The countdown continues.

It's barely a week until the exhibit opens and, before it does, it's nice to look back at the preparation and effort that led to this point.

It's been more than a year since I started to venture out from my norm and into the unfamiliar territory of photography. I never thought I'd get to this point, frankly. Even the idea of an exhibition was quite a far reach the first time I thought about it on April of 2018. I have to say, I've come a long way. Last year's journey wasn't as fast as the evolution I underwent since I was invited to be part of the roster around February of this year. I can see how the transition of my styles became much more evident simply because I was chasing something, rather than taking my time to build on skills and knowledge. I knew that I worked better with actual and specific deadlines, and not just with the goals I set for myself.

I can definitely say that though the evolution was quick, I feel that there is still so much I can improve on, particularly on the technical aspect of how I shoot and edit, and what I need mentally and physically (and equipment-wise) to make the next projects better. It's true what they say about how equipment alone doesn't make good photos, how intention and vision dictates the direction of a photograph—but in my experience, the technicals on how to bring about this vision are very critical. Consider my recent experience in shooting fishing pens or shooting against the sun. In post processing, I realized that the lens quality also dictates the sharpness of the image, or how shooting in panorama can help sharpen it (because the middle of the lens is sharp, and most times, the edges are soft) and it also helps manipulate the glare or lens reflections in photos (if you pan your shots against images that are blocked by sunlight or glare). There were still a lot of lessons I learned in those successive shoots and travels, all to build a body of work for the exhibit.

And don't get me started with the topic of creating a body of work, because...

It's just very difficult. I believe that it will always be a foremost challenge to make one, simply because it's very rare to complete a series in one trip. In my experience, it's built slowly as you accumulate experience and ideas. It's consciously made “with intent,” as they say, because the idea of the series is what will drive you to go to locations where “a shot” for a piece is available or possible.

Well, that says a lot about my own learning. I can say that I barely scratched the surface and it is going to be a lifelong experience to learn and apply ad infinitum.

That now brings me to where I am now: “post” all the preparations and “pre” the exhibition itself. Two weeks ago, we had an individual and group photo shoot to promote our exhibit, and it was fun. I enjoyed getting my photos taken. Well, specifically because I can use it professionally and personally on my social media pages. More than that, however, it was also a thrill to meet people on the roster I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting until that photo shoot. I can say that I'm very proud to be part of the exhibition alongside these very talented artists—and I'd go as far as saying that they're some of the most talented artists of our generation.

With all the excitement building and the event slowly creeping up, I'll take this time to breathe in the experience, to learn from it and be better. May this opportunity bring in more opportunities for me in the future.

Thanks for reading.

UN:PLUGGED unveils on July 20th, 2019 and runs until August 3rd, 2019 at Vetro Art Gallery in Quezon City, Philippines.