Back to basics

Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania

I WAS taking an UBER ride in manila when the driver started asking me about photography. I asked, “How did you know I’m a photographer?” He said my bag looks like a camera bag. He then told me that when he was still working as a manager in one of the call centers in Eastwood, he was a member of the company’s camera club. UBER drivers are a mix of retired professionals and more.

He wanted to know the right lens for him, especially when covering school activities of his kid and also asked me to explain how to use aperture, ISO and shutter speed. We practically had an on-the-spot workshop while plying the busy roads of Makati. It was a first for me.

I’m sure he would have wanted the traffic to work in his favor. It’s not every day that you talk about photography with a taxi driver or, in this case, an UBER driver.

I asked him why he got a DSLR instead of a compact camera. He told me that he wanted to get better quality photos. You can actually claim that argument five years ago when compact cameras carry a smaller size sensor. However, with what Fujifilm, Lumix and Olympus can do today, they’re now on an even playing field. Sony would even produce better results than a professional DSLR. This is of course if you compare pixel to pixel.

Photography can be appreciated by many, but it’s definitely not for everybody. It takes passion to pursue and dedication and courage to face adversities ahead. It’s a never ending learning. Like a song that goes around the same chords but never ceases to create a new melody. Like the sunset that happens every day but never the same. Photography works with the same restraints but comes up different every time.

If you want to learn photography, my advice is to ask yourself why you like photography. Understand and seek the deeper reason why you’re interested in photography. Shoot whenever you can and apply your learnings from a workshop or online tutorials. Spend a lot of time looking at the work of photographers who inspire you.

One of the photographers that I grab a lot of inspiration from is Doc Erwin Lim. His passion for photography is limitless. His photographs will allow you to take the front seat and experience the scene yourself. He’s a grounded photographer, in spite of his many awards and national recognitions he received.

Keep on shooting, everyone!

photomania.sunstar@gmail.com / www.grp.ph