Talking the walk

ONE hobby I miss during this lockdown is the quick urge to put on my multi-pocketed vest, lug my camera and go to places of interest that may arouse my curiosity. Yes, I am deeply involved in travel shoots, attracted in particular to street photography.

When traveling, I shoot fast like a machine pistol, as moving around doesn’t give me much time for meticulous preparation. I will share with you on how I go about it.

I bring a light camera. It should not compete with your luggage dimension. Remember that you’ll be in and out of airports using unpredictable transports and a heavy gear will cause you to catch your breath.

It should be sturdt enough for bumps and careless morons beside you.

Don’t forget to bring extra batteries and extra memory cards, in case you’ll be shooting in raw. Leave that charger in your hotel. You won’t be charging on location.

Always use natural light. No flash kit or I’ll kill you as you’re not a wedding photographer.

I prefer wide-ranged zooms with 24 to 600 millimeters (with macro). This range that will cover anything of interest — from a toothpick to horizons far away. Don’t kid yourself; you don’t have the luxury of changing lenses or you will get the ire of your tour guide for always being left behind. Keep that ultraviolet filter glued wherever

Gear. Bag. Accessories. Lens.

you go to protect your lens.

Mindset: remember, it’s about your camera telling a story without a script. Shoot street signs, street maps, facades, doors, low light alleys, faces, stores, vehicles or any other object that will complete your account of the place. I am a street freak, so don’t be like me. Shoot whatever pleases you and not to please anyone else, including your mother-in-law.

Selfies? Naaah. Of course, they know that you were there as the photographer who took those pictures. But you have the right to do so and look stupid with that selfie stick.

A chamois cloth or microfiber cloth should be carried at all times to remove unwanted dirt around your camera body. A handkerchief may be needed to dry your tears just in case you lose your gear.

Save the photos right away in your tablets or laptops after a day-shoot. You’ll never know when a waiter will accidentally pour beer on your camera. Extra money won’t hurt if that will happen, as you will need to pay for slapping that waiter as you get arrested by a police officer for slight physical injury.

If you want to travel again and are too tired to bring a camera with you, just sit back and enjoy the sights. Your wife will be just as happy that you discarded a fierce competitor for her attention. Enjoy!

Back to coronavirus. My Friday was great until someone told me it was Tuesday.

These days, we should all try to be “negative.”

And you think no one is looking? Up there above the clouds is the mightiest close circuit TV camera of all and He can see our actions in ultra-high definition.

Never play victim to circumstances that you created.

We have all the rights to suggest, praise, evaluate and criticize. It is our lives at stake here, especially when something goes wrong.

Trust lockdowns. Every nation is doing it as it is the first line of defense.

It’s usually those who are not capable of helping who criticize. For them, throwing blame is a full- time job.

The idea of rolling stores is good. Use them also to distribute relief goods. Mercury Drug should do the same.

Glad to know that a Betan brother and St. Luke’s Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Dr. Arturo de la Peña donated to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) 48 Hillrom beds, 30 infusion pumps and P10 million for supplies. On the receiving end is another Betan Dr. Noneng Monroy of PGH.

Fact check: We need more hospitals; we need more test kits; we need a good tracking system. We need more personal protective equipment and more health workers.

Listen to music; do some creative work; trim and water those plants; browse old family albums; update your directories; trash unneeded files; sterilize dark corners; exercise or do basic calisthenics; vacuum that dust; watch movies; play computer games; and read books. There are hundreds of things we can do to relieve boredom.

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Want to know a bit more about these CNN anchors?

Hala Gorani — American. Gorani was born in Seattle, Washington, United States. Her parents are Syrians from Aleppo. She was mainly raised in Paris. She has also lived in Algeria.

Christiane Amanpour — American, British and Iranian. Amanpour was born on Jan. 12, 1958 in London, United Kingdom. She got married to James Rubin in 1998.

Anderson Hays Cooper — American. Cooper was born on June 3, 1967. He is a journalist, TV personality and author who graduated from Yale University. His parents are Wyatt Emory Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt.

Rebecca Anderson — British. Anderson was born on Nov. 15, 1967 in Manchester, United Kingdom. She graduated from Arizona State University and University of Sussex

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” – Buddha

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Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.