Top Ten : My Favorite Photos From 2013

It's one of my favorite things to do to end a year : look back at my photos and pick my absolute favorites. Though I consider 2013 to be a "down year" in terms of my photography, I still amassed thousands of photos which are now backed up in my archive. The passion is definitely still there but I just felt I didn't venture out too much last year, most of my shoots were so-called comfort zones. Overall, satisfactory for me but I couldn't say I maximized my opportunities.

Anyway, from the hundreds of photos that I totally loved, I trimmed it down to a Top 16, and ultimately a Top 10. Here are my ten most faves from the year that was :


February 21 : The Breitling Jet Team - This aerial performance was the highlight of my trip to The Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark, Pampanga. It was my third time to attend the fest but skipped it in 2012 because I was looking for something new to see. Alas, The Breitling Seven pumped life back into the show, and I was lucky I was there to shoot their amaaaaaaaaazing display. (This photo appears in Floating Colors & Streaking Jets)

March 26 : Hawla Peninsula - These days, it's VERY rare that I get to travel for hours just to shoot. So I appreciated the chance I got back in summer to travel to Mariveles, Bataan to shoot landscapes with two photrography friends based there. I've said it before and I'll say it again : landscape photography is the most difficult genre. In terms of effort, safety risk, and luck regarding the weather and elements. (This photo appears in Back Out There)

July 23 : LeBron James Witness - If not for the last-minute generosity of a friend, I wouldn't have been able to witness LeBron's Manila tour and exhibition. The best player in the planet drew thousands and the anticipation was fever-pitch. A great experience, to say the least. (This photo appears in Witness History...From Afar)

August 30 : Royal - I was given the privilege to be a mentor-photographer of a modeling competition in Bulacan. We had two concept shoots and this photo came from the second one. The aspirants were dolled up to be royalties and I like this shot the most because I was surprised that the model (Kattleya) was well-prepared for this pose that she wanted. If there's one thing I don't like about model shoots, it's motioning to models (who didn't prepare) how to pose or express themselves. This was an exception. (This photo appears in BNRTM : Closing The Chapter)

September 20 : Flying Cobras - For the second straight year, I went to shoot the cheering competition of Bulacan State University. There was a shot that I personally liked better, but I chose this one because it showed more of the team effort in cheerdancing AND these were the champions, the College of Arts and Letters Green Cobras. (This photo appears in Motion Freeze : The 2013 BSU CDC)

September 26 : Mr. Brightside - The Killers blew into town and I was there to shoot it, thanks to the digicam-sized Canon EOS M which eluded the prying eyes of Araneta Coliseum's personnel. The show was fantastic, the stage lights were B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and shooting at the same time. (This photo appears in Killing Us Loudly : The Killers in Manila)

October 11 : Striking Red - Another concert to shoot, this time by local band Up Dharma Down. I looked for a shot that's not too common, and fortunately their shining red keyboard got my attention before they took the stage. Lo and behold, their playlist was attached, and the waiting fans in the background for this all-in-one photo. A picture that doesn't need the appearance of the band itself, but you'd know which band it is. (This photo appears in UDD Live)

October 28 : Hello, Hello - I've taken thousands of photos of Seven, and I like probably 90% of them because he's my son. This one, though, is undeniably adorable for me. Just him holding two phones, talking as if someone's on the other line. Simply cute and I couldn't resist including it in my favorites.

October 28 : Seven Potter - A few hours after taking the photo above, I took this one. It's for Seven's Halloween costume photo which was my wife's idea. I had to make it look like the Harry Potter poster, and I think it was a decent output. (This photo appears in Seven Potter : The Gwapoy Who Lived)

November 25 : Macau Model - In our free time after watching a Pacquiao fight in Macau, my wife and I did a shoot in the canal parts of The Venetian Hotel. That she is a commercial model by profession made it a lot easier for me. (This photo appears in My Favorite Model)

Here are the other photos that made my list but didn't make my Top Ten :

January : Wave of Flags - From a performance during the Dulansangan event of Malolos City's Fiesta Republica

February : Pyro Waterfall - An uncommon photo of fireworks, from the International Pyromusical Competition in Mall of Asia

May : Lolo and Apo - I saw this touching moment while walking the streets of Lucban, Quezon during the Pahiyas Festival

August : Groovin' - From the first concept shoot of our team in Bulacan's Next Runway Top Model, I love this shot because it was so effortless in the model's part. I just told her to act as if she's enjoying the music coming from her headphones, and she delivered.

December : Transformation - Our photography club had a shooting project/challenge - shoot a randomly-picked co-member according to your own concept and setup. I picked Julie, and I was really determined to make her look different. Mission accomplished.

December : This 105-second exposure began at 11:58PM of December 31. So this was literally my last photo of 2013 and very first photo of 2014. The view from our window at a hotel in Manila, overlooking the nearby fireworks of New Year's Eve.

And that's all folks! I'm thankful for the photos I was able to take during 2013. Thank you to friends that I share my passion with, thank you to people who made some of the shoots possible. Thank you to those who appreciate my photos... your feedback helps fuel me. Cheers for 2013 and cheers to a new year!

Let's keep on shooting! :)

(You can view my previous years' favorites at Best-Ofs)