Tagaytay - March 17, 2018

Back in March of 2018, my family decided to go to Tagaytay and stay there for a few days, as it was also the beginning of summer break. I took this photo during the ride home. There were lines of vendors selling various things on the side of the road, and one of them was selling flowers. My mother decided to buy some as a souvenir from the trip. She was also the one who picked what type it would be.

Funnily enough, I love taking photos of flowers, but I used to be unaware of their names or what type they were. So I made it a habit to search what type of flower it was after taking a photo of it. This particular flower in the photo is a Gerbera Daisy, and it symbolizes innocence, purity, cheerfulness, and loyal love. After finding out its meaning, I understood why I was drawn to it.

I took this photo inside the car while waiting for my mother, as she was still buying some other things. I was able to make the background of the flower dark by hunching over it to shield it from the sun and leaving only a bit of sunlight to come through. I positioned the flower behind the driver’s seat at a lower position around my knees, and I hunched over to cast a shadow.

Muntinlupa - April 16, 2021

This photo was taken near my home, just down the street from where I live, during the heightened COVID-19 lockdown. The sole reason why I took a risk and went out of my house, even though it was not allowed at that time, was because of an assignment that I had from my previous program in my old school. The subject was Mathematics in the Modern World and our topic was about “Patterns in Numbers in Nature and the World.”

So, I went outside and looked around for any possible thing that I could work on in relation to this topic. Then, I saw this Gumamela flower, which was perfect as it showcases the rotational symmetry in nature, which exhibits a 5-fold symmetry because of its petals, hence the caption/title of the photograph. I took this using my then-phone, which was an iPhone X. I liked how the photo turned out and how the color popped, even though it is light pink. There’s something about it that exudes softness and delicateness. 

This photo is actually one of my core memories, as I was in a hurry taking this picture while policemen were going around the village. I vividly remember running down the street, and pressing the capture button of my phone, and then running back to where I came from. It was also a quick breather for me since I hadn’t gone out in a while.

Overall, I really like this work, even though I know there could be improvements, such as adjusting the positioning and moving slightly closer to the subject to fully capture its details.

Daraga, Albay - March 26, 2024

This was the most recent photo of a flower that I have in my camera roll. It was taken in Daraga, Albay which is my father’s province. This flower was located in the garden of my grandmother’s house. We went home to the province to spend the Holy Week there. On this particular day, I remember going to the garden because my grandmother was there. She showed me all her plants, and this flower caught my attention. It was so small and delicate, and I found it cute and pretty. It is called a Madagascar Periwinkle, and it symbolizes hope and resilience because it blooms throughout the year. 

I took a picture of this specific flower as I noticed it had a unique positioning or placement. It had one petal going in an upward direction while all the other petals were going downward. It was like it was raising its hand and saying “Pick me! Pick me!” for the photo. I used my phone here, which is an iPhone 13. It's clear and focused on the subject and automatically blurred the background. I made no adjustments or edits and left it as it was for the final output. 

I think this photo is good because it is aesthetically pleasing to look at, and I like how the sunlight made the overall look brighter and livelier. I feel happy with this photograph, I feel like I’ve improved a tiny bit, even though I have no idea what I’m doing and just pressed the capture button. But I’ve also realized that I’ve come a long way compared to the first photo in 2018. I have a better phone and camera now compared to my iPhone SE back then, which is a big factor. However, there is definitely room for improvement, such as the positioning, lighting, and background blur. 

Overall, this picture is dear to me as I’ve spent precious time with my grandmother talking about this flower. It's something that I cherish and will remember for a long time.