How to celebrate Valentine's Day on a budget

It's the thought that counts. This is probably the most overused alibi phrase during Valentine's day. It's a lame convenient excuse for those who are unwilling to spend more than their lunch money on gifts. Many end up giving their girlfriends cards instead of bouquets of expensive flowers (or jewelries or other things that women fancy). My wife, in her classic combination of wisdom and sarcasm tone, complains that the monetary value of my Valentine's gifts to her have become inversely proportional to the number of years we are together (including the years when we were just magsyota where, I reckon with utmost clarity, I had to skip lunch for two weeks in order to buy the freshest and most stunning set of flowers at the Dangwa flower market in Manila). And I would retort, "It's the thought that counts!"

My unsolicited advice to those who plan to use the above-mentioned palusot phrase during Valentine's, prepare something out of the ordinary to make up for your penny-pinching ways. Write her a song (hey, I've done that twice!). Bring her out to watch the sun set (not in Singapore where it has been raining the whole day). Take her for a stroll, go malling (but keep her away from the jewelry stores, drag her away if you have to).

For a photographer hobbyist like me, Valentine's Day gets my creative juice flowing (while trying my darndest best to keep my cash on my wallet). I browse through my archives, choose a suitable photo, rouse my inner Shakespeare for a rhyme or two, and this is what I whipped up:

This photo was taken using the following equipment:
Camera: Nikon D300 (with wired remote switch shutter release)
Lens: Nikkor 55mm Micro f/2.8 Ai-S
Flashes: SB-900 (master), 2 x SB-600 as slaves
Additional equipments: Manfrotto 190-series tripod with 486RC2 ball-head, light tent

Here are the EXIF details of the photograph:
Exposure: 8 secs
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 55mm

Addendum: But of course, I will bring my wife out for a fancy dinner over the weekend. It's the thought that counts, stupid!

================================================
© COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All photos are copyrighted and may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my consent and permission. All rights reserved.