Digital Photo Collage: Mixing Pictures for a New Visual Meaning

Dahon (Leaves):

Sierra Madre: Pictures of Despair and Hope

Pictures of Despair:

Pictures of Hope: 

Mountaineering is Connecting with Life

For me, nature’s language is stillness and calmness. Stillness is the best movement of calmness, calmness is the best gift of stillness. In our moment of rest and silence, sometimes, we are involuntary captivated by the stillness and calmness of an almost empty trail, of forest’ silence. In that moment of silence, when motion and everything seems to stop, nature and man is starting to connect - man is entering the nature’s portal. Nature has its many secrets waiting to be discovered, but only through the language of calmness and stillness. Stillness is nature’s way of teaching us to take notice of small things. Calmness, on the other hand, is nature’s way of teaching us to listen attentively.

Connecting with nature is like simple excitements that we take for granted… sometimes. Like how mud or dirt stick and stuck to our soles and then washed away by continuous strides, or cleaned by wet grass or flushed by crossing fine and smooth currents of tranquil stream. For every steps, we are taking and returning some of the dirt and specks to the earth, and nature naturally takes it back and gives it again and again.

Reconnecting with nature is how we repeatedly plant our body weight on the ground, through our feet, and nature reacts kindly, repeatedly, equally absorbing our tired (and sometimes bad) energy, exchanging consistently, but almost always with something good. Connecting and reconnecting is how nature and man give and take their energies (but man almost takes all its resources) repeatedly – energy that will help continue the renewal and cycle of life. We are always leaving something behind and receiving something in return, an equal give and take relationship, a balance co-evolution and understanding between man and nature.

In giving and returning some parts of the earth, our weighted steps turned lightly and carefully into chosen one – ours and nature’s action and reaction teach us beauty and perfection. In taking, the added weight makes us tired, helps us to pause, rest and take a breath. Sensing our tiredness, giving their breath and receiving ours, nature is whispering to us to feel and receive the air’s pureness, freshness and cleanliness (so please brush your teeth and mouth washed, or do not say bad words - the spirits, other individuals, and trees may catch it).

Look and listen to nature. In stillness and calmness, we can hear nature’s whisper: “Here, take my energy, now, we are one, it will give you more strength, be careful and chose in advance, focus on your next three steps (or more). Learn and study my curves, its sharpness and smoothness. By looking and listening to me, you will be protected from unnecessary harm. By understanding me more deeply, it will bring more enjoyment and pleasure to your travel. By knowing and understanding me more, you will understand more about yourself."

Climbing a mountain is discovering our self, discovering other selves, and knowing our environment. It is connecting and having a balance relationship with our self, other individuals, nature, and God. Mountain climbing is connecting with life, connecting with something or someone that gave us breathing for living.

Because in those breathing, as our steps get higher and heavier, as we feel the air coming out of our breath, we can hear our self, we hear the pounding of our hearts, we feel the dripping perspiration from the wholeness of our skin, bringing freshness all over our body, bringing the warmness what’s inside of us, enveloping and cleaning our whole body with our own water - our life.

Climbing our self to the summit and back, we discovered a passion to live and climb, and to climb and live. Climbing to the summit, we have reached an extraordinary accomplishment, but only temporarily. On that peak moment, we are complete, and yet we are imperfect. We are strong and yet we are uncertain. It makes us proud and yet it will also humble our self as we descend. It makes us great on top and yet we are small like a tiny pebble among the world’s tallest peaks. The summit is not our destination, nor the mountain our conquered possession, because we have to go back from the start and connect to where we truly belong.

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jebel

Social Artistry of Social Networking

Social Artistry is the art of enhancing human capacities in the light of social complexity. It seeks to bring new ways of thinking, being and doing to social challenges in the world – Jean Houston

“A social artist connects people and encourages participation, which in turn leads to reciprocity, reification of ideas and developing a shared history.” (Mary Ann Fernandez-Mendoza)

Etienne Wenger defines social artist as a person “enabling social learning spaces”. But, can we as a group can become social artist?

I believe yes.

Social artistry can be a communal participation, it can be an art of creating space for learning through collaboration - the use of modern technology like social networking site to create virtual space for shared knowledge and learning.

If Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio were alive today, they will use social networking site like Facebook to show the truth and suffering of the Filipinos from the Spanish. Or maybe Rizal can publish his Novels, in parts, in Facebook, or Bonifacio can use FB to recruit Katipunan members.

Social artistry is all about creating learning space and today’s technology is a good place or space to work and unite people and create organizations with common values to affect change.

I can site an example of virtual space, a social networking site that unites and bring people for collaboration to contribute personal knowledge and experience, data and information to solve problems and find solutions.

In protecting our environment, social artistry through the use of virtual space or social networking site can be considered as today’s norms.

Mt. Banahaw as protected area can be properly protected if it can be properly manage. It can be properly manage by means of a good and sustainable management plan.

So how can we gather all the information needed? By creating an FB site where all stakeholders and any individual can participate and contribute.

(here’s the link:

Banahaw Plan Revision - https://www.facebook.com/groups/390300514356666/

Mt Banahaw San Cristobal Mgt Plan Crowdsourcing - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mt-Banahaw-San-Cristobal-Mgt-Plan-Crowdsourcing/373071212774900 )

Mt. Banahaw Plan Revision and Mt. Banahaw San Cristobal Management Plan Crowdsourcing sites formulate new solutions on how Mt. Banahaw should be manage more properly and effectively. Year 2015 will be the end of PAMB (Protected Area Management Board) order of closure. A new management plan should be formed through proper consultation with different stakeholders. And everybody has the chance to make that change to protect and manage their environment.

