Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational – October 21-27, 2009

Reigning Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational champion Edito ‘Peso’ Alcala (Philippines), who rode barrel after perfect barrel to beat 2007 title holder Wade Goodall (Caloundra, Qld, Aus) in last year’s final, will don a competition vest to defend his title in this year’s event. Image: Jake White / Surfing Australia

D-Day Looms for Surfers in Next Week’s Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational

(Friday 16th October, 2009): D-DAY is looming for an international cast of surfers with the Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational in the Philippines less than a week away from starting.

'Cloud 9', a powerful, hollow right-hander located on Siargao Island will again be the focus of the global surfing community with entry confirmations from some of the world’s hottest surfers including pipeline master Jamie O’Brien (Hawaii), 2007 runner-up Nick Vasicek (Coolangatta, Australia), 2006 champion Ryan Hipwood (Gold Coast, Australia), New Zealand's first ever World Champion surfer Jay Quinn(Gisborne, now Gold Coast, Aus) and Hawaiian surfing royalty Makua Rothman.

An invite to compete in the 2009 competition was made all the more attractive with USD $20,000 on the table and the allure of flawless, barrelling waves.

48 surfers from Hawaii, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, South Africa and 12 local wildcards will compete in a specialised format, which culminates in man-on-man heats from the quarterfinals.

Reigning champion Edito ‘Peso’ Alcala (Philippines), who rode barrel after perfect barrel to beat 2007 title holder Wade Goodall (Caloundra, Qld, Aus) in last year’s final, will don a competition vest to defend his title.

Local ace Alcala, who learned to surf at the revered break, will again prove tough competition for his international riders after putting in plenty of practice at Cloud 9 in the past month.

“It’s been pumping for weeks,” said 20-year old Alcala.

“We’ve been experiencing plenty of typhoons that have created some great waves. Hopefully it’ll continue into next week.”

What separates the specialty event from standard competitive surfing is that invited contestants are involved in deciding what conditions they will surf in.

With only two full days required to finalize the competition and a seven-day competition window, organizers have the luxury to wait for ideal conditions in which to run the event during Cloud 9’s prime swell period.

Due to Siargao's proximity to the Philippine Deep, big swells from the Pacific Ocean roll in from the second deepest stretch of water in the world to create flawless,hollow barrelling waves.

The 2009 tournament will run from October 21-27,2009.

The tournament contest site is Siargao Island’s 'Cloud 9', a powerful, hollow right-hander that has been frequently compared to the renowned surf of Hawaii and Indonesia.

The Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational 2009 is proudly supported by Billabong, Province of Surigao Del Norte, Stoked Inc, Von Zipper sunglasses, Nixon, Kustom footwear, Friendster, and Sagana Resort.

www.billabong.com<http://www.billabong.com/>

MIZU, Today for Tomorrow

The Mizu line:

a great look, with sturdy construction
a beach-goer filling up his Mizu
Kale Gray, a pretty sick photographer and one man operation kept the crowds rehydrated.

"We are mizu, because we believe in living life today in a way that will give you the tomorrow you would like to see."

While shooting at the Hurley Pro 2009, I got a chance to meet Kale Gray, a representative for the Mizu water bottle company. What struck me most was their sincere and clever conservation concerns regarding the wasteful use of bottled water.

Mizu provided colorful stainless steel bottles for purchase which you could endlessly refill for free during your visit to the ASP tour stop down at Trestles, San Clemente, California. There were people even filling their generic bottles, all at an attempt to limit the number of littered plastic bottles that end up on beaches and landfills. It was all quite a refreshing sight, and it did have a great impact on the level of trash you typicially see after a surf event.

Kudos to the boys at MIZU, very progressive and conscious thinking!

The speed of the Pentax K7 at the 2009 Hurley Pro

One of the milestone improvements of the Pentax K7 is the Faster frame rate. For those of us who shoot action, photojournalism or even street candids, FPS rate tends to be important because the precise moment can be varied by milliseconds.

I shot these photos this morning down at the Hurley Pro 2009 Trestles, in San Clemente California. After returning home from the concrete jungle of NYC, there was nothing more I wanted to do but return to the beach and surf. Just a few days prior, Pentax Imaging was on site at the International Center of Photography in Midtown Manhattan holding a press release for the launch of the Pentax KX.

I was fortunate to be invited to the launch and showcase my Surfing Lifestyle Imagery. What I wanted to add is that my present photography is far more improved with the overall faster performance of the K7. The Entry level KX, is also pretty fast with a FPS rate of 4.7

Kai Otton spraying a big fan...

Heitor Alves Sequence...

