Photography
is an opportunity to see nature and appreciate creativity working around us.
Among the things I learned from consciously picking trees as my subject in
photography is its importance in mankind. Basically, our world is populated
with busy people looking forward for sophistication in life and has forgotten
to give sense of appreciation to simple things occurring in our environment.
One of the things commonly prioritized in our daily living are ways on how to
survive. People have become busy earning money by dedicating most of their time
in their offices practically doing paper works. Most of us find ourselves stuck
on thinking how are we going to eat, how are we going to send the children in
school and how are we going to afford comfortable living in cities. Afterwards we
also sense a part in our life where we resort for relaxation around the streets
looking for something that would fulfill our happiness. Blinded by the urge to seek comfortable living, we often consider happiness on material things. But
how can we measure happiness and satisfaction from it?
Through
photography, I learned that one of the most fulfilling jobs in life so far is
documenting the things we do while we are still alive. You see, everything
changes. There are a lot of people we encounter in our daily life; there are a
lot of things happening worldwide; the newspapers, television, and the internet
updates us on the current events happening around us. Advancement in technology
never failed to surprise us and we all look forward for a chance to document
almost everything we see in our environment. It is said that the only constant
thing on earth is change. Everything changes. People are born, grow old, get
sick and die. It’s becomes a cycle. And yes, it’s part of nature.
Like
people, trees sprout, grow old, and die. Trees may happen to repeat this kind
of cycle. They are considered one of the oldest living things on earth because there
life span is longer than people. If I were to compare myself on a living thing,
I would like it to be a tree. Yes, trees are like men. The crown composing the
leaves and branches at the top of the tree is its head. The sturdy trunk is its
body. The roots are its feet. Literally and figuratively, I would compare trees
as my mother, the giving tree which provides everything I need. From its crown,
to its branches, its trunks down to the roots, everything has its use. In fact,
common houses are built with wood; it provides food and shade. Trees hold the
earth by extending its roots underneath. It gives us fresh air and longevity in
life. It protects us against the harsh sunlight and aids the production of
greenhouse gases to limit the effects of global warming.
The
opportunity to see trees growing abundantly in our town makes me proud. All
though there have been a lot of issues related to the decreased number of trees
in some of parts of the country in the form of increased space for housing and
building establishments, road widening, burning of forests and illegal logging,
I believe that the abundance of trees in our town makes us truly blessed
because I can claim that our place was able to preserve its natural vegetation.
Here
is my work --- a compilation of photographs through video presentation. Among
the gadgets I used in preparation for this one are my mobile phone (Samsung
Corby), 3MP Camera (Agfa), borrowed laptop and downloaded song of Noel Cabangon
entitled “Kanlungan” and “Tuloy Pa Rin”. For the software, I only used Windows
Movie Maker.
Basically,
the compilation is outlined into seven (7) parts. The first one is a collection
of photos showing the parts of a tree. The second part is a collection of photos
shot going upward focusing the views you can see up in the sky. The next part
is dedicated to trees and common farm animals found in our place. The next one
deals with trees and people, trees you see along the road, trees and houses
which practically describes the importance of trees in the community. The last
one is my attempt to focus on the use of trees as part of landscape
photography.
So
here is the link to my final project.