The entire Saturday of November 8, from the cold early morning to the mildly cloudy afternoon, up to the festive evening, was a day marked with iconic Canon red in BGC – on tarps, posters, booths, and on the red shirts of about two thousand participants to the National Leg of the Canon Photomarathon 2014 happening that day.
The rules, simple
Use Canon cameras only. Free registration. Two categories – point and shoot, and interchangeable lenses. Two themes for submitted photos to adhere to. The rich, the budget-conscious, and the camera-borrowers (like me), for one day, were all on equal footing. One winner for each category to be announced at 8:30pm on the same day. The prizes, incredible. (See winners below.)
The implementation, logistically smooth
One registration area that doubles as photo-uploading station. Another area for participants to claim their kits, IDs, and permit to shoot. The entire Bonifacio high street as shooting ground. Two to three hours for each theme to be “completed” – shooters having composed and uploaded their photographs.
The experience, exciting
Right after one theme is completed, as much as three simultaneous lectures happened in different parts of the shooting grounds. Here’s a list of what you may have missed:
- Urbanscapes by Jay Jallorina (Main Stage)
- Fashion and Posing Techniques by Doc Marlon Pecjo (Workshop Area)
- Photography Tips and Composition by Jo Avila (Main Stage)
- Photojournalism Workshop by Val Rordriguez (Workshop Area)
- PIN UP Photography with Harley Davidson by Jay Tablante (Workshop Area)
- Modeling/Automotive Photography by Ibarra Deri (Workshop Area)
- Landscape Photography by Edwin Martinez (Main Stage)
- Wedding Photography by Pat Dy (Main Stage)
- B&W/Fine Art Photography & Printing by Jun Miranda (Main Stage)
- Food Photography by Mark Floro (Main Stage)
- EOS 7D Mark II/ Telephoto Action Photography by Romy Ocon (Main Stage)
So, even if you don’t take part in the contest, the lectures were worth checking out.
Those who didn’t attend the lectures could soak in the weekend atmosphere and relax. Or hit the Canon partner stalls and see what discounts were offered. Or in the case of the Harley Davidson and Jeep booths – to have their pictures taken.
Cool shades required.
Overheard 1
Boy with point-and-shoot: “Dad, saan i-a-upload? Sa Facebook?”
Dad with DSLR: * looks at kid without talking, visibly sighs *
Overheard 2
Guy: Babe, mauna ka na mag shoot. Nasa bag ‘yung macro (lens) ko.
Babe: Sabi mo ‘yan ha.
A photomarathon is never complete without a buzzing-over-your-head mega drone. Like this.
Canon Crusaders of Light and the Canon Executives. (9th from L) Mr. Lim Kok Hin, President & CEO of Canon Marketing Philippines
I joined, didn’t win, but it was fun and humbling to get to know a DSLR for the first time
As a first time Canon Photomarathon joiner and first time DSLR user, of course I didn’t win. Below is a sample shot I took, which maybe wasn’t entirely a failure. (See Diary of a Wimpy Shooter for all my shots from the Canon DSLR I borrowed.)
The Winners of the Canon Photomarathon 2014
DSLR / Interchangeable Lens Category. (From L to R) 1st Runner Up, Creze Elma; Grand Prize Winner, Jerome Duenas ; Vinchy Sanchez Asst. Director, Canon; Winning Entry of 2nd Runner Up Elizer Magno held by Richard Ordonez of Canon. Jerome Duenas took the winning shot and will be the first to receive the latest Canon EOS 7D Mark II in the Philippines. Along with this, he also won a dual arm Fotocrane, Black Rapid camera strap, 1 TB WiFi Hard Drive 3.0, Harley Davidson Jacket, Columbia Jacket, 24-hour adventure drive using a Jaguar, and one international round trip ticket care of Cebu Pacific.
Point-and-Shoot Category. (From L to R) Winning entry of 1st Runner Up Jason Formanez held by Mark Floro; Vinchy Sanchez, Asst. Director (Canon); Grand Prize Winner, Christian Sangoyo; 2nd Runner Up James Patrick Manaloto; Jill Santiago, Sr. Marketing Manager (Canon); Richard Ordonez, Director (Canon). Christian Sangoyo was the grand winner for the Point-and-Shoot category and brought home a Canon EOS 700D, dual arm Fotocrane, camera strap, 32 GB WiFi SD card, and one international round trip from Cebu Pacific.
See you at next year’s Canon Photomarathon!
