Before buying my new Kefine Klean IEM (In-Ear Monitor), I had to read and watch numerous reviews from other people. While I was immediately enticed by its tuning, striking design, and its uncompromising quality, I didn’t immediately pull the plug to purchase it. Much like how I compose my photographs, I try to do my due research in order for me to be sure that I am making a quality decision. When I got it, I immediately wanted to do a review and unboxing. Much like how I saw IEM reviewers take their photography seriously for their IEM reviews, I also tried to capture my take in a well-composed photograph that not only highlights the IEM but also everything I learned in MMS 173. I wanted this image to encapsulate my technical and creative journey through this trimester.

In this photograph, provided that I only worked with my phone’s camera, I focused on trying to get the proper set up and composition of my IEM to try and showcase my evolving photographic skills. I deliberately tried to create a good balance with my framing, lighting, and how I want the viewers to look at my photograph. I arranged the elements in the frame so that the interplay of light, shadow, and the surrounding background elements would provide clarity, depth, and focus on the product and its accessories at hand. Providing my viewers with something to focus at and at the same time still have enough clarity in my background elements to further support and help the showcase of the product. I think that this approach and process embodies what I have honed in MMS 173 which is the ability and creativity to see beyond what is given and use compositional techniques that I have learned to communicate something more.

I have seen my growth during this trimester. At first I was basically a blank slate, trying to capture my passion of photography and learn again. That was my goal. Then as the trimester went by, I was struck with the realization that providing “good” photographs was not the only “job” of the photographer but to also be able to tell to others the story of how I was able to compose that photograph. From critiquing my own, to critiquing others, I needed to hone my technical skills better and have a better understanding of composition. In similar ways, the way I view how this IEM is created is how I should be taking my photography. The Kefine Klean was carefully engineered to deliver pristine, clear sound, and have its own take through its tuning with how it delivers sound to our ears. With this, I also wanted to capture images with attention to detail. Every setting adjustment, from the lighting, the camera settings, I wanted to mirror the meticulous process needed to create a great audio product. While the photograph or the result is what most viewers only see, I wanted this one to be proof of my transformation, that this is not only just part of a product showcase, but a layered narrative of technical and creative growth. In many ways, I believe that I have achieved my goal, I have rekindled my passion for photography and I plan to do more in my career as a multimedia practitioner.

While I wasn’t active in providing my own insights or even asking around in our forums, I diligently looked at every single discussion post in the portal. Some were a bit daunting at first especially the ones that our professor has posted provided his expertise, however I took it as challenges and really a treasure trove of learnings. Every critique that I saw and done felt like adjusting a delicate balance between technical accuracy and artistic expression. But much like fine-tuning a high-end audio system, every suggestion for improvement helped me refine my vision. I started to see the collaborative environment as a dynamic soundcheck, where differences in opinion served to calibrate our creative output rather than undermine it.

Reflecting on my journey in MMS 173, I think the most important takeaway for me as an aspiring photographer and online learner is the realization that photography is a harmonious blend of technical discipline and creative storytelling. As I have implied at the start, my first thoughts on photography and learning it through this class was mainly only improving my technical knowledge and skills. However, through this class, I learned that mastering the technical aspects such as composition, lighting, and framing is only a part of the bigger picture. True photography lies in conveying emotion and narrative within a single frame. I have learned through this course that there is so much more behind a “good” photograph. There’s a vision, a process, and a narrative that could be seen or told through images. For instance, every critique assignment so far has encouraged me to dissect each image’s structure and intent, molding my approach into one. It is essential for photography that the element of curiosity remain a part of one’s creative process to go beyond the bounds of what you may have initially imagined. In my case for the photograph that I have chosen, I have never really saw myself to get into product reviewing, especially in the audio space even though I have been quite interested. However, this assignment made me understand the importance of curiosity, to experiment on my learnings, that each and every inclusion to my images contributes to the narrative that I may convey.

To finish, if I were to look back on this trimester I do recognize that I really needed to be more proactive in my participation in the forums as well as in the face to face activities. I believe I could be more active in sharing my insights as well as trying to receive insights on my work more directly. This in turn may have provided amplified my learning experience by not only learning by critiquing my peers but also learning by having my work be critiqued. I would have gained a deeper sense of the learning community and have enhanced my technical understandings.