)

So off I went with all the other bloggers, photographers and members of the media on a tour around Basco (a town in Batan) and the island of Sabtang. I’ve thought of many concepts that subscribed well to the theme but I wasn’t able to finalize on one until the afternoon of Day 2. I wanted something different - something which was a little bit extraordinary and something which veered away from the obvious.

I came up with the idea of making a series which had a cause - tourism and the environment.  That’s why I came up with the idea of taking photos of the convergence of two elements that many people take for granted:  nature and garbage. I mustered enough courage to make a fool out of myself by taking photos in very unflattering poses.  I was a little bit embarrassed whenever people saw me taking photos the way that real photographers do it - only difference was that instead of holding a dSLR, I was holding a point-and-shoot digital camera. I knelt on the ground, tiptoed, crawled, was up on all fours, climbed every mountain, forded every stream, followed every rainbow, till I found my dream!

After we have all submitted our entries during the awarding ceremonies night, the criteria to the photo contest was revealed: 70% creativity, adherence to the theme, composition, and other photography technicals and 30% for presentation. Lightbulb moment! Since I was inferior about the quality of my photographs (which some people say are great, thanks friends!),  I decided to make do with a creative presentation.  I don’t have sufficient knowledge, background, and experience in the technical side of photography.  All I know is that if it looks good, take a photo of it. I knew I was creative.  Hello naman, bakla ako no!  Walang baklang hindi creative! (Duh, I’m gay!  No gay man is not creative!). So percpective, composition, lighting, and all that other photography chenelar took a back seat and nothing but my self-proclaimed creativity guided me in the whole project.

After hearing about the criteria and the awards to be given (1 Grand Prize, 1 1st Runner-Up and 3 Special Awards), the best I could hope for was winning a special award.  I was half-expectant to win a special award, but after all three were announced, I knew I no longer had the chance to win so I just sat back feeling a little sad that I won’t be bringing home an RX690, R290, RX610, PM270, CX9300 or the SPX880 printer.  I just thought to myself that the whole Batanes experience made me a winner.  After all, not everyone gets this kind of opportunity to travel to the ends of the world, err the Philippines.

Then there it was.  I heard my name being called out. “… we give it to AJ.” About half a minute later, and after numerous eyes darted in my general direction, I was in a Miss Universe moment.  It only dawned on me that I won 1st runner-up when the people beside me told me that I have won. “Oy, like you said in your presentation, don’t be plastic! You won!”

And so goes the story of fulfilling two dreams in one vacation: going to Batanes and winning a photo contest!

Winners of the special awards were Mimi, Ferdz, and Hana (my co-point-and-shooter, Markku’s Pangga).  I got 1st Runner Up and Joey won Grand Prize.  And I’m now the proud owner of an Epson RX590 Printer!

More of my photos on Flickr.
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