Archive for the “Photography” category
Salah is the Islamic word for prayer though linguists may argue that the most literal translation of the word is “connection.” Anyhow, Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam.
Below is a photo taken from the second floor balcony of the villa where I am staying with some of my colleagues here in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. See the tower-like edifice on the right? That is the peak of the mosque located right beside our villa.
The people here use to pray five times a day (pre-dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening) and they use those megaphones to call the people living nearby when it is time for them to pray. Just like how Catholics ring the church bells to call people to attend the holy mass. I would normally hear the prayer leader from those megaphones as early as 4:30 in the morning, when we go off from work at 7:30 and between 9 and 10 in the evening.
During those times, all stores and restaurants will be closed to give the merchants a chance to pray so if you’re eating on a resto during their prayer time, you have no choice but finish your meal as fast as you can’t because you’ll have to leave the place immediately.
I took this photo of the moon and the tower around 9:00 tonight. They look so picture-perfect together though my camphone can’t just give them any justice. I already did a bit of a Photoshop trick but it still look awfully like this. 
My friends and I are planning to venture on the currently popular photobooth rentals and we’re scouting for cheap photobooth-capable DSLRs so we went to Hidalgo Street in Quiapo last March. We went there on a Sunday and thoush some of the more famous stores were closed, we still managed to find everything we’re looking for – DSLR, lights, printers and photobooth software.
If you’re in Manila and is looking for cheap cameras, be it a point and shoot or a DSLR, used or brand new, the first place that you should check out is Hidalgo Street in Quiapo. Hidalgo St. is famous among photographers and photo enthusiasts in the Philippines because it’s a haven of cheap cameras in the country. Here you can find an assortment of stores selling cameras priced thousands of pesos lower as compared to the stores found in department stores and specialty shops. Also, some of the camera stores Hidalgo St., offers second hand cameras and even spare parts for vintage and obsolete cameras.
One of the reasons why prices of cameras being sold at stores in Hidalgo St. are way way cheaper is because the cost of commercial space rental in that area is cheaper compared to other places in Manila. Also, most of the shops sell cameras and other items with local or store warranty so you could only have your cameras repaired or replaced on the very same store where you bought them.
To get to Hidalgo, you can take the LRT and hop off at the Carriedo Station. From there, proceed to the old SM clearance outlet and take the east exit. The street right in front of that exit is Hidalgo Street. See the tall abandoned building on the photo above? That’s SM Clearance Outlet and that very street is Hidalgo.
Also, if you’re in front of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), the south-western street is Hildago.
Here’s a link to Hidalgo St., Quiapo from Google Maps.
There’s a major housekeeping happening in the house right now so this baby play set has to came out inevitably from deep within the closets. I don’t know from who among Daniel’s godfathers and godmothers it came from but it had to be hidden at the time it was given because he can’t play with it yet and Ate won’t keep her eyes off it. HAHAHA!
But now he can already and see how Ate seems to enjoy it more than him 
Picture, picture!
