Baguio Centennial book photographer tops CEPMO’s bird photo contest

July 23, 2022 Metro BLISTT

The city’s best bird photographer is a professional photographer who traveled the country from the northernmost province near Taiwan and the southernmost part near the Malaysian border to take photos, the City Environment and Parks Management Office announced this week. Arnulfo Gabilo or Noli to media people was declared the winner of the Titit photo contest organized by the CEPMO as part of its four-month-long Saleng Festival.
His photo of a long-tailed shrike he snapped while on coverage at the Baguio Country Club last July 1 won the competition.
Gabilo is a part-time photo correspondent for local newspapers including the defunct Cordillera Today and some of his photos appeared in national dailies like the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
He said that it was the celebration of elected officials of Baguio and Benguet when he saw the bird with other birds of the same species at the BCC ground and before perching on a pine tree branch.
“The fogs even helped and made the photo even more dramatic,” he said of the photo he snapped as light and darkness were struggling at the end of the day at 6 PM. “Ang gamit kong lente dyan ay yung bagong (I used a new lens) Tamron 18-300mm all-around travel zoom for Fujifilm X-mount,” said Gabilo adding that he had a wide opening at F6.3, 1/160th second and ISO or speed of 640.
Gabilo was the chief photographer of the Memoirs of Baguio, one of the two books commissioned by the city in celebration of the Baguio centennial on September 1, 2009.
Gabilo bested 20 photo enthusiasts including Brian Carlo Layugan and Steven Bruce Layugan, who placed second and third, respectively. The photos are now on display in the Baguio City Hall lobby.
The Saleng Festival was started last year where the CEPMO scheduled various activities that are geared toward the protection of trees and the environment.
Pigeon Lobien/ABN