Dominique James, Photographer

Come and play with us ...

What a fabulous, picture-filled 10 straight years I’ve had in my private photo studio in Quezon City. It became the “home” studio of many celebrities, fashion models, politicians and socialites.  This is the longest time I’ve been in a single location! And now, it’s time to move on. My new photo studio is now in Makati City. And it has a new name. It’s called The Playground. It is a professional professional photography studio that I co-own with multiple award-winning photographer Renzo Sen. The Playground Professional Photography Studios shall be producing strong, bold and cutting-edge digital imagery. It will covers all-new portraiture, fashion, product, food, architectural, interior, landscape and adventure photography for advertising, commercial, corporate and media use. It will also produce fine art photographic and multimedia images. The Playground Professional Photography Studios is supported by Nikon, Epson, Apple, Sanyo (Eneloop and Xacti), Globis (Monaco X-Rite), Airborne Access, Global Destiny, and MyDestiny. And, as we like to say since we moved, we invite you to come and play with us!

Our new contact information:

The Playground
Professional Photography Studios
The Penthouse
5th Floor, Solid House Building
2285 Don Chino Roces Avenue
(formerly Pasong Tamo Extension)
Makati City, Metro Manila
1231 Philippines

Phone/s: + 63 2 812 21 79 and
   + 63 2 843 15 11 Ext. 873
Mobile/s: + 63 917 373 80 37
   and + 63 917 934 55 62
Website: www.theplaygroundstudios.com
Email: fun@theplaygroundstudios.com

[Note: If you’d like to inquire about the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Playground Professional Photography Studios, please call landlines + 63 2 812 21 79 and + 63 2 828 28 11 ext. 873 (Agnes), mobile + 63 917 373 80 37 (DJ) or + 63 917 934 55 82  (Renzo). You can also send email to fun@theplaygroundstudios.com. For more information, visit http://www.theplaygroundstudios.com and regularly check out fresh contents in our website.]

Professional photographer Dominique James of The Playground proudly shoots via WIFI with the Nikon D2Xs. All fine art images created by Dominique James are exclusively printed on Epson’s Stylus Pro printers using genuine Epson papers and inks. Copyright 2007 © Dominique James and The Playground Professional Photography Studios. All rights reserved.

Dominique James Workshop Calendar!

I’ve been asked over and over and over again if there’s a school offering classes on the various aspects and elements of digital imaging. The answer to that question is a big yes. The name of the school is the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging or PCCI. PCCI has been around for more than 6 years now. Without a doubt, it is one of the most outstanding educational centers for those who wants to get started with a strong foundation and those seeking to further hone and develop their skills, crafts and art in the fields of digital imaging, among others. I teach at PCCI. I teach 3 photography courses, once a month. These 2-day workshop courses are: Celebrity Glamour Portrait Photography, RTW & Haute Couture Fashion Photography, and, Male & Female Fine Art Nude Photography. About 10 to 15 students attend every month. And lately, the number of attendees have been growing. There are a lot of other courses offered by PCCI. And these courses are led and conducted mostly by practicing professionals who are on top of their respective fields. The PCCI instructors are recognized in their respective industries as some of the best practitioners of their profession. And a lot of them are trainers who are certified by various companies such as Apple, Adobe, Macromedia, Epson, Kodak, Wacom, to name just a few. Learning is almost guaranteed. So, you want to know the classes offered and the schedule and all other details? You want to check out information about my classes and the other photography courses offered? Or, how about courses on Photoshop, InDesign, Final Cut Pro, and others? There’s a convenient and automatic way to do it. If you are on a Mac computer, you can now conveniently subscribe for free to the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI) calendar of classes, workshops, seminars, training sessions, exhibits, activities, and special events. In your Mac, fire up the iCal (Mac OS X), and subscribe to automatically receive the PCCI Calendar by typing in (or copy-and-paste) the following -- webcal://ical.mac.com/djphotographer/PCCI%20Class%20Calendar.ics. Now, to automatically receive updates in iCal to make sure that you’ve got the latest and the most up-to-date information, set auto refresh in drop-down menu to every day or every hour; and to receive all other information, uncheck the dialog boxes of remove alarms and to do items. For non-Mac users, you can view and bookmark the PCCI Calendar online at: http://ical.mac.com/djphotographer/PCCI%20Class%20Calendar or directly at http://www.pcci.com.ph/cal.htm. This is a fantastic way to keep tabs with the schedule of workshops at PCCI. Easy and convenient. Of course, you have the option to unsubscribe anytime. Also, visit the official PCCI website at http://www.pcci.com.ph. To unsubscribe is just as easy as subscribing. So, give it a try. In any case, to learn more about iCal or to download a copy, go to http://www.apple.com/ical. With that, here’s our usual reminder: For inquiries on the wide range of professional photography services and products offered under my company, The Dominique James Photography Studio, call landline + 63 2 410 43 52 (ask for Agnes Taylan), mobile + 63 917 808 88 04, or email The Studio. For more information, visit The Dominique James Photography Studio website.
Copyright 2006 © The Dominique James Photography Studio. All rights reserved.

