May 2015 Team Competition : Rockband Challenge

Our second quarter team competition for this year is the Rockband Challenge. We called on interested Bulacan-based bands to be the subjects for our shooting challenge. A total of 16 bands submitted their info and demo tracks. We then screened them and approved only 7  bands to participate in the challenge. Each band was assigned to a team, with each team also consisting of 2 or 3 Focus photographers. The 7 teams were tasked to submit 5 photo entries for judging, with one photo in square, CD cover format. The concept, schedule, location, and other details were all up to their discretion. They were given a month to do the shoot and send in their entries.

Now, we finally show you the photos that they submitted.

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(1) ANOTHER JACKASS PROJECT
Focus photographers : Mark Anthony de Leon / Dennis Santos / Alih Viaje

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
"These feel like genuinely fun pictures. I feel like the band really enjoyed the shoot themselves. The set simply tells a story of a three-member band who just always have fun with whatever they’re doing." (Lorraine Sandel)

"Poses and interaction of the band members serve their brand well. Framing is dynamic but quality and color could improve." (Karen De La Fuente)

(2) BLARE
Focus photographers :
Noel Crisostomo / Chi Lopez

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
"Good job on capturing the group shots. If they were corrected in post, I don’t care, the fact is you were able to show all the faces of the members and gave equal exposure." (Kris Rocha)

"The harsh lighting suits the overall feel of the set. In some pictures, though, I feel the band members aren’t that comfortable with being photographed." (Lorraine Sandel)

(3) DEFYING HADES
Focus photographers :
Erick Mendiola / Erika Santos

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
"Good job on trying out different perspective. Exposure and color are nice. Be mindful of the members' expressions." (Kris Rocha)

"I kind of feel awkward looking at some of the photos. Maybe because I’m looking for interaction or connection between the band members but I only feel that they’re all just posing for the camera. It seems like you put five different people together for a band shoot." (Lorraine Sandel)

(4) HESITATIONS
Focus photographers : Julius Calzo / Awel Dionisio / May Escol

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
" Good play with lighting & coloring but could improve more. Genre and band identity could be emphasized more." (Karen De La Fuente)

"All photos fit the band’s genre so even if they have different themes, it worked as a set. I like the shadows and color treatment. Clean your photos especially the studio shots. clean the lines on your wall or background. If it’s intentional, it doesn’t work for me. It looks like dirt to me not texture." (Kris Rocha)

(5) KISSING SCARLET
Focus photographers :
Jehutz Santiago / Brian Santos

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
"Coloring & lighting in some photos are good, but others are over-edited. Too many ideas for one set, band identity isn't as clear." (Karen De La Fuente)

"I love the card game scene. Perfectly executed." (Mark Terence Sy)

"I like the variations. I like that the attitude of the band was captured in photos. Be careful not to over-process your photos. Sometimes over-using Photoshop ruins everything." (Kris Rocha)

(6) LUNAR LIGHTS
Focus photographers :
Ronald Balan / Julie Santos

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
"I like this set because of the different styles. Plus they included an actual gig shoot. I love the cabinet photo. Very creative." (Mark Terence Sy)

"All photos fit the band’s genre and character. Color grading is good. The use of filters and other elements is good. I like the subtle inset of details (Rubik's cube on first photo). Perfect blocking and spacing on group photos." (Kris Rocha)

(7) PROMISSORY NOTE
Focus photograhers :
TJ Agustin / Sherwin San Diego

JUDGES' INSIGHT :
"Be mindful of the facial expressions of all members. Make sure to capture the right expressions that will fit in the band’s image. It is the photographer’s task to tell his subject what he wants to capture. For this band, it is consistent. Good job." (Kris Rocha)

"Too much texture in the photos, distracts from the band itself. Use of space and light could improve, play with shadows could be interesting." (Karen De La Fuente)

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THE JUDGES

Our panel of awesome judges for this challenge are the following :

• Mcoy Fundales - distinguished talent in the local music industry and frontman of Kenyo (https://www.facebook.com/mcoyfundales.official)

• Mark Terence Sy - one of the premier concert and band photographers in the Philippines (https://www.facebook.com/markterencesy.photography)

• Karen De La Fuente - concert and events photographer, co-founder of Shutter Panda (https://rocket.exposure.co/)

• Kris Rocha - concert and portrait photographer, owner of Top Hat Studio (https://www.facebook.com/krisrochaphotography?hc_location=ufi)

• Lorraine Sandel - wedding and events photographer, video director (https://www.facebook.com/boxartprod)

We asked our judges to view the teams' photos as a set (merit of all 5 photos, not just 1) and pick their Top 4, to go with comments and critique.

Scoring System
1st Place - 10 points
2nd Place - 6 points
3rd Place - 4 points
4th Place - 2 points

The team with the most number of points wins.

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After tallying the judges' votes, the Top 3 of our Rockband Challenge :

3rd Place : 24 points (1 1st-Place vote) / TEAM HESITATIONS

2nd Place : 24 points (2 1st-Place votes) / TEAM LUNAR LIGHTS

1st Place : 26 points / TEAM KISSING SCARLET

Congratulations to the team of Brian Santos, Jehutz Santiago, and the band Kissing Scarlet composed of Angela Paculdar, Rhodel Tayag, Michael David, Markus Tanig. As our token, Focus Bulacan will help you publish your music on Spotify and other possible platforms. Of course, when that happens, your artist photo will be coming from this Rockband Challenge.

Each member of the winning team gets an extra 15 points, members of 2nd Place team get 10 bonus points, 3rd Place team gets 7 bonus points, 4th Place team (undisclosed) gets 5 bonus points, and 5th Place team (also undisclosed) gets 3 bonus points for the Photographer Of The Year competition. Participants automatically get 3 points for taking part in our Rockband Challenge.

Cheers and thanks to our guest judges for helping us pick the winners and providing insight to our participants. And to all the shooters and bands who joined and gave time and effort for this activity, including the very successful Loud & Clear gig,  THANK YOU! You all rock. Literally and figuratively.


Here's how the judges voted :
                                                                   1st Place                    2nd Place                    3rd Place                       4th Place
MCOY FUNDALES                               Kissing Scarlet         AJP                                Defying Hades            Hesitations
MARK TERENCE SY                            Lunar Lights             Kissing Scarlet            Blare                                   Defying Hades
KAREN DE LA FUENTE                     AJP                              Hesitations                 Lunar Lights                Kissing Scarlet
KRIS ROCHA                                        Lunar Lights            Hesitations                 Promissory Note       Kissing Scarlet
LORRAINE SANDEL                           Hesitations              Kissing Scarlet          AJP                                  Blare

(Full comments and critique of judges will be made available to participating Focus members.)

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This has definitely been a fun and memorable experience to everyone involved. A perfect way for music and photography to collaborate. Again, our appreciation and gratitude to all who made the Rockband Challenge and Loud & Clear event possible. We'll see you around!