WELLbinar Series: Letran SHS Creative Hub holds the Blind Spot Webinar

Eldrin Steven Dones & Rhaine Eisley Bortanog

Saturday, February 13, 2021 - Still part of the first batch of the Wellbinars offering of Letran SHS Student Council in collaboration with selected ACLE Clubs, the Letran SHS Creative Hub held a discussion in understanding “The Blind Spot” of photography which was held via GMeet and Facebook Livestream.

The webinar was hosted by Mr. Charles Thomas Velena and Ms. Andreia Celine Valderrama, both members of the Creative Hub. The session started as Mr. Allen Matthew Velasquez, President of the Letran SHS Creative Hub, welcomed everyone through his opening remarks. He was able to mention that he hoped that the listeners will be able to take new learnings and ideas throughout the program.

Shortly after, Mr. Alfonso Emmanuel Teodosio, Vice President of the Letran SHS Creative Hub, formally introduced the resource speaker for the webinar, Mr. Dominic P. Dimagmaliw, a professional photographer and visual studio artist.

The session began as Mr. Dimagmaliw shared, “I want to discuss things there, na hindi masyado napapansin kadalasan ng photographers,” on why his photography blog is called “The Blind Spot.” He also added, “I do portrait photography… Eventually started diving into fashion and conceptual photography but more on streets (photography) ako talaga.”

Following this, he presented his past works in toy photography, wherein he said that he learned other styles and tried to tell stories with the help of action figures. Mr. Dimagmaliw also shared that he was recruited by ABS-CBN’s multi-channel network for the cinematography, and was able to express stories through videos, framing, photos, and more.

“I wanted to explore… Hindi lang just one particular vibe,” the speaker mentioned as he shared his projects with local and international brands in regards to his diving in fashion and making editorials. Other than that, he discussed how he explored clothing lines with Don’t Blame The Kids (DBTK), Drone, Reserved Clothing, and other local brands. He also said that as a content creator, he used different platforms to express and share his works.

“You should explore...Sticking to just one style is probably a dead end,” the speaker explained as he answered the question, “What’s your style?” “Tingnan n’yo kung saan kayo comfortable… Share it to the world kung saan kayo masaya gumawa, masaya mag conceptualize… Take risks. Failing is part of being successful and progressive,” he added when talking about trying new trends.

According to the speaker, he always tries to engage in different fashions and styles to mix them and come up with satisfying ideas. He further mentioned that allowing one’s self to evolve and being consistent in trying different styles of photography can help in exploring new ways and to develop own branding. “I tried my best to achieve more with what I have… I stopped giving myself excuses, I gave myself goals,” Mr. Dominic claimed as he talked about the “I Don’t Have The Gear” excuses of aspiring photographers. Other than that, he also mentioned that there are lots of ideas that can be executed responsibly. He stated that even though he did not have enough equipment before, he still managed to achieve more with what he had and the same goes with aspiring photographers. “Don’t create excuses, create art that represents your vision. Kung anong meron ka, maximize mo ‘yon”, the speaker added.

Subsequently, the speaker emphasized to not be afraid of creating a new and personal style. He also said that doing photography is not a competition in the number of engagements in social media posts but is rather based on the joy taken from creating photos. “The trends, the styles, the different kinds of works are already out there, gagawin mo na lang... You don’t really have to follow all the trends, you just have to be knowledgeable about it”, Mr. Dimagmaliw stated.

Later on, the speaker talked about generating ideas, thinking out-of-the-box, and gave tips in making worthwhile photographs. Some of the tips include breaking basic rules and developing own techniques, collaborating with other people of the same interest, and creating new content.

Mr. Dimagmaliw then spoke about creating a brand and being inspired by other works in developing a story through quality and style. Finally, the speaker concluded the talk by leaving tips about being a content creator such as becoming responsible in being your own boss, staying punctual, taking breaks, progress over perfection, and being passionate in the world of photography.

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