Our Blood: Prophecies & Discources On Sexual Politics

Originally by Andrea Dworkin

[Lesbian Pride [Delivered at a rally for Lesbian Pride Week, Central Park, New York City, June 28, 1975.]

There is a pride in the nurturant love which is our common ground, and in the sensual love, and in the memory of the mother--and that pride shines as bright as the summer sun at noon. That pride cannot be degraded. Those who would degrade it are in the position of throwing handfuls of mud at the sun. Still it shines, and those who sling mud only dirty their own hands.

Sometimes the sun is covered by dense layers of dark clouds. A person looking up would swear that there is no sun. But still the sun shines. At night, when there is no light, still the sun shines. During rain or hail or hurricane or tornado, still the sun shines.

Does the sun ask itself, "Am I good? Am I worthwhile? Is there enough of me?" No, it burns and it shines. Does the sun ask itself, "What does the moon think of me? How does Mars feel about me today?" No, it burns, it shines. Does the sun ask itself, "Am I as big as other suns in other galaxies?" No, it burns, it shines.

In this country in the coming years, I think that there will be a terrible storm. I think that the skies will darken beyond all recognition. Those who walk the streets will walk them in darkness. Those who are in prisons and mental institutions will not see the sky at all, only the dark out of barred windows. Those who are hungry and in despair may not look up at all. They will see the darkness as it lies on the ground in front of their feet. Those who are raped will see the darkness as they look up into the face of the rapist. Those who are assaulted and brutalized by madmen will stare intently into the darkness to discern who is moving toward them at every moment. It will be hard to remember, as the storm is raging, that still, even though we cannot see it, the sun shines. It will be hard to remember that still, even though we cannot see it, the sun burns. We will try to see it and we will try to feel it, and we will forget that it warms us still, that if it were not there, burning, shining, this earth would be a cold and desolate and barren place.

As long as we have life and breath, no matter how dark the earth around us, that sun still burns, still shines. There is no today without it. There is no tomorrow without it. There was no yesterday without it. That light is within us--constant, warm, and healing. Remember it, sisters, in the dark times to come.

Why We Should March In Pride

For LGBTQI's, solidarity is not a matter of luxury, but of survival. In a very heterosexist and patriarchal society such as ours, there is immense value in standing together and fighting for our rights. For this 2006 pride march –LGBTQs will again hop, walk, stammer, run and dance their way to a freer place to love with the theme "IPASA ANG ANTI DISCRIMINATION BILL NOW NA!!!"

It will take place in Manila City on December 9. Assembly will begin at 3 PM at the Remedios Circle and a post-parade program will be held in Rajah Sulayman Park. There will be an orientation for the participants on December 2, 2006 at the Order of St. Aelred office.

The parade will again be infused by rainbows and butterflies—the colorful and creative symbols of the LGBT revolution. The different colors of the rainbow represent our many selves and our many desires. It's also a call for different gender bending rebels to come together in solidarity to fight against the forces that wish to reduce everything to a boringly heterosexual black and white scheme—only men for women. The butterfly represents the courage of the participants to "come out of the cocoon" and spread their wings to a lighter, more colorful existence. (The Butterfly is also the symbol for Ang Ladlad, our national LGBT political party.)
 
