Nine days in Cebu, we tore the streets like a brazen tornado. (Watch the full screen video).

Here, we smack ourselves in the middle of nowhere, amongst the masses; we bend and contort our bodies into every possible nook and cranny, there, for the stunning, perfect angle.

We braved a thousand distractions (including spectator boos and a plastic missile called bottled mineral water: the irony of it all, being a photographer’s old reliable, it can be insulting), just so our discerning eyes can capture the intoxicating revelry of the photographic senses — in-your-face-photography of a haphazardly tired dancing/festival queen, wearing a quintessential smile and exuberance.

Some like it dancing and sizzling

We might as well be, in a sense, dance to our own “like the movement of the waters,” resounding beats of compulsion; because the tantalizing thought of winning the Sinulog 2008 photo contest will fill our memory cards with the images of pomp, pageantry and devotion (winning multi-cash and the outstretched lady!).

For those who weren’t able to make a cut, we become classic junkies of every Sinulog, and cunningly concealed within us are the spiritual and creative endowment that only a photographer can boast (HEY! I WAS THERE, MAN!) — even if we were almost to the brink of exhaustion and thirst drove us from one mineral bottle to the next, we still managed to smile back.

For here is, as we now come to an ending chapter, today’s awarding ceremonies (at SM Entertainment Center). The experience of this thrill will tack every charm of a champion’s sweat and can-do chase of those who do it for sheer fun — for the love of having pictures admired by your dear mother, and some, splattered them all over their Flickr accounts (for family and friends to bleed with envy, wishing they were part of the fun chaos as well). There’s Multiply, other social media sites, blogs, and what have you.

For the silly photographer in us, we always had to mark ourselves out of 10 for an all-round mastery. We asked photographer-strangers what’s wrong with our apertures and speeds and we brag about our lenses, tripods and camera systems — bags and all!

We merged with the million visitors out there who witnessed the familiar sights and sounds to behold — from the January 11 kick off to the 4.3-kilometer stretch of the grand parade route, we managed to survive, felt better, and moved on. We each have our own unique, winning shots: what we saw and captured were, truly, our defining moments.

We could always do better. Because of digital cameras, they have become a cult fave among the artistic species: The Sinulog photographers.

A photography that evades time

Face it. The best of these priceless photos fade as time progresses on. But thank God for digital cameras. Their powerful attributes are virtually unlimited (depends on the budget, actually): we delight in the crisp, sharp and unadulterated exif information in these heaven-sent gizmos.

So, press the shutter button, one-eyed-shut, breathless — at some points — to be one with our panoramic vision: The best of Sinulog 2008.

An endearing postscript

For me, photography is all about doing it with style and passion — with or without Sinulog. Photography is a creative and personal, therapeutic journey through a time full of surprises. And it is such a small wonder, then, that the mother of all Philippine festivals can bring us a unique sense of fun: meeting like-minded and the hot-headed ones; the places and events beckon us at this photographer’s yearly paradise (i.e., Sinulog indulgence); and ultimately, embrace our own experiences in self-development and self-discovery, into this exciting world of photography.

A fading glimpse

A couple of days ago, during the time when I obtained permission to post the complete list of the Sinulog 2008 photo contest winners and their photos, I went back to where the throngs of crowd have gathered for the grand finale night. That was my first time to shoot the Sinulog with my own digital camera — for almost ten hours, from start to finish!

It was, for lack of a better phrase, “my winning moment” — freeing the artist in me to capture the most beautiful images into these ass kickery pixels!

The memories subside now. Everything vignetted into the strange and familiar yesteryears of Sinulog, like a baby’s sleep drifting into the recesses of his new dreams. There were memorable ones, of course: The beautifully haunting, goosebumps-inducing song, when millions of people, even as they are drenched with rain, waved their hands to the skies, in unison to their faith, for the Santo Niño at the Basilica Minore: “Bato Balani sa Gugma” (use this password: abantebisaya, and listen to or download it); the breathtaking and epic fluvial/solemn procession; the dazzling arrays of colorful and brightly-lit route arches, a contemporary housing for the Santo Niño — a far cry when it was found in an abandoned burning house in April 1565; night bazaars and street fairs; cultural shows and gigs; street parties and booze… and the grand fireworks!

If you ask me, “Clee, is it worth it?”

A resounding YES! Bar none.

Related articles:
EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Complete Sinulog 2008 Photo Contest Winners
Lim, Arrogante win Sinulog 2008 photo contest
The Sinulog Photographer
Clee’s entries to the Sinulog 2008 Photo Contest
Sinulog 2008: Spectacular! Spectacular! caps grand finale
Dazzling Cebu Sinulog Festival ‘08
Sinulog 2008 is here!

 

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