MMS 173 Assignment 4: Bucketlist

'Window Heights' is my first ever attempt at symmetrical photography. The structure in the photo is one of the houses in my street. I chose this particular house because it was a two-story structure with a symmetrical roof and window layout that I quite liked. While I aimed for perfect symmetry, the result ended up slightly off, mainly due to the limitations of my shooting position (I had to do it quickly and sneakily so people won't think I'm someone suspicious), and also because of the open left-side window.

For post-processing, I cropped out a portion to remove the gate peeking in from the bottom of the frame. then i rotated it because it was slightly wonky. I also lowered the brightness to deepen the shadows and to give a sense that the house is looming over the viewer. Among the pictures I included here, this is the one I'm the least satisfied with. I'll revisit the concept and take photo that i will be satisfied with.

'Star Trail' is one of my personal favorites among the photos I've taken. The stars were one of the decorative installments at Calamba City Hall during the last Christmas of 2024. These stars presented good opportunity for picture-taking among visitors, and of course I was one of them. 

I took the picture in an angled perspective emphasizing the overlapping shapes and create a sense of rhythm in the pattern. This photo was taken before I took the MMS 173 course, and this does not have any trace of technical camera work and post-processing — aside from cropping. Still, I think I did a good job applying the little knowledge I had at the time and going with my instinct to capture something that I think is visually strong.

"Midnight Stalls"

'Midnight Stalls" is another one that I'm quite proud of. This was taken during this year's 2025 February Fair at UPLB. The reason why I titled this 'Midnight Stalls' is pretty self-explanatory. Compared to the photo above, at the time I was already taking MMS 173 classes. I chose this picture for the night theme because I thought the overall feel of the picture fit the concept fairly well.

I captured this shot using my phone's night mode. The capture itself was pretty straightforward but I spent more time during post processing. I reduced the exposure to make the silhouettes more prominent and convey a deeper sense of night, I then increased the saturation by a little bit to enhance the light on the stalls drawing attention to it and adding contrast between the environment and the structures. After the adjustments I made, I feel that I was able to tap into the potential of the photo.

Of One Root

The flowers in this photo are ones that my mother is growing. In her small place of collective plants, this was the only one flowering. They're small and delicate but one can't deny their beauty. I titled this picture 'Of One Root' because despite growing from the same pot and from the same root, there blooms a lone flower that differ from the rest. Pure white compared to it's sisters.

Similar to the other photos, 'Of One Root' was also shot in a straightforward manner. For this image, I chose to lower the saturation to draw focus to the flowers, specifically their natural hues. After cropping and subtly dropping the exposure for more depth, this image was the result. 

The title 'Game in Motion' is a silly pun I thought of pertaining to the theme of the photo and the action of the little girl. The subject of this image is one of the neighborhood kids on my street photographed during a typical afternoon where the children would all come out to play. In the photo, the children were playing tumbang preso, and I managed capture the moment just as the girl was about to kick her slipper. 

For the post-processing, I started with cropping to improve the composition. I then converted the image to black and while to maintain focus on the subject and remove any distractions. Increasing the contrast helped add depth and interest by bringing out the finer details, emphazising the energy of the moment frozen in motion.