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THE FRAME THAT TELLS IT ALL
THE FRAME THAT TELLS IT ALL
A LITTLE THROWBACK…
A LITTLE THROWBACK…
I would like to share a little story before I go ahead and provide my one shot summary. Uncannily, this might have been one of the main reasons as to why I may have chosen my picture for this task. And if ever you are wondering if it’s the one on my web banner- cover photo then you might have guessed it correctly because it was my initial entry supposedly but then I have chosen a different one. You see how indecisive I am? HAHA! This might be the cause why I have gotten a low mark for our previous task above all the technicalities involving it. Anyway, so here goes my story… About four years ago, I was still a very active student more like hopeful and my dreams were bigger than me as I stand 5.4 ft. in height. Well, it is still bigger than me nowadays and it grew bigger even more. So I was taking up Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism in one the finest universities in the south of Luzon which is De La Salle University- Dasmarinas. I was very passionate about it and I am glad that I did not lose that zone up until now. Fast forward, I had to stop going to school due to financial constraints and it was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life. Below was the last picture I’ve had on my last day at the university during the course/ subject which is well known not only to me but to all of us. Yes, the last subject I have taken during that time was photography and this photo was taken in our multimedia photography lab and studio, however I have only taken two weeks of this class and then unfortunately I had stopped. It was the end of the world for me during those times. And today, I am very fortunate to have been able to continue my studies with UPOU and on the same weight- finish that last subject I wasn’t given a chance to finish four years ago.
I would like to share a little story before I go ahead and provide my one shot summary. Uncannily, this might have been one of the main reasons as to why I may have chosen my picture for this task. And if ever you are wondering if it’s the one on my web banner- cover photo then you might have guessed it correctly because it was my initial entry supposedly but then I have chosen a different one. You see how indecisive I am? HAHA! This might be the cause why I have gotten a low mark for our previous task above all the technicalities involving it. Anyway, so here goes my story… About four years ago, I was still a very active student more like hopeful and my dreams were bigger than me as I stand 5.4 ft. in height. Well, it is still bigger than me nowadays and it grew bigger even more. So I was taking up Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism in one the finest universities in the south of Luzon which is De La Salle University- Dasmarinas. I was very passionate about it and I am glad that I did not lose that zone up until now. Fast forward, I had to stop going to school due to financial constraints and it was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life. Below was the last picture I’ve had on my last day at the university during the course/ subject which is well known not only to me but to all of us. Yes, the last subject I have taken during that time was photography and this photo was taken in our multimedia photography lab and studio, however I have only taken two weeks of this class and then unfortunately I had stopped. It was the end of the world for me during those times. And today, I am very fortunate to have been able to continue my studies with UPOU and on the same weight- finish that last subject I wasn’t given a chance to finish four years ago.
YEAR 2014, DLSU-D
YEAR 2014, DLSU-D
MUSIC JUNKYARD
MUSIC JUNKYARD
My music at the moment while holding this write up down is “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons. They’re one of the best bands in the world today. The beat (and the song itself) gets me fired up to all the time. Happy Listening! Now let’s go back to business…
My music at the moment while holding this write up down is “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons. They’re one of the best bands in the world today. The beat (and the song itself) gets me fired up to all the time. Happy Listening! Now let’s go back to business…
(Image from Google Images)
MY ONE SHOT SUMMARY...
MY ONE SHOT SUMMARY...
Every time we get to have an assignment or task, I would always have this mindset that it’ll be easy to deal with because the instructions are way too clear and easy to understand but when production comes then I would start to sway a little. It kind of feels like everything that needs to be done is just one step ahead but then again the reality of it being easy is still a little too far-fetched. Photography indeed is not an easy feat at least for me. But little by little I started to understand the gist of it although I’m not able to showcase my full potential for it as of now due to lack of resources but I believe I am getting there in mincing steps.
Every time we get to have an assignment or task, I would always have this mindset that it’ll be easy to deal with because the instructions are way too clear and easy to understand but when production comes then I would start to sway a little. It kind of feels like everything that needs to be done is just one step ahead but then again the reality of it being easy is still a little too far-fetched. Photography indeed is not an easy feat at least for me. But little by little I started to understand the gist of it although I’m not able to showcase my full potential for it as of now due to lack of resources but I believe I am getting there in mincing steps.
