Photography Workshop X: Real Talk On Real Photography

 

When in Manila, our love for taking photos is very apparent just by looking at our social media feeds. Every event calls for memorabilia, so engaging in more advanced levels of photography is suddenly becoming more popular.

Though people these days are more interested in simply recording each important moment, there is also a bigger world of photography that people are always free to explore. Maybe it’s time to stop making your DSLR do all the work on auto mode. After all, they’re expensive for a reason. Though it looks easy when the pros do it, though, photography is actually quite challenging, I must say. This is why this 1-Day Basic Photography Workshop X really helped me A LOT.

At first, it looked like any other regular workshop to me, but I’m glad I was wrong. Edwin Celestino and Michael Mariano gave us some real talk on photography. No nonsensical theories, just real talk.

Edwin Celestino started with some of the basic technical stuff covering the exposure and settings. From the technical, it then slowly progressed onto the artistic side, which made it a lot easier for beginners. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t write down all of the golden words from these photography buffs, though, so here are 3 of their best statements instead – things that everybody should remember, really. Totally a good thing to remember for everybody.

1. “There is no DAPAT in photography. There are no hard and fast rules.”

There might be a technical side when it comes to getting the “right” exposure, but every photographer has their own distinct perception of what constitutes the “right” exposure. You hold the camera. You are the photographer. You own the photo and you get to decide how you’ll shoot your subjects. You might have a reason for shooting something with extreme lighting condition, but no one can tell you what to do because it’s your photograph in the end, after all.

 

2. “Photography is the perfect marriage between science and art.”

Maybe this is why I’m so attracted to photography. It binds you with the nerdy scientific concepts of aperture, shutter speed and other seemingly complicated factors; however, after mastering them, it gives you total freedom to shoot in whichever artsy way you want. No limits.

 

3. “When choosing a camera, pick what feels right.”

Manufacturers or peers might be a big influence on the camera we choose, but it’s just like choosing a partner: you should have some sort of chemistry. Try it out and choose what feels good on your fingers or grip. Then, decide. Be it because of the bulk, price or convenience, pick which one would be best for you. You don’t even need the most expensive one. Even point-and-shoot cameras can produce great photos. It all depends on the person behind the camera.

Another good thing about the workshop is that they let us try out the latest line of products from Fujifilm. Personally holding and using cameras really is a critical part in buying a new one.

 

Photo Walk

After the lecture, we had a photo walk around the streets of Ortigas to apply what we learned and  to experiment. All of our photos were then submitted for constructive criticism, which for me was the ultimate highlight of the event. Cool experience. It’s just great to learn with other people who are passionate about photography.

Aside from the ones above, here are some of the photos:

They also taught us the panning technique (moving object on a blurry background). Here is a photo from my very first article about Motorsports with that kind of technique. Back then, I thought everything was just based on luck. It turns out that these kinds of photos are quite easy to do once you know how.

Aside from the super friendly people, the  workshop had another big bonus: great food!

Totally not bad for a fee of only P500. The good news is that they’ll have another session on July 5 for those who want to join in on the experience. Attendees even get a certificate. How cool is that?

Photos say a lot about the simplest things and not tapping into their wonders would be such a waste. With so many great things to capture in Manila, why not grab a camera and join this workshop? You don’t even need a DSLR. Any camera with a manual function is good enough, and you’re good to go!

 

 

M2 Photography Studio

 

Website: https://www.m2studio.biz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m2photography.studios

Contact: +63932-855-4615

 

 

Photography Workshop X: Real Talk On Real Photography