Someone phoned me this morning...

Friend: Hey, we're thinking of visiting Italy. I want to meet you na, ha?

Me: Oh, finally! After all these years mag-kikita na din tayo!

Friend: Anyway, what's your shoe size again? You love Adidas di ba? They're having a BIG sale here in a few days daw.

Me: 36 on leather boots, 38/39 on padded shoes, and 37/38 on trainers and almost everything else.

[silence...]

Friend: Ay, teka, iba na lang, di ba you love chocolates? At di ba walang Hershey's dyan?

Hhmmmm...

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I often have friends who ask me to take photos of them so they could bring or send it back home. So far, Judith and Asmae are the best "models" because they love the way I take photos and they always love the outcome, which means they don't make "angal" or "reklamo".

Last week before going to school, a friend of a friend's friend (I don't even remember whose friend she was!!!) asked me to take photos of her newborn baby because they needed some pictures for the baby's Christening invitations. I'm okei with that, even if I don't know her (or her family), I'm always ready to go the extra mile naman eh, especially for a friend. And I use these favours as a time for practicing the craft that I love, so it's all good. It's a win-win situation.

Pero, if you ask me to do you this favour and you accept that we'll do it MY way (kahit alam ko it will never really be 100% MY way), I expect that you, at the least, let me say what my ideas and opinions are. Don't boss me around because I'm doing this for free, I'm the one carrying the heavy camera all the way to your place, and I'm the one doing you a favour, the least you can do is to be nice to me.

Now, if you think that the portrait I took of your baby is not decent enough for your baby's Christening invitations and you prefer the baby's mug shot, then I cannot do anything about it, to each his own, but I definitely won't let you associate my name with that mug shot you'll be putting on those invitations.

Here are my answers when I was asked:

What is photography for you?

• It's about capturing the moment and having the chance to save and keep it for a very long time, if not for forever. It's about letting and giving people the chance to see things as I see them. I always have a camera with me and I take a photo at least once a day. Photography, for me, is a way of life.

When you take pictures, what do you think about? What are the things you give importance to when you have a camera in your hands? (this question's lousily translated to english, hehe.)

• For me, taking photos is really about seizing the moment and the emotion(s) of the subject(s) (people, places, etc.) at a given time. I basically think about how I want and can let other people see how I see a certain subject. It's also important, for me, to make people understand and to be able to transmitt the feelings that a subject gives me. Technique is important but you must have the heart and the passion for it. (and I'm not saying that just because I don't have the technique, hehe.) Just like in any other art, your work must communicate something to your "audience".

If I'm not satisfied with the photos I took, I won't care if the clients adore the photos, I won't have them print copies and have my name associated with those photos. Kuya Joel (if my memory serves me right) said, "If you're a professional you have to satisfy your clients. So somewhat it's them who decides how you take the photos." or something like that.

And that's something I cannot bow down to, at least for now, because like what I said, I want other people to see how I see things, plus I don't really enjoy posed pictures, I love candid snapshots they're more ME. Oh well.

It's a good thing I don't do photography for a living, or I'll probably be jobless and homeless.

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RIP Heath Ledger!
It's sad. He's young and so talented pa naman.

p.s.
Whenever I get the chance to be home before 11 in the evening, I usually end up with long posts. Ayun, wala lang, hehe.

Labels: Buhay Isteyts, Buhay ng may Buhay, Friends, Lights Camera Action, Si Dindin, Silly Me