Behind the scenes of the photos

Through my family

It was all admiration of my mother’s developed pictures in our cabinet, it had a different sensation of holding a physical photograph, and every dust, texture, color, and distortion carried a ton of memories.

I even stashed away her developed images in her several albums, this is because I wanted to have just as many pictures as she did and imagine as if I was her in the photos, as if it was reliving the memory.

With that, my family also enjoys taking images that I believe are meaningful and beautiful because through this we create a bond on every occasion we have, since most of the time we are far from each other. That sometimes, when my family and friends are together, we can't resist acting like 'vloggers' in front of the camera and interacting with our imagined viewers.

It was also very clear in my mind that the first ones to notice my interest, it was my aunt and my uncle who helped me understand the societal problems present in the world-famous Philippines television documentary show, i-Witness.

Then my father saw my interest in capturing photos when I was still a little girl. He then proceeded to support this curiosity of mine in the world of production.

Through the process

I certainly enjoyed exploring each setting of the camera and its function, as well as how it affects the photos in the end. You will also be amazed at how taking photos can move you as an individual, and now it is my way to connect with people and how it can a be significant response to the world.

With this, I can be more present in my surroundings and it gradually improves my memories. In my hunt for compositions, viewpoints, and most importantly the connection that I make with the subjects that makes a good and worthy photo.

Both my technical proficiency and my sense of composition are enhanced by the editing process. To tell the truth, it also excites me when I can strengthen my photos through editing, I can fix the lighting. And as a result, over the years, my editing techniques and styles have grown.

To be honest, it’s a shame and guilt that I don’t share my photos much on social media. Since it has worthy and significant stories to tell to the world, much more to the societal problems in our area. Believe me, I'm still working on this.

Through my colleagues

In junior high school, I developed a fascination with understanding and improving the correct technique and technical aspects of photography because I wanted to become part of our school's campus journalism team.

To write honestly, I want to explore what I like to do and to feel like I belong to the class.

As a new staffer in the organization, they taught me a lot from the process of capturing and writing the story. Eventually, I learned the fundamentals of using a camera from my fellow journalists. We also discussed what the judges were looking for in the annual school paper and how to prepare for divisional, regional, and national competitions.

With this, I gained confidence and a new outlook on doing huge tasks. For instance, for several years, I was also tasked with working as a layout artist and photojournalist on the school newspaper's feature page, where the writers focused more on our town's distinctive characters.

Taking pictures of individuals in motion is what I refer to as "active or moving shots" in my photos. For instance, the speaker was gesturing or flapping his hands and making other body motions as I snapped a picture of him speaking. This involves considering the ideal angle for the topic, which is determined by the rule of thirds and will help the subject stand out even more.

The goal, which I hope to convey in this manner, is to communicate within the picture and counterbalance the article's weight, which needs to represent the visible image. In order to help the reader better grasp my subjects' stories, I want them to be able to sense what each of them appreciates and wants to communicate in each shot.

Having experience in photojournalism, I can attest that exploring what you can do is a fantastic place to start and a useful style that helps me to refine my own aesthetic in my images.

In terms of ethics, I can state that I take pictures according to the same standards as we learn in journalism class—that is, I ask the subject's permission before taking their picture and respect their requests.

Photojournalists have a significant role in society; we do more than just point the camera; we help the reader understand what the subject wants to say.