View Point
I cannot remember exactly when I fell in love with photography, but I remember taking a sunset photo in a beach somewhere, using a camera borrowed from our neighbor. After that, I told my parents I will take a Photography class as an elective in the UP College of Mass Communication.
I remember initially using a borrowed viewfinder camera. Later on, my parents bought me my first film SLR with a 50mm lens. I loved it. I loved its simplicity. I loved that all I had to think about is setting the shutter speed and aperture using the built in camera meter. My ISO setting usually just matches the film I loaded in the camera. I loved working in the dark room, developing my film, printing it on photo paper, and watching the creation of a photo. I used my SLR for many years after that class, until digital photography came about. Then I retired my SLR and used a digital point and shoot for a few years before buying a DSLR.
I enrolled in online classes so I can develop the skills of using a digital SLR to create photographs. I mainly shoot as a hobby. I love capturing memories and transforming them into photo books. I give photos as gifts to family and friends and are always appreciated. Photos, like food, trigger happy (and sometimes, sad) memories. I love looking at our photobooks and reliving our travel adventures. I also find photography therapeutic. At the end of a busy work week, I sometimes pick up my camera, go around our garden to take macro shots of a flower, a leaf, an insect, a water drop. I love seeing things with a fresh perspective.
I also dabble into newborn photography. As an introvert, I do not feel comfortable shooting people. But babies, I’m fine with babies. I always fall in love with my newborns. Just looking at a newborn gives me a glimpse of how much joy he or she brings to the lives of her family. And besides, no matter how my photos turn out, the parents always love them.
View Point is that section of my blog dedicated to my love of photography. This is where I share my attempts at capturing life as it happens, and preserving personal stories in a static visual form.
Sometimes I shoot smiling faces. Other times, you’ll see objects that might not mean anything to you, but may be quite meaningful to me. I sometimes shoot insects or crawling creatures that might gross you out. There are also times when I feel a bit experimental with my macro lens so you’ll see swirling colors of dye, oil and water. And sunsets. I never tire of sunsets. I love the sunrise, too, but hate waking up to catch one. So I stick with sunsets. Whatever my subject is, I do what my photography teacher taught me to do. Shoot from the heart.
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