A Phoenix Rising: The Launch of the new PENTAX KX

Key Features: 12.4MP CMOS
2.7 inch high resolution LCD
720P 24FPS HD video
fast 4.7 FPS
affordable price-point: 649.00 with DA-L 18-55 Kit lens
Available in black, red, white, & blue

Chris Pound, Product Manager showcasing the gear:

For the first time in several years, Pentax Imaging Company USA held a press conference to break ground for their new entry level 12 mp KX. The event took place at the New York International Center of Photography. The Gallery was buzzing with amazing iconic imagery from Richard Avedon (1944-2000), packed with media representatives, distinguished guests, and a slew of Pentax equipment for demo. It was my pleasure to be on hand to showcase my imagery shot with Pentax glass and talk shop with the guests, let alone sample the tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Pentaxian Photographer Mark Dimalanta showcasing images and "talking shop" with the press.

The company’s executives namely; President Ned Bunnell, Bill Zani, Vice president of Marketing & Sales and John Carlson, Senior Manager each discussed the future of Pentax & Hoya Corporation, a restructured sales strategy, and the product features of the new KX, respectively. The overall buzz in the air was of an energized and focused direction of the New Pentax.

President Ned Bunnell discussing the New Pentax and Hoya's Strategy

Vice President Bill Zani detailing the Business Strategy

John Carlson, Senior Manager, Product Marketing & Customer Support unveiling the KX

The excitement of a re-energized company and the launch of the KX, an unprecedented entry level DSLR are a foreshadowing of a Phoenix Rising.

Stay tuned for an update which will include detailed notes from the press conference. The following are just a collection of photos from the event. For detailed specs of the KX refer here:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09091703pentaxkx.asp

Drew Barrymore of the cover of Time Out New York for the main feature which showcased celebrities shooting NYC.

Ned Bunnell's photo from his presentation detailing what he carries in his Billingham, the compact nature of the Pentax System:

Claudia Gramley, Executive Assistant to the President, enjoying the "red" KX. One of the many color variants of the new KX

More images and notes on the event to follow...

A day in Malibu with the Pentax K7

Some random lifestyle images shot with the Pentax K7 while at iconic Malibu, California.

Original image shot and re-sized for web

Image stylized in camera with watercolor and retro filter

Processed using in camera digital filters: green filter, base parameter adjust to increase brightness, and custom filter to create the white vignette (the blue in her hair is not CA, her hair is in fact blue)

In camera processing using crop feature and custom filter for white vignette

In-camera retro filter for border and softer hue

100 portraits in 100 days.

A friend of mine, and fellow Pentaxian Diego Jose inspired me to start a new post entitled: "100 portraits in 100 days"

The basis of this project was originally inspired by www.100strangers.com.

A project wherein we attempt street photographs with 100 new people and post on a daily basis. It is aimed to spark new encounters and to learn something new about each of our subjects.

My first sample is a young girl selling cherries at the side of the road from the back of her wagon. This was shot during the Pentax West Coast Viral Tour of the K7, somewhere between Seattle to Portland off the interstate 5. The cherries were harvested earlier that morning, and when I saw how large of a bag they were offering and at such a low price, I couldn't resist. I ate them for days and recall that they were the sweetest I had ever tasted.

Image shot with the Pentax K7, DA 35 macro and processed in camera using the retro filter to create the border and shift in the hue.

EGG: The Best Breakfast in Town

While exhibiting some work at the Photo Plus East Photography tradeshow in 2007, I had a chance to meet up with some cousins living in Brooklyn and sample what I believe to be the best breakfast in NYC.

A simple, yet cozy table that may be found within.

Egg, or the pig & egg located at: 135 North 5th Street, Brooklyn New York 11211 is a simple train ride on the L to Bedford Avenue, then walk two blocks south to North 5th Street and Voila, you are there...

By Car: Take the Metropolitan Avenue exit from the B.Q.E., drive west on Metropolitan to Berry Street, then turn right and follow Berry Street to North 5th Street. Turn right on North 5th.

For a detailed menu click here.

2 Eggs any style . . . $7

Served with organic white or 5-grain toast and hashbrowns

drinks:

French press-brewed sustainably grown coffee . . . $2.25

* perhaps the most memorable part of the entire experience was the fresh taste of the coffee. Possibly the best cup I had ever tasted.

**more expensive then your average quick breakfast, but once you factor in the fresh ingredients and the hearty portions your palate will quickly remind you that it's the best money spent. I often think about this place whenever I try a new spot, in a new town. I will often remark... "Never as good as Egg"

For reservations or more info phone: (718) 302 5151

Video Samples from the Pentax K7

Diego Jose, A very good friend, colleague,  and fantastic Pentaxian Photographer from the Philippine Islands has posted an excellent video on Vimeo using the HD video feature from the K7.

Take a look here: K7 Video Sample

or simply watch here:

Cambodiaaaa from Diego Lorenzo F. Jose on Vimeo.

Also, My assistant Aya Garcia and I will be shooting this weekend and testing our the HD feature of the K7, be sure to visit here often for the video updates.

Cheers,

MD