Coming out is a personal process that takes a helluva lot of guts and strength. The Pride March is a celebration of this important ritual and milestone in every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender's life. It shows that one is in that stage wherein she is willing to make a stand for where she believes her passion lies. It also reflects one's awareness that identity politics is an important battlefield and that the personal is political.

The loud, extremely conservative minority is a well funded group with the chief goal of bringing us down, portraying us as immoral pedophiles, promiscuous sinners and abnormal sex addicts and deviants. In Philippine society, we have to combat visible and invisible homophobia, from the blatant to the subtle, despite us not having a sodomy law. Inday Garutay getting kicked out of Aruba  is just one example. Nakar, Quezon province Mayor banning gays and lesbians in his city as well as having them beaten up and abused is another. Commissioner Abante and Justice Isagani Cruz' recent attacks against LGBTQIs is also an apparent backlash to the communities growing visibility. Ironically, these people in power who are tasked to uphold justice and human rights believe that only a select few deserve it, while LGBTQIs should just stay mum about not having their place in the sun.
 
The "Freedom March" is a call that we aren't gonna take shit any longer. It signifies freedom from self-hatred, from the suffocating closet and from the debilitating expectations that this is what a man or a woman ought to be. The march is an appeal, not for special rights, but for the basic human right to love and live the way we want without being punished for it by losing our jobs, our families and our friends.
           
Against hate, against discrimination, against violence, we fight with compassion and camaraderie. Truth and beauty are our bombs. With the forces of heterosexism  and patriarchy closing in on us, threatening violence and oppression, the lesson is clear. If we are to survive this, we must all stand and dance together in full pride and in fabulous flair.  
 
So, to spite everyone who believes otherwise, let's wave our frilly flags (Thanks for the idea, Isagani!) and shout: Love itself is the revolution. And now its dares to speak its name.

Great Image Idol Model Search

Join. Vote. Win.
Be the first Great Image Idol Model!
 
The search is on for the Great Image Idol Models!  Get a chance to snatch a three-year modeling contract with Facets Models valued at P100,000.00 and a one year exclusive image model contract with Great Image.
 
Great Image is looking for the most beautiful and handsome faces that our cameras love.  The IDOL MODEL SEARCH is open to all single Filipino males and females, aged 15 to 29 years old.
 
For only P499, interested applicants may sign up and join the search by availing the special IDOL package at any Great Image outlet and submitting the completely filled-up application form together with all the requirements (photocopy of birth certificate and any valid ID). 
 
Submission of entries is from August 1, 2006 to October 31, 2006.
 
All entries will be shortlisted to only 24 semi-finalists by a select panel of judges.  The photo entries of the semi-finalists will be uploaded in the Great Image official website, www.greatimage.com.ph. 
 
The winners will be decided by an online poll from November 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006.  The two Great Image IDOL MODELS, one male and one female, will be announced in January 2007.
 
Both grand prize winners shall receive a three-year modeling contract, valued at P100,000.00, and an exclusive one-year image model contract with Great Image.

For inquiries, call Great Image Marketing at 6331699 or e-mail greatimageidol2006@yahoo.com.

---

Mechanics:

Phase 1: Submission of Entry Photos

1. The Great Image Idol Model Search is open to all single Filipino males and females aged 15-29 years old.
2. To join the search, interested applicants need only to avail of the special Idol package worth P499 at any Great Image outlet, and fill up the Application form.
3. The Idol package will consist of 4 pcs. 3R photos (all headshots).
4. Applicants may choose only one photo to be submitted as his/her entry to the search. The chosen photo must be attached to the application form and submitted to any Great Image outlet.
5. Submission of entry photos is from August 1 to October 31, 2006.
6. All entries will be narrowed down to 24 semi-finalists via a judging to be conducted by a select panel of judges.

