Probably one of the major turning points in my career shift. I’ve lifted the text from a previous blog regarding this workshop. =) I am so blessed. I was a participant of a workshop back then, and now I shoot with these people. Our Lord always have plans for us, and I am glad I’m being led to pursue photography even further. =)
I first met Toto Villaruel back in 2010 when Mar and I were scouting for a photographer for our wedding. Then I met Nicolai Melicor and Patrick Diokno when they shot our prenup. I knew of Jaja Samaniego being that she belonged to the same photography company as the previous three. I look up to them as they have been in the business long enough to warrant the status of “master,” yet their feet still stays on the ground.
Since I decided to take up photography, I really wanted to learn from the best. Boy, did I do. The A-Team composed of Toto Villaruel, Nicolai Melicor, Jaja Samaniego, and Patrick Diokno were experts in their fields. And when they offered a workshop on portraiture and wedding photography, I didn’t hesitate to sign-up (well, for batch 1, I did since it was a weekday).
Some salient points that I took home from the workshop that reinforced or challenged my beliefs and perception on photography are:
1. Break them rules – A good thing about photography is that you may experiment with different angles, settings, etc., and you could still come up with a great photo! Rules are there to guide you, but we never let the rules limit our creativity.
2. Confidence is key – A good photographer knows what he/she wants. He/she must be able to visualize the photograph even before the shutter is pressed. That’s half of the battle won. Half of it is communicating the scene to your subjects in such a way that they know that you’re in control.
3. Shoot in any condition. The weekend was filled with thunderstorms (and flood). Yet, creativity kicks in when we are placed inside a box. We must break boundaries, and we must see things that would make a photograph great in any situation.
To our mentors, a big thank you for sharing your time and talent with us. This will definitely help us in pursuing our dreams of becoming great photographers just like you guys.
Enjoy the photos.
