As I mentioned, my grandfather on my Mom's side was already in the photography business and during the 40s and 50s, he already had a Studio in Cebu and usually gets the Studio Portrait shots, Family pictures and of course, Class Pictures! Don't forget... they also had the great talent of retouching!
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My cousin, Janice R. had this in her archives...
Sanson Studio actually started in 1927 |
It started off with the Black and White photographs and Sepia, too before it evolved to the Color pictures we are now used to.
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| Black -and- white |
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from my cousin, Joel Oporto: "colored" black-and-white,
sepia and black-and-white |
I guess, we have mixed feelings when we go over our Class Pictures. We laugh at how we look... we ask ourselves where our classmates are now... and wonder how they would look too.
These pictures were mostly taken by professional photographers, but some are not so well copied from the original.
When we were kids, we usually had a very formal Class picture usually on the stairs to make sure everyone is seen. But, when I went over an even older picture, I realized we also had a lawn shot when we were still in Prep!
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| in late 60s, together with Sr. Amandina |
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| I just cropped the picture to see myself better and I must have been a "favorite" because I am closest to Sr. Amandina (lol)! |
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late 1960s: With Sr. Amandina, our very dear Belgian nun
in St. Theresa's College |
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| mid 1970s: UPCC II-Palma: still black and white and standing on the steps |
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late 1970s: UPCC III-Singco: colored and no longer on the steps...
interesting that we now have a twist to our class pictures!
In retrospect, we also had a lawn shot in Prep! |
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| early 1980s: University of San Carlos: colored but I wasn't able to scan this from the original photo... but this is a less formal graduation class picture! |
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| mid 1980s: Cebu Doctors' College of Medicine: colored and see how behaved we were... but they still followed the traditional Class picture with us on the steps |
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| mid 1980s: CDCM: colored and formal, now with cap |
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| in the mid 1990s: University of Sto. Tomas Hospital: Department picture |
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And of course, class pictures become important after 25 years, when we start comparing...
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| even Cebu Doctors' is now a University!!! |
I thought that Class Pictures were a thing of the past.
However, these days, it is still customary to get a formal class picture but there has to be several wacky shots after!
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| In 2012: ADZU IV-Pignatelli... I realized the class (my son's class) had formal pictures, too since Jr. Prep up to Fourth Year HS. |
I also had a chance to be a Philippine Delegate to the Friendship Program for the 21st Century in the late 1980s.
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| Formal Picture in Barong Tagalog in the late 1980s in Tokyo, Japan (scanned from film) |
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And in our less formal group photos! in Hakone, Japan
(scanned from film) |
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| As Delegate to the AJAFA (Asean Japan Alumni Friendship Association) in the early 1990s in Malaysia (scanned from film) |
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early 1990s: less formal AJAFA-21 photo in Malaysia
(scanned from film) |
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| 2007: less formal AJAFA-21 photo in Bulacan, Philippines |
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2007: my son had the chance to join the AJAFA-21 delegates,
with Mohan and Rahman, part of our original friends
from about 15 years ago! |
Here are more informal group shots...
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| early 1980s: USC: the color of the photo has become reddish as the effect of acid on old photos... therefore, the term ACID-FREE albums to keep the pictures from fading or becoming red... |
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| early 1980s: University of San Carlos Talamban: colored and more relaxed pose = = better picture quality (film) then now scanned |
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| mid 1980s: Cebu Doctors' College of Medicine: just a swim break |
And when we graduated or for yearbooks, it had to be the retouched black-and-white photo! But, when I looked through my pictures, I also had colored pictures for the yearbook, too.
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| late 1970s |
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| early 1980s: now colored |
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| late 1980s: back to black and white |
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| late 1980s: still black and white |
These days, Graduation pictures have leveled up and I have heard that aside from the portrait shots, there are also fantasy shots or glamour shots!
You must be wondering why I still have all these pictures. Again, I am a "CHRONICLER" as my Junior, Kaye R. De B. said. I am into documentation rather than the artist-photographer!
PHOTOGRAPHY has leveled up to a higher level of SCIENCE and ART... and COMMUNICATION!!!
These photos have shared a lot on how we have journeyed in life...
And will further document whatever we will discover in the years ahead.
But, I guess at the end of this blog, one of the things you would ponder about is...
How old must I be? (You don't need to answer...)