Everybody has the chance to be a contributor and to participate and express his/her ideas and concerns on how Mt. Banahaw should be properly manage.

“Social artists are people who use creative skills to work with people or organizations in their community to affect change.” (Mary Ann Fernandez-Mendoza)

Yes, we can all be social artist.

(Here are some of the pictures that I contributed to the site:)

Here are the links to the video that I contributed:

Tubig ng Banahaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czT3yXxUR6Q

Trail Management 101

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwhjGhv2Nk

Tayabas Banahaw Halamang Ilang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb_BxPfcEyE

References:

BEING AND BECOMING GOOD CITIZENS THROUGH SOCIAL ARTISTRY, Mary Ann Fernandez-Mendoza

Are we social artists? Link: http://zmldidaktik.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/are-we-social-artists/

What is Social Artistry, Jean Houston, link: http://www.jeanhouston.org/Social-Artistry/social-artistry.html

Appreciate Life

I had been an active volunteer photographer/emergency responder from 2003 – 2008 in Lucena and Quezon Province. I had volunteered to take pictures for Bantay Banahaw, DENR Quezon, Quezon Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (Quezon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinating Council now), and LIFE emergency Response. I volunteered not only as a photographer but also as an emergency responder.

As an emergency responder, we save, care and protect lives. As a photographer, I tried to give respect to our environment and try to communicate and build environmental relationship through my pictures.

When not busy with my work as a community organizer, I still volunteer to take pictures for Mt. Banahaw during my free time.

I remember when Ondoy tragedy hits Metro Manila, I was in Marikina during that time. As a volunteer responder, I am useless, because I was trapped by flood but useful enough to accompany and somehow protect the family and properties of my aunt. The organization or the team which I volunteered was based in Quezon province. Saving lives or property is a team effort. I can say that I am useless as an emergency responder without a team. 

During  Habagat 2012, I was again in Metro Manila, in Muntinlupa City to be precise, and also being trapped by finishing lots of school assignments. But I helped in my own little way with the help of the internet and used the social networking site to post important information and emergency tips.Then I created a "quick" emergency website that may be useful.

(here’s the link:  https://sites.google.com/site/operationhabagatinfocenter )

I always wanted to share what I know, volunteer and apply for good use where I am good at. In that way I can value life, give respect and thanks to our people and the environment where we live in.

But I will not end this blog without the pictures of “Mga Kabute ng Mt. Banahaw”. Giving importance to small detail or living things teach you to appreciate and give importance to the all things around you. 

Citizen Litratista: Or How To be a Responsible Photographer

The Communitarian Perspective states that:

“Citizens are active participants in the community as well as in the polity, contributing to the common welfare, to the economy’s wealth production and, most significantly, sharing in the rights and responsibilities.” (CWTS-1 “More on the Communitarian Perspective of CITIZENSHIP” by Prof Vilanueva, Matsuda 2009)

In a communitarian perspective, every citizen has the responsibility toward each other, supporting ang helping not only one another but the whole community as well. Every individual has its own needs, has its own part and duty in providing each other’s needs. Teachers are there to educate. Farmers are for our food. Doctors are for our health and to cure sickness. Leaders are there to unite, guide and to serve the community. 

I am a volunteer photographer (social and environmental awareness) and works as a community organizer. My responsibility is to capture images, our natural resources, and let others appreciate what I have seen. My other responsibility is to empower farming community, to act as a bridge or maybe an agent of change – to connect and bring them closer to the government’s basic public services.

I am more of a photographer, I hope that my pictures can influence, build and strengthen communities shared values. I hope that, through my photographs, I can build good relationship between individual and the community towards their environment.

Let me show some of the images:

(And here's the links to more of my photos: http://jeboyjmus1.wix.com/larawan-jebel-musa

http://jeboyjmusa.wix.com/larawan?ref=nf)

To take pictures or not? ( camera or rocks?)

Traversing Mt. Guiting-Guiting (Sibuyan, Romblon)

To be or not to be... a photographer or a just a climber?

Either you can't have a best shot or you will not always be satisfied with somebody's shot. That will happened only if you are not holding a camera or if you are a photographer and someone has a camera and he/she keeps shooting at you.  Or, you have a camera, but it is inside your backpack, and you are on the edge of a cliff of a mountain, with both of your hands holding on to something that will keep you from falling. Are you going to get your camera and take a dangerous shot or you will just be a climber and let somebody with a camera take a shot at you?

Traversing Mt. Guiting-Guiting can test you as a photographer and a climber. Imagine trekking for more that 10 hours for three days, exposing yourself for more than 6 hours to a more than 35 degrees celsius direct heat from the sun, carrying more that 10 kilos on your backpacks and climbing and descending close to 60-90 degrees edges of the mountain... plus big boulders of rocks as your path on going down... and with more than 3 peaks of deception on your way up and down the mountain. Three liters of water will not be enough for a day. And you can't free your hands from the wall rocks on your way down and always blaming yourself for not taking the shot or deciding between exposing yourself to the heat or exposing the camera lens to a light.

Good thing I did not bring my heavy and bulky film camera, instead, I brought a lighter and compact digital camera. With a camera just larger than my palm, with Sony Cybershot, you don't have to worry about your aperture, shutterspeed and ASA settings. Composition will be there, also proper lighting and some principles of taking photographs... but not in the mountain like G2, one of the toughest mountain to climb. All you have to do is point and shot with your right hand while holding on to a rock with your left hand. Or... let someone hold the camera and enjoy the climb and sight.

by: kapreng barako