Phase 2: On-line Voting

7. All semi-finalists’ photos will be uploaded in the Great Image website, www.greatimage.com.ph.
8. The Great Image Idols will be decided by an on-line poll.
9. Visitors to the website may vote who in their opinion should be the Great Image Idol (one male and one female).
10. Voting will require a valid e-mail address. One e-mail address entitles two votes (one for a male winner and one for a female winner).
11. The on-line voting will run from November 1 to December 31, 2006.
12. There will be two Great Image Idols (one male winner and one female winner).
13. The winners will be announced in January 2007 via the website, press releases and collaterals displayed in the outlets.
14. The two Great Image Idols will each receive a three-year modeling contract (worth P 100,000) with Facets Models and shall be the exclusive image models of Great Image for one year.

Download For Free & Share: Celebrity Photos

You can now download for free, and then share with your friends too, the first in a series of fabulous photo setcards featuring a selection of images created by celebrity portrait photographer Dominique James. Setcard number 001 includes photos of Chin Chin Gutierrez (hair and makeup by Lala Flores, styling by Pepsi Herrera), Judy Ann Santos (hair-and-makeup and styling by Fanny Serrano), Ruffa Gutierrez (hair-and-makeup by Ricky Reyes, clothes by Sari-Sari) and Jay-R (grooming by Barbie Chan, styling by Edwin Tan). To view the PDF file, click here. To download the PDF file, right-click here. You can also download for free the exclusive 50-page PDF file of the Hyperreal ebook. Click here to view or right-click here to download. And, if you’re dreaming of a glamour wedding or you know someone who wants a glamour wedding, view freely (click here) or download (right-click here) the 2-page PDF file of The Glamour Wedding packages exclusively from The Dominique James Photography Studio. And, don’t forget, you can email and share these with all of your friends. For inquiries on the wide range of professional photography services and products offered by The Dominique James Photography Studio, call landline + 63 2 410 43 52 (ask for Roel or Agnes), mobile + 63 917 808 88 04, or email The Studio. For more information, visit The Dominique James Photography Studio website.
Copyright 2006 © The Dominique James Photography Studio. All rights reserved.

Turning Another Year

It's almost that time of the year again. Malapit na. Matatapos na ang isang taon at darating agad ang next year. Sabi ng iba, ang bilis daw ng panahon. Meron din namang iba na nagsasabi na mabagal. Sa palagay ko, pag ikaw ay busy -- parang mabilis ang andar ng panahon. Pero, pag wala kang masyadong pinagkaka-abalahan, mabagal ang takbo ng panahon. Speaking of "panahon," ngayon maraming pwedeng gawin kaya karamihan ay nabibilisan sa takbo ng panahon. Sa dami ng mga magagandang gawin, wala na tayo halos panahon ma-bore. Kulang na kulang na ang panahon para sa mga gusto nating gawin. Ang dapat siguro ay, choosing one's priorities -- kung ano ang importanteng gawin. Sa sobrang dami ng masarap gawin, eh, hindi na natin magawa lahat. Pili na lang tayo ng mga bagay na mahalaga sa atin, at yun na lang ang ating pagka-abalahan. Merong ilan sa atin na gustong gawin lahat. Eh, impossible yata iyun dahil nga gahol tayo sa panahon. Di naman tayo parang butter na pwedeng i-spread thinly. Hehehe! Ang importante, gawin natin ang mga bagay, at unahin na natin ang mga bagay, na merong katuturan sa buhay natin at mga bagay-bagay na makakapagpa-igi sa ating kabuhayan. Tulad ng mga kaibigan. Sila ay importante sa atin. Ang ating pamilya-sila ay importante rin sa atin. Ang ating mga mahal sa buhay ay siyang nagbibigay saysay, kahalagahan, at kulay sa bawa't isa sa atin. Kaya ngayon, sa pagkakataon na umiikot ang mundo, dapat ay iniisip na natin kung ano ang mahahalagang dapat pagtuonan ng pansin. Hindi masaya para sa lahat ang pagdating ng Pasko. At hindi rin masaya para sa lahat ang pagdating New Year. Kanya-kanya lang yan. Kung ano man ang iyong pananaw, maging kapanahunan sana ito ng pagiging mapag-mahal at mapag-aruga sa mga mahal natin sa buhay.