You know what? This activity made me realize A LOT of things. My dreams and everything that have happened to me for the past ten years of life transpired into this activity. To where I pegged this activity was more than just the activity itself. I have taken this into some personal heights after seeing some of Tom Ang’s work and his pursuits in photography, most especially his take on one-shot photography. I have tried to contemplate on as to how I am able to show within a single snap the journey I had traversed during this course and like what I have shared, this is more than that. Look at my photo…
You know what? This activity made me realize A LOT of things. My dreams and everything that have happened to me for the past ten years of life transpired into this activity. To where I pegged this activity was more than just the activity itself. I have taken this into some personal heights after seeing some of Tom Ang’s work and his pursuits in photography, most especially his take on one-shot photography. I have tried to contemplate on as to how I am able to show within a single snap the journey I had traversed during this course and like what I have shared, this is more than that. Look at my photo…
What do you see reader? Is it a face half-submerged into the water? What does that mean to you? QUESTIONS…QUESTIONS…QUESTIONS… I’ve also asked myself why I chose this just as much as anyone else that would do a one shot summary. The answer though lies from another simple yet beyond the surface question, and that is... “What have you learned from this course?”… And for all the things that this course had taught me that I would consider to be the paramount is that I need to be able to understand my own ‘frame’ first, just like what I have been doing with the series of blogs and assignments. I wanted to know who I am as a photographer. I wanted my MIND to conceive a rational reason as to what it thinks it wants a viewer to see from his lens just like what the third unit of this course suggests… ‘And back to your mind’… But of course, don’t get me wrong, I do not settle for that vision alone. The technical aspect of this course is as much important to me as breathing the air in and out of my lungs because I wouldn’t be able to tell a story or create magic using light if it isn’t because of the particularities of photography. More than that is the amazing opportunity to be critiqued for your body of work.
What do you see reader? Is it a face half-submerged into the water? What does that mean to you? QUESTIONS…QUESTIONS…QUESTIONS… I’ve also asked myself why I chose this just as much as anyone else that would do a one shot summary. The answer though lies from another simple yet beyond the surface question, and that is... “What have you learned from this course?”… And for all the things that this course had taught me that I would consider to be the paramount is that I need to be able to understand my own ‘frame’ first, just like what I have been doing with the series of blogs and assignments. I wanted to know who I am as a photographer. I wanted my MIND to conceive a rational reason as to what it thinks it wants a viewer to see from his lens just like what the third unit of this course suggests… ‘And back to your mind’… But of course, don’t get me wrong, I do not settle for that vision alone. The technical aspect of this course is as much important to me as breathing the air in and out of my lungs because I wouldn’t be able to tell a story or create magic using light if it isn’t because of the particularities of photography. More than that is the amazing opportunity to be critiqued for your body of work.
So what is it? What is that ‘SOMETHING’ that binds my ultimate learning from this course and the photo I have chosen? Again, I will collectively bring into the light all the things that have transpired into my life and into this course…
So what is it? What is that ‘SOMETHING’ that binds my ultimate learning from this course and the photo I have chosen? Again, I will collectively bring into the light all the things that have transpired into my life and into this course…
The FACE speaks of my STRUGGLES, if there’s anything that would signify it best then it would be it. At a single glance, apparently it does have the half of it dipped into the water while the other half rests above the surface of the water. This juxtaposes my current success in life in general and so as the level of my mastery when it comes to photography. Being half-submerged gives me hindsight to a full peripheral view of someone being unable to fully get out of the WATER. The water as a personal and ultimate figurative perception means the dark phases of my life: financial struggles, insecurities, self-doubts, exhaustion, lack of faith, frustrations, elusive dreams and most of all my FAILURES. Remember my story about four years ago? I can say that it falls under the same roof. It gives me that idea that I know to myself that I have something to use to be successful but it is not my time yet. It also signifies my current performance in photography if I would give myself an honest review of it. Although I may have half or even a larger portion of my face drowned into the water, the other half which rises above the surface is saying that I got this; that there’s something about me; that there is something about the way I work things out that would make me get out of the water and more likely get out of that dark phase. I couldn’t really tell as of now what that ‘SOMETHING’ really is to be honest. But if I would take a guess about what that something is all about then it would be FOCUS. Look into the eye above the surface; it neither looked down into water nor looked up away from the water. It does however look into you; look into the moment; look into what’s present; into what’s available. It’s trying to tell you that while it is important to employ the essence of your goals and the anticipation of failures and drawbacks in life (I’d also say this in line with my performance in this class), it is however beneficial if you stay focused into what is present. The eye in the picture yells at me, saying “do what you need to do, never mind the things that isn’t going to be here for you”- and this refers to tools that I need to take a good photo. It tells me to focus on what I have at the moment and I have lots of ideas and concepts in my mind. And again, we will still go back into the reality of the head being half-submerged into the water, meaning to say that these ideas or concepts may not be fulfilled at the moment…
