I have never really been a photographer and I don’t think anyone would even consider the word “photographer” when it comes to describing me. Despite the immense popularity of taking images among members of the blogging community, lugging a camera or even using my phone to capture snapshots of daily life never really appealed to me – much of it had something to do with my failure to get good shots.
After taking a trip to Kalinga with a my friend Eazy Traveler, I was amazed with the images that he was able to take. E.A.Z.Y. is actually an acronym for his name – Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap. If you’ve read a copy of Cebu Pacific Smile magazine in the past two years, you would have probably seen his feature stories. He usually uses his trusty Canon G11 – a light, yet powerful device that allows for the customization of settings like a good DSLR but still not fussy to intimidate a novice like me.
Towards the latter end of 2010, I had the opportunity to have my grubby hands on a Canon G11. It was a great experiment on how much of taking good photos is up to the operator’s ability and just how important the camera was. I took the camera to a couple of trips over a few weeks and I must say – I think I lucked out with a few really good shots.
This was a photo of a local Mangyan boy that I took during a trek to a certain water fall near Puerto Galera’s Aninuan Beach. I totally lucked out on this one. His eyes are just piercing through the lens and the imperfections of the thatched walls also send a sense of great “drama” to the shot. Okay, I might be over thinking this one but I was really impressed with how this turned out. This is easily the best shot I’ve ever taken. This won’t win any contest (auto focus settings!) but I think it’s decent enough to look at. There seems to be a story – at least in my head. There are ten other photos like this in the memory card and they weren’t nearly as good. I guess one really has to keep taking shots.
I also went scuba diving shortly after the trip to Puerto Galera. This was taken in Anilao, Mabini, Batangas. This was the very boat that we took to the Mainit and Kirby’s Point dive sites. Both of them were interesting and exciting dives that allowed me and my dive buddies to spend around 1.5 hours underwater. The Canon G11 is apparently very popular among divers as well. A lot of divers had a reaction upon seeing the camera slung on my neck. Apparently, many of them use the G11 model as their camera of choice for underwater photography. I’ve seen some of the images and yes, the camera seems to stand up to other more expensive cameras. Sadly, I didn’t have an underwater case for that trip.
Even at the most simple settings, the camera manages to make the colors pop out. This is us in between dives. We’re fiddling with the scuba gear just before another tour underneath the waves. The framing is crap but you can definitely see the vibrancy of the hues.
This is the only shot of me with Imelda Marcos anywhere on the internet. Also, this is the only positive thing to have come out of the PILIPINAS, KAY GANDA campaign by the Department of Tourism.
I also used the camera to take really close-up shots of food. This is a serving of Palabok from Susie’s Cuisine; one of Pampanga’s most loved local eateries. This hearty plateful is only 50 pesos! The one at the rear is the delectable and almost sickeningly-sweet moche.
This is one of the best desserts I’ve ever had – Susie’s Cuisine’s Tibok-tibok. It’s hard to describe it. It’s somehow similar to maja blanca but the consistency is so different. It’s very creamy and milky, thanks in large part to the use of carabao’s milk which is a lot more fatty (and fattening!) compared to cow’s milk. The camera sure allowed for a very sharp and detailed shot of this dish. I bet you almost wish the image were real – heck, I’m ready to attack my monitor with a fork now!
The verdict
For the most part, the camera was very easy to use and having EAZY around made it easier for me to work with the settings and try more ambitious shots. I suppose the Canon G11 allows for great customization and control that a photography aficionado would demand from a camera but the same model also allows for complete novices to just have fun and luck out every one hundred shots.
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