MMS 173 Assignment 4: Bucket List

April 11, 2025

Doing this assignment has been both fun and challenging. I kept asking myself how I would interpret each theme and how I want present it visually. I was actually having a dilemma of whether to just use the photos I have taken within the term or take a new one specifically for this assignment. But, Prof. Al raised a very good question in the discussion forum, how well does that old picture embody what I really want to submit? Well, there are photos that I personally think would fit the assignment, BUT there are some that would not really best represent the themes. So, I decided to just combine my old photos and take some new ones to align the vision I am seeing for this assignment.

Height

This theme was very tricky for me. I’m not sure if I should take a photo from a height, or I should take one that shows height, or something that represents height. Well, maybe it depends on how we interpret it and how we want to tell a story from it.

Just outside my apartment, I stumbled upon these children who are flying kites under the scorching heat. Although there are trees that provide shades, you can still feel how hot it is outside. However, this doesn’t stop them from enjoying what usual kids do– play. They actually reminded me of my childhood– batang gala, batang-bukid, batang amoy araw. I was really amazed seeing how they enjoy what they are doing. They created the kites themselves and able to fly it meters high from the ground.

"Saranggola"

This photo shows how this kid launches his kite to the sky. He started by throwing it and then running against the direction of the wind.

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For this photo, I used a Sony A6000 with an 85mm Samyang manual lens, which explains why the details of the lens are not visible in the info. It was also very challenging to keep the moving subject in focus because I’m using a manual lens, that’s why I adjusted the setting to help me capture the moment. I increased the shutter speed to 1/250 and played around with the opening of F/4.0-5.6. I am also using an ND variable to minimize the light entering the camera. I opted to keep the headroom big because it gives the idea of height or distance to which the kite will be flying. Since it's daytime, I played around the temperature of 5100K and above.

Pattern

There is nothing fancy with this photo actually. It is just the screen door of my apartment. When I was thinking about what pattern I should look for, I just tried to look around and observe if there was any interesting pattern I could see. Then I saw the screen door, featuring the clear sky behind it.

"The Screen"

I guess sometimes it’s not really about overthinking things. You just have to look around and appreciate even the simplest of things.

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For this photo, I still used the Sony A6000 with an 85mm manual lens. I kept my shutter speed at 1/125 and the ISO at 100. I also used an ND variable to adjust if there was too much exposure and had an opening of F/4.0.

Night

Supposedly, I’ll be using an existing photo for this theme, however, I did not feel satisfied with it when I was writing the narrative. So, I decided to take a walk and just see how things would go. One of the main elements of night photography is light. That’s why I kept in mind that perhaps a well-lit convenience store, a loud jeepney with neon lights, or a gasoline station is what my subject will be.

Then, as I was walking, I saw that there was an ongoing procession. It was the Procession of the Friday of Sorrows, commonly known as Viernes de Dolores. I took out my camera and captured the scene.

"Debosyon"

The photo depicts deep Filipino values and traditions. It shows culture. But most importantly, it tells the story of devotion, faith, and hope. We all know that our country is rich in history, culture, and traditions. And capturing photos allows us to keep the story alive.

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I kept my shutter speed at 1/125, but cranked my ISO to 800. I still used the same camera and played around the opening of F/2.8-4.0. Since it's night already, I adjusted the temperature down to 4800K. However, the image still feels warm due to its warm light bulbs, thus making it emotional and solemn.

Flower

To be honest, I don’t have a recent photo of a flower, so this pushed me to take a new one specifically for this theme. However, I ask myself how I would begin. Should I just go out and take random photos of a flower and pick the most beautiful, most vibrant, and most pleasing in the eye? Well, that’s the initial plan. I decided to take a walk within the vicinity to go flower searching. Then I realized a good place to spot good flowers– a cemetery. There is a nearby private cemetery, but it’s open to the public. And I was right, different flowers with different colors are everywhere. But among them are also those old and withered ones, and this particular one caught my attention.

"Withered"

It actually raised a question: How do we really define a flower? Or how can we call it beautiful? If it’s all withered and dry, has it lost its value? Or it just already served its purpose. What makes a flower a flower? Or is its existence enough? These questions kept running in my mind when I saw this flower, so I decided to take a shot and use this one instead. After all, I guess that’s why we take photos– to tell stories and seek inquiries.

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I still used the Sony A6000 with an 85mm manual lens. My opening is at F/4 to capture wider details. I also used an ND variable since it’s outdoors and kept my ISO at 100.

Motion

This photo is actually from my archive. It was taken last February along the busy streets of Mongkok. I didn’t have my camera that time, that’s why I am only using a phone.

"In his own world"

This photo really fascinated me because it reminds us of the present in the midst of the busy world we are living in. The subject has his own little world within the busy surroundings. It felt like he did not care about what was going on around him. Well, not negatively, but he is living in the present and at the moment. Taking this photo allowed me to pause for a while and just appreciate the present– that I am breathing, I can walk, feel, and see.

That’s why I am really attached to this photo because it tells me so much. It reminded me to take the pressure off and just live in the moment. Feel the present. And take things one step at a time.

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Since I am only using a phone, I have no total control of the camera settings. I used the telephoto lens to frame the subject well and adjust the focus. It was nighttime when I took it, so I just adjusted the exposure to compensate for the shutter speed. The tendency of a phone camera when you expose it to the right is that it will give you a slower shutter speed, thus creating a motion blur. I also opted to use monochrome because I really wanted to highlight the subject and feel more connected with him.

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