The FACE speaks of my STRUGGLES, if there’s anything that would signify it best then it would be it. At a single glance, apparently it does have the half of it dipped into the water while the other half rests above the surface of the water. This juxtaposes my current success in life in general and so as the level of my mastery when it comes to photography. Being half-submerged gives me hindsight to a full peripheral view of someone being unable to fully get out of the WATER. The water as a personal and ultimate figurative perception means the dark phases of my life: financial struggles, insecurities, self-doubts, exhaustion, lack of faith, frustrations, elusive dreams and most of all my FAILURES. Remember my story about four years ago? I can say that it falls under the same roof. It gives me that idea that I know to myself that I have something to use to be successful but it is not my time yet. It also signifies my current performance in photography if I would give myself an honest review of it. Although I may have half or even a larger portion of my face drowned into the water, the other half which rises above the surface is saying that I got this; that there’s something about me; that there is something about the way I work things out that would make me get out of the water and more likely get out of that dark phase. I couldn’t really tell as of now what that ‘SOMETHING’ really is to be honest. But if I would take a guess about what that something is all about then it would be FOCUS. Look into the eye above the surface; it neither looked down into water nor looked up away from the water. It does however look into you; look into the moment; look into what’s present; into what’s available. It’s trying to tell you that while it is important to employ the essence of your goals and the anticipation of failures and drawbacks in life (I’d also say this in line with my performance in this class), it is however beneficial if you stay focused into what is present. The eye in the picture yells at me, saying “do what you need to do, never mind the things that isn’t going to be here for you”- and this refers to tools that I need to take a good photo. It tells me to focus on what I have at the moment and I have lots of ideas and concepts in my mind. And again, we will still go back into the reality of the head being half-submerged into the water, meaning to say that these ideas or concepts may not be fulfilled at the moment…
All I can say at the moment is how appreciative I am with everything that I have learned from this course. Three units and the course material opened my eyes and presented me a bigger picture of what things I am capable of achieving in the future.
All I can say at the moment is how appreciative I am with everything that I have learned from this course. Three units and the course material opened my eyes and presented me a bigger picture of what things I am capable of achieving in the future.
As I try wrap up this task, another question got into me… So “when am I going to completely get out of the water then?” The answer to that definitely has full of uncertainties at the moment. I do not know as to when I am able to harness all the learning that I have received in this course yet and put it into one good frame. The picture itself tells you that.
As I try wrap up this task, another question got into me… So “when am I going to completely get out of the water then?” The answer to that definitely has full of uncertainties at the moment. I do not know as to when I am able to harness all the learning that I have received in this course yet and put it into one good frame. The picture itself tells you that.
Look again into my eye in that picture. Tell me what do you see now? For me, I see DETERMINATION and COURAGE. I see a frame that tells a story. I see myself trying to stay as calm as the water stays still from the darkness lurking in it. I may not fully get out of the water yet but one day I will. And when that day comes… I will tell this tale with another photo that speaks of its soul, a photo of my head rising above the water which speaks of the things it had to go through.
Look again into my eye in that picture. Tell me what do you see now? For me, I see DETERMINATION and COURAGE. I see a frame that tells a story. I see myself trying to stay as calm as the water stays still from the darkness lurking in it. I may not fully get out of the water yet but one day I will. And when that day comes… I will tell this tale with another photo that speaks of its soul, a photo of my head rising above the water which speaks of the things it had to go through.
All in all, I am proud of myself and what I have achieved so far from taking photos. I have observed a lot of improvements from where I have started. I will always remember to learn and keep in mind the BASICS of photography but that won’t mean a thing if I don’t get to have a viewer unravel the story behind it. That's what a photographer gotta do first. A photographer must be a story teller. I am a story teller. I am a photographer. I am. I AM...
All in all, I am proud of myself and what I have achieved so far from taking photos. I have observed a lot of improvements from where I have started. I will always remember to learn and keep in mind the BASICS of photography but that won’t mean a thing if I don’t get to have a viewer unravel the story behind it. That's what a photographer gotta do first. A photographer must be a story teller. I am a story teller. I am a photographer. I am. I AM...
Written and Published by:
Filmore Kevin Tiston
Published: March 20, 2018
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