New Celebrity Glamour Portrait Photography Workshop @ PCCI

This celebrity glamour portrait photography workshop will cover the finer elements of portraiture encompassing tried-and-tested techniques and styles that professional photographer Dominique James applies all the time when photographing celebrities. Throughout the workshop, and with the goal of making sure subjects look like glamorous celebrities in pictures, he will openly share countless valuable tips and hints, as well as nuggets of practical wisdom, that are all easy, quick and painless to apply. The course will break down the various elements that contribute to making a successful and modern "celebrity" type of portraiture both in a studio setup and on location. Dominique James, distilling his work experience of more than 15 years, will touch on all aspects of creating visually stunning "celebrity" image portraits. This includes: hair-and-makeup, styling, background and backdrops, lighting, posing techniques, bringing out the best in the models, among others.

One of the workshop's highlight is the presence of three notable fashion industry insiders as special guest speakers to share their experiences and expertise in their respective specialized areas of celebrity glamour portrait photography. Each guest speaker will provide practical insights into the fascinating process of creating celebrity glamour portraits. A question-and-answer forum will follow after each talk.

The best part of this 2-day workshop is that, under the direct creative and artistic guidance of Dominique James, with a special studio set-up and in natural environment, all participants will have the opportunity to directly apply the many techniques and style as well as the tips and hints when photographing male and female commercial "supermodels" from CalCarrie International and surprise celebrity guests. With this workshop, each participant will have the opportunity to create professional grade, world-class, celebrity-type, portfolio-quality photographs.

This workshop is supported by Epson (Stylus Pro 7600), Globis (Monaco Optix, X-Rite, Lasersoft Imaging, SilverFast DC Pro, EFI), ATI (Wacom, Graphire, Intuous.3), Ynzal Marketing, PixelMagic, CalCarrie International, Runway Productions, Airborne Access, and Xyon.

What will be covered
* Basic photographic principles of photographing people
* Elements of beauty in photographs
* Mathematical formula/rule of capturing & creating photographic beauty
* Pre-production & conceptual stage of photographing celebrity
* Hair & makeup styling for glamour portrait session
* Dealing with celebrities & talents during the portrait session
* Photo session workflow
* Studio lighting techniques for celebrity portraiture
* Natural lighting techniques for celebrity portraiture on location
* Composing the portrait image
* Portraiture secrets of the pro photographers
* Post-production workflow
* The legal & business aspects/arrangements of photographing celebrities/models/talents (people)

Who should attend
This is for portrait photographers who want to inject glamour into the portrait photographs they take.

Prerequisites
Participants should have completed PCCI's Basic Photography workshop or have equivalent experience.

What to bring
Participants should bring their own (film-based or digital) SLR camera. For participants with film-based cameras, film will be provided.

About the instructor
Dominique James, an Epson Stylus Pro photographer, is one of today’s finest professional photographers based in the Philippines. In the span of ten years, he has photographed almost all of the famous people in the country from celebrated entertainment personalities and top fashion models to high-ranking politicians and prominent socialites. He has also photographed the most adored names in Philippine sports. Dominique’s photographic images have appeared on the cover and inside pages of countless newspapers and magazines. He has photographed multi-awarded singers and musicians for concert posters and for the cover of some of the best-selling music albums of all time. He has photographed the brightest stars for the posters and DVD/VCD covers of top-grossing movies. He has also done fashion photographs for the best Filipino designers. In addition, he has done numerous commercial, advertising and corporate photography. Dominique also regularly conducts several popular models and photographers workshops. Frequently, he serves as a judge and a consultant to photography contests, model searches, beauty tilts, and talent competitions. To date, he has already presented more than 45 photography exhibits. While Dominque is best known for his celebrity portraits, his other favorite subjects include still life, nude, nature, food, and architecture.

DATES: May 07 & 08, 2005 (Saturday & Sunday)
TIME: 9 AM to 5 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Dominique James
FEE: P5,200.00 or US$105.00 (Includes materials, lunch and snacks. Plus roll of film, developing and printing.)

To enroll in this class, please contact:
Philippine Center for Creative Imaging
Kodak Building, Chino Roces Avenue
Makati City, Philippines
Phone: (632) 759-3087 (Look for Red or Mark)
Fax: (632) 892-5281
Web: http://www.pcci.com.ph