It’s nice to be home for the weekend, especially on a rainy day. :) Been away from home every weekend since April.

Despite my hesitation to attend this event due to P-Noy's State of the Nation Address (SONA), I still signed up for it because I don't have anything to do on that day and it was a free workshop. Note: I live near Sandigan and during SONAs, I'm (sort of) stuck here in our place because of the expected heavy traffic and closed roads. Going back, it wasn't my first time attending a Photography workshop. The student organization I am in used to have such event but of course we were usually outside the venue/room. Ergo, this was my first time to join as a participant. Fortunately, I arrived at the venue on time but unfortunately, I wasn't able to have lunch because I left the house too early. :(

The workshop was amazing as was Mr. Gunther Deichmann or Mr. G.D. He is a great photographer and I love his pictures which were mostly about colors. Mr. G.D. conducted the workshop with full enthusiasm despite a quite timid audience. I like that he pointed out that capturing a very good photo does not depend on the tool or the camera used, it depends on the one taking it. After discussing Photography we were given 45 minutes to roam around the campus to take some shots. Forty-five minutes is not much of time especially because there's only a few interesting views and subjects around the venue. It was really a bit of a challenge that one has to be really creative to have good pictures. Regardless of the time limit, I still chose to go to the Sunken Garden, took some photos there and walked back to the venue and took another photos on the way.

Some of the photos I took for the contest and while waiting for the announcement of the winners:

It didn't win. And yes, I had a feeling that it really won't because it's a typical shot. But this was my first successful shot of a subject like this. :)

This was the candidate for second place. I just love everything about this picture. Thanks Dan for giving me this lovely cupcake! :)

This was my winning photo on third place. This is a candid shot of a girl I don't even know. I know, it's not the best quality that's why I almost didn't include it in my entries but I just love this shot.

Overall, everyone seemed that they enjoyed the workshop. It was a fun and productive day for all of us. I would like to thank Power Mac Center for hosting this event for free and Mr. G.D. for sharing with us his knowledge on Photography and inspiring us to develop our photography skill.

As for the co-presenter, UP FLIPP, I wish they prepared a bit more for the event especially the emcees. First, there should be no invocation included in the program as UP is a nonsectarian university. Also, as much as possible, speaking in TagLish should be avoided. No offense or anything to you guys but I think you can do better than that. :)

Winning on this contest is huge for me. Actually, it was my first time joining a Photography contest as I'm not really confident in my skills. I take photographs just for fun and also because it is therapeutic for me. So being appreciated that much gives me a boost of confidence. I browsed through Mr. G.D.'s online portfolio and it is so humbling that he likes my pictures. :)